Hey y'all!

May 5, 2008

Dear family and friends--
I am wearing pants for the first time in public in 2 months today!!! It feels amazing!!! You don't know what you can wear til you can't wear it, y'know what I'm saying? We're going bowling today for P-day, with the other 6 elders in our district, and I'm so excited! I was most excited when they told me we get to wear normal clothes! In our mission, even on p-day, we are supposed to wear proscelyting clothes in public, unless we are playing sports or hiking or something. I guess bowling counts too. :)
So today is the first day of my 2nd transfer. I made it a whole transfer already! It went by pretty fast actually, which I am very surprised at. Neither of us is getting transferred, so we'll be able to just keep working with what we've been doing, instead of having to get readjusted to new companions and such, so that's good, especially with this new transfer--let me fill you in:
So since this is our mission pres's last full transfer before he goes home, he has dubbed this the "Transfer of Perfection" and we are all supposed to work harder than we ever have and be perfectly obedient and have great faith because he wants every companionship in the mission to have 2 baptisms in the next 6 weeks. He knows, and we all know, especially in areas such as ours, that it's going to take miracles, but he knows and the APs know that it is definitely possible. I know it is definitely possible because ANYTHING is possible with the Lord's help! So we are to pray in all of our prayers for the Lord's help in this goal. Our MP wants us all to write in a separate journal (which we just went and purchased at wal-mart, our home away from home, and had a great discussion on the Bible and BOM in the journal/paper aisle with a woman) the miracles we see happen on our way to achieving this goal this transfer. This is a huge deal, and I'm so excited about it! Already we've seen amazing things happen! One of which just occurred today: The Elders in the area next to us called and said they have a baptism for us! A woman in their ward has a daughter-in-law in our ward who, the mother-in-law says needs to be baptized! Apparently she was very adament about it, but supposedly the girl is ready to be taught or something...her husband is a member, etc. So anyway, not too sure of too many details on it, but we will go over with the elders tonight to see her, and details to come on that next week, but we're excited!
The first miracle of this all happened just a few days ago. We were talking to this painter that works at this shopping mall place called The Factory, teaching him more about the BOM, which my comp and her prievious companion (I think) contacted and gave a BOM to, and he's been reading it a little; but as we were talking to him, a member of one of the other wards in our building walked past, and told us to all come over for pie after we were done (he owns the shop across the walkway). Anyway, we went over after and had pie (just Sis. Arnell and I) and we were talking to him about his conversion story and stuff, and then he said he had something for us: he pulled up this list of new move-ins mostly in our area, and emailed it to me. The missionaries that found him and his wife were contacting the new move-ins in the area, hence why he gave them to us. His wife works for the state or county and is on the welcoming committee for the new move-ins (I don't think for the church, just for the county I guess..). So we now have this great list of like 75 or so new move-ins in our area mostly, so we had Sis. Ross print it off for us and we started visiting the houses less than $600,000 (we had to limit it somehow--many of the homes out here are ridiculously large) on thurs or friday. Anyway, one of the houses we knocked on on friday night turns out to be a woman (Karen Smith) who is one of the best friends of a lady in our ward, Sister Walker, who is amazing and a great member missionary, and she's been wanting her friend to hear the missionaries for a long time. Karen has been to church with Sister Walker multiple times, and liked it (just doesn't like the time it's at--1pm:). So anyway, Karen let us in for a few minutes, we chatted with her in her very nice home, and she is letting us come back with Sis. Walker to share a message on wed!! Holy cow! And this all happened because my comp had to go to the bathroom the other day, and we were near the Factory, so we stopped there. God is good, y'know what I'm saying? Everything just works out, it's amazing! Sis. Walker says her friend is just golden, so we are so excited to teach her! Oh, and she was supposed to have gone out of town that day, but had postponed it til the next day. Someone Else is definitely in control of this work. We are just little toothpicks in His hands.
So anyway, if everyone would pray for us to be blessed with miracles to be able to have 2 baptisms in our area this transfer, that would be excellent!
I love you all, and I miss you! Thank you all for your emails and letters!
Love, Sister Gurr
PS--Sally and Joe--thank you SOOOO much for the package! I loved it all, esp. the pictures! Your hair is so cute Sal! You wear headbands like you invented them! ;) And joe, you looked pretty good too, still. :)
Joanna--tell your mom i did get her big email a while back, and sorry I haven't responded to it. Confession, I didn't actually read the whole thing cuz it was so long, and I'm not in Brentwood, so i don't thing I would know of anyone that she was mentioning. But I'll let you know if I ever get transferred there. :)
Peter the Gurr! I haven't forgotten you! I love you and i loved your emails! Thank you especially for the one a little while ago, it DID help! Thank you for your advice and encouragement, you are an amazing brother! And thanks for the prayers!
Mom--i'll probably call you on sat for a second to arrange a time to call on sunday, with time zones and your church at camille's, etc., plus my time is out here, sorry! I love you! THANK YOU for your weekly letters in the mail, they mean so much to me!!!