Change

This will be pretty short. We're at our new Relief Society president's house, since the library is closed, and we have a lot to do today. Sister Rowley is being transferred, and so is Elder Oviatt, who is also serving in our ward. So our district is getting together for one last time in downtown Greenville. Greenville is a fun city and it has a really nice downtown. There's the cutest gelato shop, I think Mom would love it. 

We've had a very interesting week with the snow and ice storm and then the earthquake. It snowed hard all day Tuesday and Wednesday. Since everyone knew it was coming, it was a madhouse at the grocery store on Monday. It was like the end of the world was coming. And then everything shut down. School was pre-canceled before it even started snowing. How crazy is that? We got really bored being stuck inside for so long. Since it hasn't been long since the last time we were trapped inside for four days, there wasn't much productive stuff for us to do, so we mainly just watched old church movies and worked on a 750 piece puzzle we found in a closet. Thursday morning our mission president asked us all to pray for warmer weather, so we did, and about half an hour later the sun came out and things started melting. The roads were clear enough that by that afternoon we were able to drive to Simpsonville and have interviews with President. It was a miracle.

The earthquake on Friday night was interesting. Sister Rowley and I were exhausted because we had a crazy day on Friday, trying to catch up on all the things we couldn't do the rest of the week, so we went to bed as quick as we could. I'd just started to fall asleep when the building shook. It felt like someone had dropped something super heavy in the apartment next to ours. Since we were both pretty out of it, and our neighbor was moving, we didn't think too much of it. But when things kept shaking for a few more seconds, I kind of wondered if it could be an earthquake. But that seemed really unlikely, and I was tired so I just went to sleep. Then a member told us the next day that it was an earthquake. Apparently there was another one yesterday, but I didn't feel that one at all. 

It's been sad to see Sister Rowley say her goodbyes to everyone. It's really hard for her to leave; she loves this area so much. But I know she'll do great wherever she goes, and I'm excited for a new companion. I just keep reminding myself that good things will keep coming. I'm very happy with the companion that I have now; we really have become like sisters, but I know that I'll love my next companion just as much. It's hard to embrace change, but that's something that you have to learn to do as a missionary, because things never stay the same for long. I've been thinking a lot about all the changes that have happened to me in the last eight and a half months, and they've all been good for me. So, I'm grateful for change. 

Sisters Rudy and Rowley at our neighbor's son's wife's family road!!  Sister Looper took good care of them.