But Ammon said unto him: Nay, but I will be thy servant.

To you whom I love,

I'm so happy today. It's definitely March. It was 56 degrees on Saturday and basically heaven. We are putting away our big coats and soon, so so soon we won't be wearing tights! I'm just so happy for the sunshine everyday. It was a really good week for us. We had Zone Conference on Friday and it was so great. I needed the boost, I needed the encouragement and support to know that God does know me. He is aware of who I am as a daughter of God and as His servant. Sister Mullen shared something that really was profound for me.

We love God. 

It is inherent in all of us, as children of God, that we feel love for Him. What we always teach and share with others is that God loves us (which is very, very true!) but sometimes we forget that we, in turn, love our Heavenly Father. We yearn to be near Him and follow Him. That is our sincere desire. We recognize when we sin and distance ourselves from Him and we desire to progress towards Him. We want change. We want to repent. She told us that we love God and I knew and felt it. I love my Father in Heaven. That's why I'm a missionary. I love Him and want to serve Him. I want to return to live with Him. As I've shared that with my investigators, (that they love God) they have felt that truth too. We are children of a loving Father and we love Him.

Anyway, she also had us close our eyes and meditate on our blessings. We have bodies, we can feel, we have families and we have learned in our homes, we have the gospel and our Savior, Jesus Christ. She went on for maybe ten minutes listing blessings. I felt so peaceful and calm. I've been trying to meditate every morning since because it helps me stay grounded and focused. I need to recognize the joy it is to serve each and every day. Today I woke up and just felt so grateful that I am a missionary. I love it so, so much.

Yesterday we had our Branch activity. Oh what miracles. We had been planning this activity for a month but yesterday I just woke up feeling like, "oh gosh, what have we done?? are we ready????" We really wanted the activity to go well and we wanted to leave the Spirit with our members so that they were inspired to do their own missionary work. Church starts at 1 pm and since many members travel pretty far for the meetings, we knew that Sunday was the only day we could really draw a crowd. But that meant after church at 4 pm. On Fast Sunday! Like 5 hours at church! Yikes! So we planned dinner and then prayed that people would be willing to stay after that for three 15 minute segment training sessions. I was stressed all day that it might be a disaster. That perhaps we didn't really know what we were doing. But it was a great success. We planned a taco bar for the dinner. Which you might be thinking something like ground beef with taco seasoning and maybe some taco shells?? No way, mis queridos amigos! This is a SPANISH branch. These tacos were so legitimate. Sister Lopez, our mission leader's wife, is a saint. She made all the meat and beans and rice and then we asked the members to bring the toppings. Pico, guacamole, cebolla, limones. It was definitely the best break-the-fast meal I've ever had. But it didn't start that way. We got to church and there was a package of tortillas and some cilantro sitting on the kitchen counter. I said a prayer in my heart that somehow this meal would be like the 5 loaves of bread and fish story and miraculously the meal would feed everyone sufficiently. And then suddenly, all the food showed up. The Lord inspired Sister Lopez. It was incredible. And what more was miraculous was that all the branch members came and stayed! And they loved it. We had three break-out sessions and taught simply and powerfully the importance of member missionary work. I really felt the Spirit testify to me that this is the Lord's work. Members were really touched and I think it really inspired them to act and think. Our Branch President loved it. I think he was worried too that it would be a flop activity. But we showed him that we are diligent missionaries and that we plan well. It helped to earn his trust. I'm still really grateful that somehow the Lord allowed the activity to work out and be really successful. 

Also, Aridai is the best, best, best! I just love her with my whole heart. We were having a hard time catching her this week and I thought for sure that she was losing interest but we stopped by on Saturday night and we sat down and had a real heart to heart with her. In Zone Conference we talked about asking soulful questions. And to ask with the love of the Savior and so we did. We talked to her about why she needs to read the Book of Mormon and come to church to feel God's love and she just agreed. She wants change so bad. She wants to leave everything behind in her life. We were planning her lesson today and I got so excited thinking about sharing scriptures with her. We will read Isaiah 1:18 and Alma 36:17-20. Sweet, sweet is the joy that comes from the powerful joy of change and repentance. I can't wait to share that with her. 

I really love everything about being a missionary. I have never felt so close to my Father in Heaven. I have been praying this week to be more converted to the Lord and to the work. I want to lose myself in the work. I want to be an Elder Holland and give every fiber that I have to this gospel. And I've felt His help this week. It's hit me hard this week how every moment that we live is short. We've got to live! My one regret on my mission is that I only have 13 months left. I want to savor every sweet bit of being a missionary because this is incredible work. We are the Lord's hands. And more than any sacrifice it takes to be a missionary, the Lord blesses us triple, quadruple. I'm a better person. I was reading in my journal from my first weeks to now and I've changed. My heart has changed. I still have a long way to go but the Lord is helping me to change. 

I'm forever grateful that the Lord trusted me to send me here, to marvelous Spokane, Washington, to bring His precious souls back to Him.

I love you! 

Love, Hermana Judd

Now was not this exceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

Hola chamacos!

The good thing about Spokane Valley is that it is beautiful! Majestic, tall pine trees frame every house. Yesterday all the snow melted, and though it was still pretty chilly, there was a glimpse of springtime. And I can tell that springtime will be glorious. I've decided though that it really doesn't matter where you serve. The location is relative. It's really all about the people. Wherever you go, there will be people to love and people to pray for. That's what matters to me at least. And the more people I get to know in Spokane Valley the more I really do love it here. 

My spanish branch and english ward here are in two different stakes even though the spanish branch area covers ALL of Spokane Valley. We cover all the way to Post Falls, Idaho! I don't know how often we'll get out there though 'cause there isn't too much of a spanish-speaking population. One of these days we'll make a trip out there. I'm sorry I haven't taken a lot of pictures lately. It's been a longer week for me. 

Yesterday we had stake conference in the Spanish branch stake. It was perfect. Just an answer to my prayers. It was all about missionary work, like everything is these days. President Mullen and Sister Mullen were there-which it's always a wonderful privilege to hear from them. Sister Mullen said a lot of things that motivated me. She describes this opportunity to serve as the "honor of her life". I feel that way too. I've felt less so this last week, but I do feel like serving this mission means everything to me. It's not a lot of sacrifice and in the grand scheme of things I know I'll look back and realize there hardly was any sacrifice at all, but it has given me a new perspective on every aspect of my life. We had exchanges this last week. Here in the valley everybody works a little closer together so I was still technically covering my Spanish area while on exchanges. We met this member, an older, single sister who has lived in her apartment complex for quite awhile. She served a mission many moons ago in good 'ol Dallas, Texas, Spanish speaking. She is the kind of member missionary I want to be. She lives the gospel of Jesus Christ and she shares her testimony with everyone. She noticed that one of her Doctors was Greek, his last name was Contras or something, and she she asked him about family history. She finally persuaded him to allow her to do some family history work for him even though he didn't think she would find anything. She searched and prayed and searched and found a lot for his mother's line. She printed it all out and put it in a nice binder for him and then left a note that said, "I believe the family unit is essential to God's plan." which is brilliant and true and wonderful. She said he was a pretty straight-laced guy who hardly smiled but at her last appointment he told her how much that meant to him and to his mother. I just thought that was such a great story.

I want to live in a such a way after my mission that I share my testimony with everyone, all my neighbors, and colleagues and my children's school teachers. At our training last week, one of the Brothers asked us who we know that is not baptized. And then to imagine the Celestial Kingdom without that person. I've been thinking a lot about it still. 

Sister Sanchez is really, super great. We are great friends, she says. And we are. We are just two little Hermanitas running around talking to everyone. (to my mom: we are like the same size but she's got really skinny legs like grandma! I tell ya, why didn't i get these skinny Mexican legs??) We speak the same level of each other's language. Which means she speaks pretty good English and I speak pretty good Spanish. 

We eat with members a lot more here I think, actually. We eat lunch and dinner on the weekends with members. During the week we still make our own meals, but it's better that way. Because they make goooood food here. I've mostly had a lot of posole and other taco, chicken, rice and beans stuff. Nothing I've had has been bad. That's the nice thing about being in the US because I know where the food comes from. Did I tell you that I'm addicted to rice pudding now? It started my first transfer after Ana and Walter made some for us and then the next night when Claudia and Genaro had some little store bought rice pudding cups. Then I decided to buy some for myself and I've probably had one every night since. True story.

I love you all. The gospel is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. God is our Father in Heaven and He loves us and knows us so well. 

I'm sure there is more I wanted to tell you. 

Con amor,

Hermanita Em

***Dear Readers, I was able to quickly email Sister Judd right after she sent her letter, and asked for an account of her new area and investigators.  So here is a little bonus:

On Wednesday, we tracted long hours, hoping to talk to everyone. The standard of excellence for QGCs is 20, remember? And it's actually a lot harder than it seems. It was around 7:45 and we still had about 5 left for the day. We stopped by to see a less-active guy who turned out to be awesome. He pays his tithing each week and he knows it is all true. He's just not wanted to go to church for awhile. Crazy. We are reading the Book of Mormon with him this week so maybe he'll come around! Anyway, he pointed us to some of his neighbors for us to try so we went and knocked around some more. And we did it! We hit the 20 mark! And then as soon as we did it, the Lord handed us a little blessing. It was as if He was saying, "Here you go, my sweet daughters, after all your labor today, here is someone who wants to listen." And so the very next door we knocked was a young-ish mom who let us right in. She was happy and willing to listen and she accepted another day for a church tour. (Of course, the church tour was while I was away on exchanges, but I heard that she was sitting, parked in her car, with all her kids buckled and ready to go when they passed by to take her to the church). If she is the only miracle we see all transfer, that will be enough. But I have a feeling the Lord has more up His sleeve.

He always does.

That's all I've got for ya. We are teaching a less-active from Uruguay and I love her so much. She says all her "y's" like sha. Loveeee it. "sho me shamo rosa"  :)