Monday, December 26, 2016

12.26.16 Merry Christmas, Everyone!


Merry Christmas, Everyone!                                  12/26/16

This week has been such an awesome week! We had so many amazing experiences! We got the chance to go to the temple visitors center. We meet at the church with a bunch of sisters and then they drive us all up in a little bus. 
 

It was so cool especially on Christmas Day because so many people of different faiths came to see how we celebrate Christmas. It was awesome! We talked to this awesome kid who was driving by with his dad and so they stopped by to see what was going on. As we talk with people there, we get to teach them a little bit and then see if they would want to have missionaries come over later to teach them more. It was so incredible to see how many prepared people came in. We met a really cute family and as we talked about family history they got so excited and said they definitely wanted to learn more. I know that will be just the beginning of them learning more about the Gospel.

We were asked to spend time with members on Christmas Eve and so we asked the ward council for a list of people they wanted us to visit.  It was so amazing to see how as we followed the council to work with members, we were lead to so many chances to share the Gospel.

One of the homes we went to was a part member family and the daughter who is not a member answered the door. We talked to her about the gospel and how it brings us so much peace. It didn't lead to anything right then but I know it truly planted a seed and left her with something to think about.

That reminds me of this awesome experience we had the other day. We went to see Judith and as we were leaving we decided to knock on some doors in her complex. I bet your thinking we had an amazing miracle as we talked so someone in one of those apartments? We didn't but as when we walked out we met our friend CJ! He was so polite and interested in learning more. It was amazing to see that if we wouldn't have knocked on those doors we wouldn't have met him.

Another amazing miracle that happened on Christmas Eve, we went to a members house and we couldn’t find a parking spot so we drove around several times and then decided to Virginia park. That’s where you park in the street for a minute with her 4 ways on. As we got out of the car we met Gina.   She has a strong faith and loves her church but she said she would love to learn more.

I think that one of the greatest things that happened on Christmas Eve was when we went over to our friend Todd and Shante's house for lunch. Shante’s family aren't  members and as we sat around the table for lunch we got the
chance to have one giant lesson with four or five non- members. It was incredible. 


I know that the Lord was truly placing people in our path as we were obedient to what we were asked to do. I know that obedience truly does bring so many blessings. I love what president Monson says, "May we chose the harder right instead of the easier wrong." I know that our Heavenly Father will bless us as we do so. I hope you all have a great new year and know that I love you so!

Love,
Sister Goudy








Monday, December 19, 2016

12.19.16 Elder Bennett of the Seventies conducted our Half-Mission Conference



12/19/16

Hello everyone!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

This last week has been such an awesome week full of lots of fun experiences! The weather has been back and forth from 20 to 50 degrees. We went on exchanges with Sister Hyer and Sister Hymas.


When we got up in the morning EVERYTHING was iced over. President said no mission cars on the road until noon so we got lots of lesson reports done. Later that night we went to try some of our referrals the stairs were covered in ice. We didn't let that stop us though we just walked down backwards so we wouldn't slip, ha ha. 


On Tuesday we had a half mission conference where we were visited by Elder Bennett of the 70! It was an incredible experience. He truly taught by the spirit. He said most of the things he talked to us about weren't the things he talked about with the other half of the mission. He related lots of amazing experiences from when he was a mission president in Russia. His daughter had served in that mission as well. It showed me that our Heavenly Father is truly aware of each of us. He said that when she got home she wondered if she had even helped anyone on her mission.

While Elder Bennett was serving there as mission president he told us that he ran into several people that had been touched by his daughters service. One of my favorite ones he had shared was a man who came into one of the church building one day with a crumpled up pass along card. The man said it really stuck out to him when he was passing by gutter. He said he took it home and cleaned it off. Then he went to the address written on it. I can not imagine how the missionaries must have felt as they passed that card out to someone who immediately crumpled it up. I know that it was such a great blessing to the man who found it though.

Elder Bennett reminded us that no effort is wasted when we are serving the Lord.  Sometimes we are just planting seeds and sometimes we are preparing a way for others.

I know that this Gospel is true and that it truly blesses so many lives. Heavenly Father knows when people are ready to accept it.

Yesterday we met a man named James he has been reading the Book of Mormon for years and he said he knows it is the word of God. He said we could come back and teach him tonight and I hope that now is the time he has been prepared for. We have so many friends who are doing so amazing!

Judith is getting ready to get baptized next week and she is so excited! We have Jack who has been meeting with missionaries off and on for over 25 years and right now he is praying about being baptized. I know that whenever their time is the Lord will make it possible for them to be able to get baptized. 

I am so grateful for this Christmas season that reminds us of our savior Jesus Christ who came into the world or each and every one of us. What a great blessing it is to have the fullness of the Gospel. I was reading in Mosiah about how the gospel truly changes people's hearts. I know that as we fully embrace it we will be changed for the better. I am so excited to see our friends lives changed as they take these steps for themselves! Thank you all so much for your support in one way or another so I can have this amazing opportunity. 

Love, Sister Goudy 



Monday, December 12, 2016

12.12.16 Great Week! German Christmas

Hey everyone                                                                 12.12.16

This week was awesome it is such a great time to be a missionary to have the chance teach about Jesus Christ. Many people invite us right into their homes because it is so cold outside. When I first came out on my mission I was kind of nervous when people would invite us in but now I realize it is a perfect opportunity.

One of the coolest opportunities was when we met our friends Long, Hong and Mimi.  They were a referral from their neighbors. At first when they answered the door they were kind of quite but Long had his gingham style PJ's on and we asked if he could do the dance. Ha-ha, he sure could, without hesitating, he did the dance for us right on his porch.

We told them that we share a great message about Jesus Christ. They don't have a  Christian background and so they were very excited to let us in. We  talked to them about how important Jesus Christ is and we shared the light the world video. When we asked if we could come back and teach them more Long excitedly said "YES!"  We are going to go back again this week!  I'm really excited because I know we will really see the joy of Christ come into their lives.

I didn't realize how powerful the Joy of Christ is until my mission.  We have been able to see so many people change as they truly feel of his atoning love. Our friends Judith and Mo are a great example of that. Judith was passed to us by Elders from another ward. She had been meeting with them for a while but decided she wanted to wait a little bit and not meet anymore. When she moved to our area they passed us her record and said we should try her sometime. From the first time we called her she has been so excited and committed to learning more. We had recently put her on date for January 21st but after we talked to her about it some more we all felt she could be ready by the end of the year. She is so excited to start the year off with a fresh start. No better gift then that! I sure love to see her excitement and willingness to fully embrace the gospel. They came to the ward Christmas party the other night and the ward embraced them so well! They have been coming to church for the past three weeks it's incredible! Mo wasn't too excited about meeting with us at first but as time has gone on he has really changed. He says he loves how everyone knows his name and says hello when they see him. They are doing great! I'll put a picture of us with Judith and their two cute girls. They are twins.






We've also seen a lot of progression with our friend Linda. She is such a cute lady and every time we go over to see her, she is waiting at the door. When the members come to give her a ride to church or the Christmas party she is already in her Sunday best. We've started reading the Book of Mormon with her; some of the words are kind of tricky so we've been able to help her improve her reading skills too.  She really wants to be baptized in January!  She is incredible we sure love her.

The ward is taking good care of us this Christmas season. Last night for dinner we had an authentic German dinner with the Langers. Brother Langer is from Germany and so we had his favorite, sauerkraut and dumplings. After dinner they had us come to their Christmas tree where they had two little gifts for us. They had gotten us three different German treats. I never knew that Gummy Bears are German. It was so sweet of them. 




Even better, when we left they gave us some referrals for their neighbors which lead to even more referrals. None of them were new investigators but we had some great discussions.   I love being a missionary!   It brings so much happiness and blesses so many people's lives. Yesterday they had the parents of missionaries speak about the blessings of missionary service. They talked about all they had seen from their children serving and it really reminded me that missionary work is such a gift and that we have such a short time to dedicate ourselves to it. It reminded me to really enjoy every moment. I know that this gospel is true. I know that it changes lives and I know it bring so many blessings. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Sister Goudy





Wednesday, December 7, 2016

12.7.16 Got to Go To The Temple



Hello Everyone! 


This week was incredible! We saw so many amazing things happen.

Our mission has a goal where we do three small and simple things at least three times a day and I know it's really brought such amazing miracles. The first thing is:  to invite three people to church, then we try to ask for referrals from three people, and the last one is my favorite, we try to talk about baptism three times a day.  Since we have done these three  things we have found some amazing people and we have seen a lot of progression in our investigators.

I got to go back to Warrenton to see the baptism of Aaron. His dad was able to baptism him and it was an amazing experience. On the drive back to Warrenton our ward mission leaders wife was telling me about some awesome missionary experiences she had had in the past but that they hadn't quite turned out how she had expected. A couple of days later we went over for dinner with them and she sent us over to one of the families she was telling me about. She said that every time the missionaries had gone over, the people had always turned them away but she said she felt like we should maybe try again. It was the night of the Christmas devotional and we really wanted to go but we hadn't been able to get any of our investigators to go so we prayed about it and decided to go contact some referrals. We felt like we should try her referral. We went over and this really confident girl answered the door. She has such a strong faith and told us of many times she has seen her prayers answered. She loved everything we taught her and she said we could come back. We are going back tomorrow! I know that things truly work out in the Lords timing and that this is his work.

One of my favorite scriptures from my reading this week is ENOS 1: verse 12, it says, "And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith."  I love this verse because many times this week we prayed for guidance and labored to find our prayers answered. I know that the Lord truly blessed us as we continue in faith.

Our friend Judith had been doing so well at preparing  for baptism and we had the best lesson ever with her last night. We truly saw an answer to our prayers. We had to have a lesson on something and we weren't sure how she was going to take it. As we pushed forward and talked about what we needed to, she said it was something she had already been thinking about! I was so grateful for that and how well it went. I know God truly answers our prayers and that specific prayers bring specific blessing.

I want to invite you all to pray for something specifically this week. I promise the Lord will answer your prayer specifically.

Love, Sister Goudy





Tuesday, December 6, 2016

This Week's Post Delayed Two Days



In case you are continually checking for Shelby's letter this week, be assured that she is OK.  It's just that their Preparation Day has been changed to Wed. this week so they can go to the temple.  

They are only 30 miles away!!  I think that they not only get to attend the temple but they also get to serve there as missionaries and talk to people and answer their questions.  I know, they are looking forward to this opportunity!  I'm not sure if they get to do this once a week until the end of the month, or if it is just a one time shot!

Monday, November 28, 2016

11.28.16 THANKSGIVING!



Happy Thanksgiving  Everyone!
                     
We had a really great Thanksgiving! We had a lunch giving with one of the members. I forgot how good Thanksgiving food is. Then we went over to our friend Mark's house.  When we planned it, we didn't expect it to turn out that we went directly to the next meal but that's how it worked out. It was the full missionary experience.

Mark was so excited to have us over he had been inviting us for a month. He invited his brother and his friend from work and both of their wives. It was the missionaries dream come true! Two missionaries and 5 non-members all hanging out for an hour and a half. Mark is really impressed with us so we kind of felt like the stars of the show.

At the end of dinner, we all sat down for a lesson. We watched the "Because of Him" video the church has put out and then we talked about some of the questions they had for us. It was kind of intimidating but it went really well. We would not have been able to do it without the Spirit because it truly brought to remembrance the things we know to be true. It was awesome!

To top our Thanksgiving off,  that morning we had a great lesson with our friend Judith.  She has twin daughters and she is really committed to learning about the gospel and applying it in her life. She has even been sharing it with her boyfriend who we have now started teaching. All four of them came to church on Sunday and she seems like she was already a member. She even signed up to feed us. She is such a sweetheart.

Keep your eyes pealed for her baptismal announcement! We've been really blessed with awesome investigators in the coolest ways!

This week the Church's Christmas video came out! It is really good. It talks about how Christ is the light of the world and how we are the light of the world. I love how it reminds us that we work along side the Lord. At the end it invites us to take a challenge to light the world. We are going to do it and I want to invite you all to take the challenge.

Check out the video at Mormon.org. This Sunday we will get to go help at the temple Visitors Center while they have the lights up for Christmas.  It's been a fun way to invite the members to light the world!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve and to be here on my mission. I truly love it!

Love, Sister Goudy

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

11.21.16 Our Fourth Floor, Last Door Experience



Hey Everyone!

This week has been quite the adventure. The weather got really cold all of a sudden and the Potomac chill is a real thing. The cold air really does go right to your bones. It was pretty good at first for riding bikes and the members have really helped us so much! Some days, I would be so worried about getting to our appointments and stuff but then we would find an awesome member that would be willing to take us to where we need to go. It was incredible!

Some days we would have 4-5 members coming with us to lessons. One night a member came out with us. We had started knocking some doors with no luck. We decided we were going to have a fourth floor last door experience. So we kept going up. As we got to the third floor a girl let us right in!  We had an incredible lesson with her but she wasn't available to meet again.

We went up to the fourth floor and the first door we knocked no one answered so we kept going. As we went to the next door the first door opened. We meet Beth! She is incredible and was very open. She was so excited to learn about the priesthood  and truly believed that this message is true. She's incredible!

Another night we riding our bikes through an neighborhood and it was so cold. Our fingers were frozen. It was almost time to go home but we really didn't want to go home early. We didn't know how much longer we could take it. So We both prayed. A thought popped in my mind about the pioneers and how much they pushed through and how we really don't have it bad at all.

Then I thought about how they would sing as they walked so I started singing. It truly cheered up our spirits and we made it through. I'm so grateful for this experience because we truly have learned so much!

We had transfers this week and our trio go split up. Sister Roberts went to another area. We finished our transfer together off with a fun service project at Mark’s house. We learned that Sister Roberts is really good with an ax, Sister Nenneman is good with a pick ax and I'm really good with a hatchet.  All together we make a really good tree chopping team. It was a lot of fun!  Mark has progressed so much! On Saturday Sister Nenneman and I had an actual lesson with him and he started reading the Book of Mormon. When we called him the other day the first thing he said is “Are you calling to see if I prayed?”  Ha ha, then he asked us to share a message with him! It was a lot of progression for him.

It's been a great week! We had a great lesson with a part member family we found a couple of weeks ago and they want to meet with us again. I truly know this gospel blesses our families and I know that it is true.

Love, Sister Goudy



Monday, November 14, 2016

11.14.16 Week on Bikes

Hey there everyone! 

So this week the sisters and I made up a biker gang.  We took our car in the shop to get the bumper fixed and they weren't sure how long it would take.  So we asked the office elders if we could get some bikes thinking it would only be a couple of days.  We are still on bikes to this day.  It's been a lot of fun though. I don't think there's any greater way to strengthen a companionship then to stick them on bikes.  We've even got some great parables we have created from the whole experience.




We've been blessed in lots of ways from this awesome learning experience.  Like we had pizza four nights in a row which gave us lots of fuel to ride. We had a built in air conditioner because it's been kind of chilly and we've had some really supportive members come with us to lessons.  We've learned that Virginia is full of lots of hills but we've gotten really good at climbing them!

I think one of the biggest things we've accomplished while on bikes is being able to plan out our days more effectively. Usually our days would be from one end of our area to the other but that would be really hard on our bikes so we tried to focus on one specific area. It brought a ton of blessings! 

One day we were in this neighborhood and everyone we had put in our schedule to see we ran into one way or another.  We met a less active family who was super nice they invited us over for lunch this coming weekend. Also by being on bike, we were able to meet some really cool people that we wouldn’t have talked to being in our car. We didn't meet any new investigators but we planted a lot of seeds and made some really good friendships.   

By Saturday we were kind of sad we hadn't found anyone to teach so we stepped up our game and prayed really hard that we would be in the right place to find the one person who was truly prepared. That day we went to a lesson and she wasn't home but her husband was and so we started talking to him. One of the many things I love in Preach My Gospel is how it says, "Teach when you find and find when you teach.”  By doing that I have seen so many miracles and we have found some of the coolest people.  Her husband had many questions and truly desired to learn more.  It will be so cool because now we will have the chance to teach the whole family! 

One big thing I have learned from my mission can now be related in an experience we had on our bikes the other night. We were riding home on the blacktop side walk. When we got to a point in the hill all of the cars ahead had there lights shining so we could not see where we were going.  All we could see was the end destination.  We had to trust that if we looked forward we would end up where we needed to go.  As we kept pushing forward the coolest thing happened, the light turned green and the cars came closer to us lighting our path for just a short moment before it was dark again.  As we all got to the corner we related to each other what we had learned from that.  Each having a slightly different experience, we each learned something different.  It reminded me of our missions so much.

 We are each called to a different mission. Right where we need to be.  Yet each missionary in a mission will have a tailored experience just for what they need. That night I was reminded of how I have been trying to trust in the Lord.  Many times we can't exactly see what is right in front of us or what he intends for us.  But we can see the end goal which is exaltation and eternal happiness.  That is something I definitely want and I want that for everyone! The journey will be hard but the reward will be so great in the end.

I know that the message we share is one of hope and happiness that people truly want to understand more.  On Saturday we got the chance to go to mass with our friends Matt and Mary.  It was a really a symbolic experience that has truly shaped them into the people they are today.   One of my favorite things about being a missionary is that we are never here to take away from anyone's faith.  We just want to help them partake in the extraordinary gifts and blessings the Lord has in store for them. 

I know that this gospel is true.  I know that we truly can live with our Heavenly Father again.  I know that this life is to prepare us to live with our Heavenly Father.  He sent the most perfect guide into the world and he will never lead us astray!  I am so grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that through him we can overcome anything!  

I love you all.

Sister Goudy 




The Awesome Threesome




Elders and Sisters






11-7-16 J.C.'s Baptism

Hi there everyone!

 The mission is treating  us well and we are learning lots! We've been working really hard to find people to work with. In this area we meet lots of people but a lot of the people here are super busy so we've been trying to get in with them again. We have some pretty unique lessons on people's door steps or over dinner. The other day we did a church tour with our friends Mark and Tommy. Tommy is Autistic he loves trains and is really good at sports. We get the chance to be his friend and think of creative ways to teach them the gospel.  On Saturday we did a church tour with them. To,my was really excited to lead us from room to room. I think his favorite room was the chapel. When I was in Warrenton one of the members said that the chapel is considered an ordinance room and for that reason I truly believe the sprite is always very strong there. As we sat in the chapel Tommy happily walked around while the awesome member that came with us played some hymns on the piano. It was really cool to hear Mark say that he feels we came at just the right time and that he has been looking for a good place for Tommy to find friends. After the church tour we got to go to the park and play softball with them. We made up a really good team.



Later that Saturday sister Hyer and I got to go back to Warrenton for our friend JCs baptism. It was so cool to be back there and remember all the cool experiences and Miracles we saw. We found JC the week that our mission had a goal to find 300 new investigators and at the same time the ward was having a 40 day fast. It was incredible one of the members that was moving out gave us a referral  for one of their friends. We went over and they were super nice but not interested. We asked them if anyone had moved in recently  and they sent us over to Lindsay and Denie. The awesome mom and daughter who love reading The Book of Mormon together. We asked them the same thing and they sent us over to JC.  It was so incredible to see how receptive he was from the beginning.  At the baptism his two kids sang amazing grace with the sisters.  It was an all around awesome experience.

On Wednesday will sister Nenneman was on exchanges with the sisters.  Sister Roberts and I got to go teach the achievement day girls how to do hair. They were so excited to see us and we had a ton of fun learning with them. As we were leaving we talked to one of the members and he was telling us about his neighbor who he felt would be really open to learning more. Turns out it was the same person sister Roberts had been looking at in our area book and wanted to go try her. I know that we are truly being guided in the work and that we truly could not do it alone. It's really interesting to see the days when we are just following the schedule and the other days when we are following the spirit. It makes a huge difference.

I am so grateful for this chance I have to serve here and to learn new things it's been a great experience. I am so grateful for the restored gospel and the happiness it brings. I know that this gospel is true. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Goudy

P.S.: Presidents birthday was this week so we made a rap for him.