I am so blessed...GO and DO!

Hello Family!!

Happy 21st Birthday Rachel!

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes! And the presents.....I am too spoiled! I AM SO BLESSED!  It has been a wonderful birthday so far!  After this letter we are headed to Washington DC for the day! I am excited.  We get to take the Metro, look at some sights, etc.  It is supposed to be a hot day, but bring it on! I can't wait!  We both (Sister Hansen and I) have never been to DC, so we thought it would be smart to take a member with us to be our tour guide.  So we are going with Bethany Hartt, the one that sent the picture last week.  I will let you know all about that later!  But I attached a picture of my "birthday outfit" that you sent me! And I am in front of the Davis's house (the member's home that we live at).  Sorry all of my pictures are so lame.  I know that I need to be better, I just always forget!

But some fun little things I keep forgetting to tell you about...

Brother Davis makes these Chocolate Ice Cream Sodas.  They are like root beer floats, but with chocolate soda instead of root beer.  They are so good, and he has offered us them at least 3 times this week.  He is so sweet! We have only taken him up on the offer once, but hopefully again soon!

Bambi

The Davis' also have a little circular driveway, so that is my little "track" that I run on in the morning.  It is super little, but still great to get out and exercise!  This morning, there was a deer that was probably 15 feet away from me while I was running.  Every time I would go by, she would just look up at me.  Oh, and the really blurry picture of the deer, that is what I get to look at while I am studying.  It's really pretty up here! 

I have gotten a couple big bug bites already! I'm sure I will get plenty more, but let summer begin!

This week was great, once again!  We were able to find another investigator.  He is 92 years old, and a genius! Oh, and his name is Bob, and he apparently worked for Senator "Mo" Udall.  He recognized my name :) Bob has such a faith in God and has the neatest conversion story to go with it!   He has taught a bible study class for 50 years, so he knows the Bible really well...kinda intimidating, but I know that I have a testimony of this gospel.  That brings me such great comfort and strength!  Our two lessons with him this week were really long because he talks a lot, but with patience and love I hope he will truly recognize that we are representatives of Jesus Christ and have a SPECIAL AND UNIQUE message that will improve his relationship with Heavenly Father even more!   He did read the pamphlet that we gave him about the Restoration and had questions!  That's exciting, because he kept the committment we gave him!  One story that he has brought up a couple of times is that he has been praying about a water project that he has been working on.  He doesn't know how to fix the problem, and feels like he hasn't received an answer.  I don't think he knows how or hasn't really felt like God has answered his prayers before, or is not answering this one at least!  I think that maybe helping him receive an answer to his prayers will help him progress in his faith.  He also has the sweetest wife! She has alzheimerz (sp?), but you can tell that they love each other so much! TOO SWEET!! 

We also had a really wonderful experience this Sunday.  We checked on a former investigator, Kayla.  When we opened the door she let us in and then said that when her phone rings she has to take the call, but she wanted us to stay.  The phone rang as soon as she had invited us in, so we just sat there waiting and wondering what was going on.  Then she came back in and let us know that we had come at THE PERFECT TIME! She said that she felt that God had sent us here. WELL HE DID!!  And she wanted us to pray with her.  She is going through a lot.  Her daughter is in Tanzania on a service project, but she is going through some rough stuff.  So Kayla is really worried about her daughter.  I could only imagine being worried about your daughter who is soooo far away!! We shared John 14:27 with her about peace.  That was actually something that President Riggs had talked about at Zone Conference this week.  I love that so much because as we rely on Christ, we receive a peace that can't come from anywhere else.  It is unlike the peace of the world and I LOVE THAT! That means that we can have that peace with us whenever...even during the hardest times, not just when life is calm and without contention, etc. But Kayla was so grateful for us coming over, and I am just so grateful that the Lord is so mindful of each and every one of us.  Prayers are always answered. And in unexpected ways as well!!

I am so excited and love the work more and more every day!!!!  The broadcast last night was another reminder about how much we need to show the members that we want to help THEM, not them help us. This is their ward that we are strengthening.  These are their friends and their loved ones!  Bishop Richardson came up to us after the meeting and said that in the combined Priesthood/Relief Society meeting next week he wants to get all the members to write down 10 names that they can share the gospel with!  The work in Great Falls will be moving along very soon!  I am just praying that I will be a worthy missionary that can help all of their friends learn more about this wonderful gospel!  During the broadcast last night I just felt such a urgency to LOVE everyone and let them know what a blessing this gospel can be in thier lives! And I also had such a strong impression that this next generation, the youth right now, the little kiddos, and even my kids and being prepared for such a MARVELOUS and WONDERFUL WORK!! I just can't even imagine what great things will come because of it! (And I know that I have been prepared because of all the wonderful teachers, friends, and family that I have!)  But I know that the Lord has confidence in all of us as we look to him and prepare.  Something this week that has really comforted me is knowing that WE CANNOT MESS THIS WORK UP!! So  just GO AND DO--open up your mouth and share the gospel!!! Let them know how much it has blessed your life and show them that you do it because you love them! Faith and action is all it takes!  I know that that seems easy on paper, but it will take a lot of work, patience, diligence, and perseverance.  I know that the Lord is CONFIDENT in EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US MEMBERS (new, old, experiences, inexperienced, etc.) because He has asked that ALL OF US go and share the gospel!  So I am going to keep on working at doing my part!!! So keep up the work wherever you may be...it all makes a difference, every little bit! (John 4: 35-38)

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Sister Udall

PS If anyone didn't get to watch the Broadcast, WATCH IT! It was AMAZING!!! You're missing out if you didn't see it!