Be Happy

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.

An Amazing week

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

Sneezy, Happy, and Dopy

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

Happy Halloween!

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!

I LOVE FALL!!!

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

Lead Acid Battery

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!

 

Being A Missionary Is the Best

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.