Week 73 (8/25/14)

YEP! There is ONE Tongan sister in our mission and she is my companion!

When I found out that Sister Gustafson was being transferred I was so upset :( I thought for sure that I'd have her till the end of my mission.... but she just was being called to Bonita Springs I guess! Which is actually really good because she has a Spanish speaking companion and will be in a Spanish ward! :)

So, right when we found out Sister Yoshikawa and I started writing down everyone that was being transferred. There wasn't very many sisters so I had about 5 choices. I wanted her SO BAD! I literally prayed every day that I was get Sister Schamkel.

HEAVENLY FATHER ANSWERS PRAYERS BECAUSE I DID!

And oh man, IS SHE AWESOME :)

Of course, SHE'S TONGAN! :)

We've already been having so much fun, and doing a lot of work!

So, we were with Sister Yoshikawa for a couple days because her companion went home so she got to be with us (that's just how they do it now before transfers... the missionaries go home on Monday but we dont' have transfers until Thursday). She served in this area so we decided to start visiting some of her old investigators that we didn't know about.

One of them said that the day before she had tried to call us but the number didn't work!

TALK ABOUT MIRACLE!

Missionaries haven't seen her in over 8 months! Then out of the blue she wants to call us and we show up on her door step the next day! She even came to church on Sunday and loved it! :)

Ahhhhh. I'm just loving this. :) Every single second. :)

I've really seen a lot of my prayers answered through the scriptures lately. It's so amazing to see! I ask a question, and I ALWAYS get an answer through the scriptures. I love it!

I love you all so much! 

Love, Sister Nicole Calder :)  

OKAY! I just remembered something else! Nathanial passed the sacrament for the first time! I literally wanted to cry!!! I haven't gotten to see this whole process with anyone because I always end up getting moved so this is so much fun! He was so nervous but did so good!!!! :) :)

Week 72 (8/18/14)

The last transfer...

It was weird getting our transfer emails and thinking that this would be the last fun drama of transfer calls that I'd be getting. Next time I'll know where I'm going!!!!!

It's pretty unreal.

Especially because a sister we were living with (along with about 16 others and 2 of my companions) that came out with me went to the mission office this morning to go home tomorrow! They are Spanish so they go home a transfer before me because of the MTC. So that has made all of this a little more real...

Sister Gustafson is getting transferred :( :( I thought I'd be safe with her... but I guess I've got to learn something from one more companion!

Nathanial learned how to pass the sacrament on Sunday! So that's SUPER exciting!!!

I also found out that Sister Whipple (my second comp in the field) is GETTING MARRIED! Crazy stuff. I will be home for that one though ;)

"Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someones life for ETERNITY."

Yep.

I truly believe that. I've seen it so many times! It's amazing to see what one simple thing can do.

So, there's this awesome video that.... well, it's awesome. So I'm gonna put it right down here so y'all can watch it :)

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-07-006-the-hope-of-gods-light?lang=eng

In case you all are wondering- yes. I am a little trunky. It's really hard at the end of your mission to not get so distracted by so many things going on at home. Especially when you have the greatest family in the world and people are getting married :)

BUT!  I am going to do everything I can to FOCUS and do the work here! I have 6 weeks left to change someones life and I'm not gonna let anything get in the way!!!

Ah. Missionary work is the greatest thing ever. It makes me so happy.  ;)

I love you all!

Love, Sister Calder ;)

Week 71 (8/11/14)

So we had this awesome experience at this restaurant the other day! We
were out with a member from Sister G's last ward. We were talking and
she mentioned how her daughter knew ASL and how she knew some too. As
we were talking I saw this woman sitting all by herself eating. She
was about to leave just as we were. I had a prompting to go and talk
to her. I went over there and started talking.
She turns around and signs and mouths that she couldn't hear us! I
literally almost started crying as Sister Coleman (the member) starts
signing to her! It was amazing! I gave her a card and she pointed to
The Book of Mormon on the back. LUCKILY I had a Book of Mormon in my
bag!!!!! We never really do because we just carry our iPad around. I
gave it to her and showed her the first and last paragraph of the
intro. The member told her about how it goes with the bible and how it
talked about Jesus Christ.

Then I signed her the one thing I knew how- "We are daughters of our
Heavenly Father.
She was really touched by it! I can't remember what she said back, but
it was amazing!

AH! Thank you Amanda Panda and for teaching us the whole Young Women
theme in ASL. I still remember all of it!!! It was such an amazing
experience that I know none of us will ever forget.
We saw her leaving the restaurant holding the book of Mormon like it
was the most precious thing.


Remember how I've talked about how different our mission is? Yeah.
Well here's some. Crazy stuff for ya. We've been trying this new thing
lately with street contacting. Since we don't tract, we kind of have
to be creative in our finding. So street contacting is something we do
a lot of.
So here's what we do.
Walk up to someone.
Ask them if they've been baptized.

Yep. That's exactly how it goes.
Just say- "hey, have you been baptized?"

That's how you get the conversation going off good!! Let them know of
your purpose right off. I've actually asked people if they'd be
baptized on the street before. Most people say yes once they find out
it's true. We just talk about baptism all the time with people and let
them know that it's our main purpose.
Our mission has seen so many miracles just from this simple thing! Our
mission president is doing wonders with us. From seeing this mission
before he came, to now over a year later. It's a night and day
difference! I've loved all this change.
Oh! We also have some of the African missionaries coming to our
mission! I'm secretly hoping for a trio with an African.....


WELL! I love you all very much! I have really felt the love this week
from so many people. I really needed it. Thank you SO much! I feel a
lot of support and I know it's all because of your prayers!

Love, Sister Nicole Calder

Week 70 (8/4/14)

Yep. That's what I have learned this week. They are STILL stupid. You

think they'd know by now. If a 7 year old realizes that you wonder

what's wrong ;) hahaha

You know when people talk about the whole planting seed thing? When

people tell you, "oh it's okay! You're planting a seed! You never know

when it will be watered."

I've been hearing that my whole mission and normally when someone says

that I just want to come back and shove D&C 4 in their face, "the

field is WHITE already to harvest. Not brown ready for some seeds!"

But I guess I had to be humbled on that this week because if found out

what it really means!!! The whole planting seeds works and the seeds

are being watered a lot faster than you might think! That's what it

means! I guess South America is a pretty white field, and you get to

pluck those plants up a little faster.

But, we have old people here. And a lot of them. I guess they just

take a little more time. But that doesn't mean that the field isn't

white! It just takes em' a little longer to get there.

So there ya go.

White field.

I've just been finding out more and more of people that I've taught,

interacted with, taken care of after baptism, and even just talked to

on the street, are progressing! Some are going through the temple,

others are being baptized (some after YEARS), and some are just

continuing to progress in the gospel.

I even just found out that someone I talked to on the street on one of

my last days in Sarasota has a baptism date set! I had no clue that

was even going anywhere!

Ah. It's a really amazing thing to watch and be right in the middle

and on the front lines of all of this.

It is so HAPPY. :)

Being at the end of my mission is a while lot harder then the

beginning. I find myself becoming more and more distracted with things

going on at home. But as I prayed during sacrament meeting to focus

more and love the people more, I felt very peaceful. Then as I got up

to bear my testimony I looked out and had this overwhelming feeling

(that literally almost made me cry) of love for every single person

sitting in the congregation. It was exactly what I needed. It saw

people we'd help come back to church, some of our investigators, Nate,

and many more members here I've come to love! It really just love

these people.

We had a really fun thing happen this week. Our wards been planning an

emergency preparedness fair for months now. We had it on Saturday and

it was. A huge success! Sister Leicht and other members did really

good at advertising it and had a ton of non-members there! We got to

run around for 3 hours in the church talking to non members! So cool.

Everyone keeps asking me how I am, and how Florida is. Just for the

record, I am doing FANTASTIC, and the work here in Sebring Florida is

EXCEPTIONAL. :) now you all know.  :)

Love, Sister Nicole Calder :)