"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

"They were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word"

Sweet friends of the earth,

 

This week was awesome. we had the best district meeting ever on Tuesday! Elder Browning gave an amazing training on obedience, and the spirit was so strong. every missionary walked out with a determination to stand a little taller.

 

On a different note, as missionaries, we keep records about lots of things, like lessons we teach, people we talk to, contact information, etc. each area in which missionaries work has an "Area Book" where the records are kept. It's kind of like a book of life for the geographical area. however, the records basically only give information about the people in the area that aren't members of the church. A little while ago, Elder Browning had the awesome idea of making a "member area book," where we could keep records and information about our visits with members. Brilliant! We felt so great about the idea. So, after much work, we've finally brought it to life, up and running. I love it! it really helps in this ward because it can be tough to find Samoan people to teach, so we try to focus on teaching and strengthening members. and keeping record of what we teach them and invite them to do is pretty important. I'm so excited to see how our member area book blesses missionaries who serve in this ward later on down the road. and yeah, it may seem  like a small thing to be excited about, but I know "that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass." :)

 

We also had a lesson with Moli at the Matapula's home on friday. And remember how I said she decided to read the Book of Mormon with an open heart? Well, boom. you guessed it. She's loving it. We talked with her and Sabrinna for a bit about reading the scriptures and how powerful the word of god can be. Moli loves what she's reading, and you can just see a brighter, more sincere thirst for truth in her eyes. We read Mosiah 5 with them. Mm. The spirit was there. Hearts are changing.

 

I know God does not lie when He tells us that our joy will be so great when we work with Him to bring souls unto Him. The joy of His work is so sweet! Sweeter and more pure than any other joy available. I LOVE being a missionary. I love preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of his atonement is real. The plan of happiness is perfect and true. The greatest being in the universe is our Father and loves us unconditionally. What more could we ask for? :) 

 

Love,

 

Elder Judd

 

We leave these shirts and ties as thank you notes at our dinner appointments. cool, huh?