Updates from Hermana Goudie: 7 Transfers In Russellville!!

So... we got transfer calls this morning. I really thought I would be getting transferred. I have been here for 9 months and it has been an amazing 9 months! But that is quite a long time to stay in an area as a missionary... so I was kind of thinking I would be transferred to Little Rock which wouldve been SO fun because that is where I was born and I would love to see the members there because I miss them, but I guess I have more to do here. I am excited to stay its just I really wasnt expecting it. By the end of this transfer I will have been in Russellville for 10 months! Woohoo! haha ;) More than half my mission. I love it here though. I really am blessed to have stayed here for this long. The members keep making jokes like, you are practically a permanent resident, you should vote, we have just adopted you into the ward, etc. I think its pretty funny. I will have 5 companions here (I AM TRAINING!!!!!!!) and I think its funny how every time at church after transfers the members are like, "You are still here?" Haha I hope they arent sick of me yet ;) Because theyve got 6 more weeks with me ;) I cant believe that is all I have left on my mission. I had a little moment this morning in companion study because I realized how short the time is. It hadnt really hit me until I started my last planner today :( I have been so blessed on my mission, seen so many miracles, and have grown SO much! Well, at least I think so ;) I guess yall will have to tell me if thats true or not when I get home. and that means grown spiritually and physically ;) Isabel and Oswaldo took us out to get protein shakes today and we got our weight and body fat measured... haha lets just say I have a bit of work to do before I get home ;) But its all good :) I am so excited to grow even more this transfer (hopefully not physically) oh! But I think I did grow a little bit in height :) I cant wait to meet my new companion! Im going to have a hija!

Okay enough of that. So this week there was lots of snow! We had a lot of meetings, and not as much missionary work happened as I wouldve wanted to happen. We had to go in early 2 nights in a row :( but I got my journal mostly caught up so that was nice! We got to sleep over with Conway sisters on Thursday because we had a trainers meeting really early Thursday morning in Little Rock and we also slept over Saturday night with the Hermanas in little rock because of stake conference. So that was a lot of fun :)

In our zone conference which had to get postponed because of the snow, President said something that really hit me. He heard it from Elder Bednar. He said, "In the last days, our testimonies alone wont save us, it is our continual conversion!" How neat is that! I know that all of us have testimonies but that alone wont mean anything unless we are continually striving each and EVERYDAY to be converted. And guess what? It is just those simple things that keep us on the path to continual conversion which is reading our scriptures and saying our prayers "everyday, everyday, everyday" like my mission president says. Man I love him. He has taught me SO much! and going to church is included in that too! But its not that hard! Its not rocket science here people ;) The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. And sometimes I think that we are the ones that think that because it is so simple, we can just skip over it that day. But dont think that way! Alma 37:46-dont be slothful because of the easiness of the way. Please keep reading your scriptures every day and praying everyday! We had a meeting the other day and it was a member telling us that if we go home from our missions and start putting our scriptures down, we are on the path to spiritual death. That was pretty bold but it is so true! I hope I will always be able to read from the scriptures like I can on my mission. Someone else told me something interesting the other day and it was that when people say "I dont have time" it just means that they are choosing to spend their time somewhere else. So please, choose to use your time wisely and study the scriptures daily! I know it has blessed my life :)

We had an investigator that I love dearly drop us :( It was really hard. But that is part of being a missionary. Not everyone we teach will choose to accept. But we just have to keep praying and fasting. Maybe it is just not her time yet. That is probably the hardest thing about being on a mission when those you love choose not to try to find out if it is true.

On saturday night after stake conference when we were with the hermanas we found out that Luis nephew Orlando who sis. Dube and I had both taught got baptized! It was so cool :) I love seeing how one person accepting the gospel brings so many others! We also had a surprise visit from E. Ramirez although that is not his name anymore. It is just weird to call him Javi ;) He sat by us stake conference. It was good to catch up on mission experiences.

Well... I love yall! Last transfer here I come :)

Hermana Goudie