I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name

Hey pals,

 

South Hill! What a place. We love it and (not so) love it. I mean we do. I think it is the most charming place I've served on my mission and that is saying a lot because Cheney was just a dreamly little place, but South Hill is so urban and so fun. And I even just love the name "South Hill". But the work has been well...not happening. It has been the slowest week of my mission and I've prayed more earnestly to find people than I ever have before. I know we are close. We must be so, so close because the Lord is hastening His work and we are trying so hard! We are doing everything we know. There is a family here. I know it. I KNOW it!

 

The Spanish branch split yesterday. I was fasting that I may have strength to make it through another week of finding and knocking (because knocking doors is my very least favorite way to do missionary work) but we just don't have a lot of options because we only have 4 active members from the branch in our area. And we've visited them all like twice already. So I prayed that God would help us, and me especially because it's just been so stressful. And then sacrament meeting was the most spiritually nourishing meeting of my life. It was kind of like on Trek when we were so hungry that first day and so the dinner we ate that night may have been the best meal there ever was. I just needed to feel the Spirit strongly and the Lord answered me. He knows us all by name. Why wouldn't he answer our prayers? So President McCombie spoke and President Mott from the East stake spoke and it was so inspiring. President McCombie said, "it started with a whisper" And in 2004, the mission president, President Ludlow felt impressed that he should bring Spanish missionaries into Spokane, when there had previously not been any Spanish missionaries in the area. And a few baptisms later, a small group of Spanish speakers started to meet together in conjunction with the Spokane 2nd ward. And then, more people came, and more and more. And the branch began. And now there are enough people in the valley that it is right to make a branch there too, so people don't have to come as far. My heart was so full that the Lord allowed me to be there at that historic moment. Because I love this Spanish branch. I will serve in this branch for most of my mission and these sweet spirits mean so much to me. I was hesitant because I am not the Lord and I don't always have His vision and I didn't know who could be called to serve as the president or anything. But just like in President Monson's talk "See Others AsThey May Become", He knows the potential of these good men. Men that will now grow in their testimonies and get to exercise their priesthood power. I just was so filled with joy when the calls came and we sustained them. Growth in the gospel. That is true joy.

 

We met with a few less-actives this week, and President and Sister Condon are so nice to me. "If anyone can touch their hearts it's Sister Judd." I needed that. I love to know that I am trusted because sometimes I don't trust myself. But I am doing things the Lord's way, paying heed to His still small voice.

 

On Sunday, we had plans to tract this run down part of town that we were certain would have Hispanics but after knocking several doors we realized there was none. But we were in that area for a reason so I said, "let's keep going." And so we did. And one trailer. A Hispanic family! They weren't actually home but all the neighbors pointed to their house. And maybe they are the only Hispanics on that part of town but they matter to God. President Mullen said something really profound this week in his email: "The Lord is not only preparing His children to accept the gospel; but, He knows who they are by name.  Since, He knows them, He can and will guide you to them."

I know that is true. Sister Walton and I prayed the other day and looked at our map and we said, "ok let's pick three streets each and if they match up we will go knock them." And we picked like all the same streets. Lacey and Pacific stood out to us specifically and what do you know! On the corner of Lacey and Pacific was another hispanic family! I keep hoping that God will magically map out the whole area for us so we can go door to door to all the Hispanics and skip all the in-betweens who don't speak Spanish, but I guess that would take the work part out of missionary work. It's character building, to say the least :)

 

President Condon says there are 22,000 hispanics in Spokane and if even 10% joined the church, we could start a Stake. How amazing! It gave me a boost. It's not like in Moses Lake where the Hispanics are everywhere. It's like one house every few blocks. Few and far between. But they are there. I feel so confident and excited. I don't know how or why or when but I know it will happen. I know the Lord is preparing a family. A family!

 

Love you all!

Here's some more pictures from last week and halloween and our trunk or treat.

 

Hermana Judd

And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man;

Queridos amigos,

Life is good. Different and difficult, but good and happy and sweet.

I just never know where to start. Welp, we moved out and moved in on Tuesday. We're living with the Manito sisters in a little apartment and it's fun. The South Hill is like a bitty New York city. Cute brick buildings and crammed apartments and the most picturesque homes with wrap around porches that you've ever seen. And the colors! It's so autumn and so cozy. Yellow leaves EVERYWHERE. We're obsessed. Like can't get over how beautiful it all is. 

We don't have any investigators yet. But we have a lot of potentials we've been trying and the members have given us a few referrals. I've been in little 'ol Cheney for so long, so being in the big city is so strange for me. Lots of Hispanics. Lots of families to meet and teach and baptize! I feel a little in over my head but I have to know that God trusts me. And I trust God. 

I know He shuffled us out of Cheney with miracles brimming from our pockets so that we'd remember him when the going gets tough. And I bottled up all the happiness I could from last week and Saturday so that I could take some extra sips now and again when I really need it. And there was so MUCH happiness on Saturday I could die.

I'll tell you right now that the baptism for Chris on Saturday was easily the most beautiful baptism there ever was. The spirit was just so strong. He was glowing. He was SO happy. We walked in and waved us down and he just had a grin plastered to his face that never left. He asked that Bishop baptize him and I think it was a really tender experience for Bishop because he was around the same age when he got baptized himself. He said the whole day was like dejavu. Oh so sweet. The service was simple and perfect. Of all the baptisms I've had a part in planning, this one meant the most to me. I wanted every detail to be special. When Chris stood in the font, my heart could have exploded with joy. He came out of the water, still smiling! And Virginia. She was ecstatic. I don't think anyone in the ward ever realized there was a happiness like this. So many of us were moved to tears because the spirit was so profound. And then Chris stood and bore his testimony and he told of his conversion experience and how he knows the church is true, he knows Joseph Smith was a prophet, and he knows that this is exactly where the Lord wants him to be. I am forever grateful the Lord let me teach him. The Elders in Cheney even took him to a lesson to teach with them that evening! We're all pointing him to a mission. To the temple! What joy!

And Anthony's baptism was right after. Also sweet. Also happy. Anthony was so grateful and just so energized. The gift of the Holy Ghost will be such a big blessing in his life. What a miracle. From the beginning to where he is now. What a huge miracle.

These things give me hope. I know there is a great work to be done here on the South Hill. We have 13 missionaries covering the Spanish branch now. How crazy is that. It's exciting for the whole ward. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it. It all feels historic. It feels like miracles are just right beyond our fingertips.

I just gotta stretch.

Love you!

Hermana Judd

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Dearest loves,

My third and (maybe last) conference on my mission! Can you believe it? So, so good. It's so much like Christmas around the mission that we listen to all our favorite Christmas hymns the whole week before just to get us EVEN more excited. And the prophet and apostles never fail us. It is always perfect.

So we have a new investigator! It's a miracle. It really is. It always is. Like the first week Sister Gardiner was here the Elders gave us this referral for this girl named Keisa from Venezuela. They only had her phone number to give us so we tried and tried AND TRIED and TRIED. To no avail. Never answered. THEN like two weeks ago we were stopping by to see a potential investigator and we walk down the steps and this girl comes out of her car. Lo and behold! Keisa! from Venezuela! It was no coincidence. It was perfect because we were handing our fliers to a Latin American festival we are having this weekend and so we had an instant connection. We set up a church tour. Couldn't make it. Then we set up another. Had to cancel. So THEN last Saturday after the Relief Society broadcast, we were sitting in our car just trying to figure out where to go and so we decided to pray. And then after the prayer, we both had the same thought: KEISA! So we stop by and she lets us right in. She opens up to us and tells us about her brother passing away this last year and how she has a lot of faith that God is there. We testified of the Plan of Salvation and she loved it. So we FINALLY took her on a church tour on Monday and she loved it. She loved how simple it all was and how she felt the spirit. We saw her a few other times and she came to conference yesterday! We didn't get to talk to her too much but she seemed to like it. She's on the track team with our Relief Society President and that helps a lot. I have the strongest testimony in member fellowship. If you don't have members to help you and be their friends, you can forget about it.

Also, Chris came to conference. He had TONS of questions written down and he took lots of notes. He really liked it. And in a lesson this week we asked him if he knew Joseph Smith was a prophet and he said, "yeah, I'm really starting to believe it." YAY! Could conference not have been more perfect?? There were so many testimonies about Joseph Smith and modern day revelation. Chris just really liked all of it. And he looked so sharp. Virginia (his member girlfriend) must have taken him shopping for some more church clothes. I mean last week he came in black pants and a striped button up and he looked totally fine but yesterday he was wearing a white shirt with a tie. I could just picture him as a little Priesthood holding husband someday! Oh, the church is true!

We also had Sisters Conference. It was the best ever. Like always. We have like 90+ sisters in the mission. I couldn't even believe it. It was SO fun to see all my little trainees. It was a little strange to see all the sisters I worked with and loved come together like two worlds colliding (All my other companions have now gone home. YIKES!) Seeing Sister Gardiner was the best. I really love that girl and miss her a lot. The theme was "Happiness is the design of our existence." So true! It was really powerful and motivating. Sister Mullen told us at the start that her desire was that we would walk out different woman, changed forever. I really do have a deeper motivation now to be even more happy and serve my Father.

So much happened this week and this is just touching on it. Anthony also watched conference, and he is temporarily living with some boys from our ward, so that is good.

Pray for the work in Cheney to keep moving forward. I want to find more people to teach. More Hispanics and prepared souls! I hope you all take Elder Ballard's challenge to invite one friend to hear the gospel before Christmas.

LOVE you!

Hermana Judd

pictures:

sisters and elders at MLC. some of my fave friends are going home at the end of this transfer. I can't even believe it. mission life is SO fast.
all my baby girls! sister walton, sister gardiner, sister haynes, and sister johnson.

sister walton and i outside of the temple. fall is glorious in washington. i looooove it.

try the virtue of the word of God

To those I love,

Let me start by saying this: The Priesthood power of God is real and was restored to the earth. I know that is true. I know that God works through His servants and He loves His missionaries. And I think that sometimes we have to fall hard, we have to get cut down, so that we break a little, so that our hearts are prime for perfection. Repentance is a process of change that can hurt. Even for missionaries who are constantly repenting and trying again, it hurts. Because the Lord sees so much in us. He sees so much of who we can become.

My mission is splitting at the end of the month and for the last six weeks I've been praying that I would get transferred to the Kennewick mission. It was mostly a righteous desire and I just knew if the Lord knew how much it meant to me that He would let it happen.

But it didn't happen.

Even after all the prayers (and not just mine, my sweet Sister Sanchez and Sister Tippetts were praying too.) I'm staying and training in Cheney. It's been hard. It's maybe been the hardest thing to bear since the start of my mission. But I received a priesthood blessing of comfort from a humble, worthy young man and that was real. The peace and comfort was tangible. It filled all the emptiness in my soul. 

President Mullen wrote me and said this:

 "As I go through transfers, I received different impressions regarding where missionaries should go and who they should serve with. Some are ones that are small impressions that I really have to pay attention to in order to feel. Other impressions are very distinct and unmistakable. Where you should serve came to me very distinctly and unmistakably. It is exactly where you need to be and the Lord wanted to makes sure that I knew it. Thanks for your willingness to go where the Lord wants you to go. You will receive extra blessings now and after your mission."

 I know there are important things for me to do here in Cheney and on this side of the mission. There are lots of hispanics here and I'm certain that I will continue to speak and use my Spanish. I've still been using it all last transfer too. Sister Johnson has been so kind to me. She told me that I'm a really good trainer and that the sister coming in needs me really bad. It was just another comfort and tender mercy. In fact, since all of the sadness has begun, my life has been continually filled with sweet, tender mercies. 

We have 5 incredible investigators that are staying for the summer in Cheney. That's a miracle. Most people are home after school for summer but all of our progressing investigators are staying.  Cameron, Corey, Chris, Porche and Leslie. I'm excited for miracles. I told you about April last week? And Alex? Well those two are strangely connected but not actually strange because I know there are no coincidences in missionary work but it always just humbles and surprises me to know how I really am an instrument in the hands of the Lord. 

I want to shout out to Brother Driggs this week. He sent me a challenge to look up some scriptures and find the blessings that come from reading the scriptures. It was a big blessing for me and each scripture confirmed my testimony of the goodness of God and that we really do have His words. I'd send you the list of scriptures but I didn't bring it with me. Ask that Brother Driggs to give you a copy. I'm going to challenge all my investigators. Good stuff!

Well, I love y'all. I love this work and I know that the trials of our faith build us stronger and bring us closer to Christ. What a privilege to have a loving Father in Heaven.

Hermana (always and forever!) Judd