Wilderness

 I love your letters! It is so wonderful to hear that I have a new nephew! Ah! So crazy! and another January Birthday! Our family loves them.  I miss and love all of my family and hope they are doing well! Keep good tabs on those friends of mine! Sound like you are doing amazing! I  appreciate the pictures of the family that you sent. I didn't get it till Saturday and I have just been dying to write to you about it! I love the family pics so so so so so much! They are wonderful! I smile every time that I get a chance to look at them. I LOVE IT! And every family pic looks so cute! Cali's missing teeth are adorable! 

 

I have trully been enjoying my time here! I love it! I was so happy when transfers came and that I am able to stay with Sister Clark and in the Quince Orchard West area. It really feels like home right now. However, the work can be really difficult sometimes! BUT! I am not afraid of hard work. Sister Clark and I were discussing about Nephi and his family and how sometimes it was easy for his brothers to complain... They would talk about how Jerusalem was so much easier and there it was not as difficult. They had all that they needed and more. God knew that Jerusalem was not the right place for them and that they would need something different, something better. And so He sent them to the wilderness. Now, I don't know how you all feel about the wilderness but it is pretty difficult. They had to learn to survive without all of their things and they had so many trials.. like when Nephi broke his bow. This could not have been easy. The wilderness probably caused many hard moments and many tears. But God knew better that there was a place prepared in their future that would be a promised land! So they had to go through those trials and hard times to help them to grow and to have faith and to truly be prepared for the promised land. And then God commanded Nephi to build a ship. Nephi didn't know how to build a ship. He didn't even have the tools to do it! But God knew that Nephi could do it because with God all things are possible. WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! And so God helped Nephi to make the tools and to build the boat and God gave guidance to Nephi all along the way. He even gave them a Liahona that as long as they were doing what they should would guide them withersoever they should go. After much time and tribulation and works of faith Nephi and his family made it to the promised land.

 

Comparing this to our lives and our hard times can be so helpful. Look at the love God has for us and the things that He has us go through to prepare us for our futures. Our futures can be a promised land if we but trust in the Lord and bear our trials well. "For we walk by faith not by sight."

 If you get a chance look up and read 1 Neph chapters 1 - 17. This is a great legacy for us to remember and live by.

 I love you all and miss you.

God be with you Till we meet again,

Love Sister Nicole Gordon

Transfer time

 TRANSFERS! Wow! So I stayed with Sister Clark and we stayed in the same area so no big changes yet. Which I am very grateful for. I feel like we just started to really be able to work and to teach. I want to say thank you for all the true Christians out there. For those who let us in to get warm and talk with them even if they don't want to hear any more after that.  I love Sister Clark! She is so kind and so loving and so lovable. She is really the best trainer I could've asked for. She works really really hard and helps me to do the same. She is also so funny and makes cute little noises and funny faces. She is so happy and enthusiastic and is teaching me to always keep that same attitude! The work is really neat and amazing when you put your whole heart and soul into it. And it is so wonderful to see the amazing effect it has on those who listen and try to apply it. In Alma chapter 32 it says:
 27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

  28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves-It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

  29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

 I know that as we try the experiment of acting on the Lord's commandments that we will see a change in our lives and we will become a happier people with more love and peace in our lives.

I got to see the Baltimore 4 on New Year's Day! It was so fantastic! (Sister Barney, Elder Jenks, Elder Dutson, and Elder Plett) They are all from my MTC District and they are all serving in Baltimore Maryland. They all seem to be doing wonderfully and I know they are all blessed with the ability to teach by the Spirit. When we teach by the Spirit we bless the lives of many. The Lord works through those who are willing to listen to the Spirit and to have the courage to act on our promptings. He calls us from where we are. Neal A. Maxwell has a great quote "Life in the Church soon teaches us, too, that the Lord does not ask us about our ability, but only about our availability. And then, if we demonstrate our dependability, the Lord will increase our capability.” Neal A. Maxwell 

For those who have written... I LOVE LETTERS! Thank you so much! It truly encourages me to "Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men...." (2 Nephi 31:20) I know that whenever you write a missionary you are blessing the area they work in because it truly reminds us of the people we love and that as a missionary we have left our family and friends for a short time so that other people can be with their families forever. What a wonderful thing! Keep writing to me and to other missionaries!

Hmmm... I don't think I need anything yet but if I do I will let you know. Unless there are people to teach! I do need more of those. I would love to have anyone who wants to be taught let us know so that the missionaries can come to them. It makes us so happy to be able to teach. Missionaries are so blessed to be able to get to love people so quickly and so truly. I can't explain how much I have easily come to love all those that I teach. :)

Mom! Amanda called! That is so wonderful! She works with Kelly Huddleston... whatever her new name is. Amanda was so wonderful. Add her as your facebook friend. I want to be friends with her when I come home.

Kim Nelson wrote me while she has been in the hospital. It made me cry. I hope that everything goes well with the treatments. Send messages of love to Emily. I know she will need some extra strength. She always seems so strong but I know it is hard for her. She loves Kim so much.  I know that all things happen for a reason and that some are harder than others. But I know that Christ is there through it all... He knows exactly how we feel. Kim wrote to me that she knows that she has a perfect and wonderful older brother who knows exactly what it feels like to go through cancer. It is so true. Christ is there and He knows exactly how it feels to go through our lives and to experience the pains and sufferings that we do. He is happy when we are happy and He is sad when we are sad and through it all... He loves us. No greater love than this that a man layeth down his life for his friends. Christ laid down his life for all of us. There is no greater love than His.

Oh, so at the Visitor Center I work 3 to 5 shifts a week. We have Am shift or PM shift. It is nice to be able to have such a variety in the missionary work! I LOVE IT!

I just want to let you all know how much I love you! You are all so great and have touched my life in so many ways. I cannot begin to tell you how my life experience, my family, and my friends have prepared me for such a time as this. I have been able to connect with people I barely know and to instantly love them. I have been able to relate to people who are like myself or like my friends back home. I have been able to speak a little Spanish and connect with a whole different culture. I have been able to keep going when things are hard and to laugh at myself when I make mistakes and overall I have been able to grow and progress. I love you all and I want you to know that I appreciate all that you do for me. Whenever I find someone new to love my heart beats with love for all of you. You have no idea how much you all mean to me. I hope you are all doing well and know that you are in my prayers.

 Once again, I am out of time. Have the best day ever and know that I LOVE YOU!

    God be with you till we meet again

        Love,

          Sister Gordon

D.C. newbys Dec 23, 2010

My trainer Sister Clark ( from Brazil)

Tender Mercies

note from Mom- Just got a call from Amanda in Hurricane, Ut. She told me she was in D.C. this past few days. Drove by the Temple and wanted to stop. She meet Sister Gordon and was very much touched by her spirit. What a wonderful thing it was for her to call and let me know, and I am so proud of my daughter for "letting her light so shine"Thanks Amanda for calling, Nikki for being who she is, and God for his tender mercies.

Teaching people

   The bread was the most AMAZING thing in the world. I finished off the 1st loaf within 24 hours. My roommates thought it was divine! And the jam is soooooo good! I thought that was the neatest thing ever!  I will get a letter out to you this week if I can. I will try super hard! I am only allowed to write on P-days so that is kind of hard. I am glad you got to see Kim! Wow India!  She is so neat! I love her adventures in traveling. I think she will like India.

 This week has been super busy as usual. No rest for those who are trying to put in their whole might, mind, and strength (D&C 4) Now behold a marvelous work is about to come forth.... ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you Amen. ( great scripture to look up and read the full content.)  We are currently teaching a family and 2 others. The family is so sweet. They are from Japan and they are seeking for truth and happiness in their lives. We are also teaching a woman from Liberia and a woman from Jamaica. We also have a return appointment with someone who is Jewish and a girl from the Phillipines.  So much diversity here! I love it and I love the people we are teaching! It has been so great to see the way that people start to light up when we teach them and they start to do things like read the Book of Mormon and pray and come to church. People start to find a more lasting happiness. There is no greater joy than seeing the people you teach and love find more happiness. And lets be honest... Can't we all use a little more happiness in our lives.

I know that happiness comes from doing what God wants us to do; even when what He wants us to do can be hard. I know that God has a better perspective of what will make us eternally happy and that all of those commandments that He gives us help us to be eternally happy... or to have JOY! God is like the most loving parent in the world times a million and He wants us to grow and to be strong and live up to our fullest potential. He wants us to help others to reach their potential. It is like when a little child begins to walk. They don't have all of the coordination yet. They are taking tiny steps and a lot of times they fall down. But they get up again. They work those muscles and eventually take more steps. They build up their strength and their ability and over time it becomes natural. And the whole time they go through the process the parents are there, with their arms outstretched. "Come on little one! Keep going! You can do it! I know you can! Get up, try again!" Our Heavenly Father is much like this. Encouraging us along the way, even when we fall down. Eventually we will be able to walk and then, we will begin to run.

I love you all so much and hope that you are doing well. Thank you for the letters that you send and for your prayers. I also wanted to say a special thanks to my parents friends for taking care of them and especially for the Christmas Cards that were sent! You are all so awesome and wonderful. I am glad to be around such wonderful people! I truly am blessed to have great people who surround me all the time. I am especially blessed to have those that love me and that I can share that love with in return. Above all else I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who loves me and I love Him. I am trying to show my love for Him in all that I say and do. I also know that He loves each and every one of you. We are all His children. Know that He is there, cheering you on in your lives! "Come on little one! Keep going! You can do it! I know you can! Get up, try again!"

    With lots of love,

            Happy New Year!

                God be with you till we meet again!

                          Sister Nicole Gordon

Settling in

On Monday afternoon I got a call from Adele Ballam who lives in Maryland. She told me she was in Sister Gordon's ward and had been visiting for  two weeks, but would be flying back on Tuesday morning. There was enough room for me to send a package if I had anything. On Tuesday morning I got up and made whole wheat bread and sent that with some homemade jam. Sweet miracle, the same day I made bread Nikki was eating it way back in Maryland! that is soooo cool!- Mom

  Sister Ballam called this morning and said she is bringing me a package. you are so sweet! Sister Ballam fed us right before she came to Logan. So.... She is from Germantown which is where our church is, I live in Gaithersburg which is a neighboring town, and Quince Orchard West is the area I serve in. :) . Things are going really well! We are staying super busy. Festival just ended so we have more time in our areas! Yay! We were able to spend a whole evening in our area last night. We were able to visit a lady from our ward who seems super busy, but, we will be visiting her with cookies soon. :)  Another lady from our ward needs our help with some service. I am so excited because we will be helping her move things and we get to wear our jeans! Yay! ha ha! Also, we stopped by the home of a family that is struggling to strengthen their relationship right now. We are working on a good family home evening for them.

   Family Home Evening is so important. Not only so that true doctrine can be taught but that our families can experience a greater closeness and strengthening of love. I know that true doctrine when understood changes behaviors and draws us closer to Christ. A Christ centered home gives us a safe haven to turn to where we can feel love and learn and grow. It gives us a place where we can leave the world behind and feel peace. I love when I have been able to have a peaceful home as a safe haven from the rest of the world.

  yay for visiting teaching! Visiting teaching is so so so so so so so important. I am seeing that if everyone who is able to would visit teach then we could meet a majority of the individual needs that our ward members have. What a wonderful way to make friends and to offer service to others. Service is so important! For when we are in the service of our fellow man we are only in the service of our God (Mosiah 2:17).  Of course God wants us to have friends that share His great unconditional love for us! And what better way to show our unconditional love for God than to help Him to care for others? I remember a visiting teaching message I read once that says something along the lines of ... How wonderful it is when our prayers are answered, but how even more wonderful when we are the answer to someone else's prayers.

    I was thinking the other day about the importance of going to church. I thought about it and was reading in Nephi 15:15  "And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true Vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?"  I love this scripture because it lets me know that church is a place to go for strength and nourishment. Someone might argue that they can receive that strength and nourishment at home from reading the scriptures at home, which is true, and  we should be doing that on a regular basis.... Along with that daily study we can go to church to receive EXTRA strength and nourishment from each other and from God. And somethimes, it is important to go to BE somebody's strength and nourishment. I know that often I have been sitting in church and someone says something that I needed to hear. If I had not been at church I would not have heard it. I hope that something I have said has also effected someone in this same manner. I hope that through my words that someone could have a prayer answered. Or through my acts, such as visiting teaching or just talking with a friend or neighbor that I could be an answer to a prayer. Because I know that is what Jesus would do if he were here and that I can stand in His place and do His will for the betterment of others. We are all wonderful instruments with different sounds and talents and as we work together we can make a beautiful concert.

 I love you very much and I hope you all know that.

God be with you till we meet again.

  Lots of Love,

         Sister Gordon

Note from Mom-

The other day I saw Andy Johnson heading into the post office. I thought I would wait until he came out and say hi. After waiting some time he didn't ever come out and I left. So I facebooked him and asked him if they had put him in a priority box and taped the box up. He replied back that he was trying to convince them to send him to D.C. for Nikkis birthday. so when I wrote her about this story this is her reaction.

P.S. Andy is so funny - include that story - and also that I am sad that they don't ship people for Birthdays. :) Ha Ha!

I am glad you are doing well. Know that I am happy and exhausted in the Lord's work. :)