Exchanges, chickens, and frogs

Dear Fam and Friends,

Well, we had another wet one here in ATOWN. Haha I don' know if I have ever been abel to say that my whole mission! We're here in farm country and just like I said before, all these old men have been praying for rain. And they are getting it! It's so beautiful. Heavenly Father truly did give us a good one, everything is so green.:) 

It's been so wet that the frogs are even coming out. Haha this past week Elder Cannon and I ran into two diffrent ones! The first was sitting on our PI's door, and the other just on a member's driveway. We had a fun time with the little guys.

We had two exchanges this week with the other Atascadero Elders. On Tuesday I was with Elder Jarman in A1. We had quite the rainy day, filled with puddle jumping and miracles to add the "Splash"! We found 3 SOLID PI's. And set 3 return appointments with them. So that's 3 New in the book, thanks to God above. 

On Saturday I was with Elder Riches in A2. (my area) It was a blast. From now on we are part time chicken hunters🐓...Haha so we were driving a good distance back towards our apartment. Then out of nowhere a member calls us to see if we could go jump over her fence, and rescue her chicken that she had forgot to put back in her pen. And so we were on it! Over the phone she was telling us that we needed to flap our arms like a bird and say "Here chick chick chick chick"and so we did! While it took some diligence we got the job done. #savethechicken

We had a couple of really good lessons with our Investigators this week so that was a blessing. Al and Joan are progressing a lot and are so so close! They know they need to give up coffee and they want to. They just need to take that step. But remember we are "Threshers of the Nation." Meaning it takes time which requires Pateince + Faith. 

In helping them have this desire to give up coffee, get married and be baptized is how General Conference is a miracle sent from heaven. They are seeing the light on prophets and we are praying and are confident that this weekend with be the crack in the heart they need. PLEASE PLEASE PRAY!

In preparation for this weekend I stumbled across these veres in Ether...

28 "And there came prophets in the land again, crying repentance unto them—that they must prepare the way of the Lord or there should come a curse upon the face of the land; yea, even there should be a great famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did not repent.

29 But the people believed not the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they cast into pits and left them to perish. And it came to pass that they did all these things according to the commandment of the king, Heth."

Here we learn of a very conscious and consistency all through out the Scriptures. (Especially the BOM) 

1. The people are blessed and prosper exceedingly. 

2. They become prideful in their wealth, then great wickedness and abominations arise before the Lord and amongst the people.

3. Prophets are then sent into the Land to Preach Repentance.

4. In this proccess the Prophets are persecuted, rejected, and even killed. 

5. The Lord send a curse or famine in the land. 

6. The people are compelled to be humble, repent of their evil doings, and turn to the Lord and are blessed. 

7. Repeat:)

I pray that all of you who have not yet will pray earnestly, and in faith,  listen intently to know that President Russel M. Nelson is the Lord’s Prophet on the earth today. You are entitled to this witness. Remember this key principle.  These men speak for God. I know that this is true.

Love, Elder Judd

 

 Atascadero companionships

 Frogs!

 Here chick chick chick!

 

March Madness Mission

Well week 1 of this transfer is in the books already! Elder Cannon (Mr. Muscles) is awesome. He adds a sense of energy and excitement to the work, he's a great fit! Plus I like to eat, and he likes to cook so it works out pretty well.

Well this week flew by. We had 4 at church! Al and Joanne, Nikki and Cesar. They all loved it. We were even able to get Al and Joanne along with Cesar to stay for the Gospel Principles class which was a HUGE blessing. In fact I had even prayed specifically for that. It was a miracle indeed. The lesson was on Prophets in preparation for General Conference. The Spirit was so strong, and it left Al balling. They both are progressing day by day. Joan expressed a concern regarding Joseph Smith and how the Book of Mormon is adding to the bible and about how in the bible it tells us not to do that. We let her know of first the importance of voicing that question. We then left her with a really good cliff hanger to get her ready for next lesson. "Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon" will be the topic of our discussion. We are so ready! 

We also want to do all we can to get as many members there as we can. Members are key to conversion. President Kimball taught how our investigators need to come in a "Unity with the Saints". And I also saw the truthfulness of this message as we found Cesar our New Investigator! He is a 33 year old single guy who lives with his mom. We found him tracting week 6 of last transfer. He is a believer who has been doing some soul searching and wants "more". And he found it. We taught him this past week about Jesus Christ. We were able to do some HTBT and also invite him to church. And he came and stayed for all 3 hours! The Elders quorum did a great job at fellowshipping! 

Anyways, as I have been studying the Book of Mormon daily I have been drawn towards the brother of Jared. Aside from the Savior there is probably not a person in all of Holy Writ who had as much faith as the brother of Jared. This is a great lesson of how we can acquire a blessing from the Lord. 

As we go to the Lord seeking divine intervention he will always require us to act first. He has given us a brain, the ability and COMMANDMENT to "act, and not be acted upon". Faith is a principle of Power. The Lord told the brother of Jared you can't do it this way, you can't do it that way, you shouldn't do it this way, and you shouldn't do it that way etc…but he then put it back on the Brother of Jared. He said “ How would you do it". One of the greatest blessings I have acquired will here serving a full- time mission is the eternal truth that we are the creative source behind our own lives. We are the sons and daughters of a creator. I have a testimony that while we are here in this preparatory state, he expects us to create. To get in condition first as the brother of Jared did (Repentance) and then act, then account to the Lord for the blessing. He first was chastened by the Lord, and then according to his acts the Lord remembered mercy. 

Next week we will be combining both A1 and A2 into one. So that should be really exciting. For the first couple months we split the ward with 2 other Elders so that should be good. I love you all and please remember to do those things from day to day that will have Eternal Consequences. 

Love, Elder Judd

 

 They did it!  The Merrell Family did it!

 My Comp, Mr. Muscles

'Threshers of the Nations'

Well another transfer is in the books and I am staying in the Atascadero 2nd ward for number 2!  Man this whole mission thing really does just keep going faster and faster. 

We sure had an eventful week with finding 3 New Investigators and setting 3 New with a date! Lloyd and Rosey Hall, and then Layla. Rosey and Lloyd are both in their 70's and they actually babysit Layla who is 11. They have had her almost everyday for the last little while now. At the beginning of the transfer we first went to see Lloyd because he was originally a Potential. Anyways, we went by and he was actually in bed sick, just recently diagnosed with cancer. So his wife (Rosey) was the one who answered and well we just flat out hit it off with her right there! We set a return appointment for earlier this week and did some solid HTBT with just her... (Lloyd was in bed and Layla was gone).

   

We emphasized Jesus Christ and his role as the Savior. We were actually able to transition into the Prince of Peace (Technology miracle) which left her crying as we bore testimonies of the reality of his merits, mercy and Grace. We then were able to teach her again with Lloyd and Layla! We taught Baptism and Confirmation…the Spirit was there and we went in with a date in mind. They committed to April 21st! Please pray for Lloyds health and that Rosey and Layla will continue to show an enduring desire. We also invited them to church on Sunday. And they came! It was a wonderful sacrament meeting. Lloyd had a bad night with his health so he had to stay home. But Rosey and Layla said they loved and they are "excited for next week!" The Lord is so good. Total we had 5 at church! Al and Joanna committed to pray to find a day in April to get Baptized! So this Wednesday we will know what they have decided!

My new Companion is Elder Cannon. I heard he is a great Elder! Our whole District got flipped flopped quite a lot. So change is coming and a lot of it:) I am so excited to see what this transfer brings. I have a really really good feeling...

Some thoughts I came across as I read these verses in the Doctrine and Covenants...

12 And there are none that doeth good except those who are ready to receive the fulness of my gospel, which I have sent forth unto this generation.13 Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit;14 And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine indignation will I preserve them.

The word "Thresh" is what I want to focus on. This means to "Strike Repeatedly"...Which simply means regarding those who we work that we have to deliver the message more than once. Lasting conversion takes time. We are to thresh the people with the Restoration. And as we do we must remember that it takes time. The Lord's time. I want to bear my testimony that we are laying the foundation of a great work, and that out of small things proceedeth that which is good. 

We are "Threshers of the Nations”. 

Love,

Elder Judd

 

 

 

Atascadero...

Dear Family and Friends,

Nothing to much to report this week other than the Church is still true, California loves Donald Trump, and it rained! Like a lot.

To all three of those questions -  haha!

This week we went on 1 exchange this week with the Paso 2nd Ward Elders so that went well. I was able to go to Paso with Elder Deason and it was so much fun. That kid has grown so much and we had a sweet reunion. IT RAINED ALL DAY...And for the last several months everyone has been praying for rain. (Farm Country our here) and well we got it. It was so fun to get out and Proselyte all day. They are on bikes but Elder Deason has a bike that can't ride in the rain so we hit the streets on foot! Dropped a couple BOM's, found about 4 solid PI's, and were able to set about 2 return appointments. And a stop at McDonald's for lunch sure helped. And we capped off the day with a wonderful lesson with one of their Investigators! What a day!

We also had MLC this week again! Such a good meeting. I was given the assignment to give a 15 minutes discussion on "Preparing effective District Meetings."  So either my meetings are Average or they need some serious work. President Nakken enlightened us just as he does every time. The Spirit was so strong. So many stellar missionaries in one room can make for a pretty uplifting couple of hours. We really have been doing all we can as a Leadership to help all of these missionaries see the importance of these 6-9 hours. Especially when it comes to finding and teaching. The Lord has promised us many blessings as we proselyte "Morning AND NIGHT”.   My Companion and I have already seen the fruit. Please pray that we will continue to FIND.

Many of the people we began teaching we have or are going to drop them. Due to lack of commitment, and priority. "Gather out mine elect"...Is what we are here to do. But it makes me sad.

Just another quick shout out to my nephew, Henry!  Little man received his blessing this past Sunday. Well it looks like I have offically been replaced. :)

Love, Elder Judd

p.s.  Mom, the video is for you!

Zone Conference and the 6 to 9!

What a great week! 

Zone conference was this week and let's just say President Nakken is an inspired man. He is really pushing us as a mission to "Own the hours from 6-9". The missionaries over the past years have been slowly easing into in this trap where they think it's just not good to proselyte when these later hours come. I call it "PPT"..."Prime Proselytin' Time”  It's when Satan tempts us that somehow that "it's too late" or "you don't want to bother their family time”, when in reality it’s just the opposite. People are home, families are together, and the gospel can help them. 

We had two of our Investigators at church with us yesteryday along with several LA's. It was a great sacrament meeting followed up by a wonderful Gospel Principles class. 

I have seen the difference in the people I have worked with over the course of my mission, of the spiritual power that comes when they consistently attend church,  compared to those who fail to keep this commitment. It acts as a wonderul gauge of who is ready and who is not ready to take that step. One of the Investigators who came was Nikki Heart.  She's 13. Her mom is a returning LA and is absolutely amazing. I love the Harts so much. They have developed a really strong bond with the Elders over the last couple of months. Troy is the Dad who little by little you can tell the spirit has just been working on. He is softer and softer every time we stop by. It is amazing to see the enabling and purifying power of the Savior leave it's mark on this family. Justin is Nikki's older brother who is about 16 who we are also teaching. He's not quite there with his commitment level but is almost! He is such a smart and bright kid who has so much potential. 

Last night at about 7:45pm we pulled into our parking stall to go in and study to finish off the night. (we were unable to do any studies all day to due how busy we were). I put the car in park, grabbed the mile log book from my companion and then without hesitation I just looked at him and said: " We need to Visit the Harts”.  He said to me: "I was thinking the same thing." Without thinking twice he got out, backed me out and off we went…excited, nervous, ready, not ready:), and curious as to why were going over there.  As we pulled up we said a prayer. We just happened to still have 3 talks we were planning on giving them later, in the car with us. I snagged those after we said a prayer and we were at their door. The whole family was home. We were there for about 45 minutes and we answered several of their deeper questions regarding the Plan of Salvation. The Spirit was there, and it was a wonderful experience. Everyone was just smiling, and I couldn't help but think that God was too. Later that night Sister Hart texted us and said: "Glad you came by. I was hoping you would...Coincidence?”  That gave me the chills. We gave them each their own copy of the talk and they all committed to read them by the next time we meet which will be this Wednesday. 

I bear testimony of the reality of Divine Intervention…that through his missionaries God brings to pass his eternal purposes. But it make his job awfully hard to do that if we don't own 6-9!  The Divine Companionship is real, and as we "facilitate" we are then able to “participate" in the work of Salvation. I know that this is true.

Love, Elder Judd

 

 

 

Will ye also go away?

Well another stellar week here in A-Town! Here are some of the quick Highlights:

- 2 Exchanges with the Paso 1 Elders. E. Ameny and Gallagher. So many miracles happen on exchanges which make them really fun to have.

 

- We found 1 New Investigator this week name Terry English. She is living with her cousin right now who is a member and is just great. Terry has been coming to church for the last 2 weeks now and loves it! On exchanges E. Governale and E. Gallagher actually had dinner with them and were able to teach a lesson. She had a lot of questions that were answered and she "loves the lady group" (Relief Society)

- We were able to teach Al and Joanne, Kersten and Sal, also were able to stop by Mike and his family! It was another eventful week that went too fast. Mike has set a goal to only now drink on the weekends! Yay, that is huge for him! He usually drinks a lot every day, and we had a really cool come to Jesus moment with him regarding his commitment. He knows he needs to step it up when it comes to the effort he is putting forth. 

- We did service for Troy Hart for 2 hours on Thursday. Man that was a miracle. He really is softening up, and some of questions are being answered. And he is also taking us golfing today so ummm...here we go:/

One of the many things I have learned here on the mission is simply how bad the Savior wants to be our friend. And in the midst of our mortal life he asks us all this question..."Will ye also go away?”  The Savior will always love and be there for us. But his peace I feel is conditional. On whether or not we follow. As I have been closely working with our Investigators I am feeling so strongly the need for them to be converted to Christ. As missionaries we are to act as guides. Helping ALL of Gods children to "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him." That's why it is so important to be the very best vessel we can be to allow the Holy Ghost to work through us. And STILL there are missionaries who feel it's okay to be disobedient...Sad day.

There are some struggles in my district, but I am doing my best.

Fightin the Good Fight!

Love, Elder Judd

Even while you are in bondage...

Hello family and friends!

Had an eventful and emotional week this week as we watched our investigators cope with the stresses of life and  try to thwart whatever Satan throws at them. Through it all just praying 24.7, wishing that we could be with them always, and then having to wait patiently, and trust that they will conquer their old habits. Unfortunately, no one was able to make it to church this week. 

But we did find 2 New Investigators this week:) Isaac abd Michelle are their names. They have been living together for about 9 years but have only been married for 2. So yay:) We served them this past Friday, they fed us that night, and then we taught them:) They are so kind, humble, and ready. Please pray for them!

I just want to start off by testifying of the Redeeming and Enabling Power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, with a specific focus on the Enabling power. David O. Mckay said: "The purpose of the Gospel is to make bad men good, and good men better. And to change human Nature." That is what's possible as we access the enabling power of the Savior's Atonement in our lives...I bear my testomony that because of this enabling power that the Atonement is not just for sinners, but for saints as well. We learn in Mosiah 3:19 to "put off the Natural man"...To put off the natural man means to access the enabling power of the Master. And to draw from his Holy merits, mercy, and Grace. As we putt off the Natural man we will begin to turn away from evil, and towards that which is good. Putting off the Natural man is about making a turn. Turning "out" like the Character of christ. When the Natural man in all of us wants to turn "in". It is the enabling power that transforms us into "New creatures" as we learn from Paul. And is the Power in which our weaknesses are made strong. So long as we are humble as we learn in Ether 12:27. But as I met with, worshipped with, and prayed with our Investiagtors this week, my mind weighed heavily upon the merit of him who "Delivers" us from Bondage. From that "enemy who holds us captve"…every single one of our Investigators are struggling with some sort of temporary trial or hardship. Satan is working on everyone, and at times he succeeds. As missionaries we at times need to learn what it means to stand back and let them struggle. Learn, recieve, and act for themselves. Imagine how our Father feels...? The Book of Mormon illustrates this idea perfectly...

Mosiah 24: 13-16...

13 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

14 And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.

16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

I pray that you will all read these verses again, and then act and access the power that comes from such FAITH. The Lord did not literally lift their burdens from off their back. It was not the burden that changed. Rather it was the Enabling power of the Savior in which they recieved because of their FAITH they excercised in HIM. That is why FAITH is a source of power. I bear testimony that FAITH is the first principle of the Gospel by divine desgin. If we are to become "New Creatures" then FAITH must not be contingent upon our outcomes. Let us al learn this one lesson.

God will never keep us in a trial longer than we are able...He loves us, and knows what is best. May we trust him thrugh the thick and thin. And excercie Faith on his Son. Faith that is not contingent upon outcomes. 

Love, Elder Judd

1. Connie, a LA who is my fav! 

2. Service 

3. Mike our Investigator (He had just finished his 24th beer before we took this picture)

4. Exchanges with Elder Riches

5. Georgia Bergman is leaving on her mission (member family in the ward)