"Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer"

Dear Family,

Great week!

On Monday we prayed that we would find someone to teach. In the evening after dark we rode by a guy putting his bike and little makeshift bike trailer away. We talked with him and his name is Omar. He said we could come back.

We also taught a family I'll call the Sweetwater family. The Sweetwaters are members of the church but haven't been to church in a long while. We taught them about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have family and siblings who have served and are serving missions. The message wasn't new to them, but as we talked with them and they shared their thoughts about it, a spirit of peace was there. We testified that Joseph Smith saw heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and I felt God confirm that it was true--I felt a powerful peace and calmness. 

We invited Bro. Sweetwater to say the closing prayer and we knelt with their family. He looked to his wife and seemed like he didn't want to. but something moved him to say yes. It was a great prayer. And as we stood and were about to leave he said:

Kudos to you guys. You got me to pray. I've had missionaries come over here for years and they've never gotten me to pray.

I was so happy and smiley all night. Filled with joy.

On wednesday we met a samoan family that was in their garage. We didn't realize they were in the branch. We found out a son in the family had passed away that morning. Really sad. They gave us a ride to a Priesthood meeting last night, and as we drove home the remaining brothers practiced a song they wrote for their brother's funeral next week. They sing really well.

We had zone conference on Friday and it was focused on the process of conversion.

On Saturday we went to meet a family that past missionaries had been teaching, but accidentally went to the wrong address. We ended up semi-lost in the middle of the desert on sand roads. We prayed that we would not get stuck in the sand. Just really funny adventure. 

Last night we had a stake priesthood meeting. we have a really great stake president. He is really young. we sang "Praise to the Man" and the spirit was powerful and uplifting. the stake president spoke of one time the priesthood sang that song when he was a bishop. They started to sing, but were sort of lame and didn't have energy. he stopped them and said:

If we're going to sing 'Praise to the Man who communed with Jehovah' we need to sing it as if the Priesthood of God has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 

They sang again, this time with vigor. 

I know that Joesph Smith is a prophet of God! 

Love,

Elder Judd

"O how you ought to thank your Heavenly King!"

Talofa Family,

My last few days in Indio were good. On Monday we met with Joe again. He really liked church and liked what he read about Joseph Smith in the Restoration pamphlet we gave him. He said:

When I read about the light that Joseph saw when he prayed, I thought about when I first opened the door the night you guys came.  You both just had a bright light with you that I could feel when you came in.

I felt a peace when Joe talked about that. Joe is just really great. 

So you know, I love Twentynine Palms. It's kind of a small town out in the middle of the desert, the far top right corner of the mission. Our boundaries go out to Arizona and the Las Vegas mission. And we cover the small town, Amboy, which the town in the movie Cars was based on. There's a marine base in 29 Palms, which is the main reason why people come live out here. And it's much colder than any area I've been in so far, mostly because we're getting into winter. It will probably snow, people say.

And my new companion is Elder Duffin. He is a really quick thinker and really sincere, and I am really excited to work with him. I feel like we're going to see a lot of miracles together and do good work.

We are working hard to meet everyone the Sister missionaries who were here were working with.  I love serving with Samoan people again.  Great things are going to happen here.

Love,

Elder Judd

"Make us thy true under-shepherds; Give us a love that is deep"

Dear Family,

Transfers are this week and I'm leaving. I'll be moving to 29 Palms, on the other side of the desert, and I'll be serving in an English ward and a Samoan branch. And I'll find out this week who my new companion will be. He will be a brand new missionary, so I'm excited! And honestly surprised. I didn't expect to be leaving at all. But I know that the Lord is in charge and knows all things and I am excited to see what great things He has prepared for me. Obviously, He wants me to learn something from Samoan people. 

This week was great. We were blessed to meet Joe, who seemed to come out of nowhere.

Joe was raised Jewish, but had Mormon roommates in college and really likes Mitt Romney. He recently moved into the area. He had a guy, Chris, come to his home to notarize something and Chris is Mormon and reminded Joe a lot of Mitt Romney. They got to talking and Chris invited Joe to meet with missionaries. So we came. And Joe is awesome. The first time we met him he said he had already stopped drinking coffee 2 days earlier because he read online that Mormons don't do that. And he came to church the next morning, 30 minutes early. 

We didn't see Collin all week, but we left a tie hanging from the handle of his front door with a note saying we hoped to see him at church. He didn't have any ties. But then he came to church the next morning, wearing the tie! It was a great little miracle.

We haven't seen Andrew 2 in a long while, and we are praying that he is doing all right. Please pray for him.

We met with Frank and Jane again and they are doing so well. Frank told us that when he was in Utah a few weeks ago he met up with an old friend he hadn't seen in years. He told his friend he had been coming back to church. His friend then gave him a lot of opposition about the church. But after a moment Frank responded:

You know what, I know the Mormon church is good because there is an empty void in my heart that is being filled with love and peace and joy.

As he told us this, I felt that his words were true. I know that Jesus Christ is at the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know it. And I know that God Loves us and that every person can know these things for himself.

I love you all!

Elder Judd

pictures:

Me and Frank and Jane

Me and Elders' quorum president

"even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you"

Dear family,

Happy Halloween! This week was busy and great. 

We met with Collin again, and he's doing well. He didn't come to church last week because he was sick. but he came this week! And he seemed to really like it. At fast and testimony meeting yesterday there were many young kids who came up to bear their testimonies. They were simple and sincere. And in sunday school we were talking about baptism, and Collin commented:

I liked that kid in sacrament: "Baptism is for a second chance." Bam! That's it.

It was funny and true. Collin is just funny. He has so much goodness in him. 

On Halloween we had to be in our apartments by 6 PM, so we had our weekly planning session for the rest of the night. And a really sweet sister in the ward made us a dessert she said she always makes for the missionaries. Brain! Very realistic and funny. (see below)

We're teaching a couple who are members of the church working to become active and eventually sealed in the temple. It's the same people we met in the far corner of our area a few weeks ago when we felt to go to that area. They are so great. They were gone last week because they took a trip to SLC to visit family they hadn't seen in a long time. They loved the tours on Temple square and recently began reading the Book of Mormon and listened to the audio version as the drove.  I'll call them Jane and Frank.

This week they told us about how they felt in SLC and at church last week. Jane told us that during one video at Temple square, she felt a big "whew" feeling of peace. She didn't know how to describe it fully, but she knew it was good and that it felt good. She felt at peace with everything. Everything was going to be okay.

Frank had a similar experience while in priesthood class at church. While he sat and listened in class, he felt the most powerful and good feeling that he had ever felt in his life. He does many things that make him happy, and been in places where he has felt fellowship and love, but nothing like this. 

I know that the feelings that Jane and Frank felt are from the Holy Ghost, which come to any humble seeker of truth. God speaks to us and comforts us by the Holy Ghost.

We also had interviews with President Van Cott this week. It was great, as always. He gave me direction that I know is inspired of God. Missions go by so fast. I only have 7 months left here. I want to use the time I have to the very fullest.

Love,

Elder Judd

"be the children of your Father who is in heaven"

Family!

Marty moved to another ward in the Stake this week, which was sad to us because we love him. But he is doing great so it's all okay. He is a solid missionary. He reads the Book of Mormon whenever he has down time throughout the day and shares scriptures with coworkers and prays for opportunities to share these things. He invited his boss to "Meet the Mormons" too. He has no fear!

On Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon I went on an exchange with Elder Weaver in his area. He's a great missionary and my district leader. There were so many miracles throughout the exchange. One cool moment was this: 

We went to see a less active family (meaning they don't always come to church). As we walked toward the home a voice from the semi-open garage called out to us. We walked closer and heard:

Youngster!

It was Collin! Sitting on the top step of a ladder with sawdust all over and a sander in one hand. The whole picture made me smile. He was doing work for the family. Just a funny moment cool to see Collin even though I wasn't serving in my ward.

We drove to Banning for a conference on Thursday with Elder David F. Evans, a special witness of Jesus Christ. He is the head of the missionary department of the church. He told us that our mission will be receiving iPads as proselyting tools in January or February. It is amazing to see the great things that are happening in the world. And one thing that impressed me from the conference was the principle of faithfulness. King Lamoni was astonished because Ammon did what he said he would do. I want the Lord to be able to trust me to do all the things I have said I will to do.

The Lord is keeping His promises! We prayed this week that we would be led to those who are prepared or that the Lord would lead them to us, and that we would be where we needed to be.

Well, yesterday afternoon we were in a Wendy's parking lot eating an early dinner that a member had given us to-go. We were planning on meeting a member there to give us a ride to a baptism at the Stake center. Just as we finished eating, a young man our age came up to us and asked:

Excuse me. Are you guys Mormons? ... One of my best friends are Mormon and I have a lot of questions. Would you come and talk with me?

Really surprised, we grabbed some copies of the Book of Mormon and followed him to his table in Wendy's. His name's CJ, he has a lot of great questions, and we'll be meeting with him again later this week. Miracle!

I know that Jesus lives. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I know the Book of Mormon is true.

I love you!

Elder Judd

"Who can glory too much in the Lord?"

Dear family,

I love the people of Indio. 

Andrew2 is loving the gospel. He loved the whole experience last week of attending General Conference. The leaders of the Young Men who chaperoned the trip told us that when they asked what he liked about it, he said:

I really enjoyed the last guy. ... I felt a warmth in my heart when he spoke.

The last guy was the Prophet Thomas S. Monson. The leaders helped Andrew understand that what he felt was the Holy Ghost. 

Andrew2 also told us that they had front row seats at the Priesthood session of conference. Before the session started, a man came up to him and Andrew1 and asked them if they were future missionaries. He didn't know what to say at first, but thought about it, and answered Yes. The man gave them both a special card with golden dollar as a beginning to their personal missionary savings fund. They learned afterward that the man was David L. Beck, the General Young Mens' President of the church. 

It is really cool to have the opportunity to teach Andrew because it's teaching me that this is truly the Lord's work. He is speaking and teaching Andrew through the Holy Ghost, and I as a missionary get the privilege to help just a little bit as a tool and witness the whole miracle.

Collin is doing really well too. He told us that reason that he keeps meeting with us is because he says the things we teach make him feel good. He talks fast and jokes a lot and he's just funny. He calls Elder Fife "Santa Rosa" and he calls me "Youngster". We always come away full of love after teaching him.

On Saturday we stopped by a less active family but they weren't home. But the neighbors were outside. A middle-aged gentleman named Ernesto from Uruguay was working on a project in his garage. Almost immediately he told us that he knew we were Mormon and that he has 3 sisters who are Mormon now too. Each married a returned-missionary and consistently invite him to read the Book of Mormon. He playfully told us:

I'll never be baptized Mormon! I'm catholic and I'll always be Catholic.

This Thursday Elder David F. Evans is coming to tour the mission. We have been preparing for a long time to receive guidance from his visit, so I'm excited. President Van Cott often reminds us: "Puny Preparation = Puny Revelation". It's true. 

I love serving as a missionary. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He loves me.

Love,

Elder Judd

video link to President Monson talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFxctRT54ag

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded"

Dear Family,

This week was incredible. Many mighty miracles. 

On Monday we had planned to be in an area we rarely go to. It takes a good drive to get there, but we had felt to be there. We went to the 3 member families that live there (we didn't know any of them). 

The first had a big gate that was locked, so we couldn't meet them.

The second had moved away about 14 years ago.

Then we went to the third. It was now dark, and their lights were out, and we almost didn't stop to meet them. But something told to go anyway. The wife heard us coming, called for her husband and invited us in. We talked, and learned that they had not been to church in a long while. They told us of some difficulties they have been having in their lives. The husband paused for a while, and told us that he felt that our visit was God giving them an answer. 

We set an appointment for them to meet the Bishop the next day. Their visit went great, they want to come back to church, and they accepted the invitation to meet with missionaries. Miracle!

On Wednesday we went to see this guy Jose (I've talked about a lot of Jose's, but this is a new one). He was busy, but we were able to schedule a return appointment with him. 

But while we were in Jose's area, we had a feeling to go see Collin. Collin came to church with a member family about a month ago, and we made an appointment to teach him, but it didn't work out and we lost contact with him. 

But we stopped by, Collin was home, and he let us in. We taught a little, set a return appointment, and it went great. The spirit was so strong, and I felt like Heavenly Father helped me to be able to focus on Collin and what he needs. He commit to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it's true. And then we asked:

Collin, when you come to know that the Book of Mormon is true, will you be baptized by someone who holds this priesthood?

He responded:

Yes. Definitely. I'm ready to go. We could do it next week. We could do it tonight. I'm ready!

Collin is funny. We set a date as a goal for him to be baptized, and our member friends have told us that he's really excited.

On Thursday we met Andrew2 for the first time this week and he is awesome. He is so prepared and wants the gospel in his life. He had already started reading the Book of Mormon before we even met him and he really likes it. And Andrew2 watched conference! Live!

The priests in the ward went together to Salt Lake City, UT to watch General Conference, and they invited him to come along. We are so excited to see how Andrew2 liked it. 

Last night we went to our appointment with Jose with our fearless ward mission leader, Bro. Verduzco. Turned out Jose intended for the appointment to be at 8:00am, not 8:00pm. We rescheduled. But as we were leaving, we saw a home with a moving truck outside. Some men were working to unload it. We offered to help. They only spoke spanish. They declined. But Bro. Verduzco speaks spanish. So he kept talking with them. While they spoke, Elder Fife and I just went ahead and started to help them unload. We tucked in our ties. We finished within the hour. And when they were done, we found out that one of the men had come to church before and recognized Bro. Verduzco. He allowed us to send spanish missionaries to his home.

Conference was great! Listen to the Holy Ghost, and go and do what it says. 

God will not lead us astray. I know He will not.

Love,

Elder Judd

Pictures:

My watch has been through a lot.