Hello family! I agree with Gwen.. this week has FLOWN BY!
It's been a roller-coaster week. LOTS of ups and downs..
This week our golden family investigators dropped us, this week we taught a pastor for the 7th Day Adventist church, this week we attended a funeral, this week I got lice, this week I saw a rat the size of a cat and I screamed when I saw it just inches from my head, and this week we finally had another baptism!!! Not to mention transfers! I'm so sad that Sister Respicio transferred. I really love her and had such a good time this transfer with her! We all knew she'd transfer though because she's been here for 6 months (her first area). I just found out this morning that I will train! I will get my new (brand spank'n new) companion this thursday! So Sister Davenport and I (she is my STL companion) will be together until Thursday. My stomach hurts from anxiety when I think about how this is my last transfer.. but that is reality! This will be my last companion. This is for sure my last area. I am starting my last transfer! Bring it on! :)
The Baptism of Tatay Bornes was so awesome!! You can just see in his picture how excited he was! He kept saying over and over that he felt like he was in a dream and that it didn't feel real! He even said that he couldn't sleep the night before because he was so excited. He is the best ever! He is 63 years old and his wife Sister Norma is (was) a less active (loooong time member) but now is active again as she's been coming to church with her husband! Their 3 children are all also members and Sister Norma always cries as she tells us that it's a miracle that her husband has decided to change and loves listening to the missionaries when back then.. he wouldn't even join the lessons and wanted nothing to do with it all! I wasn't here when the missionaries first met him but his testimony is so amazing as he explains when he first met the missionaries he just felt in his heart that he needed to listen and he came to church right away and hasn't missed since! He loves to tell stories about all the times that God has answered his prayers from saving one of his grandsons from dying, helping him support his children to graduate from college and the dreams that he's had that has strengthened his testimony that God really exist and communicates/reaches out to us. No matter how many times I've heard his stories.. (he likes to tell them over and over again) I realize how much he has been prepared by the Lord to finally accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also had a looot of Word of Wisdom problems when we met him. He went from smoking a pack of cigs a day to only 5 for 3 days and then 1 for one week and then none! He also used to drink whiskey every night and coffee sometimes up to 10 times a day! He has so much drive- I've never seen someone change so much in just one month! He's the one that threw his cigs out the window when we taught him about the Word of Wisdom :D hahaha. Oh brothers I just love him! He's on fire and has so many people that he wants to introduce us to "so that they can also feel the happiness that he feels" :) it's just like 1 Nephi 8:10-12 (we haven't even read that section with him.. it just goes to show how true it is!). Sister Respicio and I have seen baptisms fall through over and over again this transfer but we were both so grateful that we were both here still when his date finally came :)
Speaking of baptisms falling through and investigators dropping us.. oh brothers has this transfer been FULL of rejections. #rejection (every missionary knows how this feels).. but something profound that really hit me about all of this was "maybe Heavenly Father is clearing up our schedule to fill it in with the people that we need to meet and teach..". I've never thought of rejection that way and I know that this was inspiration received from on high the moment that I needed it the most. My testimony has been strengthened that the Lord has a plan for each and every person that we are teaching and is waiting for us to meet the other people that are ready to accept the restored gospel! We have to give up our own will and accept HIS will... and just continue in this work. I know that this is HIS work. These people that we are teaching are not just our investigators.. they are HIS children that He is preparing to return to live with Him again. This work is so important and the best thing in the world. Despite the many challenges from this week.. there's been many miracles. (it's just like President Eyring taught in the Women's Mtg. this past conference.. joy follows sorrow! Not that I feel sorrow.. but for me right now as a missionary this helps me to know that joy and happiness and miracles follow disappointments and challenges.. IF we face them with the right attitude and strive to build our faith.)
This week Talisay ward hit it's ALL TIME highest attendance at church of 280 members. This work is hastening and progressing and I want to do my 100% best to continue to help this ward progress pa in these next/last 6 weeks that I have.
I love you all so much!
I love how Gwen and I both eat crispy pig skin off the roasted pig and we're not even in the same place.. :) Yay for missionary sisters!!! It makes me so happy :))))
PS. It's ridiculously hot here. My tan lines are so funny. I wore a black cotton shirt the other day and you could see my sweat soo bad. All the people were like "abaw sister judd.. grave ang bal-has mo vah!" (wow sister judd.. you're sweating soooo much!) ha..ha.. embarrassing! haha
PPS. We had a ward activity and ate lunch at the church and there was mountain dew.. I kept emptying my cmall plastic cup and then refilling it and then drinking it and refilling it over and over again until the 2 liter was gone and I saw this Relief Society sister watching me from across the room and read her lips as she said to herself (i kind of heard her too) "palainom gale sya soft drinks"- while smiling (ohh, she's always drinking soft drinks)- like she was so surprised to see how much soda I was drinking. hahaha I just laughed to myself and tried to find if there was any more mountain dew to drink some more! We can't buy ourself soda but we can drink it when it's given to us.. i'm just trying to make up for all the times I crave soda and can't drink it! :)
Thank you for all of your support and love!
Take care, and stay safe always!
Sister Judd
This week our golden family investigators dropped us, this week we taught a pastor for the 7th Day Adventist church, this week we attended a funeral, this week I got lice, this week I saw a rat the size of a cat and I screamed when I saw it just inches from my head, and this week we finally had another baptism!!! Not to mention transfers! I'm so sad that Sister Respicio transferred. I really love her and had such a good time this transfer with her! We all knew she'd transfer though because she's been here for 6 months (her first area). I just found out this morning that I will train! I will get my new (brand spank'n new) companion this thursday! So Sister Davenport and I (she is my STL companion) will be together until Thursday. My stomach hurts from anxiety when I think about how this is my last transfer.. but that is reality! This will be my last companion. This is for sure my last area. I am starting my last transfer! Bring it on! :)
The Baptism of Tatay Bornes was so awesome!! You can just see in his picture how excited he was! He kept saying over and over that he felt like he was in a dream and that it didn't feel real! He even said that he couldn't sleep the night before because he was so excited. He is the best ever! He is 63 years old and his wife Sister Norma is (was) a less active (loooong time member) but now is active again as she's been coming to church with her husband! Their 3 children are all also members and Sister Norma always cries as she tells us that it's a miracle that her husband has decided to change and loves listening to the missionaries when back then.. he wouldn't even join the lessons and wanted nothing to do with it all! I wasn't here when the missionaries first met him but his testimony is so amazing as he explains when he first met the missionaries he just felt in his heart that he needed to listen and he came to church right away and hasn't missed since! He loves to tell stories about all the times that God has answered his prayers from saving one of his grandsons from dying, helping him support his children to graduate from college and the dreams that he's had that has strengthened his testimony that God really exist and communicates/reaches out to us. No matter how many times I've heard his stories.. (he likes to tell them over and over again) I realize how much he has been prepared by the Lord to finally accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. He also had a looot of Word of Wisdom problems when we met him. He went from smoking a pack of cigs a day to only 5 for 3 days and then 1 for one week and then none! He also used to drink whiskey every night and coffee sometimes up to 10 times a day! He has so much drive- I've never seen someone change so much in just one month! He's the one that threw his cigs out the window when we taught him about the Word of Wisdom :D hahaha. Oh brothers I just love him! He's on fire and has so many people that he wants to introduce us to "so that they can also feel the happiness that he feels" :) it's just like 1 Nephi 8:10-12 (we haven't even read that section with him.. it just goes to show how true it is!). Sister Respicio and I have seen baptisms fall through over and over again this transfer but we were both so grateful that we were both here still when his date finally came :)
Speaking of baptisms falling through and investigators dropping us.. oh brothers has this transfer been FULL of rejections. #rejection (every missionary knows how this feels).. but something profound that really hit me about all of this was "maybe Heavenly Father is clearing up our schedule to fill it in with the people that we need to meet and teach..". I've never thought of rejection that way and I know that this was inspiration received from on high the moment that I needed it the most. My testimony has been strengthened that the Lord has a plan for each and every person that we are teaching and is waiting for us to meet the other people that are ready to accept the restored gospel! We have to give up our own will and accept HIS will... and just continue in this work. I know that this is HIS work. These people that we are teaching are not just our investigators.. they are HIS children that He is preparing to return to live with Him again. This work is so important and the best thing in the world. Despite the many challenges from this week.. there's been many miracles. (it's just like President Eyring taught in the Women's Mtg. this past conference.. joy follows sorrow! Not that I feel sorrow.. but for me right now as a missionary this helps me to know that joy and happiness and miracles follow disappointments and challenges.. IF we face them with the right attitude and strive to build our faith.)
This week Talisay ward hit it's ALL TIME highest attendance at church of 280 members. This work is hastening and progressing and I want to do my 100% best to continue to help this ward progress pa in these next/last 6 weeks that I have.
I love you all so much!
I love how Gwen and I both eat crispy pig skin off the roasted pig and we're not even in the same place.. :) Yay for missionary sisters!!! It makes me so happy :))))
PS. It's ridiculously hot here. My tan lines are so funny. I wore a black cotton shirt the other day and you could see my sweat soo bad. All the people were like "abaw sister judd.. grave ang bal-has mo vah!" (wow sister judd.. you're sweating soooo much!) ha..ha.. embarrassing! haha
PPS. We had a ward activity and ate lunch at the church and there was mountain dew.. I kept emptying my cmall plastic cup and then refilling it and then drinking it and refilling it over and over again until the 2 liter was gone and I saw this Relief Society sister watching me from across the room and read her lips as she said to herself (i kind of heard her too) "palainom gale sya soft drinks"- while smiling (ohh, she's always drinking soft drinks)- like she was so surprised to see how much soda I was drinking. hahaha I just laughed to myself and tried to find if there was any more mountain dew to drink some more! We can't buy ourself soda but we can drink it when it's given to us.. i'm just trying to make up for all the times I crave soda and can't drink it! :)
Thank you for all of your support and love!
Take care, and stay safe always!
Sister Judd
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