Transfer 9 Semaine 4 3/24/14

Dear family and friends, 

Easter is coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am so excited! This week everyone had the chance to attend the mission zone conference, and we recieved the best training! In preparation for the new mission president that is coming at the end of June, we have set a mission wide goal, from now until that time, to have 125 BAPTISMS!!!! In goals like this, our mission has gone above and beyond the set goal, so we all have high hopes and high motivation to make this goal a reality. In order to help us realize this goal, President Poznanski put a giant emphasis into finding new investigators during the Easter season. Together, as directed by our leaders, we have made very specific plans to organize our efforts with the members in each area and to spread the word, as quickly as possible, around each sector the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so excited for this goal and these plans! Please keep each missionary in my mission and our leaders in your prayers, especially during  this Easter season. 

Josette and Léa Gomila are progressing better than ever before, and the light that is in them is increasing every time I see them. This week we created a fun little lesson plan to teach the 10 commandments that went along with the upcoming Easter holiday, and watching Josette join in teaching Léa the importance of obeying the commandments was incredible. I am finally coming to understand how, as a missionary, I am just the matchmaker in this big relationship that they have with the Lord. I love my job. 

Everything with the baptisms is still on track! The ward is so excited that we hardly have to do anything!!! haha. I am really proud of the support that each ward member is showing towards the family Gomila. It will come together perfectly.:) Please continue to keep Josette and Léa in your thoughts and prayers.:) 

Remember that you can make a difference, wherever you are. Find someone to help and always, always remember to smile.:) 

I love you with all of my heart!

Soeur Laura Lee Judd

Transfer 9 Semaine 3 3/17/14

Dear family and friends,

I got an additional companion this week!!!! Wow I am loving these trios!!!!:) haha. My new companion's name is Soeur Anderson.:) and she is wonderful!!! Before moving with us to Versailles, she was serving in a neighboring sector; however, her trainer had to return to the States for an operation that couldnt be performed in France, so now she is with us!!! Soeur Anderson is from Spanish Fork and fresh into the mission. She is enthusiastic as all get out and we are love being all togehter.:) 

Since Soeur Anderson arrived, we have seen some incredible miracles! The night that she arrived, we got into two houses and prayed with the families living there.:) It was an incredible experience for Soeur Anderson, considering that these were the first two times she had ever been let in during her mission!!! and Soeur Barton and I were pretty excited too.:) 

Soeur Gomila and Léa are progressing really well, and seeing them again this week was such a pleasure. We taught the importance of keeping the sabbath day holy, which was so inspired because that is exactly what has been on Soeur Gomila's mind. We were so blessed to be accompanied by the new convert in the ward, Robin, and to listen to his testimony of the importance of keeping the sabbath day holy. I think that it was really special for Soeur Gomila to see Robin teaching and referencing the scriptures so powerfully after his baptism...and we pray that that will give her confidence and hope as she also serves and lifts those around her. Their baptism is still on for the 12th of April, which is actually the day of the big ward Easter activity, so it will work out perfectly for everyone to be there. Our ward mission leader also offered to host a lunch for the Gomila family at his house after the baptism! It is so special to see the ward all coming together in love and support. It will be perfect.:) 

This week we have some splits set up with several young women in our ward, and it is going to be great!!! Doing so will allow us to be working twice as fast. Please pray this week that we will be able to be led to those who are ready to accept the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember that you can make a difference, wherever you are. Find someone to help and always, always remember to smile.:) 

I love you with all of my heart, Soeur Laura Lee Judd

Transfer 9 Semaine 2 3/10/14

Dear family and friends, 

IT IS SPRINGTIME IN PARIS!!!!!!!!! The sun is out and we are smiling!!!!:) Today and all last week was the most GLORIOUS weather, and it is staying that way! I sure lucked out for this being the winter I lived in France! It was hardly cold, and I never saw snow! All that makes missionary work outside all day and all night a little bit more enjoyable.:) 

This week we scheduled a date for Josette and Leah Gomilla to be baptised!!!! We are planning for the 12 of April, and they are very excited.:) The ward is all up to date and also very enthusiastic. It is going to be just great. Please keep them in your prayers these next couple of weeks.:) Thank you!!!

This week we worked a lot with Laurie Cotard, and we actually had a lovely meal with her husband and three sons. It has been a little tough for her husband to swallow the fact of her coming back to church, but we think that that dinner helped. Laurie so desires the blessings of the Gospel for her entire family, and she has so much faith that they will one day accept to be baptized and that they can be sealed as a forever family. This week we taught about fasting and prayer, and we decided to set up a special fast together for her husband. In addition, Laurie has started doing a daily scripture study at 5:30 every morning before work, and she is loving it. She has been coming to church every week and praying every day. I just cannot explain what a miracle she is!!! She is proof to me that no one is every out of the loving grasp of the Savior. Even after many many years, He is always there with open arms. I love her dearly. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.:) 

Remember that you can make a difference, wherever you are. Find someone to help and always, always remember to smile.:) 

I love you with all of my heart, Soeur Laura Lee Judd 

Transfer 9 Semaine 1 3/3/14

3/2/14

Dear family and friends, 

Transfer news came out today and the greatest news ever!!!!! I am staying in Versailles with Soeur Barton!!! We couldnt be happier, we have been praying for this haha. I am very blessed. It is a huge relief to know that we get 6 more weeks together. 

This week was really great. The Assistants' ami, Robin, was baptized, and it was wonderful. It was the greatest baptism I have ever been to and he is seriously going to be the next bishop of our ward haha. Robin asked Soeur Barton and I to perform a musical number, and we chose "Nearer My God To Thee". Soeur Barton made up a beautiful arrangement on the piano, and I sang. It was really special, and the whole baptism was a really spiritual experience. I am very happy for him. 

This week we did a lot of service. It was really rewarding. There is a lady in our ward named Jacqueline and she is a less active who has recently made the change to come back to church. She is half French/half Peruvian. She was moving appartments so we were able to help her clean out her old apartment and help her move in to her new one! It was really great and she was really thankful. Her line of work is Haute Couture, I am not even kidding. She has worked for Dior, Chanel, Valentino and a bunch of other BIG brands. She told us stories of how she would have to fly to England on some celebrities private jet with dress options because the celebrity was having a last minute clothing crisis. She had met sooo many celebrities and royalty. She has racks and racks of designer clothes that we helped her move that she doesnt even wear haha. Apparently she got so into her job and that world that she totally left the church and she married this guy and she became really anorexic too. I dont know what sparked it but she had this huge change of mind/life and she is getting a divorce, she quite her job, and she moved and she came back to church. She is one of the most interesting people I have ever met on my mission. She is The Devil Wears Prada in real life. Talking to her was really inspiring because she has really come to understand what matters most in life. 

This week we also had a cool experience with a girl named Haipo. She is from China and she is precious. She was found by the Mandarin speaking Elders in Paris but she lives in our area and she speaks perfect French so we are teaching her now. She is a single mom and her daughter, Léana, is really cute. She works at the Galleries Lafayette selling watches. (this week was my week of fashion I guess haha welcome to Paris!) We had a lesson with her and she said that she feels like she gets up every day and goes to work for no reason and she never thinks about God and she doesnt feel loved and she is sad. It was really sad and we really wanted to help her! We invited her to church and then left early on Sunday morning so we could go to church with her. She was very impressed with the Primary and she said that it was her big wish that her daughter will want to come back! I know she will. But the thing that struck me the most was when she said "I never realized how important the family is. I didnt grow up like that and I now I see what I have missed out on while growing up". It was really sad but at the same time really inspiring because she could tell just from being at church how important the family is. I really love her! And it was great because she talked with Jacqueline and they talked all about their line of work and how its so hard and Jacqueline told her that coming to church is the best way to stay grounded and to be happy and feel loved! 

I feel as though I need to say again just how excited I am to stay in Versailles!!!! Soeur Barton is just a delight, and we are so excited to have uninterupted time to serve together. I love her dearly. 

Remember that you can make a difference, wherever you are. Find someone to help, and always, always remember to smile.:) 

I love you with all of my heart. 

Soeur Judd