"HOTTY TODDY"

Hotty toddy & Sis Gummow

Hello friends and family, from the beautiful state of Mississippi. I spent my whole childhood spelling out Mississippi because it’s fun and look at me now. I’m living the dream!! Oxford, MS is home to the University of Mississippi or more commonly known as Ole Miss. I love it here. It’s like no other area I’ve been in so far. My new companion is Sister Gummow and we are having a great time getting to know the members and knocking on doors. The members in the ward have been SO willing to give us referrals which is such a breathe of fresh air. Missionary work is a lot easier and more productive when members are at the head of it. All the people we’ve met so far in this area have been very nice. Southern charm and hospitality is real down here. We knocked on a door and a young man about our age answered. I asked where he was from and he told us the name of a town. I asked if that was in Mississippi and he said, “no ma’am, it’s in Alabama” with the thickest southern accent. I was so charmed. Too bad he doesn’t have the gospel. He wasn’t interested but he WAS polite. We were knocking doors in another area and a lady answered. She had a bandage on her nose and slightly blackened eyes (we are pretty sure she had just gotten a nose job). She wasn’t interested in our message so we asked for referrals. She said, “I don’t really know my neighbors, this is just our ‘football season’ house”. Hahaha Ole Miss football is no joke. So, through out the week we’ve been seeing the phrase “HOTTY TODDY” printed on just about anything you can imagine (t-shirt’s, cups, flags, cars, billboards, etc.). Finally we asked a lady what it means. She laughed and said, “it’s a drink...” lol we found out later that that’s not really correct so she was probably trying to be funny ‘cause we’re Mormons ya know. Well, HOTTY TODDY is actually a greeting phrase and a part of some of the Ole Miss chants. The drink came after the phrase. So, HOTTY TODDY (hey, what’s up). Anyways, it was a good week because we haven’t knocked on any frat houses yet and hopefully never will *shivers at the thought*. This week I was struggling with some personal things. I was praying really hard. I was telling Heavenly Father that I was angry because someone had treated me badly. Well, Heavenly Father quickly put the thought into my mind and heart, “I bet Jesus Christ wanted to react when He was treated badly”. The Book of Mormon verses Alma 7:11-12 ran through my mind which say, “And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities”. It was a great wake up call to me and certainly a humbling moment. Jesus Christ has felt all that I have and ever will and so much more. His dignity, humility, long suffering, patience, submissiveness, faith and diligence is a perfect example to us all and especially to me. I love my Savior. He is my good shepherd and yours. Have faith in Him. He will carry you through. 

HOTTY TODDY & have a great week,

Sister Guthrie 

Pics

Shots fired from Mississippi to Arkansas

Be thankful especially if you are from the south 

Courthouse on the square

 

October 2nd & Oct 9th emails

Always Choose the Painful of Discipline

This week was sooooooo good. We went on exchanges with three different

companionships this week!!! I was out of our area for 4 days. It was a

good chance for sister Feinga to get better acquainted to the new area

and honestly it was a much needed thing for me. I was in Little Rock

for a few days doing exchanges with the ASL sisters and the Hermanas

so there were also a few different languages thrown in there. I also

went to Hot Springs: the boyhood home of Bill Clinton. The highlight

of my week was Saturday. Elder Jörg Klebingat of the first quorum of

the seventy did a mission tour with us. I can't put into words how

much I learned and felt and experienced so I won't even try. I can

tell you, I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves me.

I had a very spiritual and perfect witness of that this weekend. One

concept that Elder Klebingat touched on that was particularity

impactful to me is the difference between the pain of discipline and

the pain of regret. Think about that. I know that we've all felt the

pain of regret. I've felt that pain so deeply that it was almost

debilitating. It's miserable and it's dark and it's lasting. On the

other hand, the pain of discipline is momentary pain that comes when

we choose to do something good and right even though it may be

difficult. The pain of discipline brings joy while the pain of regret

brings sorrow. Over the past couple of days I've tried to apply that

principle as literally as possible. When making any decision I've

asked myself, would I rather go through the pain of discipline or the

pain of regret? Every time gone through this process, I mentally

choose the pain of disciple and then righteous action follows. I

invite all of you to always choose the pain of discipline over the

pain of regret. A few other things were made very clear to me from our

meeting with Elder Klebingat. First is that Heavenly Fathers plan is

so much greater than we can comprehend. We did not begin to exist at

birth and we will not cease to exist after death. I better understand

who I was and what I agreed to before coming to this earth and that is

motivating me to work harder than ever before. Second is that we need

to know the scriptures, and we need to know them well. The third is

that for any of us to "make it" in these last days we are going to

have to gain and sustain our own unshakable testimony of Jesus Christ

and of the restoration of the gospel. I know that Jesus Christ lives

and is our Savior every single day. I know that Joseph Smith saw God

the Father and the Son. I know that the Book of Mormon is scripture

and will bring us nearer to God than any other book, if we will abide

by its teachings. I know that the pain of discipline is always worth

it.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Pics

Exchanges!

Sis gunnerson killing a spider (it was faster than her)

I love Hermana Hunt!!

I carried this butterfly on my finger for a quarter mile not kidding

Exchanges!!!

After the mission tour with SL (sister lange)

Hey sorry y'all apparently this never sent. This is last weeks update. (October 2nd No pics as of yet?) 

Hey everyone! Another week in Little Rock. We've found some cool new

people to teach but the struggle has been teaching them a second time.

It's been a bit discouraging, but we prevail. This morning I was

reading in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 8. At this point Alma

the younger is preaching the gospel to various groups of people. After

having success and baptizing many in one area that he goes to, Alma

heads to the city of Ammonihah. Well, "Now Satan had gotten great hold

upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they

would not hearken unto the words of Alma". These people rejected Alma,

spit on him and kicked him out of the city. Nobody spit on me this

week or said, "get out of Little Rock", but we did face a lot of

rejection. Well, Alma left Ammonihah and the scriptures say, "And it

came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down

with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul,

because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of

Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with

sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him..". You could

say I've been a little weighed down with sorrow and had a bit of soul

anguish as I've thought of all of my brothers and sisters around me

who, at this time, may not be open to the message of the restoration.

Well, the angel that visited Alma told him to go back to the city, and

Alma does go back, "speedily" I might add. It says that Alma "entered

the city by another way" and this time, he was received by a man named

Amulek who had been prepared by the Lord. Amulek became Alma's

missionary companion and together they preached the gospel. As I read

this I thought about what the Lord wants me to do right now, even

though things are hard in Little Rock and rejection is frequent. I

think He wants me to keep trying. I think He wants me to "enter by

another way" and not give up. I'm thankful for the scriptures and the

lessons they teach. General conference was a great spiritual

experience and I hope you all had the chance to tune in. If not, I

invite you to read the conference talks when they are released. Study

them. Apply them. Be blessed.

I love y'all, have a great week and I LOVE OCTOBER HAPPY FALL (unless

if you're in Arkansas, it's still summer here)