QUAD

Oh boy oh boy, I love my mission. I can't say that enough. This week was AMAZING!!! There is so much I want to talk about, but I am just gonna have to pick and choose because my time is limited due to the only sad part about this week, which is that we got transfer news - Sister Eyerly is being transferred to Columbia River in the Portland East Stake (where I served last summer), and I am staying in the area. So she needs to pack and shop for some necessities, hence my limited time online today. I was sad about the news, but then I read my letter: I am staying in the Columbia ward, and I am getting Sister Depew! She was in the MTC with me, and we like each other so I know this will be a fun transfer. I am very excited to get to serve with her and to get as much work out as we can! Because she is going home the same time I am, she will probably have the same drive to do her best for these last couple months like I do, which will be super helpful in getting the work done.

The biggest news I have is that I finished my Quad this morning. I finished the New Testament, which was the last book of scripture that I had to read, and now I have officially read the whole Quad cover to cover, which is roughly 2,468 pages. I started with the Book of Mormon last year, then I read the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, then I spent 3 transfers reading the Old Testament, and this transfer reading the New Testament, all the while reading a few pages of the Book of Mormon every day as well. It has been a phenomenal experience. I had never read the Bible cover to cover before, and it was quite an adventure! Of course I've read a ton from the Bible, but never just starting with Genesis and finishing with Revelation. It was amazing! I also got on my knees and prayed this morning when I had finished, asking God if those books were true, and He answered me before I could even say "Amen." Of course it is true. The Bible is true as far as it is translated correctly, and I got a reaffirmed testimony of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine & Covenants. I am just so in awe of the fact that Heavenly Father loves us enough to give us such wonderful tools for us to achieve eternal happiness. I am so grateful for the scriptures, and I will continue to read them over and over again for the rest of my life so I might have the strength and the guidance that comes from those sacred words.

Last Monday, we were able to have Family Home Evening with the McDowell's in our ward and the Rowley's from Van 1st! It was wonderful. I love them so so much! And then this Friday, we got to have lunch with them at the Truffle Hunter. It was delicious. :) It's so nice that I have the opportunity to meet up with people from my past areas. I'm very grateful for that privilege. While we were at Truffle Hunter, the waitress (Carol) was having a pretty bad day, and kept slipping up with her words and telling us the wrong and thing, etc. She started to cry when she was showing us dessert, and we all felt super bad. So I pulled out my Mickey Mouse notepad and wrote her a little note telling her she is beautiful and we appreciated her service. She was so sweet when I gave it to her, she said she has never received anything like it, and that day was definitely not a day she deserved it. I had given her our phone number, and she started telling me and Erica about her religious life. Erica is a rock star and pretty much bore testimony of the church to her. It was super cool to watch. :) I love my Rowley's!

Did everybody watch the General Women's Broadcast on Saturday night?? I LOVED it! I thought that Sister Oscarson's talk was very bold, and it kind of shocked me because we never really hear "bold" talks from the women who speak at General Conference. I very much appreciated her talk and the things that she said about defending the family. She's right. And I need to do better at holding strong on my views about the importance of family. It is the key part of the entire plan that God has for us after all, so that makes it worth defending. :) I also loved President Eyring's talk. He was so sweet and definitely made me cry. OH! And the coolest thing happened: in one of the videos they showed, my TRC investigator from the MTC, Latoya, was one of the people who talked about her trials in her family and the faith it has helped her build! It was so cool to see her! It made me so happy to see her talk about her strength. She is super cool, and I am so grateful I got to teach her in the MTC. I am so incredibly excited for General Conference this weekend! 

A lot of people have been making negative comments about General Conference being on Easter this year, but I think it is wonderful! What better way to celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior than by listening to the counsel of our beloved Prophet and the Apostles? I simply cannot wait. I hope you are preparing for General Conference by coming up with a question or two that you would like to have answered. I can promise you that your questions will be answered as you prayerfully listen to Conference with an open heart. The Spirit will touch you. :) In preparation for Easter, watch this beautiful video about your Savior, Jesus Christ. I love it!

The other reason I titled this blog post "Quad" is because I have only 4 months left... This realization is finally sinking in because of having to register for classes today and work out all of my information with the Mission Office about my going home date. It'll be really great to have Sister Depew as a companion, because she is going home the same time as I am, so I know that we will both have a new kind of motivation to do the work. I am going to work harder than I ever have for these last 4 months, and I am going to put in quadruple the effort for the time that I have left. I will NOT have any regrets when I go home, and I will be able to leave my mission hearing Heavenly Father say, "This is my daughter, in whom I am well pleased." I look forward to that moment, but for now, time to work! I love you and will talk to you next week!

Love Always,

Sister Nicole Guilott

P.S. More pictures!

"Bulgarian food!  SOOO good!"

"I guess I'm a dog whisper."

"She didn't like her sweater, but she always comes to me to pout."