TRANSFERS!!!

Hello Family and Friends!!! 

NOTE: [Next month Jackie's mission will be named the Arkansas Bentonville Mission. Same mission boundaries, but the mission home will be moving to Bentonville and they will have a new mission president.]

I guess there must be something in the water or something cause we had 3 members in the ward take a fall - all in 3 different towns and all in 3 different places. Not even the same age and all 3 of them ended up in the hospital. Talk about crazy!!! They all have great stories to tell!!!! (Don't worry, they are all good and healing just fine!)

This week we met a man named _____. I met him last transfer, he came up to me one day while I was talking to his friend. He asked me "Does your church bring you peace and happiness in your life?" We of course told him "IT SURE DOES!!" He then told us he wanted to meet with us and wanted to learn more! We finally got to meet with him on Tuesday. ____ has been through SO much in life, due to bad choices and the bad hands that life dealt has out to him. 

He is just a very sad, lonely man, who wants his family back in his life. He is an alcoholic and doesn't know how to stop and wants to get his family back. Through the spirit I think we were able to help him and give him some kind of comfort. I know that the gospel can heal all wounds! No matter who you are or what you have done. It can help, if you let it in your life. I look forward on helping ____ make changes and help him see that Heavenly Father loves him. 

Transfer calls came! I know you all will never guess on where I'll be going. So I'll just tell you. I will be....STAYING!!! Yep! I will be here in ________ for another round!! That will mean that I have been in _______ for 7 1/2 months!!! WOOT! I'm excited to be here for another transfer!! It means I get to be with the people I love for even longer!!! I will also have Sister H. as my companion for another transfer.

Funny story, everyone here thought I would for sure leave ________ cause I have been here for so long, which is to be expected. On Sunday, when I told everyone that I will be here for another 6 weeks, there was a lot of happiness to be had. 

One of the Islander members that I have been working with a LOT on helping reactivating some of the Islanders. He and his family have been teaching me the language and learning the culture. When he found out that I was staying, he hugged me!!! I wasn't sure what to do....awkward, yet very heartwarming. He then told me "Now we can do even more work together!! We will find you even more people to teach!" He then told me that because I don't force the religion on the Islanders and that I listen to them and that I try to learn the language it really helped and made a lot of them come back because of it. 

Well, that's all I got for this week. LOVE TO YOU ALL!!

SISTER ELKINS