Dear family and friends,
To start of
this past week we had an interview with the Mission President, President
Mathews, and the love that I felt during that interview (both for and
from him) was something that I will not soon forget. The amount of time
that President and his wife give up to the Lord is rather superhuman not
to mention the time the make for each of the missionaries. Truly
inspired and full of light.
This past week the Lord has given
us couples who want to get married. This is truly a miracle here
because people that have been living together for 20 years still think
it is too early to get married. I am so grateful for the Family
Proclamation to the World. Scripture that has been revealed to benefit
all of us as we become closer as families: the most important structure
in society. Here in Tarrafal I have been able to see children grow up,
parents get married, and also many funerals.
One of my greatest
friends here in the ward has become a parent recently to a new baby boy.
This tiny little blessing in the hands of the father is truly a sight
to see. The dad is a tall, strong, and big man with hands worn by years
of manual labor but seeing the gentleness in which he held his son and
how soft his heart was really stopped time for me. In that little
african home I had a moment, a moment in which I realized better what
heaven really is.
The relationships that have grown from the ground
up as Iºve been here have been the greatest reward for me. That is how
the Lord can bless us, with greater appreciation to our families. Dear
Family, no words that I could ever say would amount to anything compared
to the love that I have felt. That is why Iºm glad the Lord is so
loving, but still, I love you all and I will not ever stop saying it.
A party bigger than New Years and Christmas combined happened this past
week: Santo Amaro! Not one person in Tarrafal knows who that is but the
festival itself was almost too big for Tarrafal to handle. Buses full
of people from almost all the cities on this island came to drop off the
people here, well actually the drivers came to party too. Haha, we will
be having Carnival here pretty soon, we will probably have to stay
inside for that one.
Later in the week we got news that we
will be turned from a Stake into a District here in Assomada and that
Tarrafal is now a branch. Pretty fantastic news for the strength of the
church here. Then on Sunday I got to give a surprise talk (only about 30
minutes to prepare) on the topic of Conversion. It is the adventure of
life to be more consecrated by being more faithful to the testimony we
have. It is more important what we are doing to be true to our testimony
rather than how large and grand it is. This is why the Atonement is a
Continuous Atonement rather than a ºone and done purificationº at the
end of our lives. This is why we must not procrastinate the day of our
repentance. And so this is why families are so important, we have each
other. A shoulder to cry on, a kind word to be given, and regardless of
petty arguments we will always be family. Another time... I love you
family and friends.
Until next week,
Elder Judd
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