March 24 - My Finger Is Going to Fall Off

Mar. 24, 2014

Dear family and friends,

I have decided I have a low pain tolerance this week.  I used to think I had a high pain tolerance...and then I got a hang nail.  It's a little guy on my ring finger on my right hand and it kind of has a heart beat in it.  I've been trying not to complain about it but I realized that I am a WIMP with pain haha.

Besides that, I discovered another fruit I love: mangoes!  But specifically, mangoes with blueberries and honeydew.  A member made a fruit salad with those fruits and it was soooo good!  Oh man I just love fruit.  Before I came out here, I would rather have a vegetable than a fruit.  But now, I am converted to fruit before vegetables.  It's partially because I am also always really thirsty, and fruits are much more thirst-quenching than vegetables.

I had a great dream this week about that Thai place in Arizona (my close family will know what I'm talking about): I was eating that sticky rice with mango and custard on top.  Yum.  Then I woke up and I wasn't eating it, and it was sad.  But it's alright!

I apologize in advance, because I forgot my camera again, so no pictures.  BUT, the vineyards here are looking GORGEOUS - the spring time is doing this valley wonders!  Everything is bright green, and the vines are starting to have green growing on them again.

As for my week!

Yesterday after church in St. Helena, we headed over to Yountville for Sacrament Meeting at the Vet's home. After church there we taught Jim Kelleher, who's working towards April 26th for his baptism. We were introducing the Book of Mormon to him and he stopped us as we were flipping through the pictures. He saw the one with Moroni burying the gold plates and said, "Wow, I'd sure like to know what is on those plates!" Then Sis. Petersen and I both closed our Books of Mormon and showed him the cover and said, "This book is what is written on those plates."

The Spirit was soo strong and he got so stoked to read the Book of Mormon! We also read Ether 12:27 and Moroni 10:3-5 with him and he loved those verses. He is doing so well! We are going to call him every day this week and remind him to read and pray. He is such a sweet old man, and it is so amazing to be able to see him growing his relationship with the Savior and with his Heavenly Father. He has a few phrases that are so funny: "Alrighty!" and "Okey-dokey." With his Boston accent, it's always fun talking with him.

This week I felt pretty great, but Sister Petersen was struggling. We had a great companionship inventory on Friday and were able to talk through some things. She has been feeling like ever since we taught this man Paul (who was very nice to us when we met him but ended up just wanting to bash) Satan has been trying to get her down. We talked a lot about the importance of keeping the faith, and also of not letting our minds be idle. As we've just gotten out and served, she has been doing much better. It's in the quiet moments when I think she's struggling - the drives and such. We decided we need to tell stories and listen to hymns and keep ourselves focused out, not in. I love that about Jesus Christ - no matter what He went through, He always focused Himself out on others. It reminds me of a talk given by Elder Bednar called "The Character of Christ." I totally feel for her because I struggled last transfer when I came out - it's easy to turn in here, but that's not why we're here!  We're here to turn out and to serve others, especially the Lord, but bring them closer to Him.

Cool thing about this week: we hit our 20 contacts every day (as a mission of "high expectations", we are supposed to talk to at least 20 new people every day - we call them contacts because it's someone new that we contacted)!  Sister Petersen is doing wonderful with contacting! She isn't afraid to talk to people. Now we're working on making our contacts turn into return appointments :)

Also, we're doing great with teaching 50/50. Yesterday during Jim Kelleher's lesson, we were going back and forth so naturally and really involving Jim in the lesson - asking inspired questions, testifying boldly - it was so neat to see how far Sister Petersen has progressed since she first came out. She's a fire pistol! I love her very much, and am so grateful she is my companion.

Being out here on a mission, and especially after that one week where I "bashed" with someone on the street, I realize how much more like Christ we can all be, particularly myself. It's been neat as I've been able to be filled with charity instead of annoyance or anger. I hope I can continue to improve. Lately I've really been working on developing patience and diligence, especially in St. Helena because this is an area where I feel patience and diligence is very important.

Many of the people are pretty proud, but there are so many good people here as well. We meet really neat people every day that just make me smile and be happy to be serving the Lord :)

I'm sorry I don't have any super crazy stories this week.  I'm sure I will next week, though.  Stay tuned for more...

I love you all!  Choose the right this week, and remember that God loves you more than you can every imagine! 

Love always,

Sister Kolee Decker

March 17 - I COME HOME IN 365 DAYS

Dear family and friends,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  So craziness.  I was looking at my ministerial certificate and had this weird lightbulb moment.  My ministerial certificate expires on March 17, 2015.  And today is March 17, 2014.  I come home in exactly 1 year, or 365 days, from today.  So odd.  Time goes by super fast yet slow out here.  It made me have a minor freakout and I decided maybe I just won't come home...haha totally kidding, but for realsies...I love it out here!  I get to talk to people I never would have talked to some of the people I have out here - it's made me realize how judgmental I was before (and still can be now).

But I'm getting better every day!  Okay.  I have a funny joke to tell you all.  This 11-year-old kid in the branch I serve in named Mason told it to me yesterday at dinner:

Why do missionaries have to have such large bladders?

They only get 1 "pee"-day a week.

Haha corny...I thought it was clever, though!

Sister Petersen is just getting better and better at contacting, teaching, finding, being filled with faith - the whole nine yards!  I love being a "mom" haha.  It's just fun to help someone get the hang of things.

This week we set a solid baptismal date with our investigator, Jim, and are working really hard with him to help him reach that date. We are so close to setting a date with this sweet family of two - Teresa and Nielli Cervantes. We are also trying to get the husband of Teresa, Jose, to sit in the lessons with us. We invited Teresa and Nielli to be baptized on Thursday - Nielli said she didn't want to at first, but Teresa said of course! Then the neatest thing happened - Teresa explained to her daughter baptism! And then she said, "it's when YOU know it's true. It doesn't need to be tomorrow! Just when you know it's true." Then Nielli agreed, too!

We also felt prompted to go by a former investigator's house, Paul Woof. He told us he definitely wants to meet with us again! We're going by Thursday at 3pm!

Also, we had the neatest contacting experience on Saturday night - we were walking and almost passed by this guy, but we decided we'd better talk to him. Turns out, a loooong time ago missionaries came and taught him, but he was really young and unsure. He was so excited to see and talk with us, and we ended up giving him a Book of Mormon and inviting him to be baptized right on the street! He said yes - it was neat because he spoke broken English and mostly Spanish. We Spanglished our way through the contact but it definitely proved to me WE don't do the teaching - the Holy Ghost does. Also, I felt prompted to put a Spanish Book of Mormon in my bag that morning, and he told us he wanted one but couldn't read English! And I had followed the prompting, so I had one in Spanish to give to him. It was so amazing :)

We had a few funny moments this week I wanted to end with:

So, during Sacrament Meeting yesterday at the vet's home, Sis. Petersen was trying to point someone out to me. She whispered, "That guy - the bald one." I look around, and EVERYONE in the congregation is bald haha. In a room full of veterans, describing them as the bald one doesn't do much to point them out. It was funny.

We had a day where we taught two Jim's, tried a potential named Jim, and asked a man named Jim to give a blessing to one of the sick veterans (Jack Brannan, a recent convert of about a year and a half now). We ended up singing a song to the tune of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" but it went like this: "St. Helena sisters had a teaching pool. E-I-E-I-O. And in that pool they had some Jims. E-I-E-I-O. There's a Jim Jim here and a Jim Jim there, here a Jim, there a Jim, everywhere a Jim Jim. St. Helena Sister had a teaching pool. E-I-E-I-O!"

And finally, Sis. Petersen kept feeling anxious while we were driving down the freeway because of a cop following her. After a while she said, "I bet it's vineyard security." I laughed and said, "No way. Is that even a thing?" We reached St. Helena and turned left, and the "cop" passed us...but the cop really was a "vineyard security" car! We said, "It IS a thing!" Haha it made us crack up. Only in good ole' Napa Valley would something like that happen.

I love it out here.  It's the best.  I love being a missionary.  I know this church truly is Jesus Christ's church back on the Earth.  I know the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.  I love my Savior and Redeemer, and I know He lives.  I love all of you!  Have the best week EVER!!

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker :)

P.S. Sister Petersen always says "The struggle is real" whenever she has a difficult time parking or putting on her shoes or anything like that haha.  It cracks me up.  Also, whenever anything super cool or great happens, she just says, "Wow.  That's celestial."  She's a keeper haha.

March 10 - My first week training

Dear family and friends,

Guess what?!  I begat a child this week (my new greenie came in!).  It's been craziness, but so far so good!

Monday night Hermana Kaiser, Sister Harston, and I drove to Santa Rosa and dropped Hermana Chavez off - she "died" (aka her 18 months were up) so we wore all black that day haha.  Then Sister Harston, Hermana Kaiser, and I were in a trio for Monday evening and half of Tuesday.

We headed back down to Santa Rosa Tuesday evening - Hermana Kaiser and I are training, so we were able to meet all the new missionaries and go to a devotional with them.  We dropped Sister Harston off at another companionship's dinner before the devotional and dinner and ended up sleeping at the Funk's house that night, a senior couple who did my laundry when I served in the Redwood YSA ward!  That was fun :)  Sis. Funk and I caught up a bit and she made us these BOMB German pancakes the next morning.

Then Wednesday came!  It was psycho.  We had to be at training at 8:45 that morning.  I didn't realize this, but after training, the APs and President and Sister Alba go into Pres. Alba's office and pray and talk about the trainers and the new missionaries, and that's where they decide who is training who.

So then the trainers and the greenies got called into a room together and we sang a few hymns and had a little pump-up devotional...and then I found out who I'm training!  Disclaimer: Sis. Harston, my last companion, called that I was going to be with a Sister Petersen (there were 2 Sis. Petersen's that came in this transfer).  And guess who I'm with?!  Sister Petersen haha.  She was right!  I am so excited!  Her name is Devin Petersen.  She turned 19 the 26th of February while still in the MTC, so she is BARELY 19!  She graduated in 2013 and is from St. George, UT.  One of her good friends, Elder Morley, is in the mission and we found out at zone meeting Friday that he is also in our zone!  So that's been fun for her :)

Hmm, what else about her?  She's basically amazing.  She invited Jim Kelleher, one of our investigators, to be baptized yesterday!  She is a bold greenie.  And I just love the greenie fire!  She's definitely helping me to step up and out of my own comfort zone.  She is also doing great at contacting.  The first time we went contacting, though, (Thursday) was not good haha.

I BIBLE BASHED!!  Nooooooooo!!!!  It was not a good example.  The Spirit left and we both just felt so icky inside.  Then we walked back to our car and sat inside for about 20 minutes singing hymns and reading scriptures until we could feel it again.  It's so true that the spirit of contention is of the devil (3 Nephi 11:29), because I definitely felt the Spirit of God leave me when I was getting upset.  I don't really need to talk about the man we bashed with...he was the meanest man I've met thus far on my mission though haha and he called us delusional and corrupt and a whole bunch of other really mean names...I repented though, and I've been praying to feel more charity for people.

It was such a good lesson for both of us to learn.  I've never "bashed" with someone before (it's frowned upon - it's basically just throwing Bible verses back and forth at each other to prove the other person wrong, and that's not what I'm out here to do, so it was not good), and I realized that for the first time in 6 months, I didn't have the Spirit with me in the mission field.  It felt all sorts of wrong.  But what's so amazing about repentance is that we can get the Holy Ghost right back when we strive to have it with us and are doing the things we need to to feel its influence. 

The next day, because of that,  Sister Petersen and I made a "vision board" with what we wanted to accomplish, and I'm so excited for this transfer together!  Our vision statement: "Lead like Christ."  I really want Sis. Petersen to feel comfortable in the area, and to feel confident in her abilities so that she could train a new missionary next transfer, if she had to.  She is already rocking it out here in St. Helena!  I am so impressed by all the new missionaries who came in.  They all seemed so mature and ready to roll :)

Sister Petersen and I are also teaching really great together.  We're definitely feeling united as a companionship and it feels great!  She has a POWERFUL testimony of prayer and of the Atonement.  We've had a couple of member lessons, and with the two of us and the Spirit teaching, we were able to get 7 referrals in 2 lessons!  That's pretty solid :)  We're excited to contact all of them this week.

I feel super overwhelmed and tired right now, to tell you the truth, but I think it's because I don't really know how to "train" a new missionary haha.  I do trust that God knows I can do this, and that Sister Petersen and I will do amazing things together.

Sister Petersen is seriously so amazing - I'm so privileged to be her companion!  She has such a sincere desire to serve and is more than willing to work hard and be exactly obedient.  I can't wait for what this week has to offer for the two of us!

Cool story from this week:

We were teaching a recent convert (Jack Brannan, 87 years old) at the veteran's home yesterday, and he told us that he had a stroke earlier that week!  It was hard for him to talk and I could tell the stroke definitely did some damage :/  We asked him if he needed a blessing and he said yes.  The leader over Sacrament Meeting at the vet's home - Bro. Graham - gave him a POWERFUL blessing and said that "tonight you will rest in peace - the hurt will go away."  I felt this feeling that Bro. Brannan was going to pass away soon, but I have never felt so calm in my life.  I am so grateful to know about the Plan of Salvation and that I know where I go after this life.  I don't know if he will pass away anytime this week or the next, but I do feel at peace with whatever does happen. 

Funny stories from this week:

The first night Sis. Petersen came to St. Helena, it started pouring buckets while we were inside a lesson.  Sis. Petersen ran to the car to unlock it and I was walking because of all the puddles.  All of a sudden her feet slipped up from under her and she goes "SMACK!" and lands right on her bum in a puddle haha.  THEN promptly after that I sat down in the car and the phone slipped off my lap into the gutter-river and I had to run down the street after it...needless to say, the phone is dead.  We got a new one on Saturday, though, so all is well!

Yesterday while contacting Sis. Petersen and I talked to these odd, interesting fellows named Clay and Sasha.  At the end of our conversation, Clay, a 20-something-year-old, said, "Group hug!" and tried to hug Sis. Petersen and I.  Sis. Petersen made the WEIRDEST sound I've ever heard (almost like a half-scream, half-throw up sound)  and jumped back.  Haha the guy was so confused!!  It was great.

Well fambam, life is good.  I am feeling really happy and excited for the weeks to come - I love being with a new missionary.  I'm supposed to be the one training, but Sis. Petersen is training ME!  She is just helping me to be better, and I love it :)

I hope you're doing well, and remember that you are a son or daughter of God!

Love from Napa Valley,

Sister Kolee Decker

March 3 - I AM TRAINING. BAH.

Dear family and friends,

Craziness is happening.  Transfers are this Wednesday and I got a call from Sis. Alba (the mission president's wife) on Friday and she told me that I will be training a new missionary this coming transfer.  WHAT?!  I am super nervous, but really excited!  I don't have a clue what I should do or how I am supposed to train somebody, but I'll pray for the Spirit to guide me.  

It's funny though because in the mission field, if a sister trains, then she is a "mom" and the sister she trains is her "daughter."  So Sister De Rurange is my mission Mom, and my 2nd companion, Sister Zenger, is my mission Dad.  So I am becoming a mom come Wednesday!  I am with CHILD.  Craziness.  I will miss Sister Harston - she has taught me how to be humble and submissive, and also how to find humor in the little things.  

Also, our apartment mates - Hermanas Chavez and Kaiser - are experiencing changes too.  Hermana Chavez goes home tonight!  Her mission is complete :)  And Hermana Kaiser is training, too, so there'll be two greenies in good ole' St. Helena.

Pray I won't make my new missionary companion cry and go home.  Because I don't know what's going on.  Oh goodness.  

As for some highlights this week: Wednesday.  It was POURING rain.  I found out that my rain coat is not very effective at keeping the rain out.  We were running low on our allotted miles on our car, so we decided to stay in Calistoga and walk to see people.  WHEW.  I don't think I have ever been so wet in my entire life!  My shoes I wore that day barely dried haha.

Also, we are teaching this awesome family - Teresa and Nielli, her 12-year-old daughter.  Teresa's husband isn't interested, but last Thursday when we went over to their home to teach them and her husband fed us this delicious pork.  It was soooo good.  And Nielli is going to come to Young Women's this Tuesday!  

I'm out of time so I have to go - sorry this week's accountings is so short - we have to drop Hermana Chavez off in Santa Rosa and somehow finish all of our other Pday tasks.  I love you all so much - have a wonderful week!  The book is blue, the church is true, and God loves you :)

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker

P.S. Justin: I just remembered when we won that free shrub from Moon Valley nurseries - good times :)

P.P.S. Bryce: I'm proud of you for keeping the Sabbath Day holy!  You'll be blessed for it!  Lots of love!!

February 25 - Great week!

Dear family and friends,

Well, I had some good stuff written to you! but just as I was ending the computer shut down and I lost it all! Boo hoo. So, instead you get the letter I wrote to President Alba this week! I'll write more next week - love y'-all!

"Thank you so much for talking with me this week and giving me a blessing - I have been refocused, renewed, reenergized, and refreshed.  (I was feeling not worthy and it was really bringing me down...he came by and gave me a blessing then told me: "Sister Decker, you have been pronounced clean by your bishop and stake president, then went through the temple and were pronounced clean by the LORD. What right do you have, then, to say you are not?" I broke down crying and immediately felt peace and healing and love. I finally let the savior take it all away. I know the Atonement is so real).

This week we have been finding. A LOT. But it's been great! We picked up 3 new investigators this week! Nielli and Teresa, a 12-year-old daughter and her mom, and Jeff Cudeje, a 7th Day Adventist who is interesting in learning more about our church.

Teresa actually works at the veteran's home in Yountville but lives in St. Helena - the Spanish sisters contacted into her in St. Helena and recognized her, and Teresa wanted us to come over! We taught them the first half of the Restoration this week and are planning on finishing it on Thursday when we meet with them again. Nielli also wants to come to Mutual on Tuesday night! We're going to stay in contact with her and invite her to come.

We tracted into Jeff when we drove to Pope Valley this weekend and tried people out there. His wife, Maria, answered the door, and invited us in right away. It was a little warm that day so they gave us cold water and we said a prayer with them - we ended up also talking with them about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith! He has lots of random questions that are kind of hard. He says he calls Jesus "Jeshua" because that's the name He really would have gone by, since Jesus spoke Hebrew. He also went off and told us that the name "Jesus" is the Greek version (which I already knew from the Bible Dictionary and "Jesus the Christ") of Jeshua, and is a "pagan" name. The Greeks called Him Jesus because it was a break off of "Zeus." ...I wasn't convinced. Jeff didn't really cite his sources, and plus, I was thinking and studying about it this weekend. English comes from Greek and Latin roots, so naturally the English translation would not say "Jeshua." Also, it really doesn't matter the specific name we call Him - we can call Him Savior, Redeemer, Mediator, Creator, God of Abraham, Jesus Christ, Jeshua - when we truly KNOW Him, we don't need to worry about the nitty gritty things like Jesus versus Jeshua. I think that's what gets people so wrapped up and lost. I think of 2 Nephi 9:28: "When they are learned they think they are wise...supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not." What do you think, President Alba?

Jeff said something to us though that's been ringing with me this weekend: "The truth undergoes scrutiny." And I think of the Book of Mormon and how much scrutiny and picking apart it's gone through, and how it still stands true, and it helps reassure me that it IS true, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet and that he restored the Church of Jesus Christ to the Earth once again, and that Jesus Christ truly is my Savior and Redeemer.

I've really been trying to understand the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi, and it's taken me a little bit to get through them, but I feel so much more enlightened - I pulled MUCH more out than I normally do when reading those chapters. I'm so grateful for Nephi.

I also feel CLEAN. President Alba, thank you so much for talking with me. It helped me realize that Satan really is trying to get at me, and I was letting him. But no more. And I also have been running harder in the morning - running really does help me to feel energetic and focused throughout the day. Sis. Harston and I also tightened our belts and are truly, truly striving to be exactly obedient in every way, and live this culture of high expectations.

Stake Conference was AMAZING! Saturday night on the way home, I read Sister Harston Alma 56-57 in the car, and something incredible stuck out to me that proved the Book of Mormon truly is written for our day.  It's in Alma 57:20-21 (excerpts of the two verses): "...behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted. Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them." I had this realization and made an awesome parallel: they had 2,060. We have 260. They were firm and undaunted. We are firm and undaunted. They had success and beat the Lamanites because they "observed to perform every word of command with exactness." We have these hastening tools and are increasing in our success because we are the most obedient mission in the world. They were blessed according to their faith. As we pray for increased faith to find, we are seeing more miracles. They had that faith because of what their mothers had taught them. We would not be out here if it were not for the good example and teaching of our mothers.

Lightbulb.

Crazy, huh?!

I love the scriptures. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has increased so much this week, as well as my faith.

And the temple was so wonderful this week. I went in with a question that wasn't quite answered yet, but I just felt such peace, even more so than I have before. I know the temple is the house of God, and I want EVERYONE to be able to taste of the sweetness that comes by being worthy to go through the temple. We went through for our branch president's wife's family. She ended up being one of the workers in the session we went to! Sister Garate is her name. She was crying during the session and I was wondering why. Then while I was sitting in the Celestial Room, she came up to Sisters Kaiser, Chavez, Harston, and I and said that we were simply glowing, out of all the people in that room, and that she knew that they had accepted the Gospel and were present in that room. It was incredible - no wonder I felt so amazing!

I know this Gospel is true - I know it with all my heart. I love my Savior, and I am so grateful for Him. This week I finally got over this hill of regrets and doubts. I finally let the Savior take complete care of me. I gave it all to Him. And I feel so clean, and ready to go out and work even harder to bring my brothers and sisters back to Father.

I love you so much President Alba! I loved your talk yesterday in stake conference - especially about consecrating all of our time, energy, purpose, and even life to building up the kingdom of God. You are such a great example to me - you and Sister Alba together, too. I don't think I've ever seen anything so sweet as when you and Sister Alba met in the Celestial Room in the temple - I was sitting across the room and looked up just as you sat down. It brought tears to my eyes and I felt the Spirit testify to me that THAT is how a celestial marriage should be. Thank you."

Love you all! Remember that I love and pray for you often.

Love,

Sister Kolee Decker

February 17 - God answers prayers

Feb. 17, 2014

Dear family and friends,

Hello!  I'm sorry but I don't have much time today - since it's President's Day, we have to use a member's computer instead of the library, and the members have to head out soon.  I'm going to copy and paste what I wrote President Alba for this week:

This week felt slower than usual. Sister Harston and I worked just as hard, maybe even harder, but things just weren't working out. 

Things are going well, though. We ended up dropping this sweet lady, Radiyah Coffey...when we taught her the Book of Mormon, she refused to read it. She said she would never become a Mormon, and doesn't really like organized religions at all because of the "patriarchal order" of it all. It was sad.

But tender mercy of the Lord: after dinner that same day we dropped Radiyah, we picked up a family! Their names are Kathy and Nicoli Harbor, and they have a darling 3-year-old son named Arian. He is seriously the cutest. We knocked on their door (they were potentials we hadn't visited yet) and the husband, Nicoli, answered the door. He said hello and invited us in right away! We sat down and they started asking us so many questions about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Right then and there we ended up sharing the first lesson with them! We recited the First Vision from memory like we were encouraged to do at zone conference, and the Spirit was definitely present. They accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know it is true - we're going back on Thursday, this time with a young couple in the branch, Brother and Sister Roney. I can't wait! 

Sister Harston and I are both really just trying to stay positive and work hard. We pray in every prayer to have the increased faith to find the elect, to have Heavenly Father open the windows of heaven upon the California Santa Rosa mission and pour out blessings, to help us as a companionship and as individuals to make living high expectation our first priority, and to give Kathy, Nicoli, Ray, Jim, and Ed the desire to come to sacrament meeting and to be baptized. It's working :) We had a bit of an off-week, but we are doing our best to ensure we have at least 1 lesson every day, contact at least 20 new people every day, and extend a baptismal invitation. We definitely can do better extending baptismal invitations, especially in the street.

I have really been working on making my studies very sacred time, and have found so many amazing insights! I'm currently in 2 Nephi and for the first time, I am really starting to decipher and understand the "Isaiah" chapters! It's so amazing to see how Isaiah truly prophecied of the latter-days. There's a section in particular that talks about the proud being brought to humility at the last day that really stuck out to me. It's in 2 Nephi 12:11-12: "And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low." I couldn't help but think of the Napa Valley area we're serving in...there are so many people here who are simply so proud and lofty. 

There was another scripture in the Book of Mormon that I thought was so relevant for this area, too. 2 Nephi 9:28 (excerpt from it): "When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not." 

I feel like the missionaries in the Book of Mormon. I yearn and pray and desire for the people's hearts to be softened so I can invite them to come unto Christ. That's also been in my prayers often this week - praying for the people in the St. Helena area to have softened hearts. And I'll tell you what, President Alba! My testimony of prayer has grown more in the past week than it has in my entire lifetime! Instead of people turning us away before we even get a chance to speak, they have been more open and willing to talk with us. I noticed it especially on Valentine's Day, when people were filled with love. I think that's why Heavenly Father's first and great commandment is to love Him, and why His second is to love our neighbors. If we truly love our neighbors, we care for one another, and will listen and help uplift each other.

That was made manifest on Valentine's Day, but also in so many other ways. We talked to amazing people this week. We may not have gotten numbers or addresses from them, but my prayers are being answered: the people's hearts here in St. Helena are being softened. I see that with our branch members as well. They are trying to step up. It's been neat, to say the least.

I know this church truly is Jesus Christ's church back on the Earth once again, and I know that because I read the Book of Mormon and prayed to know if the Book of Mormon was true.  When I received a witness from the Holy Ghost telling me it is true, I then felt that Joseph Smith was a prophet, because He translate that book.  I also knew that Jesus Christ was real, because the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ, just as the Bible does.  It goes to prove that "by the mouths of two shall my gospel be made manifest" (

And thus, I knew that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Jesus Christ's church back on the Earth, because Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and they told him that just as in times past, Joseph was being called as a prophet in these last days to restore the true Gospel back to the Earth once again.

I love you all and hope you had a marvelous week!

Love,

Sister Nikole Decker

P.S. Thanks to all who sent me a Valentine's Day card/gift :)  I loved them!

February 10 - Happy Valentine's Day

Feb. 10, 2014

Dear family and friends,

Happy Valentine's Day on Friday!  I hope you have a wonderful one.  Take time to remember to show your love to the Savior. 

I had QUITE the intense week.  It's been raining since Thursday!  Craziness.  Rain! I LOVE the rain! It's a little different being out and working hard to bring souls to Christ in it rather than watching it from the safety of my front porch, but I love it nonetheless :) And the fact that it rained for 4 days SOLID. The Napa Valley is looking GORGEOUS, especially the vineyards in St. Helena and the mountains of Angwin.

I don't think I've ever been somewhere that has had a solid stream of rain for days at a time.  I love it.  I love the puddles so much.  It's hard not to jump in them, but there are two things that stop me from doing it: 1. My feet will be wet all day long, and 2. I remember that I'm in a skirt and that I'm a missionary, so it probably wouldn't be appropriate to be jumping around in puddles.

OKAY!  I have a funny story for you, as well as a crazy story of something that went down Friday night.

Maybe I'll start with the serious story and lighten it up at the end.  Alright deal.  So here's the serious one, taken from my journal:
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"We weekly planned all day and were feeling pretty squished and claustrophobic by the end. We have also been feeling a little flustered because the Spanish sisters are having a lot of success while we can't seem to get things going. It makes it harder that our branch members give us literally no support (except for Pres. and Sis. Garate and the Roney's). We felt alone in the work. But tonight we hit the realization that we are not alone - God is with us every step. He is guiding the work, and He won't leave us hanging.

So. After planning, we got onto Facebook. We were trying to focus and teach online at the library in Calistoga, but this Chinese man wanted to Bible bash with us and wouldn't leave us alone. We finally began talking with him and this other woman next to us got all sorts of upset we were talking religion in a public library and walked to the front. She asked the librarian for a set of behavioral rules of the library and proceeded to meticulously pore through the rules. It really bothered me for some reason. Then the Asian man slapped this weird magazine down and told us to read it. We didn't read it, but we flipped through to see what it was about...weird stuff, basically. There wasn't a single picture of Jesus Christ in this supposedly "Christian" magazine. We leaned over to the woman and apologized for disturbing her. She didn't even look us in the eyes - like we were worth NOTHING. She lifted a newspaper over her face and mumbled, "I'm just going to be reading this." She, to make her dislike even more obvious, turned her body away from us. It felt very disheartening and unnecessary. Then to make the evening even harder, no one in the branch signed up to feed us that day, so we drove home to our apartment and are dinner alone.

After dinner we drove to downtown Calistoga in the pouring rain and contacted on the streets. It was rainy and wet, so people were in a hurry to get from their cars to their restaurants or from their restaurants to their cars. No one was kind to us. Mostly, they ignored us or gave us some harsh reply. By this time we decided to drive to St, Helena and contact there for 20 minutes before we drove to the Garate's for a member-lesson.

The drive there was quiet, except for the sound of the rain and the windshield wipers doing their job, in those quiet moments tears came to my eyes and a few slipped out. Sis. Harston asked how I was feeling. I told her the truth - not so good. I felt alone, sad, upset, downtrodden, angry at how rudely people were treating us. Sis. Harston felt the same way.

St. Helena. We parked on a small side road and walked down Main Street to contact a few more people. There were 3 people standing outside of a bar, so we tried to say hello to them. The older man (we found out his name is Dennis), about 40, rudely remarked, "I'm Roman Catholic. Move on." And waved us forward. The other two, a young couple, replied, "I'm Atheist. I'm a Satanist." They were all 3 of them rude and improper as could be and began slamming on the Church and Mormonism. Dennis folded his arms and shrewdly inquired, "So. Tell me your little spiel." Sister Harston and I both tried to share the unique, sweet message the Gospel provides when he interrupted with, "Who forced you to come out here?"

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. In the pouring rain, and soaked through and through by this point, tears poured down my face like the rain around us and I bore my testimony that regardless of their thoughts or opinions, I volunteered to come out here and leave my family, my friends, my home, my comfort zone, my familiarity, my schooling - EVERYTHING - because I know it is true. And people can be mean to me, and treat me like I am nothing, and I won't lie when I say it is hard. But I know it is true.

The 3 parties were dumbfounded. And embarrassed. The young man in the trio asked if I wanted to come inside out of the rain and have a beer. I declined. Then Dennis and the other two started asking us questions. And we preached the Gospel to them in the soaking, cold, windy, rainy night, all the while getting more and more wet while they stood underneath a dry awning. At one point Dennis looked at us both and said, "I am sorry for coming off so harshly. I want you to know that what you are doing is the Lord's work. Don't let anybody, including someone like me, tell you otherwise. Keep your heads up and keep going."

It was crazy, because I felt almost like God was speaking those words to Sister Harston and I through the man. It was just what we needed to hear.

A few minutes later into our conversation a young lady in her late twenties came outside to smoke. Her name was Adrianne, and she expressed sincere interest in the Church. At first she, like everyone else it seems, ripped us apart, but as we quietly but determinedly testified of the Restoration of the Gospel, her heart softened and she was asking all sorts of questions. We ended up teaching her the entire Restoration lesson on the street in front of a bar. At the end, she asked us for a Book of Mormon she could read - we ran back to the car and grabbed a dry one and gave it to her with our names and number inside. She said to us, "You know, I'm going to read this book and see if it's true." I don't know what's going to happen with Adrianne, but it proved to me that we we're supposed to be there at that time to talk with her.

Even though that was hard, my heart just burned within me as I bore my testimony. I felt like Jesus Christ. Rejected, tired, aching for people to listen and feel the soothing balm the Gospel brings. But I will NEVER lie and say I don't know this Gospel is true, because I know it for a fact. And even though people may try to tear me down, the more often it happens, the stronger and stronger I get. The more I know this is true. The more not just my testimony grows, but my conversion."
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It was amazing, and hard, and scary.  But SO great.  That's just a taste of how hard a mission can be, but I love every single minute of it, good and bad, hard and easy!

And now for the funny story:
Something that happened last Sunday at Sacrament Meeting in the Veteran's home:
85+ year old men prepare, break, bless, and pass the Sacrament in the Veteran's home. It was a normal Sunday, and as usual Bro. Graham, the brother in charge of overseeing Sacrament Meeting in the Vet's Home, passed the Sacrament to the congregation after it was blessed and broken by two 90s-age priesthood holders. Our Relief Society president from the St. Helena branch, Sis. Baker, lives near the vet's home, so she was sitting in the congregation as well. The Sacrament gets passed to her and she exclaims in the silent room, "WHOA!" Then Bro. Graham passing the Sacrament whispers to her, "Sorry!" As the Sacrament gets passed to Sis. Harston and I, I found out why the exclamation. Those sweet veterans don't have very steady hold with their hands anymore and couldn't rip the bread into small pieces. Thus, we both took basically half a slice of bread for the Sacrament!

The exclamation and finding out what it was over was pretty comical, but I gained an amazing insight pondering afterwards. These veterans are incredible - the perfect example of enduring to the end. Even with feeble hands, aching backs, and shuffled walks, they continue to keep their covenants they made to The Lord and continue to fulfill their priesthood duties. I have so much respect for these men who fought for our country to keep its liberties and to defend the weak.

And that was my week! It was a refining week, but going through the refiner's fire hurts so good.

I hope you all have the most wonderful Valentine's Day!  Remember that I love all of you very much and pray for you often :)

Love always,

Sister Nikole Decker

P.S. Mom, Dad, Justin, and Bryce - you should invite Jessica Hardman and the rest of the Hardman family to the Gilbert Temple open house, if it's still going on!  Perfect, amazing missionary opportunity where they can see that they can be with their family forever :)

P.P.S. I am SO jealous of Dad and the boys for going skiing in Utah.  That sounds SO fun!!