Updates from Hermana Goudie: One Year Mark and Birthday!

Hola familia :)

So this week was super exciting. We started off the week in Morrilton about 30 minutes away from Russellville finding and teaching a lot of cool people! We didnt have a car (we had just dropped it off to the Conway sisters, thats right, bike week again!) or place to go so we were just walking and getting rides from the senior couple and stls and we had a ton of success! We were able to teach 9 lessons during the day and something that was super cool is that with each person that we talked to (all of them besides 1 was hispanic) we shared different scriptures with each person. That is something that I have not always been good at on my mission but I have learned to listen to the Spirit to be lead to the scripture that that person needs to hear. It was really cool being able to overcome peoples concerns and help the understand what the restoration means by sharing scriptures. The scriptures have all the answers and brings the spirit so much!

This week at zone conference on my one year mark there was a surprise. We got to watch meet the mormons!!!!!!!!!!!! It was super exciting :) We just watched it at the church in Conway with all the missionaries in our zone. It was really good and I loved hearing of all these cool members of the church and how they live the gospel and how it has changed and shaped their life. The gospel is true!

Like I said we were on bikes this week and it was a bit rainy but we had a lot of members help us which I am so grateful for :) This week I was also able to help some hermanas in the branch prepare for a song they were going to sing in sacrament. It was so fun and made me miss teaching voice lessons. They did an awesome job yesterday :) I am so grateful that I am able to use my piano skills here to help support the branch. They really love singing. Its such a perfect place for me to be :)

Chino came to church yesterday! All of the members just came up and started talking to him and asking when he was going to get baptized and they are very supportive. There was a member that said that he went over saturday night and Chino said that he is really ready to get baptized this time and that hermano barrera played a big role in it. You guys! The members! They make all the difference. I am telling you that is when we have the most success here as missionaries. When the members are involved. Especially when they speak fluent spanish ;)

So another scary thing happened this week. I hit my year mark. I really cannot believe it. Sometimes I think of things before the mission and it just seems like forever ago. Like mission life is all I know. But at the same times it seems like just yesterday that I left. I think back to the person I was before and the things I used to do and realize that I have changed a lot and my testimony is a lot stronger. I have learned so much and I have really enjoyed being a missionary this past year. There really is nothing more exciting than sharing the great news of the restoration :) Its such an awesome time that I have to wear this name tag and knock doors and say that I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I love helping and serving others and giving myself to the Lord so that he can bless the lives of others. Now dont get me wrong there have been many hard times in my mission. But when I keep focusing on the Savior, I can get through those hard times and overcome them. It is those hard times in life when we grow the most and really understand what the Atonement of Jesus Christ means to us and how we can use it to be happy and change. And through our trials I find that is when I am closest to the Lord. I love seeing the blessings that have come from being on my mission too. I got to see Hna. Hernandez last night as she was on her way back home from oklahoma city. Oscar was with her too and it was so good to see him :) She told me. "you go home soon" and I got a little emotional because I thought of all the cool people I have met and all the spiritual experiences I have had and all the blessings that have come into my life while I have been out here. I am so grateful for the time I have had to be here and for the things I am learning and for how I am changing. And also for all of your support and prayers. I love yall :) Les quiero!

P.S. hopefully in these last 6 months I will be able to learn more spanish too ;) because still dont know that much... but I can speak and understand. so that is a blessing :)