Hello family!!! I am loving reading your letters
today! Thank you for the love for my birthday!! You've put an extra big smile
on my face today :) Also reading my sister first email as a missionary just
made me so so happy! Yay for Sister Judd(s)!! I’ll be 22 this week and it doesn't
even feel like February. I feel like it’s still January. But it’s not. Of
course. Time is just continuing to disappear here! I guess when you’re busy
time really does fly by! This week has been full of challenges. Which means I’ve
learned A LOT this week. I feel more exhausted than usual but I’ll wait until I
get home to rest. This ward here in Calumangan comes with a lot of challenges
as a missionary. Last week a brand new missionary came here from Mississippi.
His first Sunday here in the Philippines was not the “relaxing, spiritual
experience” that he was hoping for.., in our Zone Meeting last week he stood up
and explained how blown away he was and it was everything he could do not to
pull out his hair. He complained for a good 10 minutes and all of us missionaries
just tried to sympathize for him buuuut we’re right there by his side experiencing
the exact same thing. We all kind of mentioned to him that he’s just going to
have to accept and get used to this because if not it’ll be a looooong 2 years
for him and yesterday he got a little heated talking to me and says “NO! I
better not get used to this. Because this just isn't acceptable!”. The poor
guy. I remember feeling a similar way my first Sunday or two here. Let’s just
say it will be interesting to attend what Elder Pierce and I call “normal
Sacrament meeting and classes” at home again. I’m surprised when Ilonggo comes
out of my mouth before English and I have to think harder to speak English.. I
know is that the Lord has really worked miracles in my life as a missionary. I
never thought that I’d learn the language. I never thought that I’d adjust to
the way things run here. I never thought that things here would turn into “normal”
for me… but of course I was proved wrong. But it didn’t happen until my doubts turned
into faith. Faith brings miracles!! I’ve learned more about Faith than anything
here on my mission. For example, I have learned not just to have faith in the
Lord for my own life, challenges, problems and weaknesses… but for my
companions.. for the people that we are teaching… for the recent converts here…
for the less actives here… for the ward… for all things that are unfair that I
see here… FOR EVERYTHING!
Sometimes it’s through the challenges of missionary work that I see a small part of Heavenly Father’s timing and plan for these people and even for me! Through all hard things that we experience I firmly believe that they are “for our good” and there is something to be learned. I'm making it seem like I've been a total rock my entire mission and my entire existence and know how to deal with all challenges and all trials that come my way with grace and unwavering faith... and that is just FALSE! I'm not a Book of Mormon prophet.. haha but I have seen my understanding change and my faith grow here as a missionary. And for that, I am eternally grateful :) But in the same breath abaw I have a looot of room for growth still!
I want to share a cool thing that happened this week. Not going to lie it took me a good chunk of time this morning pondering what I could share in my letter today that isn't all about the negative things that happened this week or about the people that would cause a wayyy too long explanation with too many personal details for it to be plastered on my blog.. so what I remembered (and am glad that I remember this tender mercy- that meant a lot) is about our investigator Sister Lendi.
We met Sister Lendi before Sister Silos got here but she just barely started to come to church and it hasn't been one of those "we met this completely prepared person that is dying to be baptized!!" instead it's been a long and slow process with us really trying to teach Sister Lendi to help her understand and progress towards baptism. Well we've kind of hit the pause button in teaching the normal sequence of lessons and have been reading the Book of Mormon with Lendi and focusing on teaching principles slower and more based on where her questions and doubts lie. In this process we've seen something amazing happen! Sister Lendi has started really reading the Book of Mormon and better understands the importance to truly find out for herself whether the message that we are sharing with her is true or not. That's the challenge for all people that we teach. Not just to sit down and enjoy hearing two young girls speak Hiligaynon and bear testimony about Jesus Christ. It's more than "bible study".. it's acting on the invitation to pray, read, attend church and seek for personal revelation and confirmation that what we share is true. And let me tell you.. when they finally understand this and DO IT 100% of the time they will be baptized and come closer to Jesus Christ. Lendi's starting to understand. She recently had a dream about the Book of Mormon after praying to know whether or not she should be baptized and when we came back (not completely sure what we would share) we started reading where she left off last night in the Book of Mormon. This lead us eventually to 1 Nephi 15:11 :"Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?- If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." Now this was a powerful answer to Lendi's prayers AND to me and my companion's prayer. Nephi teaches what the Lord has taught us about receiving personal revelation:
1. Don't harden your heart
2. Ask in faith
3. Believe that ye will receive an answer
4. Be DILIGENT in keeping commandments
and SURELY these things shall be made known unto you. I believe in the Lord's promise and in this surety that He answers the prayer of faith. This can be applied to ALL of our lives no matter who we are and what we are asking for from Heavenly Father!
This was a great testimony builder to me and I just had the hugest smile on my face as Lendi read this verse and looked up at me and I just said "He's helping you RIGHT NOW :)". The scriptures answer prayers. Heavenly Father is mindful of our prayers. He will help us know truths for ourselves if we do our part. And the Holy Ghost is the REAL teacher as we feel power in the scriptures based on our personal needs.
Sometimes it’s through the challenges of missionary work that I see a small part of Heavenly Father’s timing and plan for these people and even for me! Through all hard things that we experience I firmly believe that they are “for our good” and there is something to be learned. I'm making it seem like I've been a total rock my entire mission and my entire existence and know how to deal with all challenges and all trials that come my way with grace and unwavering faith... and that is just FALSE! I'm not a Book of Mormon prophet.. haha but I have seen my understanding change and my faith grow here as a missionary. And for that, I am eternally grateful :) But in the same breath abaw I have a looot of room for growth still!
I want to share a cool thing that happened this week. Not going to lie it took me a good chunk of time this morning pondering what I could share in my letter today that isn't all about the negative things that happened this week or about the people that would cause a wayyy too long explanation with too many personal details for it to be plastered on my blog.. so what I remembered (and am glad that I remember this tender mercy- that meant a lot) is about our investigator Sister Lendi.
We met Sister Lendi before Sister Silos got here but she just barely started to come to church and it hasn't been one of those "we met this completely prepared person that is dying to be baptized!!" instead it's been a long and slow process with us really trying to teach Sister Lendi to help her understand and progress towards baptism. Well we've kind of hit the pause button in teaching the normal sequence of lessons and have been reading the Book of Mormon with Lendi and focusing on teaching principles slower and more based on where her questions and doubts lie. In this process we've seen something amazing happen! Sister Lendi has started really reading the Book of Mormon and better understands the importance to truly find out for herself whether the message that we are sharing with her is true or not. That's the challenge for all people that we teach. Not just to sit down and enjoy hearing two young girls speak Hiligaynon and bear testimony about Jesus Christ. It's more than "bible study".. it's acting on the invitation to pray, read, attend church and seek for personal revelation and confirmation that what we share is true. And let me tell you.. when they finally understand this and DO IT 100% of the time they will be baptized and come closer to Jesus Christ. Lendi's starting to understand. She recently had a dream about the Book of Mormon after praying to know whether or not she should be baptized and when we came back (not completely sure what we would share) we started reading where she left off last night in the Book of Mormon. This lead us eventually to 1 Nephi 15:11 :"Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?- If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." Now this was a powerful answer to Lendi's prayers AND to me and my companion's prayer. Nephi teaches what the Lord has taught us about receiving personal revelation:
1. Don't harden your heart
2. Ask in faith
3. Believe that ye will receive an answer
4. Be DILIGENT in keeping commandments
and SURELY these things shall be made known unto you. I believe in the Lord's promise and in this surety that He answers the prayer of faith. This can be applied to ALL of our lives no matter who we are and what we are asking for from Heavenly Father!
This was a great testimony builder to me and I just had the hugest smile on my face as Lendi read this verse and looked up at me and I just said "He's helping you RIGHT NOW :)". The scriptures answer prayers. Heavenly Father is mindful of our prayers. He will help us know truths for ourselves if we do our part. And the Holy Ghost is the REAL teacher as we feel power in the scriptures based on our personal needs.
I love this work and I love this gospel! AND of course, I love you all :)
Happy Birthday to me this week :) I'm feel'n twenty twooooo!!.. oo-ooh! :)
Sister Judd
Happy Birthday to me this week :) I'm feel'n twenty twooooo!!.. oo-ooh! :)
Sister Judd
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