Positive Affirmations! They work!

March 18, 2014

It was a good week!! 

We went to another baptism this week for a little girl that I taught. She is 8 and her parents are members, but her mom asked the sisters, us, to teach her the lessons! It was so fun and I loved every minute of it! I feel like I learned so much from this family!!  It was neat becasue the Primary President asked us to teach the lesson of the Restoration while she was getteing changed.  And it went great!  She had invited a friend who wasn't a member. She is really involved in her other church, but she came up to us and told us how touched she was by our remarks. And she said that she really liked her first experience in a Mormon church! So cool! So just invite others! They will love the experience they have. It was so neat to hear that.

 

So this was the week of positive affirmations!!! My life has been changed. That's a pretty big statement, but it's true. 

 

We had a Sisters Conference this week! We had all the sisters come together in our mission and hear great inspired words. This is where the positive affirmations came from.

 

 I have always felt that I'm pretty positive, but I tend to be positive about everyone else and negative towards myself. But that's not good at all!! And apparently Sister Riggs felt a need to talk about positive thoughts to the whole mission.  So I wanted to share what I learned with you!!

When we have a negative thought it leads to a negative action. Negative actions lead to negative habits, and so on...  So that was so neat to think that it is just a habit that we can get rid of. It will be hard, but we can all overcome habits!! 

And on the flip side of things, positive thoughts lead to positive actions, which lead to positive habits!!!! Yay!

 

So what I have decided to do is to make all my goals positive statements. For example, "I am healthy." or "I write in my journal every night." And it is working quite well. I just feel a difference than just saying, I want to write in my journal every night. I get down when I think about that. But when I have that statement and visualize myself writing in my journal every night, it helps! Simple examples, but the principle is the same. And I decided that simplicity is key. So I don't have too many goals that I'm working on all at once.  My overall goal is one word: STRENGTHEN.  That is my goal for this year, for my mission, etc. It was a suggestion that they gave us to help us not feel so overwhelmed. And guess what? I had already picked a word and was practicing that principle.  I did it for 2013 too. My word was COURAGE. And I had the courage to come out on a mission and do hard things!!   Anyways, I tell you all of this because setting goals has been a concern for me lately and it was really getting me down. So this conference was an answer to my prayers! If nothing else in this letter makes sense, remember that God answers our prayers! :)

 

The next thing that they talked about was "Mindfulness". It is something that counselors teach I guess. But it is so good! When we are truly mindful of our surrounding and focusing on the present time and the things going on around us right now, we become more able to act.  Our agancy, or ability to choose increases.  I have noticed that when I am more mindful of what is happening right here and right now I am more able to receive inspiriation from the Spirit. And I have also noticed that it has helped me to notice what I can do to serve others. 

 

So that is all that I have to say about that meeting.  It was so great!I hope this all makes sense!  I know that God wants me to make goals and to move forward in strengthening others, but it does take time.  I always have to remember patience. :)

 

We also had Stake Conference this week.  And it was regional, so it was a big deal.  We had one of our investigators come. He is so sweet and nice! He dressed up and looked just like a member!  It was really great! 

 

I don't know what else to say. I might be transferred. Transfers are this week, so we will see! I get the call tonight!!

 

I love being a missionary! I have just been loving every minute of it lately!

I hope you are all doing well! I appreciate all the letters and sweet notes I get from you! You help me through the hard times!

 

Love you all!!
Sister Udall

"Moutains to Climb"

March 24, 2014

This week has been absolutely amazing!! I have learned so much. There has been a lot of change in my heart, surroundings, etc. But I love it all!!

And I love being a missionary!! I feel that I always say that. But it's true. I love being able to serve someone. To be an answer to someone's prayer. I just love that we can/are the answer to others prayers because we are trying to serve and do God's will!!

So I got transferred!!

But right before I got transferred, I got one phone call in particular from a sister that we had been meeting with that had stopped coming to church for a while. And I was sad about that.  But I talked to her on the phone the day of transfers and she said that I helped her change her life around and stop smoking. She said she was so grateful for that! That really touched me!!

And I am in a new area now. Centreville, VA! In the Centreville 2nd Ward. It is a great ward. There are so many kids, it's great! So fun. They keep us on our toes!  It is a more suburban area. Not as many cars, not as much traffic. The ward is so great!! It has been a great couple days here already!

We have seen great miracles!!

This is one of them..

We were getting into our car, and Sister Anderson decided to try and talk to a lady walking by us.  She was walking really fast, but she stopped to talk.  She loves Mormons and said that if she wasn't born Catholic, she would have been a Mormon. She was so nice and cute! Then she just asked if we could pray for her because she was going through a divorce.  And she was worried about a lot of things. We bore our testimonies with her and shared the Mormon Message "Mountains to Climb" on our ipads.  She loved it so much! She has such great faith! And we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon as well.  She said that when she had left the house to go on a walk her heart was so heavy. She said that it felt better now.  Oh my! What a miracle!!! Just think if we had assumed she was in a hurry and hadn't stopped to talk to her!! Oh my!!

I know that we are in specific places and with specific people for a reason. And we all can make a difference. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ and there are so many that need it right now. They are going through hard times, and as we just love them and share with them our testimonies, they will know that we are an answer to their prayers!!

Here is the link to the video we showed her! It has helped me get through all that has been happening lately!!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-channel-daily/198?v=2176618422001

I know we all have hard times and challenges. Those are our mountains.  I know I have felt like there have been a lot of mountains in my life lately. But I do know that as we look to our Savior Jesus Christ, wait patiently, and pray and read the scriptures to seek revelation from our Heavenly Father, we find peace and joy along the hard journey!!  I've felt that peace so much in the last couple months!!

And I love my new companion Sister Anderson! She is so great!! And she is also a head taller than me! We both laugh about that a lot! And cool fact: We were both trained by Sister Hansen!!! :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!
Sister Udall

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