The work is hastening

March 10, 2014

So this week was CRAZY!!!

Glenda is baptized too!!! It is just so happy!!! As one member of our ward put it, "I could feel the heavens rejoicing saying, One more!!"  It was so neat to hear that from a member who had attended the baptism.  Glenda was really happy and she has so much faith! We showed her a video of President Monson bearing his testimony (on our new iPads) and then she bore hers saying that "I have no doubt he is a prophet."  There are so many people out there searing and wanting to find more in their lives.  Both Mary Ethel and Glenda have told us that they feel happier and that they wanted more. When they heard the gospel it was familiar to them and felt so right!! The spirit works in miraculous ways and is preparing the hearts of so many people!! I love it!!!

So my favorite scripture of the week is...Doctrine and Covenants 88:73

 

"Behold, I will hasten my work in its time." 

 

There are so many parts of that scripture that I love!!

First of all...we got iPads as a mission!! It is so crazy to think that the Lord has given us these as tools to share the gospel.  It has been neat to share videos with others and to pull up talks on it.  I have seen so many miracles from it already and I haven't even had it a week.

 

When we got the iPads we watched  a video from President Monson that talked about how as we share the gospel with faith, the Lord will work with us and we will see miracles! I loved that! So I decided to put all of my trust in this new tool we are given and just start using it! It is scary, but it is working!! So we can all do scary things!

 

And then I had this other feeling that I knew that I was supposed to be sharing the gospel in Washington DC using this iPad at this time. It was wierd. I started crying.  Oh my. haha But I just know that God is preparing me to be the missionary he wants me to be. And God can prepare all of us to be better tools in his hands.  He can do so much with us if we are jsut willing. 

 

And the last thing I wanted to share is that this work will go forth "in its time". I need to remember that and be patient, but also see the miracles that are happening right now. We are living in such an amazing time!!! It's so great!!!!!!!

 

I we all remember how much our Heavenly Father knows us and loves each and every one of us!! We are all so precious in his sight!! His work is MARVELOUS!!!

Love, Sister Udall

Baptism!

March 5, 2014

So this week was a fantastic one!!!!  Mary Ethel was baptized last Saturday! It was a really happy day for everyone involved.  The Spirit just spoke peace and happiness to my heart. I think I was smiling so much that it hurt.  And Mary Ethel said that she was smiling so much that she had check cramps.  It was too cute!! So at the baptism we got to sing "He Sent His Son". That was a nerve racking but also fun experience.  And after she was baptized, she said, "I did it!" It was so cute!! She was so happy.  And then a sister from our ward asked if she could bear her testimony.  She said that she felt the same feeling at this baptism as she had felt as she held each of her children for the first time.  She said that she felt so much joy! And she knew that they joy she felt was just like the joy that Heavenly Father has for each and every single one of us when we make the sacred covenant of baptism with Him and start on our journey back to him.  It was such a neat experience to be there!!

And on Sunday, Mary Ethel was confirmed.  Something really neat was that while she was being confirmed, there was the faint sound of the elders from the other ward in the Cultural hall/gym singing "Called to Serve".  It was so neat because it was a missionary song being sung during her blessing.  And I just felt that this was a precious child of God that is becoming a member of his church and going to do so much good in his kingdom! I know that Mary Ethel will be a missionary to so many!! She even invited 3 friends to her baptism that came and they loved it!!

And sadly I forgot my camera, so I don't have any pictures. 

 

But happy news is we have another baptism on Saturday! It's Glenda's baptism.  She is so excited and cannot wait to be baptized!

 

We had some more snow.  And so on Monday we couldn't use our car. So therefore, we couldn't come to the library to email. So that's why this is so late.  We had a good time though staying inside on preparation day watching the snow fall outside and being inside our nice warm apartment.

 

Oh...and I had two amazing miracles this week!!!  So the first. I got new glasses that I had ordered last Monday.  And they said they would be ready to pick up sometime within the week. So on Friday they called and said they were ready. At first I thought it could wait until Monday. We had so much to do.  But then Sister Taylor and I both felt like we needed to go Saturday and pick them up.  So we did.  And I'm so grateful that we did because Monday it snowed and I would not have been able to get my glasses until today.  So definitely a tender mercy!!  And then miracle #2 is that I lost my nametag in a Safeway. I just figured, oh well it's gone and I'll order a new one. Well on Sunday, a member walked up to me and handed me my nametag!!! She said that her husband found it in a grocery cart!!! Think out of all the carts and of all the grocery stores and of all the people to find it, a member of my ward found my nametag!! And he recognized my name too!! haha That was a fun miracle!! So I know the Lord watches over all of us!!!

I  love you all and hope you are having a great week!!

Remember that the Lord loves each and every one of us!!

 

Love,

Sister Udall

Hello Family!

February 24, 2014

So this week was wonderful and so busy!! I don't know where the time went or what we did. But we were really busy!!! We did a lot of wonderful and fun things too!!

Monday we went into Old Town Alexandria and ate at a cupcake shop.  That was fun. And it happened to be the parade for George Washington's Birthday. We didn't stay for that, but it was really fun!   We also had dinner with a family in our ward, and they said that one of the doors we had knocked on while tracting was their family friends! We had given their son a Book of Mormon! That just helped me realize that I am doing my job! And the Lord has a purpose for everything we do. Even if we don't ever find it out. That was a tender mercy!

 

Tuesday we had Zone Conference. Oh my!   That was so amazing! I think I already shared that scripture with you that I found in practice teaching in my last email.  That was definitely a miracle for me! This week we have been teaching the members the lessons as well. And it is so fun to teach families! I can't wait to find more families that want to hear about the gospel! There is such a spirit there as we teach families about God's plan for them!! 

 

Wednesday we got to talk to our investigator's brother! We have tried one or twice before, but never found him home.  So this time he was home! And we shared with him about the Restoration and the First Vision. I felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness as we were telling him that the Book of Mormon is God's witness to us that this is His church on the earth once more. We don't have to be confused by the many translations of the Bible because there is a prophet on the earth today and a book of scripture that has not been translated so many times and lost the "plain and precious parts". I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that God loves us always.  No matter when we lived or what circumstances we live in. He loves us all!  Oh, and another cool thing that happend as we were talking to this man...In Zone Conference the day before President Riggs had asked us to study how the Book of Mormon answers the "Questions of the Soul".  So that morning I did.  And I pick what I thought was a so random one, but I studied it anyways. The question was "How can I balance my family and my career?"  Well, as this man was talking to us he was expressing how frustrated he was with taking care of his dad, but wishing that he had been a millionaire so that he wouldn't have to and he could hire someone to do it.  Well, I then felt a small voice say to me "that's why you studied that topic!" So I told him to read 3 Nephi 13.  I pray he does!! I wrote the question down and everything!! So that was a really neat experience that Heavnely Father prepares us as we are willing to put the time into it.  We were also on an exchange that day! I was with Sister Richards...but sadly I didn't get a picture with her! She is so great!!!

 

Thursday was the busiest day EVER!! Oh my goodness!! I wish I could send a picture of my planner with this!! It was so crazy! We had something going on every hour of the day.  We were exhausted by the end of the day.  We had lunch at Costco with a member and a lady she visit teaches.  I love visiting teaching...it is amazing!! And it is the way that Heavenly Father has set up for all of us to be watched over.  SO it is great!  We also got to teach lots of members! We made a puzzle for a little girl that we teach.  (And the funny thing is that the puzzle was made in a bakery before the lesson while we had our "snack"...There wasn't really time for dinner. Oops!  ) The lesson was on keeping the commandments and each puzzle piece had a commandment on the back of it.  So when you put the puzzle together it is a picture of Christ.  We become more christlike when we keep the commandments.  Somehow in all of my busyness I have made visual aids and such. I think it helps me relax. And then we went to the Temple Visitor's center with Glenda!!  That was really fun and Glenda is so excited to be baptized! We had a really good time!!

Friday we went to a funeral for a man in our ward.  His wife has been taught by missionaries before. What I loved most about it was that it was truly a celebration of his life. Because we will see him again! And that helped me out.  The Bishop had this really good poem that he sent us, so I need to get that somehow.  It was so good!!!

 

Saturday we participated in the Stake's "Mini MTC" activity.  And we taught Mary Ethel. She is so excited to be baptized next Saturday!!  We got to go on exchanges with two of the youth in our stake.  They were so sweet!  Sister Taylor and I thought that they weren't having a good time, but they actually did! After the exchange we were in the foyer of the church waiting to leave, and we heard each of these sweet girls bearing their testimonies! That was another tender mercy for us. We were so excited and so happy. The Elders that were with us thought we were crazy, but that's ok!!  They felt the spirit of missinonary work!!  We also had a discussion with some members from the Anglican church.  It was a potential service opportunity but they wanted to "interview" us and see what our doctrines were.  We both felt a little uneasy/nervous about it.  But we went anyways. I felt that we needed to go and stand up for what we belive in.  The whole discussion was a miracle!  We got to share the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration with them.  They listened.  Even though they didn't agree, they did feel that we had a lot of similarities that they hadn't ever realized before. And I was amazed with how we all came together and talked about it.  We bore our testimony and stated what we believed and invited them to learn more. Wow it was quite the experience, and I needed that.  I needed to know that I could stand up for what I believe, even if they weren't going to let us serve with them.  They don't want us to serve with them, but that's ok :) 

 

Sunday we went to church!  And that was great! Both Glenda and Mary Ethel are so excited. They keep telling everyone! That makes me happy to know that they feel joy from coming to church, wanting to be baptized.  It's fun!! It was also beautiful and sunny outside!!  What a blessing!

And today is beautiful and sunny as well!!

Have a good day!

 

Love you all!!
Sister Udall

Be faithful in Christ

February 19, 2014

It has been quite the week, but such a good one!!! There has been so much to do it's been great!  On Thursday it snowed a ton!!!! About a foot. So we just walked around our apartment complex and met lots of people and talked to them. That was really fun!! And we were wet and cold, and everyone looked at us like we were crazy, but we didn't care. We were really happy and having a good time. 

I guess we are a really happy companionship.  One of our investigators said, well you both are really happy!! That made us laugh. It's true, we are both so excited about the gospel!!

Sorry this is going to be sooo short! But I wanted to share a scripture that really helped me yesterday.  So we had Zone Conference yesterday and it had lightly snowed. I don't know why I was so stressed that morning but I was.  Then we were practice teaching and reading in the Book of Mormon. As I was teaching, I looked at the page I was opened up to and the line "My son, be faithful in Christ" really caught me. As I read the whole thing, it really helped me calm down.  And I love this so much!!

 

Moroni 9:25-26

 

25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto^adeath; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and ^blong-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your ^cmind forever.

 26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the ^aright hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.

 

Just remember that we chose to be happy and Christ is always there to offer hope and peace!
Love you lots!
Sister Udall

February 12, 2014

I had the blessing of having 3 companions in one week!! It was an amazing experience to get to know 3 sisters in such a short period of time. So many friends! I'm so blessed!! Blessings always come out of unexpected experiences!!

So I got to spend a few days in the Spanish program. We worked both in my area and in the Hermana's area.  It was so fun!! If I was lucky, I could understand most of what was being said. And that was usually during the lesson part.  The spirit was able to let me know what they were talking about.  So that was really cool!! And I got to eat lots of food! Oh man, do they eat! We also had these really cute little girls play with our hair and they wanted us to wear their sunglasses.  Sadly I don't have a picture of that.  I also got to go out with a few sisters in my ward so we could just work in our ward. I learned so much from them. That was another blessing.  Going on a mission, I just have so many friends now!!!!

Sister Udall and Sister Taylor

And then I got my companion Sister Taylor!!! She is awesome!! I love her so much!! She is so sweet and thoughtful.  I had forgotten my jacket in the Hermanas car, and they had already left, so she gave me her jean jacket to wear for a little while. And she never ever stops serving me. She's great!!

And we also got to go to the temple today!! What a blessing that was!! There is such a peace at the temple. I love it!! Even through there was a lot of traffic and such, it was totally worth every minute of traffic.  I want to make it a goal to go to the temple often throughout my life.  It was just such a peaceful time. There really is a little bit of heaven on earth!!
Things are going well otherwise. I'm still in Mt Vernon and loving every minute of it!!! 

I feel that I have been so blessed with so many friends.  The other day our mission president told us that "I hope you never meet a stranger".  That is my motto now. Never meet a stranger.  We are all brothers and sisters, and we can all learn and help one another. We are all friends!!!!

Love you all!! And have a wonderful week!!!

Sister Udall

Changes Galore!

February 3, 2014

Hello there!!!

 

Well I haven't ever started off a letter quite like this ever before.....right after I'm done writing this, I am going to drop off my companion at the mission office and then be with two sweet sweet Hermanas until Thursday. That is transferrs. So what that means is that...Sister Nowels got her visa and is going to Brazil!!!

 

We got the phone call Wednesday night, and that was right after we had just been brainstorming how we were going to tell President that we should stay together. Well, that is defnitiely what the Lord had in store for either of us!!!

 

So we have really been making sure that Sister Nowels gets off to the airport this week. But in the midst of all of that, there have been so many miracles!!

We taught this wonderful and sweet lady who was really open to the gospel.  We also helped a less active quit smoking!! That was really exciting!! One of our investigators came to church...which he rarely ever does!!  We also had so many people to visit. And I just love all of them!!!

 

One other miracle was that I got a priesthood blesing!! And that really helped calm down all of the nerves that I had about the changes that are happening. So I know that the Lord will support us and give us peace through these times of change.  They are times of change for our benefit.  I'm so grateful for that!! I can't wait to see what all of the amazing times await me!!!!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful week!! I know that the Lord comforts us and watches out for us during hard times and trials!!

Love,

Sister Udall

Never suppress a generous thought!

January 27, 2014

Hello!!!!

 

Well, so many great things happened this week!!! I don't even know what to say!!!

 

Well we had a last-minute mission conference and Elder S Gifford Nielson of the Seventy came!!!!! (EXCLAMATION POINT)

It was so wonderful and great.  There were so many wonderful things that were said. But what really stuck out to me was that we cannot waste one moment on our missions!! This is my time to prepare and to learn, to grow, and to come closer to my Savior.  And that we are here to meet others and to touch thier lives!! Oh it was such a neat and sweet experience.  I felt so at peace and so happy to be sitting there!!

 

Something really neat was that he shared with us HIS experiences that he has had since putting into practice what he talked about at General Conference. His talk is called Hastening the Lord's Game Plan!

 

It was so touching to hear how his testimony had grown as he prayed and then went out and shared the gospel with others!!! He said something along the lines of, those people are now my dear friends!! So when we pray for missionary opportunities, we are praying for Heavenly Father to bless us with more dear friends!!!

 

I can just add to that!! I know that I have made so many dear dear friends out here as I serve them!! This week we are helping someone quit smoking!! Oh my, I can say that I love her so much and I want her to succeed. She is so dear to me! I even lost sleep over it becasue I want her to succeed.  (I think I might have also cuaght a glimpse into motherhood haha)

 

I know that as we are living the gospel and sharing it with others, we are opening our hearts up and developing so many dear friendships!!

 

And another talk that I read that was so wonderful!!! Is from Elder Eyring, "To My Grandchildren".  That talk was wonderful because it helped me realize that God knows each and every one of us!! And he has placed certain people in our lives to always love us and help us along this mortal journey. 

I know that this letter was quite intersting, but these two talks and Elder Neilson's example really left an impression on my heart.

 

We have seen so many miracles this week and I have really seen how much God loves each and every one of us!!! Even if it was just a kind compliment that someone gave to me, that answered my prayers.  So I am a firm believer in never suppressing a generous thought :)

 

Love you all!!! You are in my prayers and I know that the Lord is watching out over all of us, no matter how insignificant we may seem!!!

 

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God"

Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

 

Love,

Sister Udall