Transfer 9 Semaine 5 3/31/14

Family and friends, 

What a great week!!! I cannot believe it has already passed. 

Church with the family Gomila yesterday was incredible! They are progressing so so well-I cannot believe it! Soeur Gomila has already sorted out all of the logistics for the baptisimal ceremony, and I am just thrilled to see how many ward members are involved. I feel like I don't have to do anything except finish teaching one last lesson! Life for them is just great. They are wonderful!

This week my companions and I did a visit with our Bishop at a less-active's house named Nagege. I have had several occasions to teach Nadege before, and she is a SWEETHEART! Oh I love her dearly. She has an incredible testimony and faith, yet it has been hard for her to stay consistent coming to church. Thanks to Bishop Bamy, however, the message we shared about revelation through church attendance was just perfect. She already knew that church was important, yet by sharing this message and by having an additional witness from the Bishop, I think Nadege can see even more how church attendance is not made to be a bother, but rather it is a way that the Lord is able to give us even more blessings!!! One blessing, for example, is answers to our prayers, and I testify that He gives us answers to our prayers at church. During the lesson we commited Nadege to write a question that she has down on a notecard and to bring it to church. We promised, as representatives and missionaries of the Savior, that as she does her best to listen to the Holy Ghost and if she has real intent to act upon the answer to the question she recieves, that question will be answered at church. We all commited to do that for the following Sunday, and I can tell you that I recieved the answer to my question. I testify, as I did to Nadege, that this "question on a notecard" works. The Lord speaks to us. I challenge each of you to do the same thing this next Sunday. I can promise you that the Lord will respond as you are open and ready to recieve by the power of the Holy Ghost. Give it a try.:) 

Work is kicking in with the mission finding at Easter! My companions and I have been doing all sorts of contacting and porting and have been finding all sorts of people open to hear the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is moments like this that people are more open and sensitive to the messgage of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember that! Think of someone who needs this message in their lives and SHARE IT! Yes that is right. DO SOME MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK!!! It is fun and it is easy. I promise you that-no matter what the outcome-you will be happier during this Easter because you shared something special to you (hint hint...the Gospel...:) haha) with someone else. Sometimes I sit and wonder how in the world I am so happy...and then I realize that it is BECAUSE I AM A MISSIONARY!!!! You can be a missionary too!!!! and feel the exact same joy I feel. I promise.:) 

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 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

Transfer 8 Semaine 6 2/24/14

Dear family and friends, 

Yikes! I can't believe it is already week six!!!!! My life is just wizzing by, and no matter how hard I try, it never gets easier to write it down on paper.:) haha. 

Actually, I want to share a quote with you. It is by a Mormon author named Anthony Sweat, and what he says explains charity as best as I have ever seen or heard. 

God's love for us + our love for God = our loving others and God does

I love this! I wish I could have found it earlier in my mission. As we feel God's love and love God in return, we love others as God does. Think about that for a minute... Think about the difference that could be made if everyone understood this concept. So let us all take a minute to realize just how much we are loved by God and how much we love Him. 

Well! This week in Versailles was busy as ever! Soeur Barton and I have been spending quite a bit of time working with less-active members in the ward, and we are seeing miracles that I have never seen before! For several weeks we have been working with a woman named Laurie, who has been inactive for over 20 years. As a result of being the only member in her family, it was hard for her to keep progressing, so she just stopped coming to church. One thing led to another and until now, she hasnt had any contact with the church. A few months ago, however, she attended her grandmother's funeral and felt an extreme impression that she needs to come back to church and be worthy, once more, to go to the temple, so that she can do her grandmother's temple work. From that day forward, she has been meeting with the missionaries, coming to church every week, and preparing herself in all other ways to be worthy to enter the temple of the Lord. What a blessing and example she is to me of faith and dedication to the Lord.  

This week we were able to meet again with the family Gomilla, and I am so happy to say that Josette got clearance from the bishop to get baptized!!!:) Although there is not a specific date fixed, her and Léa will now be preparing for the same date at the beginning of April.:) Truly, it has been such a blessing to witness the changes in her heart. Josette's love and understanding of the Book of Mormon is soaring! and she has such a deep desire to follow Jesus Christ. Léa, too, is excited for the baptism coming up.:) She is so sweet. Please continue to pray for Jean Denis that he, too, may have an open heart. His intentions are pure, and I know that one day he will be baptized. Please please keep him in your prayers. What a blessing it will be for this family to be united together in Jesus Christ.

I testify that families are forever. Sure there are little bumps in the road, but the Lord will not withhold any blessings to those who accept His plan and obey His commandments. There are many things we do not understand, but this I do know to be true: the only way we can live as eternal families in the Lord's presence is through the holy sealing power of the temple. Everyone's goal should be the temple. If you have never been through the temple, do everything you can now to get there. You will never forget the joy you will feel inside the walls of the temple. You will have an assurance, more than ever before, that God loves you and desires you happiness. He has designed a way for you, and for those whom you love, to return to live with Him again. For those of you who have been to the temple, go again! Remember the covenants you have made and renew them every week by taking the sacrament. The temple is the key. Work to get there. I promise you that nothing but joy and blessings will come as a result of your faith and efforts. 

Remember 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 8 Semaine 5 2/17/14

Dear family and friends,

What a week it has been! I feel as though I have experienced every experience a mission has in ONE week! 

To update you on the family Gomilla, they are doing well. Jean-Denis wasnt at church yesterday, so that was too bad, but Josette and Léa were both there. Josette talked to the bishop and is beginning to set up a date to be baptized mid-March!!! Bishop Bamy is very involved in her conversion process and is such a support. As we continue to get through the lessons, we hope that Josette and Léa will be baptized on the same day, March 15. Please keep them in your prayers, especially Josette, that they will make habits to pray and read the Book of Mormon every day and that we can schedule appointments with them frequently enough that they may be ready for this date. 

The biggest miracle of the week happened on Saturday night. Soeur Barton and I were about home but were somewhat dreading the fact we had to plan for the next day when we knew we had NOTHING planned. However, to our greatest surprize, a woman called us at 8:59 and identified herself as having met us several weeks ago. To be honest, I didnt recognize her name, Priscile, but I played along a little bit.:) haha. The longer I talked, however, I began to remember that Priscile and her boyfriend had walked up to us on the train and asked us about our badges. They were both very believing in Christ and converted to their religion, yet they wanted to know what we were all about. On the fly, very flustered by the time, Soeur Barton and I retold the story of Joseph Smith and testified of him being called as a prophet. Both Priscile and her boyfriend looked pretty shocked at the story, and when we tried to exchange information, they only accepted a brochure with our name on the back and said they would call us. Having never truly thought they would call back, Saturaday, there I was on the phone with Priscile. As I got my senses knocked into me, she asked if we were free the next day and if we could come share more of our message with her and her boyfriend, Philip. Of course, we agreed. 

The next afternoon, after our Sunday meetings, we met Priscile and Philip at the train station, and they accompanied us to their home. Turns out they had read the entire brochure and wanted to know more about Joseph Smith. Although they had already heard and read the story, they asked to hear it again, and as we did, the Spirit filled the room. Looking into their eyes and testifying from the bottom of my heart, I felt, more than ever before, that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth. I got a little emotional and so did Priscile. Afterwards, Philip looked at us and said, "I can feel it is true. I can see the truth of it in your eyes as you speak." The rest of the rendez-vous was filled with heavenly promises and godly light. Towards the end, Philip and Priscile asked about marriage, and as we promised them the blessings of the temple, my heart was filled with peace. The love they have for each other is piercing, and nothing could have made them happier than hearing they could be sealed together for time and all eternity. How grateful I am for the Gospel, for the love our Heavenly Father has for us, and for the promise we recieve of eternal life in the presence of God and Jesus Christ and our families. No other church can promise these blessings. 

What a blessing it is to serve as a missionary in the Lord's vinyard. He loves all of His children and so desires their return to Him. To make that possible, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for the sins and suffering of all mankind. Because of this sacrifice, God is both just and merciful. Let us all take part in the work of salvation. Let us increase the charity we have for God and the charity we have for those around us. I testify that as we pray with a fervent heart, God WILL bestow upon us this love we call charity. 

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