October 27 - A week full of short hair!

Dear family and friends,

Hi!!

This week has been a week full of short hair. #shorthairdontcare

First off, Mom, I don't know if I told you, but your short hair is so cute!!! How do you like it?

Second, Sister Kwan kept asking me for two weeks if I could chop her hair. Finally, Monday night, I did a test-cut of about 3 inches of her hair and after that, she said, "Okay, I call someone to cut for me."
Haha. Cutting hair is harder than you'd think!
#whereisjeneewhenineedher So we called a member of the stake who cuts hair and Sis. Kwan got it cut cute and short on Wednesday at lunchtime! Yay!

Next on the short hair list: Holly Yoho from Napa YSA! We had a tri-stake FHE activity and I got to see Holly, since the Napa ward and the Fairfield ward joined the Vacaville ward for Monday night FHE.
Turns out, Holly also chopped her hair off! It is so cute! She is so fun :)

Also, a girl at church yesterday, Irene Bonner, came up to us and told us we'd inspired her to chop her hair off again haha.

Everyone chops their hair off after they spend time around me ;) Haha nah, but for some reason this week everyone was cutting their hair.

Highlight of the week: I got to Skype in for Holly's baptism on Saturday!! <3 She looked so happy and excited. She was smiling super big and said she just felt GOOD inside. She is such an amazing, sweet girl. And she brought 5 nonmembers to her baptism!! Her grandparents, her parents, and her mom's best friend. SO amazing - she gave her grandma a Book of Mormon and her grandmother is enjoying it. Already a missionary! So proud of her!! I am also so grateful for modern technology so I could still be a part of her special day.

Other random fun things that happened this week:
-Sis. Kwan and I sang all 9 verses to "Follow the Prophet" in companionship study just because we can. It was great. Learned about Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Jonah, Daniel, and prophets today! Very informative and fun.
-Sis. Kwan ate oatmeal for breakfast on Thursday and it just killed her stomach for some reason. In our prayer to end companionship study she said, "Dear God, I am sorry that I had to take time out of studying to poopoo, but thank you for letting my body poopoo so I can feel better and do your work." HAHA :) She is the best. By the way, don't tell her I told you that story...ha.

Guess what else happened this week? It rained!!! Fall and winter are coming in, which means 6 months of rain...whew. I may need to invest in a better raincoat. And new boots. I found out last winter my raincoat does squat. And my boots are rather grungy now from two winters of use. But the rain was fun - Sister Kwan and I contacted people outside when it started to POUR. I love the quote, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it is about learning to dance in the rain." So I was having a good ole' time getting soaked and Sis.
Kwan next to me hates rain haha. She was all grumbly the whole time.
It took away from the happiness of the rain a little bit, but when the rain stopped, there was a HUGE double rainbow across the whole sky :) Tender mercy of the Lord.

My studies have been so loaded and awesome this week! I made some goals for the last part of my mission that's coming up, and as I prayed to know how to accomplish them, I was surprised to receive an answer by a thought that popped into my head soon after: "Make your daily personal study count." So I was able to make some great goals and plans to help my personal study turn from a basic baked potato to a loaded-with-goodness, heaven-worthy potato. ;)

As I've been striving to achieve my goals, my study in the scriptures and other Church materials has deepened and widened - I have been feeling more patient, loving, understanding, and obedient. I know that the promise in the Book of Mormon is true about studying the scriptures daily: "...Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3).

We have started teaching a few new people this week and they are awesome! Destiny - a 19-year-old young woman who is so open and willing to learn. She came to church on Sunday and loved it!

Also, we started teaching this sweet 20-year-old girl named Dulce who is also super open and kind. She has the strongest faith in God, even through some traumatic experiences in her life.

I know this Church is true and that the Book of Mormon is evidence of the Restoration of Christ's original church on the Earth once again.
If you want more lasting happiness than anything else in the world, come and try this out. I testify in the name of Jesus Christ you will feel something new and amazing enter into your life. You can have full access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He and God love you. You matter to Them. They want you back!

Have a good week, everyone! Be safe this weekend!

Love,

Sister Kolee Decker

October 20 - Found a family!!!!

Dear family and friends,

Hi from Vacaville!!

This week just BLAZED by! The weeks go by so stinkin' fast haha. I love being out here and serving the Lord and His children in Northern California. I will always have a special place in my heart for the people here...but I don't think I will ever move here because it is so expensive haha. Unless my future husband and I are super wealthy ;)

Ok. So highlights from this week!

Found an awesome family - a married couple, Sonya and Joe, with two teenage kids! They are super funny and open to our church. Sonya used to be Jehovah's Witness but feels it is not true, and they have been searching as a family for a new church to join. Sadly, we have to pass them off to a family ward set of missionaries this week...haha we can only teach YSA age people. It's a bummer but they are so prepared and I am excited to see where they go!

We get fed SO well here! This is the best I've been fed for a loooong time. And our ward mission leader, Justin Gray, gave us the most giant apples I have seen in my entire life haha. It took all my might to eat just one today! I have pictures I'll send of them.

It felt SO amazing to take the Sacrament this week! It was my first week in a normal Sacrament Meeting service since this new transfer - two weekends ago it was General Conference and last weekend it was stake conference. So this past weekend was amazing. I don't know how people can go inactive and not feel the effects of denying themselves the Sacrament. I realized yesterday how powerful that ordinance is - partaking of the bread and water each week to renew our covenants with God and to receive remission of our sins and remember His Son, Jesus Christ. I know that this Church truly holds the priesthood authority of God - the authority to baptize, give the gift of the Holy Ghost, give blessings, bless and pass the Sacrament, and all other ordinances needed to help us go back to Heavenly Father. I felt a literal lifting come off my shoulders when I partook yesterday, and I know that you can feel that every week too if you come to an LDS Sacrament Meeting service. Come join with us :) There's nothing like it.

I went on exchanges with a new sister in our mission, Sis.
Christianson, this past week and it was so neat to see how prepared and willing to improve she was coming out and still is today. I have such a testimony that the prophet today is inspired, and that having sisters serve at 19 and elders at 18 is inspired. I am now serving with many elders and sisters from the graduating class of 2014, which is kind of weird but also really cool that right after high school these men and women come out and consecrate their time to God.

I know this is God's work and that this Church is truly His and our Savior's church on the Earth today to help us have the saving ordinances and support we need to come back to Them someday. I know that the Book of Mormon is convincing evidence that God has called another prophet and restored His church to the Earth in this last period of time before Christ comes again.

I had such a good, spiritual week! Sister Kwan and I had a rough patch, but we are working through it and working hard to bring souls unto Christ in the Solano YSA ward!

Also, to let Dad and others who have asked know about Holly and Thierno and the 5 other investigators with dates back in Napa YSA ward, there are 5 of them getting baptized this weekend!!! I am so stinkin' excited for them! President Alba is letting me Skype for the baptism and I am so excited and happy to be able to be a tiny part of their special day!

Shout out to Dad and Mom for the letters this week - thank you!

I love you all very much and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker

October 13 - Surprise? A Baptism!

Dear family and friends,

Hi!!! This week was absolute chaos and I loved it! You know why? 

We had a surprise baptism here in the Vacaville YSA ward! Among other things :) Her name is Emily McCurdy - she is 20 and has been investigating the church for about a year and decided on Tuesday she wanted to get baptized on Saturday! ?!?!!!?! Yay! She wanted it to be small so we kept it little like she wanted - only the Bishopric, her two good friends, her boyfriend and his parents, and us and two elders who witnessed. It ran so smoothly. It was the neatest thing. She went into the water and when she came up she was just SHINING. Her smile was so big. And the Spirit was so strong - it made me get goosebumps, in a good way :) I know this Church is true and provides the narrow gate needed to go back to Heavenly Father! 

Oh, and I got to sing at it, too: "A Child's Prayer" with her friend Kat. Random side note: I have actually sung quite a lot out here in church, at baptisms, at fire sides, etc. I just always forget to write about it haha. But it's fun, I love singing. 

Everything was super crazy this week - had a few doctor's appointments for Sis. Kwan's foot which has been hurting, had LOADS of meetings (the stake presidency here is awesome and we meet together often to discuss missionary work. It makes proselyting time a little harder though), ate lots of really odd Asian food, laughed a lot, had zone conference, slept like rocks, did a whole bunch of service, and proselyted in between. 

This week should be much calmer and we should be able to be more settled in our area.

I went over my General Conference notes and am just so grateful for living prophets! General Conference strengthened my testimony of the Savior. Helped remind me not to focus on the tiny things that don't matter, but to focus on the doctrine of Christ.

That's all this week! Oh!! I went on exchanges with Sister Reid this week and guess what I got?! A pomegranate!! This family we taught had a pomegranate tree! God loves me haha. Proof! He provided me with the opportunity to eat a pomegranate off the tree. So stinkin good.

I love you all, hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker

October 6th - 13 Months!!!

Dear family and friends,

Hi from Vacaville!! Hope you had a wonderful week! My week was great :)

On Saturday, I hit my 13-month mark! Whew! So crazy that there is only 5 months left. Time really does fly, and simultaneously move as slow as molasses haha. The days are slow, the weeks are fast.

Ok. So everything is a psycho blur this week and I can't really remember too much...I'll tell you some things I DO remember haha.

My last day in Vallejo was good - Kristen Parker and I taught Sis. Naqia how to ride a bike! Well...we tried. By the time Sis. Naqia started to get a hang of it, she was too tired to keep going haha. 

Okay, so Tuesday was transfers day! It was crazy. We drove there and had a meeting, then the Sister Training Leaders (myself included) and the Zone Leaders had to stay the rest of the day in Santa Rosa and proselyte. I was with Sister Hamilton and Sister Anderson who had both served in Santa Rosa, so we had an absolute blast there and contacted and visited recent converts and investigators!

I dropped by the Foley family and had the opportunity to teach them again! Yay! They had stopped investigating because of some misconceptions they had, but we were able to clear some up and at the end when we left, Sis. Foley said, "You know, I need to ask God if this Church is true and if the Book of Mormon is true. I will. I am going to ask!" Good! Finally haha. 

Then Wednesday we had Mission Leadership Council (MLC) and it was so good, as always! We got to do something super fun: watch "Meet the Mormons" the new movie the church is coming out with this weekend! It was so cute and good! I recommend it to all :) We are watching it in zone conference this Friday as well. But sh! The other missionaries don't know ;)

I love Vacaville!! It is like Arizona, nice and toast you! In the 90-100's haha. I have been so spoiled so far on my mission, I don't mind the heat. The people are very nice here, as well, and almost everyone we contact knows a member! There are 6 wards in Vacaville! It is awesome :) Also, everyone is super gung-ho about missionary work and helps us out. It is soooo nice. I am serving with Sis. Hamilton as my co-STL, too, and I just love her to pieces! This is her last transfer...weird. The weird thing about Vacaville though is there is very little ethnic diversity! It is very odd coming from Vallejo where I can count the number of white people on my hand to now Vacaville where I can count the number of black people on my hand ha.

Okay, Sis. Kwan is hilarious! #Asianalltheway Here's some funny quotes and happenings from this week:

-"Asian power!" *peace signs with both hands*

-From Hong Kong

-Has 2 siblings and is a middle child...I've been with 2 middle-child companions in a row!

-Her English is pretty darn good for not knowing any pre-mission

-She has been out for almost 12 months - she came in the transfer after me.

-She was trained by my "sister" so she is my "niece"

-"Wow you a strong woman!" *After I do 5 push-ups haha*

-"Can I borrow your skirt?" *She's already wearing it lol*

I also LOVED General Conference. I am so grateful for prophets and apostles today. I know this Church is true! If you want to know, "come and see!" (Elder Bednar)

Choose the right this week and SMILE. "Be the reason someone smiles today."

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker