Intermission

During all the best live theatrical productions, there is always a break in the middle of the show called an "intermission," where the actors prepare for the second act, the audience gets a chance to use the restroom and relax for a minute so that they are then energized and prepared for the rest of the show, and everyone anxiously anticipates what is going to happen next. The second act is always the best part! The climax happens, the tears roll, and the grand finale brings the entire production to a wonderful close. I say this because that is where I am at right now. I am in the midst of the "intermission" of my 18 month mission. After a few visits to the hospital the last couple weeks, and strict orders to rest it all off, my mission President and I decided it would be a faster and more effective recovery from home. So that is where I am. Home.

Here is what is happening: I was diagnosed with Mesenteric Lymphadenitis. It is a viral infection that I have had for the past couple of months. It's extremely painful, but the worst seems to be over. I have been home since last Monday, to rest and let the swelling go down. The plan right now is that I go back on September 2nd, the day before transfers. So don't you worry! The pain is already subsiding, the swelling is going down, I am getting more sleep (FINALLY), and I am starting to have a little more energy. My doctors here are very optimistic that I will be back in the field before you know it!

On Monday, before I flew home, we went as a zone to the Adidas employee store in Portland and bought some nifty stuff. I love my zone! Here's a few pictures of my companions and I, and then the remaining members of the zone who stuck around for a picture. :)

Fun, huh? It was a nice Pday to end "Act 1" with. :) This week has been pretty cool too actually. Even though I am home and am temporarily released, missionary work continues on and miracles have not ceased! I have had multiple opportunities to teach and help invite people to come closer to Christ since being here. There are 2 potential baptisms happening that could possibly take place during the couple weeks I am home that I get to help out with, so that's nice! God knows me so well. :)

OH! A cool experience that I should share happened when I was at the airport waiting to get on my plane... I was standing at my gate, probably looking a little dumb because I was having "separation from a constant companion anxiety," when a very nice man asked me about my mission. I had been praying for comfort and love when he started talking to me, and he interrupted my prayer. :P We got talking and he said his name was Mitch from Mesa, Arizona and he was a convert to the church and had a daughter out on a mission. We talked for about 20 minutes, and when it came time to board the plane, he told me to take his seat in first class so that I could have some room to "stretch my legs." I wanted to cry. I had never flown anywhere in front of the wings of the plane before, let alone in first class, and here this man was offering me his seat so that I could fly comfortably. I him he didn't have to do that, and he said, "If my daughter were on her way home from her mission, I would hope someone would do the same for her." I hope someone does the same for his daughter too. What a nice man! He was an answer to my prayer, and I hadn't even said, "Amen" yet.

Pretty cool, right? God answers prayers! Not usually so immediately, at least not usually for me, but He answers every single prayer. Every last one of them. I love knowing that my prayers are most often answered through the words or actions of other people. It helps me to recognize the beauty of other people and the spirit that resides with them whether they know it or not. Always strive to follow the promptings of the spirit! You never know how it might help someone and be an answer to their prayer. :)

These next pictures were some fun ones my companions took while I was in the hospital on the 8th. Don't be alarmed, I am being silly in most of them. Haha!

President coming in on his Pday all protective and father-like.
I love that man. (That's me huddled over in the wheelchair...)

Clearly I don't feel too good...

All puffy and swollen with my beautiful companions
who stayed with me the whole time. :)

Sister Cone blew up a glove and then Sister Kearl
pretended it was an utter... I milked her. 

Taking me away to do some tests. Fun stuff those tests.

Gotta have a little fun in intense situations, right? You know me though, I turn everything into something fun for myself. Haha! I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father knows as well as I do that my mission is nowhere near over. I have been released, but I have done my best to stick with missionary life. Getting up at the right time, studying my scriptures, praying A LOT, and not doing worldly things like watching movies or listening to popular music. My focus is still missionary work (and rest of course), and Heavenly Father knows that that is the right place to be. He has provided plenty of opportunities for me to serve Him and help to continue the work here in Pleasant Grove so that my focus will remain the same as it would if I was in Vancouver or Portland. That helps me to remember that He wants me to go back just as badly as I do, and because of faith and prayers, I am finally starting to feel better! Resting is the best thing I could be doing right now, and as is this is the intermission, I am anxiously anticipating the second act of the show! I am going to go back out there with power, faith, and the strength to work hard! I am so excited to see the climax and the grand finale of this wonderful 18 month adventure! Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers in my behalf and for the support that is being shown. I love you all, and I am so excited to be able to serve God with my full energy and dedication to His work without having to worry about healing my body. I'll be sure to update you next week!

Love Always,

Sister Nicole Guilott

So Much Going On!

Oh my Heavens to Betsy, we had a FANTABULOUS week! So many crazy things happened, but all of them were amazing! The order of events is crucial for this week because if I go out of order, you won't understand anything... Haha! So here we go, I'll start from the beginning. :)

On Monday we had a super fun Pday! We went to VooDoo Donuts, and then got lost in downtown Portland, which is out of the mission... I HATE driving in Portland! It gives me crazy anxiety. Really though, why can't all roads be a perfect grid like Utah? At VooDoo, we got these huge donuts that were too much, but way too delicious to not eat the entire thing ourselves.

So yummy... My goodness. On Monday night, we got a phone call from President Taylor, and we were super freaked out as to why in the world he would be calling us! He told us that a Sister was going to go home the next day, and that we would be receiving her companion in an emergency transfer. We were going to be a trio! We were super stoked, but also not, because Sister Cone and I get along better than anything, and we are practically twins, so we were worried that the new Sister would feel left out... But alas, Sister Kearl just happened to be another clone of the two of us. It is the PERFECT tripanionship! We were kind of freaking out though because on Tuesday morning we were getting a "Mini-Missionary." A 16 year old girl from a nearby stake that would be coming around with us for two days to check out what missionary work is really like. Her name is Sydney Packham. The STL's wanted to help out with the crazy of the whole situation by going on exchanges with one of us, but ultimately it just made things even more crazy! So Tuesday morning we got Sydney, then Sister Kearl showed up at District Meeting, then that night Sister Ivans (the STL) came. We had 5 people in our little cottage! It was crazy town, but only in a good way of course. 

Me, Sydney, Sister Kearl, and Sister Cone

Those two days were phenomenal! We got 14 lessons with our mini missionary! 14!!!!! And we never even went on splits. It was awesome. Sydney taught me a lot. She is seriously the coolest cat around. I adore her! And boy oh boy is Sister Kearl wonderful! I love all of them so so so so so much! Our new trio is definitely the bomb.com! This pictures basically describes everything.

The three of us together...? We're crazy. Crazy AWESOME! Haha I love them. Really, I do. :) Anyway, we did some amazing work this week with the three of us. We had a lot of planning to do for the baptism on Sunday! Remember? Sylvia got baptized! It was wonderful. Sunday was crazy though because I had been asked to perform in church. However, some craziness happened throughout the week, so I wasn't able to practice with an accompanist, and I forgot about having to perform in church until Sunday morning... So basically I played some accompaniment for a song that I usually sing, and just added more of a melody to it when I played so that it didn't sound like randomness. It was scary but also kind of fun to improv a song in church! After church we got everything ready for the baptism. I had to give a talk on the Holy Ghost for it, and I wasn't nervous at all until I found out President and Sister Taylor were going to be there... Then I panicked. I was planning on just kind of winging it and bearing testimony about the Holy Ghost, but instead I wrote out a few thoughts and went off of that. It turned out okay. 

The baptism itself was perfect. The spirit that is felt at convert baptisms is one of the strongest instances of feeling the spirit that I have ever had the opportunity to experience in my life. Sylvia was so ready for baptism, SO ready to make that first commitment to God, and very excited to be doing so. She is such a sweet woman, and I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to be the missionary to teach her all 5 lessons. I love that feeling! Being able to be with someone for the entire process. It's pretty cool. 

The lovely Sylvia! Excuse the stupid face I'm making. Clearly, I was excited.

Sylvia's husband, Brother Hunter (on the right), and Ted Ford (the guy they take care of, on the left).

Aren't they just adorable? I love all of them! There are so many wonderful people out there who need and are ready for the Gospel. Oh man, being a missionary is amazing! Having the chance to work day in and day out to find people who are in need is the best thing ever. I say that in every post, but... that just means that I mean it and that it is important! This post is kind of scattered... sorry about that. I am just so excited about everything that happened this week! 

This is kind of a short one, but I don't really have anything else to say other than...

I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!! 

Keep working hard to help the work go forth! Missionaries that are set apart and called of God are not the only missionaries in the world. YOU are a missionary too, and God needs your help to bring remembrance and salvation to all of His children. ALL of them. Do you realize how much works needs to be done in order to reach everyone? It's a lot. But it's a part of God's plan, and you who are able to serve Him should do your best to bring people that eternal happiness that they all deserve. "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." Keep going! I love you all very much! I'll talk to you next week!

Love Always,

Sister Nicole Guilott

P.S.  

Here are some other pictures from this week. :) Enjoy.

Sister Hall. I have quit soda forever to support her quitting coffee. Life is good. :)

The Veamautahau's. I love them and their adorable baby!

Our ward mission leader let me hold most of his guns. I have 5 on me in this picture.

Lovin life and having a little too much fun doing missionary work.

Practicing so I can protect myself in Portland if necessary.

Wearing stupid things to make Sister Cone laugh.

The treacherous trio.

Um... I don't have an explanation for this one. 

Selfie!

365 Days to Change the World

Before we came to Earth, we were all together in God's presence. ALL of us. Every single person who has ever and will ever live on this Earth was in Heaven with our Father before this Earth life. He

presented His plan for us, and all of the people who have ever been on Earth ALL chose His plan. We knew that His plan for us was good, and that it was right. So we chose His plan. We chose to come to Earth and learn and grow so that we could eventually return to live with Him again and be more like Him. He is our FATHER and we all already know Him as such. He is a loving Father who knows each of us by name. Knows us by our personalities, our decisions, our acts of service and our love we show to others. We each have a relationship with Him! Yet there are so many people out there in the world that claim to "not believe in God," or who simply "don't know" that He exists. But they do already know He exists and loves them! Each of our spirits knows our God with an intimate understanding of His role in our existence! We know Him as our Father, our creator, and a man who loves and understands us perfectly. We all already know! 1 John 4:19 says, "We love him, because he first loved us." The only thing that we have to do in order to remember this, is search for it. It's there in our minds, it really is! It just takes a desire to know, a heart willing to ask for help, and patience as we search for that knowledge, or that memory. We can ask our Father Himself for His guidance and direction as we seek a restored memory of His love for us. We must pray...

 

As a missionary, that is my role. I am helping people come to a point where they can humble themselves enough to search for what they already know. What they have known since before this Earth was even created! We must have the desire to know, a softened heart that is ready to act on the answer we receive, and a willingness to submit to the will and timing of God pertaining to an answer. President Ezra Taft Benson said in the October General Conference in 1985 that "When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed." Choosing to follow Him allows your heart and mind to be changed, and allows that memory of His everlasting love for you to slip back in. God loves us! And He will help us remember when the time is right. For some, it takes a long long time before they are ready and can realize the love God has for them, and for others it is

immediate. This new Mormon Message that came out recently depicts what I am trying to say almost perfectly.

                                The Hope of God's Light

Isn't that beautiful? It took Todd 2 years from the first time he acted on his desire to know to get his answer! 2 years! His answer came when God knew he was ready, and his answer was made that much
more powerful because of the years and years of wandering before he was even ready to ask. My favorite line in the whole thing is when he says, "It is part of our condition as mortals to sometimes feel as though we are surrounded by darkness. But even though we may feel lost, that God promises to illuminate the way before us, no matter how long it takes." God has such an intricate plan for each and every one of us, and He knows that we will receive an answer when we are ready. I love having the chance to help God's children come to the realization of who they are, and who God is to them! There is no better feeling than bringing someone to the knowledge of a long lost memory. You all know what it feels like to be loved by God, your Father from the beginning, but not all of you can remember it... If you don't remember yet, seek it out! I beg of you! Pray. Ask others for help along the way. Your answer will come.

Today is August 4, 2014. That means that I have exactly 365 more days to bring people to remembrance. The past 6 months have changed me for the better, but God's plan for us isn't confined to a time limit, 6 months is just the beginning! I still have so much more room to progress! As do we all. Today marks day one in the best year of my life thus far! I need to step up to the plate and swing with all my might! This year, I will continue on the upward slope to becoming the person God wants me to be; reaching my potential and helping others to realize their own path and potential as well! I am determined to make God proud and to feel amazing while doing so. After all He has done for me, I should do my best to show Him that all His work has not been in vain. :) My mission is a third of the way over, but that just means I have two thirds left to improve myself! I can't wait!

This was a great week! We taught lots of lessons and saw many miracles, as we do every week. :) One of our investigators was a missionary this week and invited her friend to repent of the sins that
were burdening him down and strive to come unto Christ. She promised him that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ he could feel peace and could be freed from the guilt and shame that he feels. She invited him to church! Isn't that wonderful? She is so amazing. I love seeing the progression these people are making, and witnessing their testimonies come forth. It's beautiful!

On Thursday, we were able to have lunch with Sister Archer and Meg from Lacamas Creek! Oh, it was so good to see them! So many good things have been happening with them, and it was wonderful to have the chance to catch up. I'm so glad they haven't forgotten me! There are some super good missionaries there in Lacamas Creek right now (Sister Rasmussen is training), so I know the work is going well. :)

 

I love these ladies!

On Friday, we had another great lunch! Delanie, Aaron and Delanie's grandma, Matjie came and we met up at Applebee's for lunch! It was so fun! I'm so glad I got to see them and talk about my mission with them face to face. I'm so grateful that I have such phenomenal friends. I am surrounded by so many wonderful people who have set such a great example for me throughout my life, and every time I am with those people, I can feel the love God has for me in blessing me with such good friends and family. Thank you all for being amazing and having such an uplifting role in my life!

Sister Cone and I are working hard, I promise! We are teaching lots of people, seeing miracles daily, and testifying always! These pictures might say otherwise, but I promise we are working! On Pday last week, the zone went to Salt and Straw for ice cream again, so of course we got "Cones!" Hehehe... We're so funny. Clearly Pday was a day of feasting, because we also got yumminess from Starbucks. I love their mint white hot chocolate! But don't worry, in the midst of all our feasting, we found food that related to the scriptures! There is a carmel sauce called "Alma!" Eh? Eh?

                                          

The next day we realized the error of our ways, and decided we were going to be healthy. So we did crazy things like make our own hummus! We were quite proud, and we've been pretty healthy since then! Life is good. I absolutely adore Sister Cone. She has been such a great example to me. It's weird to think we've only been together for a week and a half!

That's right, we made this hummus from SCRATCH!

There are so many things to be grateful for. This weekend made me suddenly so incredibly grateful for... EVERYTHING. For the person I was, the mistakes I made and the lows that I felt. For the friends that I have had. Like Todd Sylvester, the bad experiences have helped me to better appreciate the marvelous work of The Lord, and the miraculous relief that the Atonement can bring. I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. For the Holy Ghost and His friendship and constant companionship. For my mission and the many ways it is changing me... I'm so grateful for God. He loves me and He is changing me every day into the person we both know I can become. Am I repeating myself too much? I just love this whole experience so so much! We had a wonderful week, and I can't wait to share with you how the next 365 days go! I'm

sure that as I continue to have a desire to serve my Father in Heaven, miracles will not cease, and blessing will continue to be poured out upon the people of the Washington Vancouver Mission. "The truth of God will go forth ... till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done!"

Love,

Sister Nicole Guilott