I'm crying my eyes out...............

 

Bubba!!!! YOU WILL LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! I am so excited for you and Scotland/Ireland better look out because Elder Ensign is well  on his way to change you forever. I love you Bubba. You make me so HAPPY AND I' M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!! Like I'm crying my eyes out. Like a baby!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would have failed to learn that the opportunity to serve is a gift !

Just given a little shout out to bubba!!!!!!!! Holy cow Bubba!!!!! Scotland/Ireland!!!!!! GUESS WHAT!!!!!!! I just made a new investigator who is part scottish part Irish, living in England and spending 10 months in Korea to look at car products. Like. Holy cow. I should have seen it coming. Bubba!!!! YOU WILL LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! I am so excited for you and Scotland/Ireland better look out because Elder Ensign is well on his way to change you forever. I love you Bubba. You make me so HAPPY AND I' M SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!! Like I'm crying my eyes out. Like a baby!!!!!!!!!!!

I also want to tell Diondra to give her companion a big hug for me. Me and my companion just cried hearing about her Dad passing away. God be with her.  There is no other person better for her during this time than you Shmee. God has a great purpose and sometimes it does not make sense, but in the end it will. Tell her we love her and that she has MANY prayers going out there for her!!!!

So this week was really good. Sadly I was really sick for 2 days.  But I was actually really worried that I was not getting enough fluids because I would but water next to my mouth and throw up. So I was worried for those two days BUT I prayed, and others prayed for me and I'm better. Still only eating bread and 10 pounds lighter, ah ha but I'm feeling better. BUT it was still a miracle week.  We met 3 new investigators and one of them is the one from England who is a Scot/ Irish. ha ha ha. His name is Neal. I'll ask him where his family is so that maybe I can get you a referral Bubba.  But he is amazing. I found him on the street. He was trying to find a Bar with his  friend, Collin. And they couldn't find it. So we helped them find a bar. ha ha ha. But they asked if we were English teachers, I proudly said "No we are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints". :) He laughed and said in his SWEET accent "well, I'm a Roman catholic myself but I'd love to have a pretty girl like yourself try to convince me other wise". ha ha ha. Don't worry he's in his late 50's ha ha ha. But we also told him that we could teach him Korean for free and he was really interested and so we made an appointment for this week to meet:) AND we also made 2 other families our investigators. They are English interest but we are so excited. Right before we came here, Brother Kim, the dad, called and said "I'm in the hospital for a few days and would love to read more of your church material. Could you send me some books". ha ha ha. YES SIR!!!! We are sending him our materials right after this. He also met the missionaries to play ping pong 25 years ago when he was a kid:) 

Then at church yesterday our 2 investigators who are friends brought their other church members to our sacrament meeting. Their church "royal priesthood" members filled up an entire bench. It was amazing. This church is really great. They focus on the first commandment; to love God. But they think there is no method or way to worship. So their entire church has 8 members and they are all in their mid thirties and just great. And they are all "looking for the truth". They think that all churches are good and carry truth but they speak more with their actions than their heart. So this "Royal Priesthood" believes that faith is more important that action/ works. We are meeting and love them and our ward is really excited to convert this "Royal Priesthood" to our religion. ha ha ha ha. But when I asked them how church was they said it was "interesting". They think we have to many rules and "methods". They just want to be free. They believe that we don't need a schedule or a day to worship, just follow the spirit. If you want to sing a song during a talk of your church family members, then sing. If you want to pray anytime, pray, etc. We understand their thinking but there needs to be order in all things and a body of UNITY. So we are trying to teach that. They also think that you can choose which commandments to follow but we are all to follow the first commandment. Yes they are fun:) and sometimes difficult but we love them.

Also we met with our investigator, Sister Goe. She is amazing. She has been meeting missionaries for about 6 months and everyone wants to drop her but she makes such good progression. It is slow but so good. Yesterday I asked her simply "what will it take for you to be baptized?". She said "if I can come to know that God lives, I will get baptized." She already loves our church and teachings and she will be baptized if he knows God lives. She just is unsure. WE talked about doubt and faith and how we choose to focus on one or the other but if you have doubt you can not have faith. and if you have faith, doubt is gone. I bore my testimony of how I KNOW GOD LIVES. I told her how I see him everywhere. I told her how when I was in collage and was studying the muscles in the body, how I had the spirit confirm to me that this was all WAY too perfect and that it couldn't just happen. Someone had to be a creator. And that was God. And how time after time I have received spiritual answers to prayers. We committed her to pray with her heart and with faith to know if God was there and to LOOK for the answers, because they will come. Please pray for her.

Yesterday was a tender mercy when we were at the church for a lesson and all of the sudden we heard a lot of noise and look out the door and its the entire stake including MOKPO members greeting an elder from the church head quarters. It was so nice to see my Mokpo members and they were so excited to see me and agh, I am just so excited for you to meet my Mokpo members:)

So this week was just a good one. I know I was sick, but it was still really good. I am so thankful to be able to have this last transfer be this GOOD!!!! Like God is WAY too nice!!!!! I am just able to go out and work hard and serve his children with no distractions. Also with you and dad coming to Korea I don't have to worry about saying goodbye and doing those distracting things, I can just focus on missionary work:) It is so great:)n I love this work!!!!

So I read this amazing article in the Liahona of a woman who was given a calling as young women's President. And she shared her thoughts after she was released and it really portrays how I feel and I wanted to share a bit of the article. It reads "I thought back on that day when I could have turned down the calling because of all my other responsibilities. But I am the one who would have lost most by not accepting the calling. I would have lost the opportunity to learn humility, gain understanding, develop patience, and become an instrument in the Lord's hands. But mostly I would have failed the Lord in the confidence He placed in me, and I would have failed to learn that THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IS A GIFT". And it is. I love this amazing gift to serve for 19 months as a missionary in Korea. And Diondras Gift is Australia and Bubbas Gift is Scotland/ Ireland. What amazing gifts. Like Elder Holland says "in this family we serve missions". Well here in the Ensign Family, WE SERVE MISSIONS. Because we have been called and we will serve our Lord. Because we love him. 

I love you all to the moon and back.

Sister Nicolle Ann Ensign

Nicolles New York Times Interview

Nicolle's interview with the New York Times.  Click on the link below to see the article and videos.  Nicolle's interview is about half way down under "Strangers and closed doors".

Missions Signal a Growing Role for Mormon Women By JODI KANTOR and LAURIE GOODSTEIN After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lowered its age requirement for female missionaries in October 2012 to 19 from 21, the thousands of women who have signed up are expected to fundamentally alter this most American of churches. Or, copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://nyti.ms/1pLJSPt

...because I HAVE gotten answers.........and He gives me peace.

Hi there my lovely family:) Looks like your week was amazing!!!!! LIKE I'M DYING THAT BUBBA GOT HIS PAPERS SENT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM FREAKING OUT!!!!!! Bubba!!!! Congrats!!!!!! Mom and dad thank you for your testimonies and they were perfect!!!!! I will translate them and let you know:) Also I got a call from the NEW YORK TIMES this week and they are hoping to publish the paper on March 2nd or the week after that:) They called to ask a few final questions and to tell me that the video of everything was great and that we would really enjoy it!!! So be looking for that.

 

This week was pretty good. It was not the greatest week of my mission because I didn't actually get to serve in my amazing area. I was needed in another area because some other sisters were struggling and as Sister Training Leader, I had to help out. I was happy to come back to my Gwanju after a week:) Especially because this week are transfers and I wanted to get things ready for who ever would be coming. Which by the way, I am not transferring but my companion is. And I am getting another Korean companion, Sister Pack. I don't know much about her. But she is Korean. I am really excited to be ending with a Korean sister because then I will get to just be smothered in.........the  Korean-ness of my mission:) So I am excited about that:) BUT I am so sad that I don't get to end with Sister Lee:( I really love her and will miss her.  I just love being a  missionary,  it is truly a blessing.  

 

So this week I learned a lot. I met our amazing investigators and just fell in love with them. I just love my investigators and really missed them this week!!!!!  I learned that God needs his children to hear the gospel. My one investigator who is a leader in her "Royal Priesthood" church,  doesn't agree with SO much that we teach and so that is difficult,  but at the same time, I just love her and I can feel Gods love for her every time we are together. And with all of her arguments my testimony is even more deeply rooted because I have to think about what I believe, and think about where my testimony is and think,  "do I know this is true or am I just preaching what I have been taught?". Well I'm here to tell you that because I have needed to testify with the spirit, I have needed to gain a testimony of the things I preach. God has helped my testimony truly grow and I am so excited to be a missionary who can preach WHAT I KNOW and WHAT I FEEL. Because I HAVE gotten answers.  God HAS told me the truth. It is all true and I am happy to share this with everyone!!!  The sad thing about my investigator is that she doesn't think she needs to pray about this because she believes the spirit has already taught her the truth and that she has the truth. So she doesn't even want to try. I just love prayer. I  have really been focusing on my prayer and my sincerity and just....... PRAY!!!!!. And I found this amazing verse in second Nephi 9:52  , "Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; Pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. LET YOUR HEARTS REJOICE". My heart does rejoice because he does here my prayers. He does answer my questions and he gives me peace!!!! And I know he will do the same for our investigators.

 

Also our other investigator, Sister Sue-ein is so cute!!!! I just love her. She has no background of the gospel but is loving what she is learning. She believes in it and said she would think about being baptized. She is just so great. I was not able to see much in our area which was sad.  Sorry this e-mail is pathetic. I hope you know I am doing good. I am so excited to go out and work this last transfer. Sorry my feelings are kind of all over the place this week. I am  feeling a bit exhausted.  ha ha. But I'm okay. Really.

 

I do want to share one last thing.

 

I love my Heavenly Father. I am doing this work for him. No other reason. There needs to be no other reason. After talking a lot with President Shin, he really was kind to me and gave me some great advice and just some amazing love. Truly heaven sent. I just love My heavenly Father. He loves me to. This work is true. God loves you too mom. He is there for you. I know it!!!!!

 

To the moon and back.

 

Sister Nicolle Ensign       

I am also thankful that my heart is as much of a missionary as it was when I got here, I just love this work.

What a good week!!!! Sounds like you all had a great week too. Sacrament talks!!!! Holy cow I bet you guys did amazing. And Soccer tournament and DAD!!!!! Way to go on making dinner for everyone!!!!! Pretty much you are all amazing!!!!!!

 

So this will be short and I apologize but I HAVE to tell you my miracle!!!!  So this week I was excited my convert in Mokpo got baptized and I wanted to write her a letter and so I got her address and put it in my address book. Well that distracted me to look at all the names of all the Koreans I LOVE and so I started doing that and came a cross a name Yang Gin Ah. (English is Gina) So I was like "umm that sounds familiar... was that from Gwanju?" So I just looked in the phone and the name was there!!!!! ALL THE SUDDEN I REALIZED it was one of my old investigators when I was a greenie. So I texted her "Hi is this Gina? This is Sister Ensign. I met you a year ago with Sister Hurt?" 5 seconds later I get a call and the Gina was on the other line just screaming!!!! ha ha ha ha. She was SO excited to hear from me!!!! And I was SO excited too!!!!! She said in her perfect English "Sister Ensign, it is time for me to come to church and be a member. I just need it now. I am ready". She promised to come to church in March. Church attendance was always her problem. She keeps commitments and she LOVES the Liahona she knows its true, but coming to church is hard... So I am just so so so so so excited!!!! I love this woman and her 3 girls are the CUTEST!!!!! I just love it. So that was a huge miracle and we are hoping to meet this week and then her to come to church in 2 weeks!!!!!! Miracles baby!!!!!

 

Then our lesson with our new investigator, Sister Sue-in. Love her. She has.... no... religious... background... She has heard of God... and that's it.... so when we started from the beginning. AND YESTERDAY FOR HER IT JUST CLICKED, she now understands;

 

A; She has a heavenly Father

B; She has a Savior to help her get back to God.

C; God talks to us today.

D; He has a church.

 

When we said that God has a church She was like "oh so its in Jerusalem where Christ was right?"  Well we explained about the apostasy and she was like "oh so that's why there are so many churches". ha ha ha. YA BABY GIRL!!!! Then we said that God restored his SAME church:) She asked where it was ... we proudly yet humbly pointed to our name tags and said "ITS THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS". We then told her to not just take our word for it but to ask the one who knows. Ask where his church is and if that church is our church. She  then prayed for the very first time with us in that lesson!!!!! I was just praying so so so so  hard that she would feel something. And I think she did. She is so cute. She is 18 years old and just a cutie. As she was praying I could just feel God smiling and saying "Goodness its been a while,  I haven't heard from you and I've missed you".  And I could just feel his smile to me of thanks for helping her find it and to know. It was a smile filled day.

 

I felt the same smile as we met with our other investigator who LOVES her other church yet wants to learn about the Mormons. We watched the Restoration DVD and I was just feeling the love of God. He loves this daughter and she is so so so so close to the truth in her other religion but not quite there. God wants this for her. I could feel it. And God was so happy:)

 

The rest of my week has been good. Lots of miracles. But I was just very thankful to feel Gods love this week. I am also thankful that my heart is as much of a missionary as it was when I got here. I just love this work. Love love love it. Everyone needs this. Why not right? Its ONLY GOOD!!!!!!!! "If you have the desire to serve God, ye are called to the work". So lets work right?:) I love you all to the moon and back!!!!!

 

Sister Nicolle Ensign

 

 

Hello from my Korea

We are all to be 100% obedient, no exceptions ......................

So this week was a good one. In fact yesterday was really good:) Miracle day:) I was fasting that my miracle girl, Sister Lee, would come to church or that we would find a way to find her. Though she didn't come I left the house feeling "something big is coming, a miracle is going to happen today":) And oh did it happen. So this week Brother Hoons LA son promised my companion he would come to church. AND HE DID. It was so great!!!!!! THEN Brother Hoon promised me his referral would come to church AND SHE DID. It was just a great day to be a missionary. Our new investigators name is Sister Kong Yeah Surl:) She is going out of town this week but wants to meet next week:) So ya. I love her and pretty much and can't wait to start teaching her!!!!! I love Brother Hoon. I just love that family. Heidi invited us sisters over for lunch and she made spaghetti and it was so good!!!!!! I love my members. I love Korea. AGH!!!!!!!!! 

 

So I have some great news:) MY INVESTIGATOR IN MOKPO GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!!!!!! She was a new investigator I found through street contacting and so I didn't know her so well but she was the investigator who came to our Christmas party and LOVED OUR MEMBERS. She said she feels like the church members are her family. She goes to church every week and is just AMAZING. She is a high school student. Sister Scott is sending me a pic and when I get it, I will forward it to you:)  But I was just so happy. So yesterday when sister Scott called me she also told me the greatest news. I was just crying and had SO MUCH PEACE.  So I don't know if you remember, THE LOVE OF MY LIFE INVESTIGATOR, Sister Wang( Sister Juliet),  well.... she started texting the Sisters in Mokpo last week!!!!!!!!! They don't have an appointment but they are just talking. My heart was SO comforted when I heard that!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!!! This woman and Sister Pack from Mokpo , are the loves of my life!!!!!! I know they are ready for this gospel and so prepared and I just hope they will push out everything that is keeping them from commitment and just come to Christ. Like you said mom, WE NEED TO ACT on the testimony of Christ that we have and I KNOW THEY HAVE A TESTIMONY. They just need the action. My heart was just so comforted knowing she might come back. I love this woman, holy cow!!!! Miracle Mokpo!!!! I know it:)

 

So my day was really good yesterday. This week was also pretty good. As Sister Training Leader I am helping a lot of sisters  and there were a few problems and a sister had to go home and same with an elder. Our amazing zone leaders saved 2 other elders from going home this week. This week was a bit sad for other missionaries. 

I ask for all of you suggestions: Right now our missionaries are really struggling to find JOY. Weather its the most obedient missionaries who work so hard to the non obedient missionaries. our missionaries are just trying to find that Joy. They are trying to loose themselves in the work but are finding no success and that has their spirits down a little. I have been preaching "study Christ and gain a testimony of him" and "live the gospel of Jesus of Christ" but if you have any other good ideas, please let me know. Our mission is just a little in the blues right now and we have been preaching "work and forgetting yourself" but some people are just still struggling. Any suggestions, please let me know:) Thanks:) 

I have found that God expects every missionary to be the same when it comes to obedience. We are all to be 100% obedient, no exceptions for who you are or where you are from. BUT he does not tell us all to be the same missionary. He just asks us to be like Jesus Christ. Be the missionary Jesus Christ would be. Well our missionaries are trying to mix their God given talents with the attributes of Christ and some are doing well, and others are struggling. As leaders we are trying to find a way to help them balance the two but others are struggling to think that their personalities are "good enough". I have been telling them that they need to be themselves but to be like Christ. God has given us amazing talents in our personalities and we are to USE those on our mission. I have found that I am someone who LOVES to listen to people. Sometimes member visits are the member telling ME their testimony. Their experiences with missionary work, their problems, their happiness's, etc. And then I do the listening. Yes you could say I don't get a lot of "teaching" done. But I have found that when I do share my little bit, that person is now trusting me and now wants to listen to what I say. Thought it is short, I am able to search in  my thoughts for ways to help them, listen to the spirit and feel for what I can say that will help them or bless them. The spirit is always there. I love that. I know God and Christ are GREAT listeners. I think of all the things I say in my prayers. All my hopes, wishes, desires, confessions, and thanks and they do a LOT OF LISTENING. And then when they do talk, it is felt and heard.  I really appreciate it. I have found that as a missionary, people appreciate a missionary who will do the same. 

 

Right now my investigator, Sister Kim, who is the one who thinks she holds the priesthood, is not an investigator who wants to be taught the principles, she wants to learn about how I came to that knowledge. How I came to have that testimony. If I just say "I know the Book of Mormon is true" she wants to know who, where when why, etc of how I gained that testimony. She is amazing. She really believes in revelation so we are teaching her that she can receive an answer if this church is true. and then we are teaching her what she has to do IF THIS IS TRUE. There's that action again mom:) 

One of my sweet sisters got a letter from her dad who said "love in action is charity". I truly believe it. I think that is why as a missionary your love for people is so strong because you are ACTING all the time for them. Praying, planning, etc for this loved one. It has taught me a great life lesson. That love is Action and Loyalty. And I am so thankful that I have this time to act and be loyal to my Lord. 

Our investigators right now are doing well. All struggling to come to church and to accept it but they are slowly but surely progressing. We are working hard with our members right now to work on talking to their friends. Some are heading the call:) Its great. :) I love this work!!!! Such a blessing and a miracle. God Loves us. This IS HIS WORK!!!!! I know it and I am so thankful to be a part of it. I love you all to the moon and back!!!!

Sister Nicolle Ensign