Hey Family,

So first things first: I'm staying in Chico. My new companion's name is Elder Huaman, he's a native of Peru. I'm super excited to improve my Spanish with him. I get to drive now too, since he doesn't have a U.S. license. I'll let you know how he is after I meet him. 

I got our family Christmas Card. It was sweet. Thanks! 

So I send Elder Edwards off today. He flies home tomorrow morning. It was pretty rough.  I'm excited to talk to you all for Christmas.

Haha it's great to hear that Disneyland is still a family tradition. I bet it was an absolute blast. I've been missing all of you too. Thankfully though, things are picking up here in Chico. We had a record turnout to church yesterday, and we got a less active who hasn't been in years to go. I hope we're able to reactivate her. We've started teaching a new investigator named Alejandro, and we're continuing to work with Clarisa and Manuel. They're both progressing well. 

I can't believe it's been so cold back in Utah. We saw a bit of snow on Friday, but it didn't stick at all. Pretty lame.

In order to avert a catastrophic crisis in the near future, I've decided that I need to know the dates of all of the family member's birthdays (minus Sam - already sent his letter ). Especially Mom's. So if you could email those to me, that would be great. Thanks. 

Honestly I don't really know what I want to do when I come home. I've got a while to decide though. Patent law may or may not be for me. I guess we'll find out. 

Time is continuing to fly by.  

Love,

Jake

P.S. Here are some pictures

 

 

Thanksgiving Celebration

December 1, 2013

Hello everyone,

It's great to hear from you!

Also, thanks a lot for your letters. It was exactly what I needed that day. Tell Jess I hung her turkey on my wall, and give her a hug for me.

I've been doing really well this week. Thanksgiving was fantastic. Lots of really good food. The day before we went out to the church farm with Elder Manning and spent some time filling in holes with sand in order to make a horseshoes course.  I missed out on candied yams with marshmallows. It seems that they're being given up in favor of various other yam dishes, which is a shame. But Sister Whiting did cook come with apple slices and syrup that were an acceptable substitute. Actually, Sister Whiting's cooking was delicious. she made pumpkin ice cream pie, pecan pie, and the best rolls.  She also made a dish called broccoli puff that's a mix of broccoli, mayo, and cream of mushroom soup with crumbled up cheeze-its on top that you bake in the oven. It was really good.

On Friday, we went to a flea market (fajuca) in Orland. Lots of loud mariachi music and haggling over chickens, but all in all it was fun. I bought an elote - corn on the cob with mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and chili sauce on it.

Tuesday, we ate with the Jones family. They're some great members in our ward. Brother Jones speaks Spanish. He and his wife weren't converted until just after they had their first son, who had a priesthood blessing that restored his hearing when he was little.

On Wednesday I challenged Ghost Peppers in the form of "Ultra Death Sauce" and was severely chastened for my audacity. Fun fact: Ghost Peppers are 900 times hotter than jalapenos.

t tasted pretty good after I stopped crying.

I can't believe Sam is a 16 year old. I can hardly even wrap my mind around the thought of him driving. Time is definitely going by fast.

Can't wait to talk to you all for Christmas!

love,

Elder Nichols