Hello Fam and Friends!
Long, fast, hard, great, full, pushing, rewarding, emotional, normal week as a missionary...
We got started off with a wonderful message from our new prophet, President Russel M. Nelson. We were so blessed to be able to view that as missionaries this past Tuesday. Wasn't it just great? I repeat my invitation that was given last week to you all to take it upon yourself to receive a witness from the Holy Ghost regarding our new First Presidency. What a great blessing to be entitled to those answers. The Lord's work will go on. President Russel M. Nelson is the Lord's annointed. I bear my testimony of his calling, and of the keys he holds that help to build the kingdom of God on the earth!
Emma Martinez is the highlight of this week. We taught her twice this week! First we taught her some of the commandents which was an awesome lesson. We have been having all of her lessons in Sammy Johnson's home. Sammy's mom is the RS president and she is amazing. Emma and Sammy are like sisters. Emma pretty much lives there as well due to her family situation. And we have been in really close contact with Sammy's parents regarding Emma and her family situation. And just in case I forgot to mention last time, Emma's mom gave permission for her to be taught, but not permission to be baptized. (yet:)) Anyways, Emma is progressing and progressing fast! Her and Sammy tear through chapters on the BOM daily and attend young womens every week. Emma is one of those "Mormon but not" Investiagtors:)
Because all of this is happening we decided to go over to the Emma's house (w/out Emma knowing) to talk to her mom. We were quite nervous and had no idea what to expect. But we thought about it, discussed it, prayed about, discussed it some more, and then prayed some more…and then we were a go. Let's just say the spirit was there. She invited us in, so that was the key! We sat down and spent the first 20 minutes just building (trust) a relationship and getting to know her personally. They ALL come from a Catholic background, including Emma. Anyways as time went on the Spirit flowed and luckily the conversation flowed with it. We did some HTBT with her along with showing her the Prince of Peace video. We also expressed our sincere grattitude for allowing us to teach her daughter. We emphasized what we do as missionaries but most importantly WHY we do what we do. To make this long story just a little shorter, at the end she completely flipped her opinion, and said that if Emma has a desire to be baptized that "she would be okay with it" and that "she would support her"…Boom! We ended up spending about 50 minutes with her! And at the end I kinda threw at her how we evenually want to teach her and she smiled at me and said “Not yet”...haha inside I was like "Perfect". Then we left! It surpassed our expectations in every way.
After all of this we had our second lesson with Emma this week yesterday and we taught Baptism. Samy along with another friend were all there. it was so powerful. So mnay great comments were made. The spirit was there and throught it all you couldn't slap the smile off my face. She knows it's true. She commited to talk to her mom about it before we meet again on Tuesday. Please, Please pray for this girl and her mom. Miracle time!
I would just like to close with my testimony that Jesus Christ lives and that he leads his church. He is at the head of all that we do. Whatever questions or concerns you may be having I invite you to please doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. I know that in the midst of all our weakness, faults and stupidity, God STILL qualifies those whom he has called. I speak from very personal expierince. I feel like the brother of Jared right now here in Thousand Oaks, when the Lord instructed him to "Go to work and build". Don't you just love that? I bear testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost. This is the power that moves us to make changes in our lives, to bring our lives into alignment with the will of God. That is what it means to progress. To create real change in one's life, we need the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
I love being a missionary more than anything right now.
Love, Elder Judd
A note from the mom:
Recently we had a new missionary join our branch at the MTC. He was from American Fork, and when he saw our tags, he asked us if we knew Benji. When we told him we were his parents, he smiled and had an interesting look in his eye.
A few weeks later, before he left for the field, he pulled Gary aside and said he needed to tell him a story. These are his words:
“I struggled with depression as long as I can remember. I was bullied in elementary school and junior high, and it didn’t stop in high school. Benji was always nice to me. He was friends with some of the guys who bullied me, but he always told them to knock it off if he ever saw it. It got really bad for me. I started cutting myself. I decided I wanted to take my life. I was sitting in math class cutting ‘I HATE MYSELF’ into my arms with a xacto knife. Benji was in my class. He saw me and my arms, and talked to me for a while. The next day a counselor from the school called me in and told me someone had talked to them about me. It was the first time a counselor showed serious interest in my problems, as I had talked to them before. They helped me start to get the help I needed. I know it was Benji who told them. He kinda saved my life.”
We remember Benji coming home from school one night, and telling us about this boy and his arms. We encouraged him to tell the counseling office at school, but to my embarrassment, that was as far as we followed up. I’m relieved and grateful that the school followed thru in this situation, and just as important, that Benji was kind when it counted.
We see and hear of miracles like this sometimes at the MTC. We are grateful that out of all the branches at the MTC, this elder came to ours, and that we were able to hear this story and share it with Benji. And we are grateful this good elder is able and willing to serve, and know he will do great things. The Lord is merciful and kind, and we are very grateful.
