Hello family!!!
This will be a short email. Sorry!
This week we met the Ferrins this week! Our new Mission President and his wife. They are so so sweet! It was enjoyable to meet with them and get to know them. They are very kind and it helped to be reassured that we are in good hands :) I miss President and Sister Lopez so so much but I look forward to maybe seeing them sometime in the future. President Lopez is working for CES writing material for teaching seminary/institutes worldwide! He is fighting cancer but doing better.
This week I got a package from Marissa!!! It also had a letter from Eryn. It made me smile and laugh so much reading their letters and seeing their pictures. They seriously are such great friends- love them TONS!!! :)
Sister Silos and I are just so stinkin pumped about the baptisms that are coming up this next week and the week following!! I so so look forward to telling you all about them and sending you pictures of them. They are so awesome and really made me and Sister Silos realize how much Heavenly Father is helping us in this area because of the amazing people that we are teaching! They are preparing to be baptized and are so so solid! I know that through faith and hard work this work is full of miracles and tender mercies.
One of the funny things that I learned about the culture this week is the things that they do and believe in when someone dies. You aren't allowed to shower for 3 days.. you aren't allowed to sweep your floors for 3 days... and you aren't allowed to eat certain vegetables for 3 days.. they tried to explain to me what kind of vegetables but I don't completely understand.. haha it has something to do about the way the roots or stems grow or something? anyways I try to keep a straight face as they tell me the things they believe in about witches and ghosts and supernatural things and healings and spirits and the mile long list of superstitious beliefs.. I have never believed in that kind of stuff but it's just a part of their culture here! I don't want to offend them by laughing but sometimes it's hard to tell if they're serious by some of the stories they tell!! They keep their small kids from leaving the house at night time by scaring them that there are ghosts and witches that will take them at night time.. and they really are afraid!
I also had someone ask me this week... "Americans don't sleep, right??" I thought he was kidding. Nope. Dead serious.
Well I'm hoping and praying for a "normal" week this week without any surprises like these past couple of weeks. It's been a bumpy road but I know that the Lord is always there to help, comfort and guide us in the easy and hardest of times. There must be opposition in all things:) Because we have felt upset, we can understand what it feels like to be happy.. because we have experienced sickness, we can appreciate good health and strength... and because we have been given trials and overcome them, we can recognize the blessings that the Lord showers upon us and His hand in our life to strengthen us! Hebrews 12:1-2 teaches "...let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith...". This is the part in my mission that Dori is singing to me "just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming... [what do we do? we swim. swim. swim]" and then I giggle to myself remembering Finding Nemo quotes. So it's all good :)
LOVE YOU ALL! Like. A. Lot.
Keep the faith!!
Love,
Sister Judd
No comments:
Post a Comment