The Temple and Daylight Savings

Kia Ora Family! 

This week has been SO GOOOOOOOD! Except for moving the clocks forward for Daylight Savings. So weird, i live my whole life never having to do this and so everyone makes fun of me because it freaks me out that at a certain time everyone just turns their clocks forward and then we just accept that it's a different time. it's strange let me tell you. 

So family, remember when Mum and Dad went through that phase where we could only watch church movies on sunday so like EVERY sunday we would watch Legacy? Yeah, good times. Well here at the VC we love watching Legacy. We can quote it word for word and we laugh at the cheesiness and EVERY time i watch it i think of yous and how we would all marvel at her getting healed or when they healed the ox and cheered when David Walker came back with the Mormon Battalion. And so it's fun having all these joke and quotes about this movie with the other sisters. When something happens we'll quote the movie to the seniors or each other as if we're actually saying it and it's so fun. So just wanted to share that little tidbit of information with yous. kay onto the good stuff...

 

But other than living in a weird time changing and a Legacy quoting world we got to go to the Temple as a mission this week. It only happens every 6 months and I can't believe it cam so quick! But I loved it!!! The extra boost that i needed. And then the next day on Thursday Sister Lualua's cousin from Wellington came p to the Temple to get married and we got permission to go to her sealing! It was my first time at a sealing and it was so cool mate! the temple is perfect. It truly is the House of the Lord. I feel so whole and loved there and I know it's because Heavenly Father's presence is there. It was such an amazing experience on both days, because of the opportunity we have here at the VC i have done a little bit of Family History and was actually able to take a family name in to do Temple work for. It was an even stronger experience doing it for someone who i am related to. It was one of the biggest spiritual experiences on my mission thus far. 

I hope all of you have an amazing week and stay safe! ENJOY CONFERENCE! 

I LOVE YOU! 

Kia Kaha

May the Force be with you! 

Sister Judd

September Showers Bring October Flowers

This week has been mean as! So much fun!

It is officially Spring time!! YES! Do you know what that means? MORE RAIN! I just keep telling myself September Showers Bring October Flowers. Nobody here has actually heard that saying before and i think it is because it is something we say to keep ourselves going and enduring the rain, but it rains here all the time so yeah. But RAIN IS A GOOD THANG 

This week I taught Relief Society. That shouldn't be a scary thing as a missionary but it was terrifying! I discovered that I would MUCH rather teach people who know nothing about the gospel than teaching people who have been going to Relief Society longer than i've been alive. But it was fun. 

We have also been teaching a friend of a girl who just go back from her mission. people, i LOVE teaching member's friends and loved ones. it is so amazing! So moral of the story family, LOVE YOUR FRIENDS ENOUGH TO LET THE MISSIONARIES TEACH THEM! Because then all of you can go to the celestial kingdom and be happy for eternity.  

HEY! I love you all so flippin much! 

Mum! have an AMAZING birthday and make sure the boys spoil you! I'll thinking about you extra this week! Have fun! 

Stay safe

Stay awesome 

and May the Force Be with you! 

Kia Kaha 

Sister Judd

Baptism Day!

Kia Ora Whanau! What.A.Week! 

Saturday was the day! The baptism of Tara and Patrick! It was such an amazing day! The best baptismal service i have ever been to. The Spirit was so strong and it just confirmed to me how amazing this work is. how amazing baptism is and how we are baptized JUST like Christ with the SAME exact power and authority. Watching Patrick and Tara go into the water and watching them go under was when i felt it the most. Knowing that they just took the first step to go back to their Heavenly Father and Saviour Jesus Christ. That little step takes them on this amazing journey. My testimony was strengthened so much this week watching those kids be baptized and then receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

And then on Sunday we went to Young Women with Tara and they were all talking about how she can go with them to the next temple night and she was so excited. It was like she was glowing. And now that she is baptized and has taken that step and walked through the gate that gets us back to our Heavenly Father she can now go help other people who didn't get a chance to do so when they were on the earth.  THIS CHURCH IS SO COOL! 

And on top of that all last night we had someone come on chat and ask about our family history program and why it is so massive and why we're so big on genealogy. So then we got to testify to him about temples and baptism and it all just went together. And I know it was because Heavenly Father orchestrated it and we were able to start teaching him because he felt something as we taught him. None of this was a coincidence and that's what i love. PEOPLE coincidences don't exist! It's Heavenly Father's hand in your lives giving you opportunities and moments. EMBRACE THEM! 

I love all of you HEAPS!!! 

May the force be with you!

Kia Kaha

Week 6 and Miracles

Kia Ora America! 

This week has been so quick, i know every missionary says that but i'm serious i feel like someone is playing a joke on me and has stolen days out of the week or something. It's already week 6 of this transfer. i literally feel like i was just emailing you about Sister Lualua and training and it's been a whole transfer now! MAN! But week 6 always brings miracles and i love it! 

We have Patrick and Tara's baptism this week and they are so excited! I asked Patrick, who is 8, if he was excited and he looked at me and shrugged and said "it'll just mean i'll have to start repenting" it was SOO funny. He is so cheeky it's adorable. So we're all very excited! And their dad is so pumped to baptize his kids. On Sunday he told us his story that brought him back to coming back to church and it was so amazing to see how much he has changed and how he has so much trust in the Lord. It was because he felt prompted to say a prayer and now, after 20 years of being gone, he's baptizing his kids and going to the temple again. Guys, this church is so cool! And the blessings that we receive when we follow promptings are beautiful. PEOPLE, Heavenly Father is SO mindful of all of us. Even when we leave church and think we're never coming back Heavenly Father has His hand in our lives. And then when we  realize He is a part of our lives and recognize Him and thank Him even more blessings come.

So moral of the story: Recognize Heavenly Father in your lives and things will work out. Life will be good and you will be happy (or happier) we meet so many people or are already happy without The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  but then we see how much happier they are when they have it in their lives and i just know it's because they have that extra boost that knowledge that they are children of Heavenly Father and that they can return to be with Him again with their families. Who wouldn't be happy about that? 

The Plan of Salvation has been on my mind so much these past couple weeks and i'm just SOOOO glad that Heavenly Father has given us this plan. That we have this knowledge that we can be with our Saviour again. With our Father in Heaven and with our loved ones after this life. I'm so happy that I get to be with all of you nuggets for eternity. That i get to see Papa again and all of my loved ones who have passed on. They are there waiting for us and rooting us on so that we can be with them again. 

HEAVENLY FATHER LOVES US! 

and so do I

Live Long and Prosper

Kia Kaha

Sister Judd

Welcome to Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (but neither one of those becuase they are frowned upon)

Family! 

This week was SOOO stinkin quick! I can't believe I'm emailing again! it seems like our week was busy as well! Thanks for all the updates!! 

So this week has been so fun! 

Sister Lualua and I were just hanging out at the VC on our shift and Sister Hawkins (the VC Director's wife) came out and asked us to come outside and take some picture. (which is very normal for us. We joke that we've been trained to take pictures for people). and so we walk outside and see Elder Nielsen from the Seventy, who is in the Area Presidency and President Robbins who is in the Presidency of the Seventy and spoke last Conference on "Which Way Do You Face?" So we got to talk to them and take a picture with him and his wife. They are doing a little tor around the Pacific so they were just in Samoa and came in to NZ to check on the Temple because it was being cleaned and getting new carpets. And they were on their way to Papua New Guinea. So it was really fun seeing him. 

This week we have just been preparing for a baptism that we have on the 12th of September! So excited ! Tara and Patrick and even more excited :) A couple days ago after the lesson they were asking about how they were going to be baptized and how they would plug their noses so we did a little mock baptism and it was so fun. They just want to be baptized tomorrow and it has been so cool to see their dad turn around. Because if it weren't for him coming back to church they wouldn't be getting baptized. He is so excited to use the Priesthood that he holds and baptize his children. When we talk about it his face just lights up and he knows they're all making the right decisions. It's been amazing to be a part of that. 

A couple days ago  entered into Hogwarts. I found a stick while proselyting and was yelling spells and quoting Harry Potter all day, no like all day. My companion had no idea what i was doing and why i all of a sudden was speaking in a British accent and yelling random words so i was teaching her some spells and we were practicing on random cats that we saw. I have pictures to prove all of this but close to the end of the day we were tracting a street and walked past a boat that said "Hagrid" on it. It was such a happy time and i looked at Sister Lualua and said "YOU'RE A WIZARD HARRY" and she laughed only because i was so happy.  

This week has been fun and I never get over the fact that I am in flippin New Zealand teaching the amazing people here about Jesus Christ. How cool is that?? It sometimes overwhelms me when i think about what i'm doing because it is such an amazing message, and i love these people and i want everyone to learn about how they can be with their families again. I can't think of a better way of God showing His love then by letting us be with the ones we love most for eternity. I'm so grateful for the Temple and for all the amazing blessings that God gives us EVERY SINGLE DAY! Don't forget to thank Him for all the little things. 

I love you all!!!!! 

Kia Kaha

PEACE

Sister Judd

Cleaning the Temple and High School Musical

Kia Ora America! 

This week in the NZ has been a blur. How is it that I feel like i was JUST on the computer emailing yous? Masi'i! 

The past two weeks the temple has been closed for cleaning and so being VC Sisters has some perks :) We got to go in and help them clean the temple! We got to take apart the chandeliers in the Celestial Room and clean the little crystals and then put it all back together! and we did it in two of the Sealing Rooms as well. It was such an amazing and beautiful experience. And also a little weird standing on ladders in the middle of the Celestial Room but we had fun. Another day we also wiped down all the white Book of Mormons and all the railings for the stairs. It was a fun job. such a cool couple of days! 

We have also received some new protocols because our Mission President leaves the same time as me and so our mission rules have been in place since he got her and some missionaries have become very casual with following them. It's like deja vu from a while back when jess was talking about disobedient missionaries sticking out and now it's if you're obedient you stick out like a sore thumb. But oh well. As we follow the mission rules we are blessed. It's just like in life, as we follow the commandments and the council from the prophet and our leaders we will be blessed. Sometimes we don't want to or we don't know why we have this rule or commandment but following it brings us happiness. So we trust in Heavenly Father and know that these things are here to help us and make us stronger and that as we trust in Him we will be blessed because he sees our willingness to turn to Him. 

I hope you all have a great week! Remember that Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us. He is mindful of each of us and He knows what we're going through. The Atonement isn't just for our sins but our sadness and heartache as well. Turn to Him and our Saviour Jesus Christ when you need comfort and they will be there to help you. Trust Him and things will work out. 

Arohanui 

Kia Kaha

Sister Judd

Time Out for Missionaries and Sunlight

Well hello there family!

This week has been so cool!!! 

First of all, there has been sunlight and it has been glorious. So nice to have sunlight on my skin. but also weird not being wet like all the time. so that happened. 

Another thing that happened was far better than the sun. So Brad Wilcox, David Archuleta, and Elaine S. Dalton (old General Young Women president) came to the NZ for Time out For Women and some of the zones in the mission got to go on thursday and have a little devotional with Brad Wilcox and David Archuleta and President Nielsen from the Area Presidency. It was SOO good. David sang 4 songs and Brad Wilcox is such a god teacher it's unreal. After we got to talk to them for a tiny amount of time before they had to leave so we got to shake David's hand and thank him for the day. it was great. he's adorable. 

But, the story gets better. The next day Sister Lualua and I were on the morning shift at the VC so we walk in and i look over to my right and Sister Elaine S. Dalton and all these other people are standing there with her so we got to show her around the VC and talk with her and then they left to go to the temple session that was starting and right after they left David Archuleta walks in and we are just casually talking with him and it's like no big deal. and then he asks me where the restroom was and i took him. yeah i took David Archuleta to the restroom. what of it kids? it was fun. We got to take a picture with him and show him around the VC before they left. So it was an odd morning that we had. but so fun. 

other than meeting a famous person on my mission, i'm actually doing missionary work too. We set Tara and Patrick and they'll be getting baptized really soon!!! they are the cutest and are so keen to be baptized. they want it to be this week but we haven't even taught them everything yet. hahah when we talked to tara on sunday we asked her how her prayers were going and she said "i haven't stopped." it was the best thing ever! 

This work is amazing people! i love it. 

AND I LOVE YOU!!!!! 

Stay safe and stay cool. 

Kia Kaha 

Sister Judd