Sister Gochnour: Not sure what to call this? Happiness..miracles..ANOTHER AWESOME WEEK!

YES we have SNOW! and meet Sister Renda she is Awesome!

Hiiiiiii I just wanted to start by saying thank you. Thank you to all of your for loving me and believing in me. Thank you for your prayers - i want you to know that they are being answered. Thank you for supporting me and encouraging me to move forward with faith. Whitney Back reminded me of a quote that I love so much from,

Elder Holland "some blessings come soon, some come later and some don't come until heaven but for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ they come!"

I testify that this is true. Great blessings come from living the Gospel. You each are such a blessing in my life.

This week we listened to conference talks as we drove in the car. We started with the April 2014 conference - my first in the mission field. They are so powerful - I love hearing the Prophet and Apostles testify of Christ and His divine mission. This week from Preach my Gospel I have been studying pre-earth life. It stood out to me that it is important to understand where we came from so that we can know where we are going! I also love learning about our Savior's willingness to take the role of SAVIOR. Because of Him we knew we could make it back home - we knew He would be the way. Satan said this, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." Me, me, me. He was so selfish, totally encompassed in his desire to receive the glory for himself. Christ said this, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thineforever." (Moses 4:1-2) He wanted God to have all the glory. He was submissive and humble and willing. We must be more like our Savior. We must submit our will to the Father's. We must seek to glorify Him, not ourselves. It's not about what the world thinks that matters - but what God thinks of us.

On Friday we had a lesson with Crystal and it was one of those lessons that make all of the hard days on your mission worth it. It was so incredible. Her daughter Chantal finally sat in with us. Chantal is 16, she has also been through a lot - she has so many questions and is ready to find her answers. We reviewed the Restoration and showed them the Joseph Smith movie. Afterwards we were having a discussion and Chantal told us that we had answered all of her questions. They told us that they know God is real and that He loves them because the night Crystal was about to give up - when she no longer felt like holding on. We knocked on her door. We brought the light and hope of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into her life. She said that since she has been meeting with us everything has been going better and she has felt truly happy for the first time in forever. Chantal said, near the end of the lesson, "We did it mom, I think we found our path." I know that this is the path. I know that this is the path to eternal life and eternal happiness. I know that the Gospel changes people. It strengthens them and brightens their countenances. I am so grateful that I get to be a missionary and get to witness that change - in myself and the lives of those that we meet. I will let you know how they progress!

We also had a wonderful zone conference this week. My favorite part is always the testimonies of the missionaries who will be returning home at the end of the transfer and to hear the testimonies of President and Sister Leavitt. The theme was about God's love and divine plan for our lives. We can not understand or comprehend all of the great things that God has in store for each of us. He wants to bless us with all that He has. 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." This is just the beginning of the rest of our lives. President's counsel to each of us was this. "WORK HARD. THINK. TAKE COURAGE. BE CONFIDENT. NOW IS THE TIME. JUST DO IT - THAT'S FAITH." This applies to each of us - no matter where we are in our journey of life. Time is short, we must prepare and live the way God would have us live NOW. So that we can make it back home. Stand confidently in His presence. And inherit all that He has.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you to the moon and back.

Love, Sister G