Elder Judd in California

I'm staying! transfer news came and I am staying here for another couple weeks! This transfer is going to be cut short because we get the new mission president and mission on July 1st. Elder Burrows and I just want to hit this awkward 3 week transfer hard! Had a lot of cool things happen this week! We thought we were gonna be white washed out of the area so we did all we could to progress all the people we are working with. We really tried to get as hard as we could to get them all to church. On Sunday morning we thought we were going to have 4 people come to church but by the time sacrament started only 1 showed up! She is the sweetest old lady I've ever met. She is what some would an "eternigator" she has been taght by the missionaries since the dawn of time. She loves the church, she loves the members, she loves the activities, but has never been to church. We had to go do some service at her home and at the end we told her that we were speaking at church and l...

This has without a doubt been one of the best weeks of my mission. There were so  many instances where I felt we were direct answers to someones prayers. At the beginning of the transfer Elder Burrows and I set the goal to be "Sanctified by the spirit", I feel like I understood what that meant for the first time. There are so many experiences I want to write about but I feel like nothing I will type will do them justice. I just wish you could see and understand the miracles I have witnessed and the feelings I have had. I feel unworthy to be representing the lord everyday because I am so weak, but I have learned that He does not want perfect missionaries, he just wants humble followers who will bring their weaknesses to him. 27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, t...

Holy Cow! I don't have much time, but It has been a super good week. We are hitting our stride! Elder Burrows and I have really been focusing on the way we teach people. We have been trying to avoid basic canned lessons and really teach to their needs. I would say I have learned 2 things about teaching in the Savior's way from taking D&C 84:85 to heart: 85 Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man. 1.   Neither take ye thought beforehand  At times in my mission I have gone into a teaching appointment saying that we were just going to "Wing It", but that is not teaching the spirit. The Difference is actively striving for the spirit to guide the lesson. When we wing it, we don't take in mind the other key parts of this scripture. I believe a large part of trusting in the spirit while t...

This was a hard core week. I haven't been this tired since my greenie days. We have just been going nonstop all week. It feels good to hustle! The coolest thing that has happened is when were called to come help a member's neighbor move. We went over and started moving her and realized it was too big for us so we called some priests, only one came but he was a life saver! It has been a while since I have done a move because there is no one to move in San Clemente. We felt super bad for this lady because her landlord was being super mean and rude to her. My compassion for this lady went up and I wanted to do everything I could to help her. In the past I have felt annoyed by moving people, but this time I felt joy in my heart to be representing Jesus Christ. Today we finished moving her into her storage unit and all the Elders from the zone came and helped move her in , it took 10 min! It was awesome because us and the other Elders took time out of the P-Day to help. No one ...

Well... Laguna Beach is weird. It is definitely the most different from any area I have served in thus far. Having served in all the coastal zones now, I have come to realize that none are the same. I expected San Clemente to be like Newport, and Laguna to be like San Clemente, but they are all so different. The ward here is awesome. We meet in this super cool little building in downtown often referred to as "a glorified relief society room" It is tiny.  This week we were able to have a lot of cool interactions with people. On Tuesday we met with a bunch of young recent converts and held a Q and A session. They wrote anonymous questions and Elder Burrows and I did our best to answer them with the help of a couple ward members. It was an amazing spiritual experience to see all of these young men and women have their questions of the soul answered. Elder Burrows walked away knowing that we could have only answered those questions if we were worthy for the spirit. On Thursda...

This was a spectacular week! I can't believe I've been out a year. No doubt, it has been the best year of my life. It felt like the blink of an eye. We had some wonderful things happen this week, I'll hit you with the top 3... 1. On Tuesday we met with the some young recent converts, they call themselves "Yung Bloods" we meet with them every week. We have had some of the most spiritual lessons of my mission their. This week we taught them about the atonement, more specifically the difference between a Savior and a Redeemer. We taught them that a savior cleanses us from our sins and gives us peace, but a redeemer changes our nature. We read a couple stories with them and highlighted Alma the Younger's conversion experience. It was really interesting to help these young converts understand the nature of repentance and the love of Christ. It helped me realize how little I know about the atonement, or anyone for that matter. It is so much deeper than I think i...