May 28, 2018 - Baptisms - Niagara Falls, NY

Howdy! 

This week was a busy one! So many things happened I don't even know where to begin. Many exchanges and lots of growing! 

Monday-Tuesday 

Exchanges with Elder Falter, he was my companion in Fairport! It was an amazing time. We didn't waste a minute. We found 5 people on Tuesday. I learned so much from Elder Falter. He's a great leader and even better missionary! We had some very weird experiences but also experiences where I have never felt so much power as I taught people on the streets. Elder Hershey and I stayed in The Falls with Elder Falter and Elder Thornton went to Lancaster. 

Wednesday-Thursday 

We had exchanges with Elder Kelly. He's our district leader companion, serving in the south part of The Falls. We had a great time with Elder Kelly. Our days were packed with teaching. Seems to be the theme of this area lately 

Thursday we finally had Elder Thornton back in his own area for the first time in the week. Lol. He missed The Falls! 

Karen was interviewed by President Evans this Sunday and she is all set for baptism this weekend!!! It's been awhile since we first met someone and baptized them in the same transfer. I've been praying for a miracle like this to happen before my mission ended. Pretty happy! 

We dropped Gladston... that was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I love that man. It was a really silent drive home. 

Jeannie Harris is now back on the radar! We taught her this past week and she is looking to be baptized on June 17th! She came to church yesterday. I love Jeannie. She went to President Evans and begged him to let me stay another transfer. Crossing my fingers I can go home from here. 

One thing I learned this week from the missionaries I was with was the importance of love in all things. Of course in the work, for our heavenly family. But also for myself. I have been putting myself #10 on the list recently. Which isn't bad but I can love myself a lot more. Considering where I came from I need to be a lot better. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of somebody who loved himself but selflessly served. He knew his true identity. 

This coming week is the last week of the transfer and we have some big things coming as well! MLC Tuesday night with Elder Richard J Maynes.... yahoo!!! And we have a mission tour by him on Thursday!  Karen will be baptized right after church on Sunday! Exciting week! GOD IS GOOD 

Love,

Elder Judy  

May 21, 2018 - 100% - Niagara Falls, NY

Hello friends and family!

This week was awesome. I have never taught so much in my life! People are coming out of the wood work here! Lots of people progressing and working towards baptism. God is good! 

Karen and Hunter are doing awesome. We met with them very frequently this week and they will be interviewed at the end of the week for baptism! They are being baptized on June 3rd. They have come to church twice now and are loving the commandments we have taught them. It's been amazing to see the faith they have to be able to change their life and align with the will of God as soon as they hear something new and God is bringing their family closer together. Karen has now built relationships again with her sons that she hasn't talked to in awhile! 

Gladston is slowly not progressing, we will probably be giving him more time to prepare this week. Give him back to God's time. We have done everything we know to do and he won't keep commitments. I love him and it hurts to do it... But it's the will of the lord. 

Charles is in NYC rapping. So we weren't able to do much teaching with him this week. But we did teach him at the beginning of the week and he has the greatest desires to come closer to Christ. And they get stronger every time we meet with him. It's so cool! He's a straight thug. He will have the coolest conversion story ever. 

We found lots of people this week who are defiantly elect and will be baptized. 

We got let in a couple times and got to teach people of the glorious gospel. Being a missionary is so humbling. 

We had the Buffalo stake conference yesterday! That was awesome. Karen and Hunter came and loved it! There was a member of the seventy that came and spoke about missionary work, it was a powerful meeting. And I got to see everyone from the Freedom Branch and from Medina again! It was a family reunion! It was awesome!! People were surprised to see me still out. Funny. 

Last preparation day went hiking, I'll send some pictures. 

I love you all, this gospel is so true. I so appreciate the support and encouragement.   

28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Love, 

Elder Judy 

May 14, 2018 - Flip Side - Niagara Falls, NY

Familia, 

This week was jam packed with wonderful things! I don't even know where to begin... 

I'll start with Monday last week. As we were emailing I received a Facebook message from Jeannie, a former investigator. She reached out to tell me the things that are going on in her life. She has had a stroke which caused her right eye to not work and right side so she has been working with physical therapy. She told me that she read the Book of Mormon all the way through with her left eye... and is planning on being baptized after she is back to normal. What a miracle! She has received a spiritual witness and is still trying to act upon it! 

Also Monday evening we met with Karen, the lady who requested a bible online last week. She told us her son asked her if he could he baptized and she was thinking and decided she wanted to be baptized as well, called us and is being baptized on June 3rd. Karen is so prepared! She came to church yesterday, and loved it.  She Sven signed up to feed us this week! So awesome! 

We are working with a young man named Charles. He is a straight thug. He is really trying to change his life and repent. We have taught him multiple times and he came to church on Sunday. He said he came to church looking for answers and he received them and he will be back next week. He is so awesome. The members did a great job embracing him. 

Gladston came to church, he is doing great and really wants to come closer to Christ, just doesn't have the motivation to read the scriptures. If y'all have any ideas on how to read the scriptures daily I would really appreciate it. 

 

All of the brothers and sisters that we are meeting with are doing awesome! For how the work is going right now starting next month I believe and know there will be a baptism a month in this ward. I'm excited for that. God has some great plans for Niagara Falls!

I gave a Mother's Day talk yesterday in sacrament meeting. I talked about the stripling warriors and how they loved their mothers and followed their council. I put myself in their footsteps and wrote a letter to my mom acting as one.  :)

This week, zone leader responsibilities were awesome. We went on exchanges with Elder Garrison, he is our district leader and we were able to have a great exchange and had some wonderful miracles happen. We also had the humbling opportunity to interview two people for baptism! It was great! 

I'm doing awesome! It was great to be able to talk to momma yesterday! I love and miss you all! Happy Mother's Day to you all!   :)

Omni 1:26

26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Love, 

Elder Judy 

May 7, 2018 - Niagara Falls, NY

Howdy! 

This week was a blessing. So many things happened. Crazy!  We found seven new investigators and they all are really prepared, three of them came to church yesterday!!  It was awesome! We are teaching some of the most willing and prepared people I have ever taught on my mission. God is Good! 

Monday night we didn't have any appointments so we did lots of teaching on the streets!  Door teaching and all those wonderful things. Cool thing is, we met Lilly Dykes who invited us in and expressed how she wants to come closer to Christ!  We taught her the restoration and she loved it and is acting upon the feelings she received. She came to church and brought her grandson Carter who is 9. We will be teaching him now as well!  After church we went up to Lilly and told her that church was done and she was super bummed.. She didn't want to leave! We have some high hopes for Sister Dykes! We plan on putting her on baptismal date tonight! Wahoo! 

Wednesday we had zone meeting in the morning. I was assigned to give a talk to the zone about the language of faith. It went really well. Lots of people came to me and thanked me! Made me feel like I accomplished my purpose in giving it.  We received some very inspiring training from President on how to become better teachers by asking inspired questions. I wish I would've learned this sooner in my mission. As we have applied the training we have seen miracles! We taught lots of people that afternoon. We even were prayed to a door. We met Patricia and we didn't say a word and she let us right in! She is desiring to come closer to Christ and to feel more of his love. She loved the restoration and is excited to learn more. We taught the Mathews family and they are doing awesome. We ended the day with the stake council and had a correlation meeting with them. I got see President Pace again! He is the Buffalo Stake President and lives in Medina so I haven't seen him since January of 2017! It was a good reunion! 

Friday we had Missionary Leadership Council in Rochester. It was great! We received further training on inspired questions and how we can work more with members! It was great! Afterwards Elder Nelson and I went on exchanges and I stayed in Rochester for the evening and for Saturday! It was good to be back in the Rochester area! My exchange with Elder Nelson will be an experience I will never forget. We used the priesthood authority to its fullest capabilities. 

Early in the week we found a little family, Mesha  and her children met with missionaries in Amherst and went to church but lost contact with missionaries for many years. We taught her and she came to church on Sunday! Her kids loved primary so much they started crying when they had to go home. It was the cutest thing ever. 

This week we really did see the hand of God and he did father his elect. My testimony of the lord and my faith in him is at an all time high right now. I love him, I'm grateful for opportunity to repent. 

"But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven." 

Moroni 6:8 

Love, 

Elder Judy