Hello Dearest Family and Friends!
What a week! I was able to attend my FIRST Mission Leadership Council (MLC as we call it) with President Ferrin, the Assistants to the President and the other Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders in the mission. I learned SO MUCH! And it was a very humbling experience. We changed the name to Mission Leadership Chastisement because it was to kind of wake up the mission. Numbers have been declining LIKE CRAZY here in the mission. The number of baptisms and every single other number that we count here is lower than it has been in years here in this mission and for some numbers lower than Bacolod Philippines Mission HISTORY! It was great to receive trainings about Our Vision here in the Bacolod Philippines Mission to help the many many new missionaries and the many old missionaries here in this mission remember what our goals and expectations here in this mission. I felt so pumped and refreshed from the trainings and felt like running from appointment to appointment the rest of the day and the days following. Then Sister Davenport and I (she is my Sister Training Leader companion but we are in different areas with different companions..) were able to get together and plan our training that we gave on Friday. It was such a cool experience as we experienced an over flowing of revelation and help from on high on what and how we could deliver our training on. It was such a cool experience. The training we gave felt awesome because of the help we received in preparing! We trained about CHANGE as missionaries and in reference to our investigators, and about what kind of "soils" we can choose to be as missionaries in reference to the parable of the sowers. We testified about the vision, about our potential as missionaries and about how important it is for us to always be repenting and changing. It was a great experience and I more than anything learned A TON!
We also had a baptism this week!! Sister Glaycel Pabora is 11 years old (almost 12) and was referred to the missionaries by her mother who is a returning less active member. Sister Glaycel is a giant compared to the other 11 year olds here and she's so mature for her age too! She loves to read the scriptures and wants to set a good example for her two younger siblings and her father. We are teaching her father.. slowly yet surely. They come to church as a family every week! Sister Glaycel's testimony at her baptism was just the cutest things ever! She added at the end of her testimony about her father and she cried as she said "I want my dad to change and be baptized like I did. I want him to stop smoking. No matter how many times you tell him not to buy cigarettes and drink he still buys them!" haha it was so cute she was like all out of breath from being nervous and getting worked up about her dad that we all couldn't help but laugh. She's such a doll and I just love their family! You can see in the picture that her dad is handicapped from a fishing accident. He got caught in the engine of the fishing boat. He can't move his right arm but he drives a sikad (bicycle pulling others in a little side car) and also carries water from the well (with one arm of course) for people and then they pay him. They are a sweet little family and with all their trials and challenges in their life I know 100% that what they need is the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It heals us and gives us true peace and happiness in our lives and in our lives to come no matter what our challenges and trials are in our lives.
The quote that helped me this week is found in this last month's Liahona from Elder Ulisses Soares: "Recognizing our dedication and perseverance the Lord will give what we are unable to obtain by ourselves. He will shape us because He sees our efforts to overcome our imperfections and human weaknesses."
I know that if we just try our best and have the right desires of our hearts, then Lord can work miracles in our lives and our weaknesses can even become our strengths. Dedication and perserverance are two things that I am try my hardest to apply to my mission right now. It's not easy. This is the hardest thing ever but the promise is that we will be shaped to SOMEDAY be the people that He sees/wants us to be.
I love this work so much and know that I will miss this SO much someday. It's summer time here right now. School is out and the heat is ON! Maybe I'll get a tan before coming home:)
PS. There is an Elvis impersonator here in the ward. I can't wait to show you all his moves that I captured on my camera :))))
PPS. Gwen! Study PMG pg5 (the activity) it blew my mind this week I love it so much how it applies to missionary work!!! Love you SO MUCH!!!!!!!
Sister Judd
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
OOPS Feb 15th Happiness, Teaching the Restoration & Weird Life
Hello everyone, big sister here, sorry it looks like I missed posting this one. I am soooo sorry. Enjoy a belated letter :)
-Kortni
Feb.15th
Hello Family!! It's been another challenging week which means I've been learning a lot! The Lord is truly continuing to humble me and teach me! Sometimes we have to try not to be overwhelmed by our weaknesses but find the balance of seeing our weaknesses in order to change. I've been learning so much here on my mission.. I've started a list titled "100 Things Learned on my Mission". I'll complete it before coming home.
I about died from happiness reading GwenElise's email this week. I seriously have felt new levels of happiness here on the mission than I have ever felt in my life! It's not the same happiness that you feel when you step into Disneyland.. (even though I love that too..) it's like these deep eternal happiness that I have that is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. For example.. my heart wants to explode as I read how much Gwen loves being a missionary and the love that she feels for the people that she's meeting and the spirit that she feels. It's the best thing in the world! I feel so much happiness helping others come closer to Jesus Christ... so much happiness is in store for all of us from serving the Lord!
Let me tell you about a theme from this week and it's more like a theme from my mission... teaching people about the restoration of the church of Jesus Christ! I will tell a couple short stories from experiences from just this week (many many and hundreds and hundreds from my entire mission) but I'll stick to just this week :)
Sister Racial: Sister Racial is a fairly new investigator of ours that is the sister-in-law of one of our investigators that is soon to be baptized (Sister Marilyn). Sister Racial is very shy and just so sweet. She is a young mother (I think we're the same age but she has a baby so I feel like she's older than me.. story of my life here) ANYWAYS! This was a highlight of my week.. us teaching Sister Racial. She is a member of a really small church here that I forgot the name of and she loved coming to church the other Sunday with us because she said that bearing your testimony (it was the 1st sunday) and the classes are sooo different from their church where you just sit and listen to the pastor. As we taught about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ she had a good understanding and was really listening even though there were a ton of distractions and I could see in her eyes as we taught that she felt the spirit (that is one of the best things about missionary work!!!!) We testified boldly that the church that we represent is guided by a living prophet and 12 apostles and has authority from Jesus Christ. People don't know that the churches that they attend are factors of the great apostasy where many churches arose when the church of Jesus Christ was no more. But the same church that Christ built when He was on the earth has been restored. I've found these truths to be true for myself and that's my desire for everyone that we teach!! Humility plays a HUGE part in conversion. Sister Racial's heart is so open and receptive!
Brother JollyBen: Brother JollyBen is one of my recent converts here and is such a rock. He has only gone to school up until about 3rd grade so he sometimes struggles to understand the principles that we teach but we are working with him. The famous saying here is "Dios man gihapon". It means "God is the same". The explanation is that "no matter where you go to church, if your faith is towards Jesus Christ, then the church is correct". The difficult part is to help people understand that this statement is not completely true. There is only one Jesus Christ, which means out of all the thousands (millions?) of churches on this earth.. only one should be true! As we took some extra time to really explain this to JollyBen it was like a light turning on in his head. It takes some time to fully understand these principles and that is exactly why we as missionaries continue to teach the people that have recently been baptized FOR UNDERSTANDING. Baptizing has nothing to do with adding numbers to the church. It has everything to do with the fact that it is a saving ordinance and necessary for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Nearly all churches have a form of baptism. But we need to be baptized the way Christ was.. by someone holding authority to baptize :)
I about died from happiness reading GwenElise's email this week. I seriously have felt new levels of happiness here on the mission than I have ever felt in my life! It's not the same happiness that you feel when you step into Disneyland.. (even though I love that too..) it's like these deep eternal happiness that I have that is founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ. For example.. my heart wants to explode as I read how much Gwen loves being a missionary and the love that she feels for the people that she's meeting and the spirit that she feels. It's the best thing in the world! I feel so much happiness helping others come closer to Jesus Christ... so much happiness is in store for all of us from serving the Lord!
Let me tell you about a theme from this week and it's more like a theme from my mission... teaching people about the restoration of the church of Jesus Christ! I will tell a couple short stories from experiences from just this week (many many and hundreds and hundreds from my entire mission) but I'll stick to just this week :)
Sister Racial: Sister Racial is a fairly new investigator of ours that is the sister-in-law of one of our investigators that is soon to be baptized (Sister Marilyn). Sister Racial is very shy and just so sweet. She is a young mother (I think we're the same age but she has a baby so I feel like she's older than me.. story of my life here) ANYWAYS! This was a highlight of my week.. us teaching Sister Racial. She is a member of a really small church here that I forgot the name of and she loved coming to church the other Sunday with us because she said that bearing your testimony (it was the 1st sunday) and the classes are sooo different from their church where you just sit and listen to the pastor. As we taught about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ she had a good understanding and was really listening even though there were a ton of distractions and I could see in her eyes as we taught that she felt the spirit (that is one of the best things about missionary work!!!!) We testified boldly that the church that we represent is guided by a living prophet and 12 apostles and has authority from Jesus Christ. People don't know that the churches that they attend are factors of the great apostasy where many churches arose when the church of Jesus Christ was no more. But the same church that Christ built when He was on the earth has been restored. I've found these truths to be true for myself and that's my desire for everyone that we teach!! Humility plays a HUGE part in conversion. Sister Racial's heart is so open and receptive!
Brother JollyBen: Brother JollyBen is one of my recent converts here and is such a rock. He has only gone to school up until about 3rd grade so he sometimes struggles to understand the principles that we teach but we are working with him. The famous saying here is "Dios man gihapon". It means "God is the same". The explanation is that "no matter where you go to church, if your faith is towards Jesus Christ, then the church is correct". The difficult part is to help people understand that this statement is not completely true. There is only one Jesus Christ, which means out of all the thousands (millions?) of churches on this earth.. only one should be true! As we took some extra time to really explain this to JollyBen it was like a light turning on in his head. It takes some time to fully understand these principles and that is exactly why we as missionaries continue to teach the people that have recently been baptized FOR UNDERSTANDING. Baptizing has nothing to do with adding numbers to the church. It has everything to do with the fact that it is a saving ordinance and necessary for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Nearly all churches have a form of baptism. But we need to be baptized the way Christ was.. by someone holding authority to baptize :)
Well there is a long list of other stories and people that I could continue to explain but I feel like my letter is getting really boring for you all. I'm sorry I feel like I'm running out of the "exciting/crazy" stuff... this is all that's in my head.. teaching these people! But that's our calling as missionaries and I am so grateful for all that I've been learning through these teaching experiences.
My Birthday was really really great! I sent lots of pictures! I'm afraid that maybe in my next area I might not be able to send pictures.. but I'm taking advantage of pictures uploading here in 2 seconds and there are absolutely no viruses on these computers. So picture overload for now. Everyone keep sending pictures to me too! Because I just love them :)
My Birthday was really really great! I sent lots of pictures! I'm afraid that maybe in my next area I might not be able to send pictures.. but I'm taking advantage of pictures uploading here in 2 seconds and there are absolutely no viruses on these computers. So picture overload for now. Everyone keep sending pictures to me too! Because I just love them :)
The other day we were on our way home after a long day in Cabanbanan and our recent converts that walk us the long walk to the tricycle that waits for us.. they gave us sugar cane stick (tubo) and I was gnawing on this sugar cane riding past caribou and rice fields and candle lit homes at 8 o clock at night and it entered my mind how weird my life is here right now. But it's normal to me! I love this place so much and feel so so so blessed to be serving in this absolutely amazing place.
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy belated Valentines Day! Buy some on sale "after-valentines day" chocolate for me please! But don't send it to me just save it for when I come home :)
All my love!
Sister Judd
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy belated Valentines Day! Buy some on sale "after-valentines day" chocolate for me please! But don't send it to me just save it for when I come home :)
All my love!
Sister Judd
March 22 My Calling & Exciting Investigators & Bloopers
Hello Family!!!
I'm super pumped about emailing today!
So this week has been really great! But I won't hesitate to tell you all how exhausted I am! I don't feel shy saying that or admitting that any more when I came across this quote from Elder Holland: "You only get one chance to serve a mission. It is your responsibility and duty to use it to its fullest, to give every last ounce of energy until you collapse in exhaustion at the end of it..." it's a long quote with a lot of awesome promises but I'll just share that much for now. And let me tell you the long walk home every night I feel like my body might collapse! But if I didn't feel this way would I come home and feel like I've done enough? I hope I can feel the peace and comfort that I've given it my all. I still have 2 months... my goal is NOT to collapse in the middle of it or on the walk home to our apartment.. but maybe just the 20 hour plane ride home :)
This week we've had some AMAZING teaching experiences and I've really seen the Lord answer my prayers even just in a goal to find 8 new investigators in one day.. it felt impossible especially when it was about to get dark and we still didn't have any new investigators and then badaboombadabang it just happened. Before my mission I would probably say something like "wow we are so lucky!" but now I realize it's more like "the Lord's hand in my life is real". And of course that is true because this is HIS work. He leads and guides His work through missionaries. Introducing ourselves to these new people that we meet I love even more than ever before to say "Kami ang mga missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gintawag kami sang Dios para mangin mga instrumento nya.. nga magpaambit sang mensahe nya parte sa kon paano kita makabalik sa iya liwat." (We are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are called of God to be His instruments to share His message about how we can return to live with Him again.) These statements that we use every day has so much more meaning to me right now in my mission than ever before. I know that as a missionary I am called of God to be one of His instruments to bring to pass His will and purpose so that all of His children can find out how to return to live with Him again someday.
One of the best things that happened this week was with our new(ish) investigators Bro. Drilon. Sister Respicio and her last last companion here (about 3 months ago now) met him and his family and they are just so awesome! They didn't really focus on them a bunch but we followed up and I was just super super pumped about them as we were teaching! As in. I was like loving teaching them so so much. They had such awesome questions and were so attentive and were really taking in what we were saying. And the best part is that they were able to understand it! The spirit was strong and the lesson was totally jiving. When we left we were dying because our legs were asleep from sitting on the cawayan floor for so long and then we realized that we were there for almost an hour! It didn't feel like it at all!! The best part of the lesson was the very end (we taught about the Restoration and Joseph Smith). We were explaining how they can find out for themselves if the message that we are sharing is true and before I could finish my sentence Bro Drilon announced "I will come to church this Sunday. What time?". haha we were so surprised!! Usually we hear all the excuses in the book but he invited himself! haha It was awesome!! And the best part (this really is the best part) is that he really did come to church yesterday!! He's so awesome. He said that he would climb up in a tree when he was a kid and read the bible for hours. What kid does that?! He's way awesome and totally prepared by the Lord!
Something super funny that I said this week (I alwayyyyys have bloopers with the language). I told an old grandma "You need to BEHAVE GRANDMA!" but what I meant to say was "You need to take a REST GRANDMA!" She was going on and on about how tired she was and we were about to leave and me and my big mouth nearly shouted this and she looked at me like she might wet her pants when I said that. It's like what you say to super annoying kids while the missionaries are teaching a lesson so I hear it all day every day. "paymuyong"(behave) and "pahuway"(rest). I couldn't stop laughing at myself that I accidentally said that. I apologized so many times to nanay.. I don't think that she really understood and didn't think it was very funny. haha OOPS.
Another investigator that I'm way stoked about is Bro. Bornes. He's this old man that is SO HILARIOUS!!! I just want to record him whenever we visit with him because he's so funny. When we taught him about the word of wisdom this week he took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and chucked them into the mucky water under his bamboo house. First time that I saw/experienced that!! My jaw dropped and I just wanted to give him a round of applause. So instead I gave him a high five. (They love high fives here). Basically he's the best and I have a long list of ridiculous things he says and does like running to the church from his friend's house yesterday because his wife and him got into an argument before church and he told himself he wouldn't go to church then he changed his mind last minute and sprinted all the way to church. We saw him come in right after the sacrament and I just watched him cry the entire meeting. His such a soft-hearted old man. He even cried when we gave him a Book of Mormon. I just love him!!
I could go on for another hour about these amazing people. I feel a real pain in my heart when I think and remember how soon I will say goodbye to these people and this place.. I can't believe it's almost April!!
Thank you all so much for your love and support! I love you all so so much and feel your love and prayers!
Palangga ta kamo!
Sister Judd
PS. I met someone that knows Keethan (my cousin)!! He is from here in Talisay ward. He saw my last name and immediately said that he knew an Elder Judd on his mission! Then he explained that he served in one of Keethan's areas in Ilo-Ilo! When Keethan was there it was only a branch but now it's Manoling Ward in Roxas Stake. Then he also explained the connection between him and Keethan when he was a missionary.. Keethan's trainee was named Elder Romanillos and then Elder Romanillos trained an elder named Elder Lopez and then Elder Lopez trained Elder Bianan who is now Brother Bianan living in Talisay :) Small world! Go Keethan! He had so many good things to say about Elder Judd :) I can't wiat to speak Hiligaynon with Keethan when I come home!!!!
I'm super pumped about emailing today!
So this week has been really great! But I won't hesitate to tell you all how exhausted I am! I don't feel shy saying that or admitting that any more when I came across this quote from Elder Holland: "You only get one chance to serve a mission. It is your responsibility and duty to use it to its fullest, to give every last ounce of energy until you collapse in exhaustion at the end of it..." it's a long quote with a lot of awesome promises but I'll just share that much for now. And let me tell you the long walk home every night I feel like my body might collapse! But if I didn't feel this way would I come home and feel like I've done enough? I hope I can feel the peace and comfort that I've given it my all. I still have 2 months... my goal is NOT to collapse in the middle of it or on the walk home to our apartment.. but maybe just the 20 hour plane ride home :)
This week we've had some AMAZING teaching experiences and I've really seen the Lord answer my prayers even just in a goal to find 8 new investigators in one day.. it felt impossible especially when it was about to get dark and we still didn't have any new investigators and then badaboombadabang it just happened. Before my mission I would probably say something like "wow we are so lucky!" but now I realize it's more like "the Lord's hand in my life is real". And of course that is true because this is HIS work. He leads and guides His work through missionaries. Introducing ourselves to these new people that we meet I love even more than ever before to say "Kami ang mga missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gintawag kami sang Dios para mangin mga instrumento nya.. nga magpaambit sang mensahe nya parte sa kon paano kita makabalik sa iya liwat." (We are missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are called of God to be His instruments to share His message about how we can return to live with Him again.) These statements that we use every day has so much more meaning to me right now in my mission than ever before. I know that as a missionary I am called of God to be one of His instruments to bring to pass His will and purpose so that all of His children can find out how to return to live with Him again someday.
One of the best things that happened this week was with our new(ish) investigators Bro. Drilon. Sister Respicio and her last last companion here (about 3 months ago now) met him and his family and they are just so awesome! They didn't really focus on them a bunch but we followed up and I was just super super pumped about them as we were teaching! As in. I was like loving teaching them so so much. They had such awesome questions and were so attentive and were really taking in what we were saying. And the best part is that they were able to understand it! The spirit was strong and the lesson was totally jiving. When we left we were dying because our legs were asleep from sitting on the cawayan floor for so long and then we realized that we were there for almost an hour! It didn't feel like it at all!! The best part of the lesson was the very end (we taught about the Restoration and Joseph Smith). We were explaining how they can find out for themselves if the message that we are sharing is true and before I could finish my sentence Bro Drilon announced "I will come to church this Sunday. What time?". haha we were so surprised!! Usually we hear all the excuses in the book but he invited himself! haha It was awesome!! And the best part (this really is the best part) is that he really did come to church yesterday!! He's so awesome. He said that he would climb up in a tree when he was a kid and read the bible for hours. What kid does that?! He's way awesome and totally prepared by the Lord!
Something super funny that I said this week (I alwayyyyys have bloopers with the language). I told an old grandma "You need to BEHAVE GRANDMA!" but what I meant to say was "You need to take a REST GRANDMA!" She was going on and on about how tired she was and we were about to leave and me and my big mouth nearly shouted this and she looked at me like she might wet her pants when I said that. It's like what you say to super annoying kids while the missionaries are teaching a lesson so I hear it all day every day. "paymuyong"(behave) and "pahuway"(rest). I couldn't stop laughing at myself that I accidentally said that. I apologized so many times to nanay.. I don't think that she really understood and didn't think it was very funny. haha OOPS.
Another investigator that I'm way stoked about is Bro. Bornes. He's this old man that is SO HILARIOUS!!! I just want to record him whenever we visit with him because he's so funny. When we taught him about the word of wisdom this week he took the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and chucked them into the mucky water under his bamboo house. First time that I saw/experienced that!! My jaw dropped and I just wanted to give him a round of applause. So instead I gave him a high five. (They love high fives here). Basically he's the best and I have a long list of ridiculous things he says and does like running to the church from his friend's house yesterday because his wife and him got into an argument before church and he told himself he wouldn't go to church then he changed his mind last minute and sprinted all the way to church. We saw him come in right after the sacrament and I just watched him cry the entire meeting. His such a soft-hearted old man. He even cried when we gave him a Book of Mormon. I just love him!!
I could go on for another hour about these amazing people. I feel a real pain in my heart when I think and remember how soon I will say goodbye to these people and this place.. I can't believe it's almost April!!
Thank you all so much for your love and support! I love you all so so much and feel your love and prayers!
Palangga ta kamo!
Sister Judd
PS. I met someone that knows Keethan (my cousin)!! He is from here in Talisay ward. He saw my last name and immediately said that he knew an Elder Judd on his mission! Then he explained that he served in one of Keethan's areas in Ilo-Ilo! When Keethan was there it was only a branch but now it's Manoling Ward in Roxas Stake. Then he also explained the connection between him and Keethan when he was a missionary.. Keethan's trainee was named Elder Romanillos and then Elder Romanillos trained an elder named Elder Lopez and then Elder Lopez trained Elder Bianan who is now Brother Bianan living in Talisay :) Small world! Go Keethan! He had so many good things to say about Elder Judd :) I can't wiat to speak Hiligaynon with Keethan when I come home!!!!
March 15th Manila & Talisay heaven
Hello family!! This week has been insane so much has happened there's no way I can to you about it ALL! But let me try my best here...
So I went to Manila for a day! They sent us there to do fingerprinting for our visas or something like that. The church is so organized. They just text us telling us to get pictures taken. Then they text us that we have a flight on Saturday. They pick us up, take us to the airport hand us our ticket and traveling money and say they'll see us when we get back! We flew to Manila around 8am on Saturday and got back around 7pm the same day. We got to go to the Manila MTC and take pictures on the MTC grounds with the temple in the background. Then we got to go to a WW2 Memorial site.. This is where President Hinckley dedicated the Philippines for missionary work. We even read the prayer that he gave dedicating the Philippines for missionary work and it was amazing. So many of the promises that he gave have come to pass and are the miracles that we see in this work in this country every day!!!
Here's more info about the site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
It was such a cool experience. There was this incredible peace and reverence felt at this place! I didn't want to leave!! I feel really grateful to have had that experience going there!!
Flying on an airplane to Manila felt like torture because we all knew and were fully aware how quickly it will come when we fly to Manila again and won't return to Bacolod.. it was like they were tricking us that we would be going home!! Not going to lie a cried on the plane. haha How much more when it's the real thing??! But overall it was a great experience. It felt SUPER weird to get a one-day vacation from missionary work.. even though it was more tiring to wake up early and travel.. but it was really great. I really really really enjoyed the time with Sister Snow!! We laughed, we cried, we cried so hard from laughing and it was a good way to start this last leg of my mission. It's like the last 15 minutes of a soccer game when it's tied... the most intense and harder you've ever ran in your entire life. That's kind of how I feel :)
So let me tell you all about TALISAY WARD!!!!!! It. is. amazing!!!!!!!! I can't tell you all how happy I am that this is my last area!! It blows all the other wards out of the water in terms of organization, support and direction of the bishop and there are soooo many Return Missionaries! The ward is just SO SO strong!! I feel like even though this should be the most stressful time of my mission my stress level has decreased so much!! The Bishop has meetings with the missionaries every Sunday early in the morning and told me his expectations here for me in this ward and I was just smiling so big! It's so great to be in a ward that knows how to help the missionaries, has their own goals for missionary work and depends on the missionaries to help them instead of it all being the opposite like my past areas. Sister Respicio is so lucky that this is her first area!
Oh! Speaking of Sister Respicio! She is THE BEST!!!!!!! Seriously I can't tell you all how blessed I feel this transfer!! She is (of course) Filipina and this is still her first area but she is sooo good at the language and teaching it doesn't feel like she's a new missionary! She's 25 years old and she has a twin sister! She has this contagious awesome laugh and I just love her personality!! She is so sweet and funny and the members just loooove her. Seriously missionary work is amazing-er than ever this transfer!!!
The last thing I want to add is a quote that hit me hard this week:
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of them than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their visions, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends and pour out peace." -President Ezra Taft Benson
My mission has changed my life and is still changing my life. I've experienced a whole new LEVEL of joy and peace even among the hardships and trials. That's what we can ALL feel in our every day lives as we focus on sharing the gospel with others, serve others, and serve God!
PS. I almost forgot!! I got another package from Grandma Barbara! She sent TWO! One got here 2 weeks ago and the other got here the next week. Everyone in the office was like "Sister Judd you get the most packages. You are very loved and missed at home." I SERIOUSLY FEEL SO LOVED!!!! You all are seriously theee beeeest!! Macncheese.. granola bars.. those fig bars are better than chocolate cake... and I forgot all about beef jerkey- so goood!! Oh and those melt-away-mints. YUM! Thank you again grandma!!!!
Love you all more than I can even explain!! Many many MANY of my prayers have been answered this past week. Thank you all again for your prayers, support and words of love and support pirme.. i mean.. always!
LOVE,
Sister Judd
So I went to Manila for a day! They sent us there to do fingerprinting for our visas or something like that. The church is so organized. They just text us telling us to get pictures taken. Then they text us that we have a flight on Saturday. They pick us up, take us to the airport hand us our ticket and traveling money and say they'll see us when we get back! We flew to Manila around 8am on Saturday and got back around 7pm the same day. We got to go to the Manila MTC and take pictures on the MTC grounds with the temple in the background. Then we got to go to a WW2 Memorial site.. This is where President Hinckley dedicated the Philippines for missionary work. We even read the prayer that he gave dedicating the Philippines for missionary work and it was amazing. So many of the promises that he gave have come to pass and are the miracles that we see in this work in this country every day!!!
Here's more info about the site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial
It was such a cool experience. There was this incredible peace and reverence felt at this place! I didn't want to leave!! I feel really grateful to have had that experience going there!!
Flying on an airplane to Manila felt like torture because we all knew and were fully aware how quickly it will come when we fly to Manila again and won't return to Bacolod.. it was like they were tricking us that we would be going home!! Not going to lie a cried on the plane. haha How much more when it's the real thing??! But overall it was a great experience. It felt SUPER weird to get a one-day vacation from missionary work.. even though it was more tiring to wake up early and travel.. but it was really great. I really really really enjoyed the time with Sister Snow!! We laughed, we cried, we cried so hard from laughing and it was a good way to start this last leg of my mission. It's like the last 15 minutes of a soccer game when it's tied... the most intense and harder you've ever ran in your entire life. That's kind of how I feel :)
So let me tell you all about TALISAY WARD!!!!!! It. is. amazing!!!!!!!! I can't tell you all how happy I am that this is my last area!! It blows all the other wards out of the water in terms of organization, support and direction of the bishop and there are soooo many Return Missionaries! The ward is just SO SO strong!! I feel like even though this should be the most stressful time of my mission my stress level has decreased so much!! The Bishop has meetings with the missionaries every Sunday early in the morning and told me his expectations here for me in this ward and I was just smiling so big! It's so great to be in a ward that knows how to help the missionaries, has their own goals for missionary work and depends on the missionaries to help them instead of it all being the opposite like my past areas. Sister Respicio is so lucky that this is her first area!
Oh! Speaking of Sister Respicio! She is THE BEST!!!!!!! Seriously I can't tell you all how blessed I feel this transfer!! She is (of course) Filipina and this is still her first area but she is sooo good at the language and teaching it doesn't feel like she's a new missionary! She's 25 years old and she has a twin sister! She has this contagious awesome laugh and I just love her personality!! She is so sweet and funny and the members just loooove her. Seriously missionary work is amazing-er than ever this transfer!!!
The last thing I want to add is a quote that hit me hard this week:
"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of them than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their visions, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends and pour out peace." -President Ezra Taft Benson
My mission has changed my life and is still changing my life. I've experienced a whole new LEVEL of joy and peace even among the hardships and trials. That's what we can ALL feel in our every day lives as we focus on sharing the gospel with others, serve others, and serve God!
PS. I almost forgot!! I got another package from Grandma Barbara! She sent TWO! One got here 2 weeks ago and the other got here the next week. Everyone in the office was like "Sister Judd you get the most packages. You are very loved and missed at home." I SERIOUSLY FEEL SO LOVED!!!! You all are seriously theee beeeest!! Macncheese.. granola bars.. those fig bars are better than chocolate cake... and I forgot all about beef jerkey- so goood!! Oh and those melt-away-mints. YUM! Thank you again grandma!!!!
Love you all more than I can even explain!! Many many MANY of my prayers have been answered this past week. Thank you all again for your prayers, support and words of love and support pirme.. i mean.. always!
LOVE,
Sister Judd
March 8th Transfers! & Special Baptism
Helloooo Family!!!!!!
Wow my mind is just a tad scrambled right now because I am transferring today! This will probably be my last area. I am going to Talisay Ward in Bacolod North Stake. My first area was 5th ward also in Bacolod North Stake! I am excited because I've heard really great things about Talisay! I reallllllly wish that I could have taken my companion with me to this area. I love Sister Silos so much and I will miss her like crazy!!! My new companion's name is Sister Respicio (I don't know if that's the right spelling because I can't currently see her name tag.. haha) but she is sooooooo sweet!! I am seriously SO BLESSED with companions. SERIOUSLY!!She is also Filipina and she is a new-ish missionary and this is her first area still. This is a weird transfer for me because I am going to be an STL (Sister Training Leader) with a JR companion.. it will be interesting because I don't know how to be a Sister Training Leader... it's like Zone Leaders but for the Sisters.. and there's only one of me for a zone of sisters. But I'm excited for the challenge and opportunity. Sister Snow is in the same boat except she will be training a brand new missionary. GO Sister Snow!! :)
It was sooo good to see missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time! Like Sister Snow (can't wait to be at BYU with her!), and Sister Arcinas (my companion in Cadiz.. she is going home this week and I was so grateful to give her a hug before she went home). I have made so many close friends here and it is hard to say goodbye when there's a small chance that we will see each other again. But I am so grateful for these friendships and memories!!!
So a lot of great things happened this week. I have so many pictures that I want to send home but I can't send pictures here in this computer shop... I'm hoping I can next week. We were spoiled with the best computer shop ever in my last area so I don't know how often I can send pictures home now but I will just try my best. It's not worth all my pictures getting lost.. but we'll see!!
I received my "trunky letter" (that's what we call it here but I refuse to be trunky) telling me to finish strong until the end of my mission and with information about coming home. Then today I got my itinerary for my flight to come home. It's all becoming pretty real and it's kind of freaking me out. But I know that there are still many many things for me to experience here:) I'm so excited for my next area and can't wait to get to work!
This week we had a baptism! I am so sad I can't send pictures. This baptism meant soooo much!! Sister Mira is the daughter of a long time less active. I think I've told you about their family before- the Abesar family. Bro. Abesar and his wife and his children were sealed to them in the Manila temple about 6 years ago.. soon after that Sis. Abesar passed away. She had a lot of medical problems and had been confined to a wheel chair for years. Mira was not yet 8 years old when her mother passed away and that was her wish to her husband that Mira gets baptized when she turns 8. Well, I met the Abesar family because for years and years missionaries have been visiting them. Bro. Abesar is now active and through him we met Mira. She is 15 years old and just the sweetest. She started coming to church and brought her 2 cousins with her. They all 3 were baptized yesterday :) It was such a spiritual experience!!! Emilio Abesar is Mira's older brother and is preparing to serve a mission. He was also less active when I first got to this area. Now he is our Ward Assistant Mission Leader and almost done with his mission papers!!! He was able to baptize his younger sister and 2 cousins. I just know that Sister Abesar is so happy in the Spirit World because her family is really doing their best to prepare to return to be with her again. I know that they will someday be reunited again as an eternal family and I am so grateful for the blessing to have met this amazing family.
This work is just so amazing. I have seen so many tender mercies.. more than I can even count!! I think that that is one of the biggest lessons that I have learned here on my mission.. obedience, prayer, fasting, scripture study and a desire to serve the Lord is the way to TRUE happiness and peace and more blessings than ever imagined! I have seen Heavenly Father immediately and directly answer my prayers not only these past couple of weeks but throughout my mission. I KNOW that He is close and aware of each and every one of us.
Oh we also had Zone conference this week. I learned SO MUCH! We have such awesome Assistants to the President!! They were so inspired in their trainings and it was really refreshing to be with such focused and dedicated missionaries.
I also got my package from Grandma Barbara!! THANK YOU SO MUCH GRANDMA!!!! The dried mangoes are almost gone.. OOPS! haha SO YUMMY! And the train mix and dried fruits are the best! I made the mistake (not really mistake) of sharing with a member the trail mix at church and they all raided me and went a little crazy eating my food haha they looooved the dried fruit and trail mix.. almost as much as I love it! :) But I was happy to share. Everything in the package was perfect. THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!
This week I ate pig feet. It was seriously so good. The members are so good at cooking. They made it with jack fruit (langka) and I don't know what else but I was just in heaven.
I also ate a lot of sea food this week. It's so awesome you just pull whatever you can out of the water and cook it up and it's like the best tasting food ever. Shells and clams cooked and uncooked, crabs (lots and lots of crab), shells (the little tiny shells that kids play with because they move... turns out they taste super good!!!) and of course lots of fish. Pictures to come next week.
I love you all so so so so much!!!!!!!
Until next week!
Sister Judd
Wow my mind is just a tad scrambled right now because I am transferring today! This will probably be my last area. I am going to Talisay Ward in Bacolod North Stake. My first area was 5th ward also in Bacolod North Stake! I am excited because I've heard really great things about Talisay! I reallllllly wish that I could have taken my companion with me to this area. I love Sister Silos so much and I will miss her like crazy!!! My new companion's name is Sister Respicio (I don't know if that's the right spelling because I can't currently see her name tag.. haha) but she is sooooooo sweet!! I am seriously SO BLESSED with companions. SERIOUSLY!!She is also Filipina and she is a new-ish missionary and this is her first area still. This is a weird transfer for me because I am going to be an STL (Sister Training Leader) with a JR companion.. it will be interesting because I don't know how to be a Sister Training Leader... it's like Zone Leaders but for the Sisters.. and there's only one of me for a zone of sisters. But I'm excited for the challenge and opportunity. Sister Snow is in the same boat except she will be training a brand new missionary. GO Sister Snow!! :)
It was sooo good to see missionaries that I haven't seen in a long time! Like Sister Snow (can't wait to be at BYU with her!), and Sister Arcinas (my companion in Cadiz.. she is going home this week and I was so grateful to give her a hug before she went home). I have made so many close friends here and it is hard to say goodbye when there's a small chance that we will see each other again. But I am so grateful for these friendships and memories!!!
So a lot of great things happened this week. I have so many pictures that I want to send home but I can't send pictures here in this computer shop... I'm hoping I can next week. We were spoiled with the best computer shop ever in my last area so I don't know how often I can send pictures home now but I will just try my best. It's not worth all my pictures getting lost.. but we'll see!!
I received my "trunky letter" (that's what we call it here but I refuse to be trunky) telling me to finish strong until the end of my mission and with information about coming home. Then today I got my itinerary for my flight to come home. It's all becoming pretty real and it's kind of freaking me out. But I know that there are still many many things for me to experience here:) I'm so excited for my next area and can't wait to get to work!
This week we had a baptism! I am so sad I can't send pictures. This baptism meant soooo much!! Sister Mira is the daughter of a long time less active. I think I've told you about their family before- the Abesar family. Bro. Abesar and his wife and his children were sealed to them in the Manila temple about 6 years ago.. soon after that Sis. Abesar passed away. She had a lot of medical problems and had been confined to a wheel chair for years. Mira was not yet 8 years old when her mother passed away and that was her wish to her husband that Mira gets baptized when she turns 8. Well, I met the Abesar family because for years and years missionaries have been visiting them. Bro. Abesar is now active and through him we met Mira. She is 15 years old and just the sweetest. She started coming to church and brought her 2 cousins with her. They all 3 were baptized yesterday :) It was such a spiritual experience!!! Emilio Abesar is Mira's older brother and is preparing to serve a mission. He was also less active when I first got to this area. Now he is our Ward Assistant Mission Leader and almost done with his mission papers!!! He was able to baptize his younger sister and 2 cousins. I just know that Sister Abesar is so happy in the Spirit World because her family is really doing their best to prepare to return to be with her again. I know that they will someday be reunited again as an eternal family and I am so grateful for the blessing to have met this amazing family.
This work is just so amazing. I have seen so many tender mercies.. more than I can even count!! I think that that is one of the biggest lessons that I have learned here on my mission.. obedience, prayer, fasting, scripture study and a desire to serve the Lord is the way to TRUE happiness and peace and more blessings than ever imagined! I have seen Heavenly Father immediately and directly answer my prayers not only these past couple of weeks but throughout my mission. I KNOW that He is close and aware of each and every one of us.
Oh we also had Zone conference this week. I learned SO MUCH! We have such awesome Assistants to the President!! They were so inspired in their trainings and it was really refreshing to be with such focused and dedicated missionaries.
I also got my package from Grandma Barbara!! THANK YOU SO MUCH GRANDMA!!!! The dried mangoes are almost gone.. OOPS! haha SO YUMMY! And the train mix and dried fruits are the best! I made the mistake (not really mistake) of sharing with a member the trail mix at church and they all raided me and went a little crazy eating my food haha they looooved the dried fruit and trail mix.. almost as much as I love it! :) But I was happy to share. Everything in the package was perfect. THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!
This week I ate pig feet. It was seriously so good. The members are so good at cooking. They made it with jack fruit (langka) and I don't know what else but I was just in heaven.
I also ate a lot of sea food this week. It's so awesome you just pull whatever you can out of the water and cook it up and it's like the best tasting food ever. Shells and clams cooked and uncooked, crabs (lots and lots of crab), shells (the little tiny shells that kids play with because they move... turns out they taste super good!!!) and of course lots of fish. Pictures to come next week.
I love you all so so so so much!!!!!!!
Until next week!
Sister Judd
March 1st Friendships through this work, Obedience & Diligence is not easy
Hello Family! It's been a really great week. Highlight from this week was Shein (the aswang) coming to visit me from Cadiz!! Shein is a great friend that I have met here and she is one of the many examples that has strengthened my testimony that missionary work is not ONLY about the people that don't know about the gospel.. it's also about the members!! When we had Mission Tour a couple months ago I remember President Ardern telling about his experience as a young member in New Zealand and how a particular Elder took interest in him and encouraged him and helped him to stay strong and active in the church. He is just as thankful to this Elder as to the Elders that taught and baptized his family. He encouraged us as missionaries to find youth to encourage to serve missions, return to activity and reach out to members. Well when I met Shein she was less active because of her job but didn't hesitate to make the sacrifices to come back to church.. she just needed a push! Up until she decided to quit her job so that she could continue to come to church every Sunday. She would work with us often but I was transferred pretty quick after that. She has been close to the sister missionaries that have taken our places and is a huge help to them. She is preparing to serve a mission and I couldn't be happier for her! I'm so grateful that I met her and for our friendship! There really is so much joy in helping others come closer to Jesus Christ. That is the main goal in being disciples of Jesus Christ. It's not the main responsibility of the missionaries.. but the members! This has created such a great friendship and I know that there are so many people waiting for us to reach out to them.
One of the challenges from this week was our investigator Sister Marilyn and her daughter QT postponing their baptism. They've been interviewed and were all set but of course the adversary swept in and found a way to put lots of doubts and temptations in their way. From the beginning, it's been a bumpy road with Marilyn but I've seen the blessings of being patient with investigators and not giving up on them. I've learned so much and have grown to love her and her family so much. I don't know if I'll still be in this area when she's finally baptized but that's okay with me. I guess you never know.. I could be in this area until I come home! haha
So the mission has been undergoing MANY challenges since President Lopez and Sister Lopez have left us. The missionaries (most) have pretty much thrown out the window all the guidelines and rules that President Lopez has set for this mission because he is no longer here. It's been challenging for me and my companion to hold our ground and do our best just to continue. It's pretty heartbreaking to hear about the many things that are going on around the mission. I know that President Ferrin is great- I look forward to our training with him this week. When President Lopez was here the disobedient missionaries stuck out like sore thumbs and it wasn't favorable to follow the things that they were doing. Now.. it's the opposite. If you are trying to be obedient you stick out like a sore thumb and missionaries wrinkle their noses at you. These next 3 months will be a challenge for me but all I can do is focus on what the Lord expects of me personally and our companionship. I so blessed with a understanding and hardworking companion! She seriously is the beeeeest!! :)
This week I found another scripture in my studies that spoke directly to me: Moroni 9:6 "And now, my beloved son [daughter], notwithstanding [your] hardness, let us labor diligently; for is we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to preform whilst in this [place], that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God."
No matter how difficult our path is to eternal life, I know that He is by our side and He will not cease to labor.. neither should we. I know that with the time that I have left here.. there is a work for me to do! Someday we will all rest our souls in His kingdom with Him if we are diligent in the things that He has asks of us.
I love this work! I miss you all! My heart is full today. I KNOW that Heavenly Father answers prayers. He protects my family and blesses them incredibly. And He really has a plan for us. We can help Him bring to pass His plan for each of us and seek His will through prayer. I love you all and continue to pray for you!
Until next week!
Sister Judd
So the mission has been undergoing MANY challenges since President Lopez and Sister Lopez have left us. The missionaries (most) have pretty much thrown out the window all the guidelines and rules that President Lopez has set for this mission because he is no longer here. It's been challenging for me and my companion to hold our ground and do our best just to continue. It's pretty heartbreaking to hear about the many things that are going on around the mission. I know that President Ferrin is great- I look forward to our training with him this week. When President Lopez was here the disobedient missionaries stuck out like sore thumbs and it wasn't favorable to follow the things that they were doing. Now.. it's the opposite. If you are trying to be obedient you stick out like a sore thumb and missionaries wrinkle their noses at you. These next 3 months will be a challenge for me but all I can do is focus on what the Lord expects of me personally and our companionship. I so blessed with a understanding and hardworking companion! She seriously is the beeeeest!! :)
This week I found another scripture in my studies that spoke directly to me: Moroni 9:6 "And now, my beloved son [daughter], notwithstanding [your] hardness, let us labor diligently; for is we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to preform whilst in this [place], that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God."
No matter how difficult our path is to eternal life, I know that He is by our side and He will not cease to labor.. neither should we. I know that with the time that I have left here.. there is a work for me to do! Someday we will all rest our souls in His kingdom with Him if we are diligent in the things that He has asks of us.
I love this work! I miss you all! My heart is full today. I KNOW that Heavenly Father answers prayers. He protects my family and blesses them incredibly. And He really has a plan for us. We can help Him bring to pass His plan for each of us and seek His will through prayer. I love you all and continue to pray for you!
Until next week!
Sister Judd
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