My LAST Letter

November 17, 2014

Well....where has the time gone?!!

This is the last letter that I will ever be writing!

Oh my, where to even start? My last full week as a full-time missionary. Oh was it great!

This week was one of those weeks where nothing turns out the way you expect it to!! (But it always is for the good!)

On Monday after I had emailed, we were planning to go to DC. Well, unfortunately we had a series of unfortunate events that prevented us from going. But the great thing is that we hung in there and still had a good time!!  I don't know if any of you saw my Facebook post about Staples, but that is where it comes from. Monday afternoon.  We ended up right next to a Staples and I got to get my little visual laminated. It might seem like a trivial thing, but it made the day that much better!!

I'm really grateful for laughter as well. I know God gave us a sense of humor because we would NEED it desperately if we were going to go through these crazy times!

Tuesday was a regular Tuesday.  Nothing too out of the ordinary.  We went to District Meetings and the usual.

Wednesday...oh my!!! It was the departing temple trip for the missionaries going home.  There are 14 sisters going home. It's crazy!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!! It was such a peaceful and amazing experience to go to the temple and just feel the peace that God brings. 

People have asked me what I'm feeling at the end of my mission. Honestly, it's GRATITUDE. Every effort that I have given on my mission has been returned to me x10,000,000!!  I'm grateful God knew exactly where I needed to be. I've felt it again and again over my mission. I know Heavenly Father needed me to learn from these people. 

So I get home from the temple and we are walking upstairs to our apartment to have dinner.  We were all wondering who had the keys...no one did!!! So we called a management person to get us in. $20 later we were in. We searched EVERYWHERE for the keys in the apartment.  They were nowhere to be found.  After dinner, we realized they had just been in the car the whole time. haha  Oh boy!!! But we had fun sitting outside of our apartment waiting for the man to come let us in!

Thursday was again...crazy! We had a great day! We went and visited some people at the very end of the night, Brother and Sister Murray.  Well, when I got home I realized that I had left my iPad at their house.  The biggest dilemma was that I needed to turn it into President Riggs the next day at my departing interview. The story continues on Friday...

So Friday morning we drive 20 minutes away to get my iPad. Sister  Murray wasn't home because she had to take her car in to get it repaired. Well, we knocked really loudly and no one was answering!! The problem was that Brother Murray is a really heavy sleeper, and sleeps ALL DAY LONG!!! I prayed and prayed that Heavenly Father would wake him up!! We kept knocking. We even knocked on his bedroom window. (We've done that in the past to get him up for church.)  The problem was that Sister Cordner and I were too short to reach the glass part of the window, so we double-teamed it and I climbed on her back!! It was hilarious!!!!  Well, that still wasn't working.  I went around to another part of the house to knock and said out loud, "I know God will wake Brother Murray up. I know he can do that!"  And two minutes later, Brother Murray pops his head out of the front door!!! Prayers are answered. And I turned in my iPad :) 

Saturday was also eventful. We had a sister call us because she needed help moving.  We went over to help. At the end, she said that we HAD to take the money she was giving us so that we could go to her favorite pizza place.  We were blessed with free dinner. :) 

We also got a text from a man who had met the missionaries two years ago. It was really out of the blue! But he texted us and wanted to come to church! There are prepared people out there that want to learn more. That was such a testimony builder to me that God is preparing the hearts of so many people.

And Sunday, oh my!!  Church was AMAZING!! And then, we got to go to what is called a New and Returning Member Fireside. That is basically a fancy way to say that new members of the church come and tell their story and how it has blessed their life!!! And guess who spoke!? Brian!!! The craziest part is that he had Facebook messaged me and let me know that he was speaking, but I never got the message because I hadn't looked at Facebook.  Well, the Lord got me there anyways! It was so neat to see how he was still SO HAPPY! I was so happy as well.  There is nothing more wonderful than seeing others embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ and become happier as they change!!! I couldn't wipe off the smile all night long!!!

And one thing I've learned this last week is that after a mission, we don't ever stop being missionaries!! I can still be a missionary. :) And I'm grateful that that never has to change.

Love you all!!
Sister Udall

My heart is so FULL!!

November 10, 2014

Well this week was a tough one, but also such a sweet one! We were hit pretty hard by the adversary this week! I can't tell you how many people we ran into that were really against the church or didn't believe in Christ. It made my heart really hurt.  And it makes me sad because there is nothing I can do to help.  It's all on them. 

But onto happier things. I learned a really powerful lesson this week!!! At times we might be apprehensive to help someone because it seems that they don't want the help or need anyone to love them. But that's just the opposite!! That is when they need it the most! I was taught on countless occasions by Christ's example this week. He didn't just minister to those who were happy to see him and were doing well. He went to the sick and afflicted.  He showed an increase of love to those that didn't seem that they needed his help.  We are all children of God. No matter what we do, we need to show our love for others. Even if that love is shown by praying for them. Prayer works and Heavenly Father hears our prayers!!

My heart has also been full of so much gratitude this week. I can't even explain it! I'm grateful for every person that I have the opportunity to meet, serve with, and learn from. I'm grateful for all of the learning moments I've had on my mission. I'm grateful for the scriptures...they are so inspired to help us in our individual circumstances!! I could go on and on. I feel like my heart could just burst with how grateful I am for everything.

But we had an interesting week this week. We got to go on exchanges. That was fun! Sister Akin came and had a good time with us!

We also ate out almost every day this week! Fun/slightly random fact. 

I also ran up to a guy to give him a card after we had said hi and he said "I'm walking away." I said, "I know, but I want to give you this."  He kept walking and wouldn't take it. We laughed SO HARD afterwards!!! Good times!

We also tried to give hot chocolate to one of our investigators and he wasn't home, so we tried to find someone that was cold and outside that we could give it to. It didn't end up happening, so my companions made me drink it :) 

Anyways, I hope everyone is finding the happy moments in the craziness of life!!! 

Love you all!
Sister Udall

Life's Many Blessings

November 3, 2014

Hello!!!!!

I hope everyone had a great week full of blessings! I know I did!
I have so many thoughts running through my head right now and so little time! I hope everything comes out all right.  This week was one of those growing week! I grew a lot in my own knowledge and testimony of the things that I teach.  And it came from fasting this past Sunday! It is truly amazing to see how Heavenly Father answers all of our prayers!!!

We also have an amazing investigator, Titus, that wants to be baptized soon! Last Monday while we were out walking, he pulled over and said hi to us! He had just finished work. That was such an amazing thing for us to have someone we are teaching come up and say hi! He is seriously so friendly and is like our friend!! We are so blessed to know Titus! He is also teaching us!!! As we taught him the Plan of Salvation this week, we would share with him scriptures from the Book of Mormon and he would then share scriptures with us from the Bible that went right along with it! He is a champ! 

 

It always amazes me how God works! He puts peoples names into our mind to see--it's just our thoughts, and then we go and check on them and they are home, they really needed to talk to us, etc.  I can't ever get over how aware he is of each of us individually!!

This week for preparation day we had the opportunity to go to Arlington National Cemetery. It is amazing over there! There is definitely a spirit there. As I was pondering as to why the spirit is so strong there, I realized that each and every one of these men or women had sacrificed for our country. And this scripture came to my mind: John 15:13
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

That is truly what we should all be doing--sacrificing our time, talents, even our life sometimes, to help others to be free and to know that they are loved!  I'm so grateful for my Savior's perfect example of that!

It truly is amazing to be here on a mission!!!! Words can't express how grateful I am to be here. I'm grateful I've had the opportunity to serve...and we all can, whether we are a missionary or not!! God has a great work for all of us to do!

Love you all!
Sister Udall

So much to say and do, so little time!!!

October 28, 2014

Hello!

It was a crazy Monday last week, and the week flew by! Sorry it has been a little while since I've written. But these past two weeks have been great! We have had a really good time teaching the gospel and spreading the GOOD NEWS!!! Since there is so much to tell all of you, I'm only going to touch on some of the highlights of the past two weeks. Some fun things, and also some really neat lessons that I've learned. 

How about a few fun things first!!

We got to go to the Great Falls National Park today! It is beautiful with all the Fall leaves. While there, I thought to myself, "How am I so lucky to live in this beautiful world!"  Heavenly Father has given me everything. Absolutely everything! And even given us beautiful things to look at...and such a wide variety. I'm amazed. 

Sister Udall and her companions at Great Falls.

We also had one of our ward Halloween Parties.  It was a lot of fun and our ward had invited so many people!It was really fun! 

Sister Udall and her companions dressed up as the fairies from Sleeping Beauty.  Sister Merryweather, Sister Flora, and Sister Fauna.

And a miracle from Sunday!! It was the primary program in both wards. We were excited for all the kiddoes to perform.  One sister walked into the chapel and said, "Sisters, I invited so many people to come, but no one said they would for sure." She was bummed. I know that this sister invites her friends to things all the time.  Well, five minutes later this lady and her daughter walk into church and someone said that they were visiting. She was friends with this one sister!  Someone came! And she enjoyed church! She stayed for the whole thing and said that everyone was really nice and friendly. What a wonderful miracle!! I was so happy for her!

We also had a General Authority from the church come and speak with us on Monday (yesterday). What he said was very inspiring! He didn't have an "agenda" for the day. He said that we would create the agenda. He asked us all to write down questions that we had, or things that we hope to get out of the meeting.  Well, I wrote down a few questions, and I had a few more in the back of my  mind that I didn't write down.  By the end of the meeting, ALL of them were answered. The Spirit had touched my hearts at different times and comforted me.  I can't describe it adequately in words what I felt. But I know that God hears and answers my questions, concerns, and doubts. When we go into church with a question or a concern, I know He can touch our hearts. He did mine! 

So here is my little challenge to each one of you: Next Sunday, come to church with a question, concern, or even a hope of what you will get out of church.  I know that God will touch your heart and help you to understand what you need to know. The Spirit will help you know through the thoughts or feelings you have in church. So make your own agenda for church next Sunday! 

I'm so grateful for the Holy Ghost! He is like my best friend! And I really don't think there is a greater gift we can be given!

I love you all!
Sister Udall

Two companions, Two areas, and One transfer left!!

October 13, 2014

Well, this is the start of what is going to be a GREAT transfer!! I was so shocked and surprised when I was put in a trio and covering two areas...one of which was my very first area.  How could life get any better!!! This was such a life lesson for me! I've had what I thought would be the "ideal" way to end my mission. But that was not really the ideal way to end it. Heavenly Father knew that I needed to be here in Great Falls/McLean 2nd with my two sweet companions! Oh, and speaking of companions...I have Sister Deaver and Sister Cordner! They are both sweethearts. Always thinking of others and having a good time. I'm so lucky that we have this opportunity to be together. I don't know how else to put into words how excited I am to be here!!

At church on Sunday I felt like I was coming home! It was neat to see everyone from the Great Falls ward again. But don't worry; I'm not too comfortable, because I have a whole new ward to get to know as well.

Thursday we got to watch "Meet the Mormons" It was so good! If you haven't watched it, WATCH IT!! I came away from it thinking, I want to do good everywhere I go! It was so inspiring! We all have goodness that we need to share with others!

On Saturday, we got to see a band play, National Tribute.  They play church music, don't worry! For one of the songs they asked all the missionaries to come up. It was neat. We got to sing about us...missionaries and how we are here to serve Heavenly Father!! Our investigator Jason came with us and loved it!

I know that we are doing a great work! And I know that God has our BEST interests in mind, even thought the change might not seem like it is really our best interest.

I love you all!

Have a great week!

Sister Udall

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!!!

October 7, 2014

So I have so many things that have happened in the past week, and a lot of pictures to go with it as well!! I hope everyone enjoys this past week of my mission in pictures this week!!

 

So last Monday we went to Mt Vernon on our Preparation day! It is amazing to feel the Spirit that is there. George Washington was a very inspired man that loved God!

 

Us sitting on George's back porch looking at the Potomac River...so beautiful!

 

(These are George Washington's teeth...they aren't wooden!)

I also got to go on a great exchange with Sister Christensen! She is amazing!

We also did a lot of prep for Brian's baptism...and then Saturday was Brian's baptism!! The Spirit was so strong and we were so happy that he enjoyed it all!! It was such a testimony builder to me that every soul is so precious to Heavenly Father! I just felt God's love there at the baptism. I couldn't stop smiling!!

 

We also had General Conference that same day!!! I love listening to the prophet and the apostles. They always bring so much comfort and joy to my heart!

 

We watched one session with Grandma, a member from Liberya. She fed us African food! Here are some pictures of me eating Peanut Butter soup and Fufu...it's actually really yummy!  

 

Then on Monday night we got to go to the Temple with our investigator Chris.  We watched the Joseph Smith movie and my testimony of Joseph Smith being a prophet was strengthened! I just know God speaks to us today through a prophet. He loves us and wants us to have someone to tell us exactly what we need to hear. God speaks to us today!!!!

 

I just loved how pretty the temple looked at night.

I can't even adequately express in words how much we have been blessed this week. And I know that the Lord is mindful of all of us! He helped us to know who we need to see this past week and when. His timing is incredible!!

Love you all!!!

Sister Udall

"Yes, I know Heavenly Father Loves Me!"

September 29, 2014

So as I look back on my week, this primary song line keeps coming to my mind. "Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me!"  That pretty much sums up my week.  I realized this week that the more we come to know this simple, but sweet, truth, the more we are able to withstand the hard things that come our way in life.  As a missionary, I've been learning little by little, day by day, that God is constantly aware of me and the people that I talk to. He is always mindful. He is always there.  It is my choice to remember Him or not.  

And I've also realized that knowing that I am a daughter of God helps me to treat myself like one, instead of thinking less of myself, or not taking care of myself, or not pushing myself to become a better person. And I'm so grateful that I do have that eternal perspective.  

I'm grateful for the Women's Broadcast that happened last Saturday. If you haven't watched it yet, please do! No matter who you are, you will come to know that you are loved by Heavenly Father. That's that! And we have reason to be so happy :)

I was talking to Brian, our investigator that is getting baptized on Saturday, and he was telling me why he finally decided to get baptized. He has wanted to get baptized for a long time, but he didn't feel that he could live up to the standards.  He told me that once he realized who he truly was, a son of God, and that the negative thoughts and worthless thoughts werent' from God but were from Satan, he knew he could change! And he did! He put his mind to it...and he did it!  He was so happy after his baptismal interview. I hope we all know that we can all change, no matter how hard the change might be. Brian has been a great example to me! He quit smoking after YEARS of smoking. He said he has smoked longer than anyone he has ever known.  I'm so grateful that I've had the privledge to get to know him. He has taught me so much!  

And I have a fun accomplishment of my own that I want to share (not to brag or anything like that, but just to show that we can do anything we put our mind to.) I accompanied the ward choir in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday!  She needed a pianist and I was the only one that could play. It was a fairly easy song, and I volunteered and practiced and I did it! God really knows my potential more than I do. So remember to not doubt yourself! You can do anything that you put your mind to! :)

Hopefully my thoughts made sense!! I'm so grateful that we have these simple truths and that we get to listen to a prophet speak next Saturday.  I can't wait! I especially can't wait to feel the love that God has for us through the messages of conference. :) 

Happy Monday!!! Make it a great day! 

Love,

Sister Udall