"Marvel not that all mankind ... must be born again; yea, born of God, changed"

Hey Family!

There were so many miracles this week.

We saw Rodney again. Rodney is awesome! He earnestly searches and digs in the scriptures everyday. He tells us how he gets lost in scriptures. Right now he is searching to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

This week we started teaching Rodney about God's commandments. He has so much faith. He talked about how he knows if God gives a commandment, and we choose to obey, we will be blessed. He talked about how in the Book of Mormon, Nephi would teach his brothers God's commandments plainly. Then his brothers would get angry and say that Nephi spoke "hard things" against him. Rodney loves the "plainness" of God. 

Then we taught about the Word of Wisdom, in which God commands not to drink coffee. Rodney had just bought a tub of Folgers. He laughed and shrugged and said that he would do it. He said:

There's God's will, and there's man's will. And I know if I make excuses and say that "this is okay" then I won't be in line with the truth.

Also, remember when Elder Holcomb and I went to a bible study a few months ago? Well, we finally got to see that family again--Peleti and Julian. They are brothers-in-law. We saw them twice this week. 

On the first visit, we taught about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They asked good questions. I remember praying for strength to know what I could say to strengthen their faith in the Savior. We testified of the Savior and of the Book of Mormon. They said they would read a chapter we gave them and pray about it. 

Our second visit was amazing. They immediately confessed that they had not read the chapter we had given. The visit became an opportunity to understand their faith more. They shared how religion and faith had played a role in their lives. I wish I could put to words everything that was felt and said, but it is enough to say that there was so much love and kindness in the room. We shared Mosiah 3:19 and spoke of the change that can happen through the Savior.

I know that we have a Creator who loves us! He is our Father! He wants us to succeed!

Love,

Elder Judd

"Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good"

Talofa lava family!

This was a great week. We saw a lot of miracles this week. 

First off, there's this guy named Joe. Some people call him "Big Joe." He's big and Caucasian and just a really nice man. He is married to a Samoan woman. He has had a lot of connections with Mormons throughout his life, and he always talks about how much respect he has for missionaries.

Well, we started teaching the gospel to Joe a few weeks ago, and on Wednesday we had another lesson with him. He had read the pamphlet we had given him, which is about the Plan of Happiness.

There was just a change in Joe. He was really excited to talk about what he read and kept asking us questions like:

Are you guys making this up? Or is this just something you share as like a sales pitch to bring people in to the church? 

He told us he thought the plan was too good to be true. He said:

When I read this, it made sense. It gave me hope--that even a guy like me has purpose or can do great things. Like I am somebody.

He went on to explain things like the Fall and the Atonement and Judgement just made sense to him. He said he felt like he had a new light. And he said he wished someone had shared this with him many years ago.

I can't put the whole visit into words, but it was one of the happiest moments of my mission. The Holy Ghost touched Joe's heart. I know the Holy Ghost is real.

We also saw this guys name Charles. we met Charles a few weeks ago. He is the son of a referral we were given. We have been over to his house a few times to try and get in contact with Charles' dad, but we just keep running into Charles. He has told us he doesn't believe in God or prayer. But we were able to convince to try out a chapter of the Book of Mormon. And we're scheduled to see him this week to see how he liked Alma 32.

In other news, Henrietta will be baptized this Saturday! We're so excited because we love Henrietta and her whole family. it will be a great week.

Family, I am really grateful for you. and I know Heavenly Father is there. And I know that He appeared with the Savior and spoke to Joseph Smith. And I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. And there is so much power that can come into our lives if we read the Book of Mormon. It's all true.

Alofa atu! :)

Elder Judd