Rachel's Mission Blog

Week 27: Latest Spiritual Break Through

2012-01-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest spiritual though (breakthrough) I've had.

I use to be so touched that the Savior knew how much we would
disappoint him and hurt him but that he was willing to love us anyway.
That really is amazing, but what is even more amazing is that he did
it SO THAT we could fail. SO THAT We could make mistakes. SO THAT we
could hurt others. SO THAT we could LEARN. Obviously, he doesn't
condone sin but he knew it was essential for us to receive all that
the father has. In PMG Ch6 it defines patience: "the capacity to
endure delay,
trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated,
or anxious. It is
the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing." Patience is so
connected to charity and long-suffering. The Savior is there when we
are broken and don't even know it; when we are breaking things around
us and don't know it. He is there with love for when we are ready to
recognize our faults and change. He waits with love. I used to think
patience entailed demonstrating how much you have to repress to be
"patient" with someone else. Patience is really doing it all
cheerfully. I'm hoping I can apply that in my life more. I invite you
to do that also.

Week 20: Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

You probably want to know what is happening about transfers. Well, a week ago I prayed that if I would be leaving that Heavenly Father would prepare me. He's been preparing me all week. I knew in my heart that I would be leaving and now I'm okay. I'm not sure where I'll be going or what my schedule will be like on Christmas day but I am very excited to talk with you all. :) Heavenly Father loves me and he wants to give me more experiences and more firmness in my foundation. Heavenly Father has given me 5 delicious cookies because he loves me. Now he wants to give me 5 more and who would I be to reject them? Even if they seem new and I think they are a flavor that I won't like...He knows me and he knows that they will be full of joy. I'm excited and prepared to work diligently to live up to my potential and to stop inhibiting myself with concerns and personal fears. I love this work. I love the Lord. I'll go where he wants me to go. :)

I have loved these past 6 weeks with Sister Davis and Sister Nichols. I have learned invaluable things from and with them. We have seen miracles and been amazed by what the Lord can do with a willing heart. We'll all be friends for a very long time and a (large) part of my heart is reserved for Green Valley and the people here. I'm grateful to know that it is being kept in the loving and trusty hands of Sister Nichols. Sister Davis and I will both be packing our bags tonight but I'm so thrilled to help Heavenly Father do his work elsewhere in San Diego. He loves me and gave me 5 cookies because he loves me and who would I be to refuse his gift of 5 more delicious cookies elsewhere. (it's an analogy that has been helping all of us...sorry if it doesn't make sense to you.)

I love you all and hope that each of you can spend more time focusing on the Savior and his matchless gift of Eternal life this Christmas season.

Week 22: Making Goals!

2011-12-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I've had a great week here in my new area (Scripps Ranch, Penasquitos.) I'm in my 3rd trio of 4 transfers. I gues Heavenly Father thinks I need another set of eyes on me. :) Well, it was hard to switch my brain to my new investigators here in SR and to leave my beloved friends in Green Valley. It's worked out though. The Sisters in Green Valley will do amazing things there. I love my new companions. Sister Ah Chookoon is from Samoa and she is such a great leader. She has been here in SR for 2 transfers so she knows the area/ward well. She is a hard worker and really wants to do Heavenly Father's will. Sister Turner is from British Columbia, Canada. I love Canadians, so it works out perfectly. ;) She is an excellent missionary and is really in tune with the spirit...she's a great example. It is going to be a great transfer!

Christmas was so great, despite how weird it was to leave the house w/o a jacket. We had a very simple Sacrament meeting for Church but the Bishop shared something really inspired. He said that the Savior is only the Prince of Peace to the extent we lay our burdens at his feet. It was a perfect message for the day. We spent Christmas and Christmas Eve eating with members and planning for our area. We were given so many boxes of See's Candy Chocolates that we had to put it all on the top shelf of our cabinet so that it wouldn't be so easy to access. haha! I'm learning so much here and I know that I have a lot of learning to do here that I couldn't do anywhere else.

We work on the Marines Base a lot. There are some really great young families that we are teaching. I've met a few and felt right at home because they remind me of people back at home...some of my close friends even. I love how the spirit can work through us and teach people exactly what they need even though we have no idea what part of our message is piercing their hearts.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish while I'm serving here in SR. I spent my entire personal study prayerfully setting goals and making plans. Then I have prayed asking for help to get closer to my goals. Praying works! I asked for help with each of my 5 goals and throughout the day I was able to progress in all 5 areas. I was able to see how I got closer to my goals by the end of my day. It was so cool! I love that I have these things I'm working on that I think about throughout the day and I constantly have something I'm striving for. One of my goals is to be a divine companion to both the Spirit and to my companion(s.) It was so cool to see this in play yesterday.

On my first day in SR, we talked to the maintenance guy and asked if we could stop by and share a messge with him and his family. He was really nice and seemed excited for our visit. We went over yesterday to see him and nobody answered the door so we went back down stairs and to the parking lot when Sister Turner said, "maybe we shoud try Joe's neighbor." We all stopped and thought about it. In my head, I thought a lot of things and one of them was that maybe we should just try next time but then I asked her if she was still thinking about it and she said yes." So we all turned around and although none of us knew what we were going to say (because we don't tract in our mission) we pranced up the stairs and for whatever reason, I just felt really calm about the whole situation. I knocked and then a young lady came to the door and we just explained that we were there to see her neighbor but he wasn't home and so we thought we should knock on her door. We asked her about her Christmas and then about her religious beliefs. She was really nice and open. She said she would have to ask her parents if we could stop by again and share a message. We exchanged contact information and something inside me thought to ask if she had time for us to share a message right then for 10 or 15 minutes. So I did, and she said, "sure." It was not the answer I was expecting but we went in and prayed and asked her more about her faith. Then we shared a little about the Plan of Salvation and Heavenly Father's plan for her. It was so cool to testify to her and to help her feel of Heavenly Father's love. I'm pretty sure she felt something. She said she didn't have any questions but that she had a lot to think about. Just before we ended we testified of Heavenly Father's plan for her because we honestly didn't know why we were there. She then told us that right before we knocked she was sitting there thinking about what relgion she felt she was. We closed with a prayer and left her with a Book of Mormon with a commitment to read the introduction and to pray and ask Heavenly Father if He wants her to meet with us. We didn't get a specific return appointment but we feel confident that she will want to meet with us again. If we hadn't gone back to knock on her door last night while her parents were away we may never have gotten to meet her. Heavenly Father has a perfect plan and he lets us play a part in His perfect work if we will but listen to the promptings we have to do good.

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that he did all that he did because he loves each one of us and not for any other reason. I know that the amount of help we get from him is in direct relation to how much we put at his feet and how much we are willing to yield to the spirit when it tries to comfort and lift us. The Savior lives. He has called a Prophet to lead and guide us in these days because he loves us all no matter what year we were born nor where we were born. He loves us equally and he wants to lead us back to our Heavenly Father.

Love you all!

Sister Hudson

P.S. Today is my 5 month mark...isn't that WEIRD?!

Week 17: Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

This has been a great week! We decided we really wanted to have a lot of investigators at church and so we did our best to really invite everyone to come. We made brownies and my whole wheat blueberry muffins and took them to our investigators. We visited one we just added (after many months of knowing and visiting her she decided to really learn more) and took her muffins. She wasn't home so we left them w/ her son and just slipped in that we were going to invite his mom to come to church at 9. Earlier that day we visited Kathy and her husband was home! We weren't sure if he knew that we had been visiting. After a minute of debating we decided to go in anyway. He was so nice! He isn't interested at all but he really listened (from the kitchen as he put away his groceries) to what we told his wife. Then when he heard that we were going to close w/ a prayer he said to wait for him and then he joined us. :) YAY! :)

I really hope we get to help his wife progress and maybe help him understand more about the gospel so he can decide for himself.

Sunday rolled around and we walked into church hoping to see Carolyn but instead Karen was there! We were so surprised that A) she came and B) her son actually heard what we said and remembered to tell his mom! Not only that but her husband was there! We were so excited! :) they had to hurry off afte Sacrament meeting but we were thrilled they came! :)

The work is really improving here. We have been trying to be more bold...I don't know why we make life harder than it is. Anyway, we're really excited for this weekend. Todd is getting baptized and he will be the last one in his immediate family to be baptized! It is so exciting! :)

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Week 16: Be Happy

2011-11-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

So, A lot has happened in this past week! We went to the transfer meeting to pick up our new companion, our "trainee." We got there and were still really confused about whether they made a mistake or not. Our new companion is a delight and she has actually been in Salt Lake City serving at Temple Square for 1 year. She is here in San Diego to serve for 3 months! She is so wonderful and so much fun. She is a great missionary and we are all learning so much from/with each other. So we aren't really training anyone...we're just helping her have a good experience transitioning to proselyting. We'll all be good friends for a long time. We have so much fun and we're working hard to channel all of that excitement and enthusiasm towards the work. :) We have been striving hard to help our investigators progress in the gospel. It is amazing what they are learning and understanding for the first time. We have a lot of work to do but we are loving it and we all want to be better! That is so important to me. It makes me think of a Mormon Message we showed to a family last night about how small and simple things add up to great things. This Video is called "Flecks of Gold." I hope you'll take a second and watch it. :)

Book of Mormon is also a GREAT video! I love it and the truths it teaches.

We have so many things to laugh and smile about here in San Diego. We meet so many great people and hear a lot of philosophies on how people conduct their lives. Even within the church we differ on how we individually apply the details of truth. One elderly Phillipino woman we visit tells us that she talks to herself (of course in her Phillipino accent.) "Elyng, be happy!" "Elyng, get up and go walk!" I love that she coaches herself to make good decisions...I need that! I love hearing her voice in my head...it makes me giggle and it inspires me to stand a little taller.

I love this work and I love how every single day is an opportunity to learn and to grow. This week we in sacrament we had the Primary Program where all of the kids get up and bear testimony, sing, and share insights about the things they know. I'm continually blown away by how simple this gospel really is. Heavenly Father loves all of his children and wants us to understand our purpose in life and how we can return and live with him. It is beautifully simple.

You are all great! I Love you and I hope that life is treating you well. If it isn't, I hope that you are coping with it through the only true source of peace, the Savior Jesus Christ and his enduring love for you.

Week 15: An Amazing week

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

It has been an amazing week! We had a great experience last week that
set the tone for an amazing spirit-led week. We learned so much and
were able to help many of our investigators move forward in building
their faith and personal testimonies of the gospel. There is nothing
better than the peaceful feeling and comfort that comes from knowing
you are doing what Heavenly Father wnats you to do. I love how many
opportunities we have to change and to pick ourselves up, brush off
our knees, and try again. :)

One of our investigators now has a baptismal date for November 26! We
are so excited for him! He has a long journey but is putting in a lot
of effort to learn all he can and develop the faith he needs. It is so
wonderful to be a part of this work. Amazing things happen when you
love what you do and when you are willing to take one more step. Alma
37:6-7 explain how by small and simple things great things shall be
brought to pass. I know that is true. As I have paid attention to how
I can give a little more in the small things I have been able to build
trust Heavenly Father. The small sacrifices enable Him to bless us
with an added measure of the spirit and guidance. As I don't
"push-back" I find that he consecrates our efforts to accomplish even
more. We learn all things precept upon precept and now I know that
this includes building trust in Him and His promises. He has blessed
Sister Davis and I so much this week because of our willingness to
submit to his will and obey him in exactness (well we've been trying.)
This is in the small things like starting personal study right at 8 AM
or calling people when we hate the phone (haha!) He really does bless
us as we do the small things.

Sister Davis and I have had such a great week and although everything
around us says that things are working too well to stay the same we
KNEW we would be staying here. To our surprise, however, we got a call
from our Zone Leaders this morning. They only call when you have a
change so with the phone on speaker we heard Elder Belt say Sister
Davis, (long long pause) you will be staying in Green Valley. Sister
Hudson (Even Longer pause) you will also be staying. And you will be
Training. You will pick up your new companion tomorrow at 9:30. WHAT!
I was so relieved that we were both staying. I told sister Davis later
that it would have strained my relationship with the spirit if he said
I had to pack my bags because I KNEW I was staying. We were blown
away. Last we heard we weren't getting any new english proselyting
sisters! Holy smokes!

Well, it should be a great learning experience. I have so much left to
learn and I'm so glad that I'm not training alone. haha! We're excited
and a little terrified. ha! Not really, mostly we are bracing
ourselves for yet another wonderful experience in a training trio.
What a wonderful opportunity to make our weaknesses strengths. One of
the biggest things is the diffusion of responsibility. I'm sure we'll
find a way to work that out...it is so important because it hit me so
much when we switched to 2 after 6 weeks. I felt a little overwhelmed
when I knew that if sister davis didn't "have it" I would need to! It
should be a wonderful experience! Can't Wait!

Love you all and love your prayers...keep 'em coming!

Sister Hudson

Week: 14: Sneezy, Happy, and Dopy

2011-11-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Good Morning everyone,

I love the atmosphere of Fall. It is amazing that even though there isn't much evidence of it here in San Diego, everyone still has the spirit of new beginnings that so often comes with the season. Throughout the day, Sister Davis, and I point and say "Fall" anytime we see a tree that actually changes colors or leaves that have fallen. As nice as the weather is here in Poway, my allergies are VERY much aware that things are changing in the air. I'm "Sneezy" and itchy but my allergy medicine makes me really "dopey." Nevertheless, I'm still "Happy."

Our missionary work here is also feeling the new beginnings and richness of this time of year. We have another new investigator who has been an "almost Mormon" for 10 or 15 years but her many health challenges have made her feel incapable of being an active member and meeting the "requirements" of callings, so she has never joined. Okay, there is another thing stopping her but for the most part she hasn't felt capable or adequate. She said Mormons are the "Navy Seals" of religions. haha! That made me laugh so hard!

During planning the night before, Sister Davis really felt we should try her at an hour later than usual so the next day we showed up at 11 AM right on the dot and were preparing to express our purpose to her before being turned away but that wasn't what happened at all. She opened the door with a smile and invited us in....funny how that happens. :)

We talked w/ her and had an incredible experience with the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We were able to express to her that the covenant of Baptism is so beautiful...a promise to Heavenly Father that will do all we can to keep his commandments and follow his son, Jesus Christ. In return we are blessed to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost to be with us always if we live worthily. We told her that Heavenly Father would not withhold that blessing from her simply because she would struggle to attend church. She looked me in the eye and said, "You are the first person that has ever told me that." It was amazing to be guided to know exactly what she needed to hear. Her countenance completely changed. It was so beautiful to feel the spirit working through us to help her.

We're not sure what will happen but it was a great reminder of the importance of the spirit. John 14:26 says "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The spirit testifies of truth and helps us feel the peace of the savior's love. I feel blessed to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost and I want everyone to feel the way we felt in that room. Many of you who are reading this have experienced something similar. I encourage you to do all you can to seek the spirit daily. It is a blessing to know the Lord is with us, that he approves of us, and that we are living worthily. Hopefully, I'll always remember and apply that, even when life gets crazy again and I have to focus on more than sharing the Gospel. Being a fulll-time missionary and set apart from the world, is such a blessing!

On Sunday Sister Davis and I gave a talk. --yes, that is singular. One of the counselors in the Bishopric asked us to speak together in Sacrament on Teaching the Gospel. It was a challenge to prepare a talk together...everyone does it so differently, but we're pleased with the result. :) We used a lot of great quotes from Preach My Gospel (PMG) about missionary work and referenced John 21 where the Lord appears to his Apostles and asks Peter: "Lovest thou me more than these (the multitude of fish the lord blessed him with)?" Peter says, "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee." The Lord replies "Feed my Sheep." Christ asks him a total of three times and each time he replies, "Feed My Sheep." I love this so much, many of us don't realize that when we are Baptized in the Church we promise to share the gospel with others. Mosiah 18 expresses this and so does President Eyring in a talk "A Child and a Disciple" from April 2003 General Conference, "All of us who are under the baptismal covenant have promised to offer the gospel to others." It is a great reminder to apply the things that we all know...to Do what we Know.

I'm so blessed to be learning so much everyday...I hope that some of it sticks and I apologize for being "preachy." I'm just a missionary excited by all that I'm learning and I want to share it with the world...or at least the 5 of you that will eventually read this as well as myself when I come home.

You're all wonderful! I miss you and I hope that November starts off well for each of you!

Love always, Sister Hudson

Week: :13 Happy Halloween!

2011-10-27T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,

I've had yet another great week in San Diego. It is still as sunny as ever and the work is going really well. Sister Davis and I are still learning loads from each other and from our time here in Green Valley. We are so blessed to have such an amazing ward. The members are incredible and truly want to serve the Lord. There is such a strong element of love and peace here. Everyone spends time building one another up and that is what matters the most in this life. I think about the times that I have been the most happy in life and it is always when I am serving others and helping someone else feel loved and cared for. It doesn't always take much but it the effect is always brilliant. I realize that Thanksgiving is 5 weeks away but I've been thinking a lot about the power of gratitude and service. Building others up does so much. We build ourselves up in lasting peace and happiness as we help others feel of their divine worth and we also build ourselves as we recognize our incredible capacity to do good in the world. I'm challenging myself and all of you reading this to go out and do good for others so that we can build up..not tear down. :)

Love you all!

Week 12: I LOVE FALL!!!

2011-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Sorry it has been a while....p-days are NOT as long and relaxed as I had imagined before my mission. It is crazy how much we jam pack into 8 hours! We went to Balboa park today...it was cool and it was fun to hang out with some other sisters. Sister Davis and I have been working really hard and she is so much fun to be companions with. I have learned loads from her and we both really want to be good missionaries. We are always working towards improving, this is such a blessing to me. I've decided I'll have to eventually marry someone that can handle all of my "cool ideas." I get a little over-enthused on how we can make things better...obviously I appreciate the good things we are doing. :)

We've been finding a new investigator a week for the past 3 wks but church attendance is falling a lot. That used to be our best category but you can't have it all right? :) I love my area so much. Sunday was so much fun. We are doing our best to work effectively with the members and it is great to get to know them. We spent every second at church talking to people and setting up appointments. We even had some tell us about friends that are showing interest in the church. I love it when members realize how great it is to share the gospel. Members have so much influence it is insane...of course the grass is always greener on the other side. I imagine myself going home and being the best member missionary ever and then I think about how easy it is to talk to people about religion when they recognize you and what you are about before they even talk to you (...maybe I'll sport a member missionary badge..hahah!) Sorry this is so rambly...we only have 30 min to e-mail today because we have been all over the place.

Well, I'll be here in green valley for at least 3 more weeks with sister davis but I have my hopes up to stay here for a few more transfers...I love it here and I definitely have more I can learn here.

I learn so much every single day. I have gotten "firehosed" so much...all this knowledge is flying at me with high water pressure and I'm trying to drink it up but it is impossible to drink all of it. haha!

Today I had something finally cement in my mind. Change is instantaneous. Not changing is what takes so long. However, the hard part about it all is the series of choices that must follow an initial decision to change. We must continually walk forward on our road of change. When you decide, you've changed. However, you must keep walking forward for it to last. Happiness is a lot like this. It is a collection of experiences...I know that this is true. I've been so happy since the MTC. I've been able to be myself and enjoy every second...that is the only way to live life. We tell ourselves that the big events are what matter and bring real happiness but that is not true...it is the collection of experiences that makes that event worth celebrating in the first place. I love it! Learning is so much fun!

I really need to go but know that I love you all and that I appreciate the many prayers that are said in my behalf. Do me a favor and laugh at something small and glorious today!?

Love, sister Hudson

Week 10: Lead Acid Battery

2011-10-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello hello!

Sorry it has been so long. Last week one of my companions got transfered. :( She is so great and I'm really going to miss her but I'm excited to still be with Sister Davis! We have learned a lot together this week. We have 2 new investigators, which is pretty exciting news. :)

General Conference was incredible! I feel like I got answers to some questions I've had. I love learning from the Church Leaders-from God's chosen Apostles and Prophet. If you haven't watched it yet you should check it out on lds.org! :)

I know people love to hear about stories and experiences but all I seem to remember are the things that I've been learning. For example, I've always been bothered that something seems to click and make perfect sense at one point and then the testimony of that truth seems to diminish later. In Alma 5 in the Book of Mormon Alma asks the people if they have "sufficiently retained in your remembrance the things that the Lord has done for you." How can we "sufficiently retain in our remembrance anything?" It suddenly clicked that the old adage of "use it or lose it" bears more truth than I knew. If we don't consistently remind ourselves of what we know to be true, it's importance and clarity starts to diminish and we aren't using it in our lives. The primary answers of "pray, read the scriptures, and go to church" really do say it all! Yet, it is so difficult to be consistent with these things unless we make sacrifices for these most important things. Heavenly Father has blessed us to be able to talk with Him whenever/wherever we want and to learn of him and his son Jesus Christ from the scriptures yet the world around us can easily get in the way.

Sorry if this is preachy...just chalk it up to me being a missionary. I just want everyone to know about the things that are changing my life! :) Our spirituality and everything about our human makeup is similar to a lead acid battery (car battery). We have to have a charge or else we die. As we are continually using what we have, we can be confident that we won't lose our charge and ability to function. If we go a month without using our battery...it takes a "jump" to get us going again. I'm not doing this analogy justice and for those of you that are still reading...remind me someday to talk to you about this great analogy! :)

Life is a precious gift and I love what I am learning each day as a missionary because I spend my time talking to people about things that matter most. A lasting happiness that the world cannot offer. It can only come from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. He loves each and every one of us and is waiting to bless us with so much if we but repent or strive to change our will to match up with his. His will ALWAYS brings us more happiness than what we could imagine for ourselves.

I love you all. This probably needs some comedic relief so I'll tell you about a lady that finally let us come in last night to teach her. Last week we stopped by and her 9 yr old daughter was coming to the door and the dogs starting running at the door, past her, and trying to stop itself, the larger dog slid right into the door! The little girl literally fell on the floor laughing. It was so funny! (don't worry the dog is definitely okay) Life is full of so many little joys...

Oh and we were at a member's home and their 5 year old grandson was there telling us about how the librarian was really nice to him after some girls were really rude. She gave him a bag full of goodies. He explained that his favorite part was "...and she gave me a BA looooonn!" You had to be there but it was darling!!!

Love you all! Thanks for your prayers and letters!

Week 8: Being A Missionary Is the Best

2011-09-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

What a week! There is so much that happened but the most important thing is that one of our investigators was baptised on Saturday! :) She was glowing! It was such a special thing and I will never forget how tender it was. She is a wonderful person that will continue to do so much good in the world. It was so special to be there as she made a promise to Heavenly Father that she would strive to keep his commandments for the rest of her life! It was so wonderful and I feel so blessed to have been a small part of her journey. It was so crazy because about 60 people showed up to the Baptism and so we had to move it all to the chapel. Earlier that day we went to pick up the baptismal clothing and no one was home and the clothes were not outside the front door in a box like they were supposed to be. We hopped back in the car and started calling everyone we could think of as we drove to the Stake Center to fill up the Baptismal Font. The baptism was supposed to start at noon and at 12:10 we still didn't have any clothes except for some white pants we found in the closet. We ended up getting it all sorted out but it was a wild adventure. The interesting thing is that we were calm throughout most of it and we just did what we could with a prayer in our hearts. It worked out exactly as it needed to and it was such a special experience. As missionaries we get to share a message. We showed the Mormon Message of Elder Holland testifying of the Book of Mormon and then we got to follow his testimony of it with our own. It is in moments like that when I realize how blessed I am to know that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world, that he loving sacrificed his life so that I could returning and live with my Heavenly Father again with my family, and that Christ restored his church in fullness through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that I am a small part of God's Work and His Glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. I am so blessed to be here serving the Lord. I have fallen in love with the scriptures and am truly learning to put the savior at the center of my life. I love being able to teach people eternal truths that help them draw closer the the Savior and to our Heavenly Father. Being a missionary is the best!

My companions are the best! We each bring something unique to the work here in Green Valley and I love that we all want to be better missionaries. It is so nice to be able to work together as a team towards a goal. I love it! They tell me that I'm the comic relief when things get stressful which makes me so happy. :) They are great missionaries that really want to serve the Lord. We've learned a lot together and hopefully we'll get to stay together for at least one more transfer (or 6 weeks.) We find out next Tuesday and then we'll make any changes next Wednesday. Yikes!

Well, I hope that all is well for everyone that reads this! I'll work on taking notes throughout the week of things to share in my posts because I can never remember on Tuesday.

Week 7: This Week's Many Adventures

2011-09-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

This week we had many adventures. It seems like Tuesday, Preparation day, is the day for things to happen. Of course it always happens after we write home. :) Well, last Tuesday we met with one of our investigators. We hadn't met w/ him in such a long time and one of our many awesome members in Green Valley got connected with him and has been an incredible support to him. They are becoming good friends! We came over after they had finished eating dinner together and we used a lot of the things we've been trying to implement in our teaching to bring the spirit. It was so awesome! He now has a baptismal date!!!!! It was so powerful!

One of our investigators is getting baptized on Saturday. We are so so excited for her! It is such a special thing to be a part of. She is wonderful and I have learned so much from her.

As many of you may have heard, there was an incident with the power on Thursday. We were at a members home when the electricity went out and we thought that it was just their house but we soon found out it was all of Poway. Not much later we found out that it was all of Southern California, part of AZ and Mexico! Whew...it was honestly so fun! We loved seeing all of the neighbors come outside and listen to the radio together and do what neighbors used to do! It was awesome! We chatted with one group and nothing really came of it but it was really cool to see that and have a hope for that neighborhood unity. We planned for the next day by flashlight. We had way too much fun with it all. We went to sleep at 10..it was great! We woke up the next day to find the electricity was working again. Sister McCloy was bummed because she liked the adventure! haha! Oh and Dad, the flashlight you sent me in D.C. is STELLAR! I love it! I'm so glad I had it. :)

During weekly planning we had a lot of breakthroughs about how to improve our service here in Green Valley. We are so excited about "our vision" of our missionary work here. We have adopted a slogan that I want to be sure and take the credit for because I'm so proud of it :) "Wear the Badge" It's like "wear the pants" because we are in charge but "Wear the Badge" is so much more meaningful...I actually do have authority and a responsibility to the people here in Green Valley. Many great things are happening. We are working hard and doing are best to make the many improvements we know we need to make but we are also having fun and have hope in all we do!

Thanks for all the love and support! Until next week!

P.S. Sami Skabelund, dear, I want to apologize. You haven't received a letter from me because it got sent back to me. :( I use the address in Provo, I thought it looked weird but sent it anyway. I'm just going to find another place to send it but if you could e-mail deena.marie.hudson@gmail.com your address I will be able to send it to you next week. Love ya!

Week 6 Quick Note! Our mission has it's own blog!

2011-09-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

P.S. Our mission has a blog! They are going to put pictures up whenever we have different events so check it out!

CaliforniaSanDiegoMission.blogspot.com

Week 6: A late entry because My sister is lazy!

2011-09-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hello from San Diego,

Time is the weirdest concept as a missionary because our schedules are the same every single day and Saturday and Sunday are just ordinary days for us except for the Sacrament on Sunday. :) Missionary life is so different than I ever expected and it is more rewarding than I could ever have imagined. It is such a blessing to have the confidence and trust that I am in San Diego at a specific time, with a specific work to do, and with specific experiences before me. What I love most about it is the way I am set apart as a missionary. I am freed from all the regular distractions in life that I will one day welcome back, but I am able to throw myself into the work and gain a deeper understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I thought reading the scriptures and studying would be hard to do eveeryday for 2-3 hours but it is so precious to me! I absolutely love it. I also have a deeper love and appreciation for the Savior and for what he has done for me and all of his brothers and sisters. It is an incredible privilage to be a part of his work and help invite others to come unto him and find true rest and happiness.

I have been anxiously awaiting a rainful and yesterday it rained off and on all day but it poured throughout the night. This is a special occasion in San Diego and I had one of the best nights of sleep since I've been here. I felt right at home w/ the windows open and the soothing sound of raindrops, not to mention the smell! It was wonderful! I've always loved rain but the thing that makes me love it so much is the way the earth is cleansing itself. There is a certain stillness that comes from a calm storm that makes me think of Jesus as he calmed the storm.

Last month we studied faith as a mission and we had a really rough week here in Green Valley. Many things were causing us to be doubtful and discouraged but in the end Heavenly Father blessed us to witness many miracles. One of our investigators is no longer moving to the other coast, which will be a huge blessing for their family. Many people were praying for that. Another of our investigators asked for time to let things sink and that scared us but she now has a baptismal date. He works in mysterious ways but it was definitely a lesson for our companionship to learn. As we had faith through the hard times we were blessed to better appreciate the miracles occuring before us. The Lord is absolutely in His work and I just have to do my part trusting that he is guiding it all.

Oh, I also found out last week that I could go home 12 Feb 2013 or 1 Jan 2013...I didn't realize that and now I know i'll have to make that decision someday. I could start up school right away because of the semester that starts a few days later or come back home later on 12 Feb and take time to "normalize" and get a job....time will tell but that's an interesting situation to be in. Luckily I have a long time before I really have to think about that. :)

Finally, I would like to extend an invitation to all that read this entry. Every time that we meet with members we extend a challenge to them and their families. Elder Ballard has promised us on more than one occasion that if we come together as a family and pray sincerely for opportunities to share the gospel as well as to recognize these opportunities and to have the courage to act on those opportunities, that we would be able to help others find truth. After extending this challenge over the pulpit, Elder Ballard one day received a letter from a woman. She was furious that she and her family had done the 90 day challenge and had prayed as a family each day and nothing had happened. They had not found someone to prepare for the missionaries to teach. He decided to call her and he said, "Hello, this is Elder Ballard from the Quorom of the 12 Apostles in Salt Lake City." There was silence on the other line (haha!) They had a chat about her experience and he asked her what she DID. They had only prayed as a family, which is certainly the first part but Heavenly Father doesn't just make things happen. He typically works through his children. He asked her to take the challenge again but to this time also talk to everyone! Make friends with the mail man, the grocer, her neighbor. Seek opportunites to share the gospel with those around us, recognize them, and act on them. She agreed.

3 months later he recieved another letter from the same woman and she explained that there was a family about to be baptized. This happened because her daughter had invited a friend to a primary activity and she really loved how she felt there. Then she told her family about it and they became interested and soon they were invited to take the lessons from the missionaries. Be an example to those around you, BE who you SAY you are. As I like to say, "Wear the Badge" sometimes I forget my calling and have to remind myself that I am a missionary for the Lord and have no reason to be apologetic about the things I know to be true. I am who I am and I don't ever have to switch hats. Obviously we still need to be respectful of others and their beliefs but never hide your light. Let your light shine forth!

I love you all! I really do. Thank you for all the love and support, I am grateful for your prayers and know that I pray for your and your families too!

Week: 5 The spirit is truely the master teacher.

2011-08-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hello from San Diego,

So no one told me that San Diego Summers start in August and end in October...no joke. It's up in the 90s right now which is nothing to complain about unless it's been 80 all "summer long"! :) I love my companions so much! We've learned a lot from each other and things are going well. We've had a few rough patches these past 2 weeks with the work but it has taught us a lot of patience and faith. Yesterday was a great day because we were able to see that the Lord knows what he is doing in his work. It's his work and we are just lucky enough to have a part in it. :) We are in a really ritzy area and it is so hard to find people to teach, because no one is ever outside! We're trying to get creative though! :) We taught one lesson last week but it was a darn good one. The spirit truly is the master teacher. I can try to explain things in the logic of man but unless they feel peace and a witness that the things I'm explaining are true, they don't care. Heavenly Father asks us to have Faith and that is the first layer of our foundation. No wonder, the adversary always tries to attack it...and he's so good at it. I feel incredibly blessed to be here and I'm learning so many amazing things that I hope I never forget. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I'm doing my best to be obedient so I have to stop writing now. I'll try to manage my time better and write things I want to share throughout the week for next week's post.

Pray always and be believing!

Week 4: New Field & New People

2011-08-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I made it to San Diego safely! It is gorgeous here, both the weather and the scenery! I don't have much time (5 min) so I'll have to be short but I'll give you the run down. I'm serving in 1 of the 2 areas that used to be in the Carlsbad mission. I'm in the Poway stake and the Green Valley Ward. The area is really wealthy and a lot of retired people live here. It is so different than what I was anticipating but I love it. :) We don't tract in this mission at all. We do all of our work through members and any other referrals. Its hard to find people to talk to and to teach because no one is ever outside! The people are really great and the members of the ward are so invested in missionary work. It makes me want to go back to the Ada Branch and help the missionaries! I have 2 companions that have been together since the mtc except for the first 6 weeks here while they were trained. They are wonderful and it is interesting to be in a trio but I love it. They have helped me a ton and I learn so much from them! My district is great too. One of my favorite Elders from my mtc district, elder wallentine, is in my district!!! It's fun to see him once a week during our great district meetings. Meetings are probably the biggest shock I've experienced here in the field. I can't believe how long they are and how many there are....patience.

We are teaching about 4 people right now and all but 1 are in a part-member family. It is so nice to see their families being unified in the gospel! Heavenly Father loves us all so much and he wants the best for us. I feel so blessed to have the restored truths of Jesus Christ, that we can be with our families forever and that we can return and live with our Heavenly Father someday. I love this gospel and I love this work.

times up! Until next week!

P. S. Chelsey, I need your new address! Miss you A LOT!

Bailee, I need your address too!!!!!!

Week 2: We are so loved

2011-08-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all:

I'm not really sure what to write, I feel like so much has happened but that the days are just way too long to remember anything that did. :) My teaching has gotten SO MUCH BETTER! It is insane how quickly you can learn when you are focused and have nothing to worry about but the gospel and teaching people. I love love love missionary work! I hope I keep this enthusiasm when I get home. I am coming to understand the gospel so much more and I hope that never stops. Now I understand what Elder Holland meant when he said that "you will be your first convert." I'm becoming truly converted to this gospel as I learn more about the Savior and his purpose. We are so loved. I hope everyone can feel that.

This week I have learned a lot about loving your investigators and essentially all of God's children. I have such a beautiful calling to go out and help the people of San Diego feel of their savior's transforming love. I cannot wait to have real experiences, but for now the role playing with our teachers and the other missionaries are feeling pretty real. It is also a nice assurance that I'm not teaching false doctrine to anyone real. The most important thing I'm learning is that you have to know someone and their needs before you can teach them. Everyone NEEDS the gospel in their life, a relationship with their Heavenly Father, and to read the Book of Mormon, but WHY do they WANT to? That is the true question. Sister Mattson and I have learned a ton together and I will be really sad to say goodbye to her and the other two sisters next Tuesday when I leave for San Diego. I can't believe we only have a week left! I'm really going to miss all the personal study time and the district full of people that I get along with and that are all at the exact same point that I am. It's nice to have that support.

I wish I had more to say, but honestly the days are all meshing together and I can't keep time straight. Our 16 hour days are long but wonderful. We spend about 7 hours in class a day and about 3 hours studying on our own. Yet, we have a lot of fun too! We found the magical pine tree that smells like Cream soda. Except sometimes it smells like creamscicles and other days it smells like butterscotch...no joke! The sisters have picked up on my "you little jerk" and ask me to say it all the time. :) (That was for you chels!) We checked our vents phil, nothing but a bunch of swedish fish. The Elders in our Zone have this tradition where they pass down a hannah montana laundry bag each week as an award of some sort...so funny. We also play rigorous games of 4-square every day. The elders are pretty great at taking it easy on us girls but they can get really intense. It takes me back to elementary. We find ways to keep it fun. It really is so great!

My new favorite book in the BOM is ALMA. I LOVE LOVE Alma 22 or wherever it is when Aaron is teaching King lamoni's father and he offers a beautifully hope filled prayer with real intent. He's so willing to give up all of his sins if God will let him know he is there. I love the Book of Mormon and all the other scriptures. I hope that I never lose sight of how precious it is to know what I know. I am a daughter of God and he loves me so much. He has blessed my life tremendously and I hope that you are all recognizing that in your lives as well. He loves his children (us) so much. Never forget that love. Pray to him often. Don't let the Savior's sacrifice go to waste. Let him succor you.

Love you always! Sorry this was so scattered!

P. S. What did the green grape say to the purple grape?

BREATHE!

My teacher asked for a joke, no one gave hime one, so I did and he didn't think it was funny! We love giving our teacher's a hard time...we're a big happy family.

Week 1: So little time, so much to say.

2011-08-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

My time is limited on the computer but hopefully I'll write something meaningful. The MTC rocks! I love it here! Our district is amazing. All 6 of the elders are going to San Diego and the other three sisters are going to San Antonio. They are all so tiny...they look like they're 16 but they are mature yet a lot of fun, which creates a nice balance for all of us. Sister Mattson, my companion for the next 3 weeks, is from WY and she is super nice. I love her already. We've had to rely on each other a lot already and it makes the work go that much easier. We are roommates with the other 2 sisters, Sister Maile from the Bay Area and Sister Camarella from Sandy. We pretty much do everything togethere because we all get along so well. It has been so fun because we all have such uniqu personalities. Sister Camarella and I are pretty open and loud, whereas the other two are a little more reserved- super friendly and nice- but reserved. I love them all so much and I know that I will be so sad to say goodbye to them in 2 weeks! It's crazy how close you get so quickly but I guess when you are all out of your comfort zone together you can't help but bond quickly! I am struggling to type with this big bandaid on my finger from when I cut a chunk of skin off with my scalpel while making a box. Forgive me if I make a ton of errors.

I love getting mail! Dear Elder has been so nice. Thank you everyone that has written me, I've tried to write back but I'm learning how difficult it is to squeeze letter-writing time in on a P-day. Monday is my P-day so to my family, please e-mail me something by next monday. It was a little disappointing to not have anything in my inbox but a note from Dad that said he was confused....awesome. :) I'm not homesick though so that is a plus. Thanks for the short notes on Dear Elder dad, they've made not calling you everyday a lot easier. The only hard thing was learning to fall asleep in a new bed and after being cooped up pretty much all day 16 hours a day. I didn't sleep well the first 3 nights but last night and Saturday night I haven't had any trouble at all...I think that has a lot to do with my Black Chamomile Pillow Mist from Bath and Body Works. It is a saving grace. Another weird thing was getting used to eating really early. We eat breakfast at about 7:10, lunch at 11:40, and dinner at 4:40. I've NEVER had dinner that early before but we got used to it really quickly. Yesterday we didn't have dinner until about 6:00 and we were all starving! Church was awesome though. We had Sister Cook from the Primary General Presidency come and speak to us about Virtue. :)

I've learned so much already. I'll never read the Book of Mormon or any other scriptures the same way. I'm finally learning to study the scriptures and not just read them! We read 1Nephi 1 together as a class and stopped if we had a comment....we stopped a lot because even CH1 has a ton to offer. I love how easy it is to relate to the people in the BOM. Our district is in a pilot program where we are studying the fundamentals of teaching in class with our teachers Brother Sanders and Brother Christensen (from the "District 2".) He served in San Diego too so he is really pumped that 7 of us are going there. "The District 1" was filmed in San Diego so it is pretty cool that we're all in the same district in the MTC. Because we spend a lot of class time talking about how to teach we are primarily responsible for learning the lessons. It's nice though because we have a lot of opportunities to study and then seek answers from our teachers. A part of this pilot program is throwing us in the water to teach right away. We got here Wednesday and we were assigned to teach our first role playing investigator "Brian" Friday. It was slightly terrifying but we survived. It was really hard not to have someone with experience in the room..I"m looking forward to having a trainer so that I can get immediate feedback and most importantly have an example to follow. We spent all morning practicing extending the invitation to be baptized and discussing the importance of baptism. We spent a long time in 2 N 31 where it discusses the Doctrine of Christ, which happens to be my mission purpose. Because of this, we thought we were expected to extend the invitation to be baptized and the other sisters did when they thought so even though the lesson and getting to know you took us nowhere, we went for it in the last 2 minutes. It was nuts! It also just didn't feel quite right because we didn't even know how to apply baptism to his life and figure out what areas he would see that baptism could help him! Fortunately, we learned from our mistakes and the MTC is the best place to learn. The teacher covered the "getting started section" in the PMG, which will help a ton next time! Fortunately we were both blessed to see our teachers as investigators, I really can say that I love them! Well i'm out of time! I love you all and I hope to hear from you all soon (hint HINT!)

Sincerely, Rachel Hudson
P.S. The temple rocked this morning!!!!!! I Love the Temple and you should all go this week!)

Welcome to my Blog

2011-07-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone,

As I'm about to embark on an 18 month long adventure, I thought a few of you would want to keep up with me. I'm dedicating my life to serving the Lord for 18 months which means I get to teach the people of San Diego about how to come unto Christ. This will be such an amazing experience in which I get to bare testimony of the most beautiful truths, which means there is not much time for any missionary to be wasting on themself. I won't be using a phone or the internet for my own personal life. This means I'll return to snail-mail for all of my correspondence except for my immediate family, whom I can e-mail once a week. My darling sister, Deena, offered to keep up my blog for me and post some of my emails. So come here for an update nearly every week. :)

Missionaries love letters, pictures (both photos and hand drawn), packages, and anything with a stamp on it....so for those of you that want to send me a piece of home or keep in touch while I'm away, my addresses are below.

I'll only be in the Missionary Training Center from July 27th to about August 15th

MTC Mailing Address:

Sister Rachel Maurene Hudson
MTC Mailbox # 218
CA-SD 0816
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

My new mailing address (the mission home) will be:

Sister Rachel Maurene Hudson
San Diego California Mission
7404 Armstrong P1
San Diego, CA 92111-4912

Thanks everyone for your love and support! I can't wait to check the mail!