June 15, 2015

DAD!

HAPPY EARLY FATHERºS DAY!!! YOU ARE LITERALLY THE BEST DAD IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD!!!! AND I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!!!!! I just wanted to tell you that because I mean it with all the bones, fibers, and fat in my body! I wonºt even trash talk you in this letter is how much I love you! 

  Dad, I wish you could just see yourself from my eyes, when I say you are the best dad in the world I literally mean this: I donºt know how God blessed me enough to put me under your loving care while we were in the premortal existance but I could literally work all my days for you and would still be an unprofitable servant. There are great people in the world but I would trade my dad for the world. Literally the whole world doesnºt even compare. Thanks Dad!

ELder Judd

Mother Dearest!

  Her drawing is super great! She is getting more and more talented, haha. You all look so different in the house picture, haha. (oh by the way I sent my journal home a little while ago but it was sent to our old house. So if they owners of the house have my stuff then thatºs why.
  It was so great to get your emailS this week! That sounds like more craziness with the new house! Sheesh! Iºm grateful that I donºt even have to deal with weeds! 

  To answer your questions: 1. well (haha, just kidding, Iºm doing better than just well! This last week was really great!)

2. This week was a miracle week so I kinda am biased towards the miracles, haha. We have just been working as hard as we can with success not as much as it should be in the eyes of the world, haha, and in our own eyes a bit too but God placed some people in our path to help increase our faith. We had a less active lady, Mina, that came to church that we had never heard of before and so when we tried looking for her the next day the Lord has something else in mind. We went to the place where she told us to go and so when we went there we began to ask around where Mina lives, everyone pointed to this one house so we went there and when we knocked on the door she told us to come in. We had brought a big warm peice of coconut bread to say ºsorry we are a little lateº (we were waiting for a member to come with us to help teach the lesson). It was kind of dark in the house but this lady still didnºt look like Mina. After 30 seconds she told us that she isnºt the person we are looking for because Mina doesnºt even live around there. She continued to explain that her name is Onisi and that she had been praying for God to send help to her because she was in serious need of support. All while she was talking you could tell that she had just been crying a lot. She then pulled out her book of mormon out of the dust and told us that she promises to start reading. She says she talked to missionaries a long long time ago. She was so grateful for the small visit. I was grateful as well, that I was able to follow the spirit and get that delicious coconut bread for her, hahaha. Truly all was in the plan of God. All glory to Him.

  The next day we passed by her and listened to her tell us what had just happened that day. She decided to pray for guidance before she picked up her book of mormon to read a little. Right as she began reading in the book she was interrupted by a phone call... it was the bank manager saying that a miracle had just happened and they were able to resolve the problem with a very large sum of money that had been in question. She has been trying to resolve this problem for many many months by this point. She is able to send enough money to her child in Praia so they can live without hunger. She bore the sweetest testimony about how she knows the love of God for His children.

3. Some investigators are passing through txeu kuza. Or in other words, are really struggling. We struggle right along with them because it is so hard to see and watch them turn to the things of the world rather than to the things of God. Don, right before his baptism got in a really big fight with his ex-wife and is now back into drinking and smoking. A member offended him so he says he will never come back to church. That is just one of the many examples of things that are just so heartbreaking to see. 

4. Yes, of course I know you love me soooo much! You all do such an incredible job of not just telling me but showing me. I can feel it everyday, I hope YOU know that. I love you all as well. I love you so so much! To the moon and back a billion times. 

  I had a moment while reading Mosiah 2, 3, and 4. I realized how absolutely and disgustingly ungrateful I have been to the sacrafices that you and Dad have made to make it possible for me to be out here. Paying for over half of my mission and paying for any other fees that occur. That is not all because it is dwarfed by the level of sacrifices that you have always made for me before the mission. It blows my mind, especially with how willing you both are in making these sacrifices. I know you donºt want me to apologize but Iºm sorry that I wasnºt more grateful before the mission. Always asking for money to go on dates or be with friends and  probably never turning back while running out the door just to say a simple ºthank youº. So if it isnºt too late, I want to tell you with my whole heart and soul: Thank you Mom and Dad!

 

Iºll pray for the Robertºs family. Also, how did Parker like Kodiak, did he go? Is he doing, okay? He is such a nice Brother, he always tells me how Iºm his hero and it makes me feel so much love from him. I love him so much. I Even if the progress is tiny it is still progress. Iºve been doing good though, I am so much more patient with myself which is a really wonderful blessing from God. Even when I wasnºt as patient with myself I was still really happy, which sounds weird but it is true. I am even happier now, telling the truth and being open about it really helps.

Love, Elder Judd

LAST house picture