Sister Stephani Rodriguez: Did you know...

That Vermont is the only state in the U.S. that doesn't have a Target? Follow up question: did you know that I'll be spending ANOTHER TRANSFER IN VERMONT? Sister Ferrin and I were SHOCKED to find out that she will be leaving, and I will be staying and get Sister Hall as my companion!! (It's sister Makayla Hall, so not my MTC companion)

Last week we were out in Rupert (like 30 minutes away) to contact a referral from the Hudson Falls sisters. So we find this persons house and she wasn't home :( now we were determined there was a reason we were out here. We didn't drive 30 minutes all the way out to the middle of nowhere and didn't waste all our miles for nothing. The area we were in was super rural and had hardly any houses. But we decided we would knock on the ones we saw. We knock and met a man that wasn't interested, the next house: no one was home. Time was running low and we had to get going to a dinner appointment in Manchester. We had about 5 minutes before we were about to leave. We decide to get in the car and start heading home. Then the Spirit directed me otherwise. I had just gotten in the car and we started driving away when I told Sister Ferrin we needed to knock on one more door. We get out and knock. This girl answers and tells us she's busy but we can come in and talk to her mom. So we go inside and Kelly (the mom) invites us right in and starts telling us how she met with missionaries in the past, like 26 years ago and used to go to church in Rutland and she starts telling us how she believes there are degrees of Heaven, not just Heaven and Hell and we were like "exactly!" so we didn't have much time to talk to her because we had dinner to get to, but we got her number, gave her a new Book of Mormon, threw some "how to begin teaching" points in there, set up a time to come back, and headed out the door.

We got into the car and Sister Ferrin told me something I don't think I'll ever forget. She told me she loves how much faith I have. I told her that I'm really just trying to do my best and trying hard to follow the Spirit. She looked at me and she said "You are. And Heavenly Father never lets you down. I am amazed. Every single time. He never lets you down, Sister Rodriguez."

I look back over the course of the last 9 months and I have to agree. Every time I've tried to follow the smallest prompting, He's blessed me. He has shown me His tender mercies, His love, His grace. Even if nothing comes from it, I know that as we follow the Spirit, He will never let us down. Heavenly Father isn't going to send us a spiritual impression for no reason. Sometimes that reason may be for us to see if we would follow, or act in faith, but if we truly follow: He will never let us down. As we follow His guidance, His Son, His Spirit, His promptings, He will show us His miracles. Of that I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

P.S. Wasn't Conference amazing?!?! Seriously I loved every second. I want to echo what President Monson said, "If you're not reading the Book of Mormon everyday, please do so" It makes the biggest difference in our lives, I've seen it in the lives of investigators, Less Actives, Recent Converts, and in myself. We are so lucky to have the Book of Mormon, and I pray we don't take it for granted.

Funny quotes:

Guy we volunteer with: "How's my friend Bob Hales?"
Us: *trying to think of anyone we know in the branch named Bob Hales* "who?"

Guy: "You know, Robert Hales!"

hahaha we were like "OHHHH!!!!" Apparently this guy used to work with Robert D. Hales in the city! Super funny and super cool as we told him he could have the opportunity to listen to what Bob Hales has to say this weekend :)

*Tracting*

Guy: "Man you guys are good at getting me to answer so many questions!"

*A few minutes later before we leave*

Ferrin: "What's your name?"

Guy: "John!.. There! You just got another out of me! That's the last one I'm gonna give ya!"

P.S. I am SUPER excited to be staying in Vermont and really happy with transfer news :) I should've clarified that but I'm stoked to stay in the beautiful land of Manchester and hang out with my Jamaican friends some more