Memories of the San Diego Zoo

Gorilla statue reminded me of the San Diego Zoo

Sounds like a low key week.  Mine was kind of like that too.  Monday was very relaxed and we had dinner at the bishop's house.  We then went to a member's house to FHE with them and an investigator.  The investigator wasn't able to make it, so we had FHE with her.  It turned into a two hour appointment because she talked a lot.  All we did was asked her where she works and that turned into an hour and a half long story with no pauses to breathe.  So just remember everyone, missionaries are supposed to be in and out in an hour, don't keep them forever because we are too polite to interrupt!!

Sis Harrison & Me with the gorilla

On Tuesday Sister Heaps had to go to a leadership meeting, so the other sister training leader drove down, met at our apartment, we switched companions, and then they drove away to the meeting.  Sister Harrison became my companion for the day.  We did a lot of walking around.  We tried by potential investigators and less actives, but didn't really get in to see anyone.  

Our companions still weren't back, so we went to dinner at  a members house.  They saw Sister Harrison and just laughed and said, "You have got to be kidding me".  They had had a crazy night with nothing going right and they had been scrambling to find something fast and gluten free for Sister Heaps, and she wasn't even there.  We apologized and said that she was supposed to be there, but they just laughed it off which was good.  Half way through dinner our companions showed up because they needed to switch and get to an appointment, so they ended up feeding all four of us.  They are such good people!  We then met another member that we didn't know and went to the library to plan our seminary lesson for Thursday morning.

Wednesday we went to the horse ranch and we dug more of the hole.  They needed it deeper.  It was such an awkward angle and a small space, that only two could really work at it at one time.  Sister Heaps and I did the first shift while the others cleared some brush.  We then headed home to have lunch and study, and then we had an appointment with an investigator.  It went well, but we are always there too long!!!  We are really working hard to cut down the time we are at people's homes so they will be more willing to welcome us back again.  After our appointment we had dinner with a family and then went our to tract.  We saw a family and then went in to prepare our lesson for seminary tomorrow.

Taught seminary Thursday morning.  It starts at 5:50, that is so early.  I don't remember how I used to do it!  It went well though.  We taught from D&C Sections 14-16.  They are basically the Whitmer brothers mission calls, so that was cool.  We talked about some of our experiences, showed the mormon message "Same Jersey", and then committed them all to be missionaries.  It was really good.  Another seminary teacher heard about it and now we are teaching the same lesson on Wednesday to the seniors.  We then took a little nap before 8 o'clock studies and then commenced weekly planning.  For seven hours.  Seven.  It was so long.  We got a lot done, but it was so long.  We then had a lesson with a recent convert.  She is 17 and so cute.  I just love her.  She is great, but is so busy with sports she doesn't have time for church.  Her season ends at the end of the month, so we are hoping she will be able to come more often.

On Friday we had zone meeting and it was really good.  The number of ITLs we have to get has been lowered to 15 (much more achievable with all the appointments we have).  We can go to the temple once a transfer on a p-day now (changing your p-day to a different day of the week) as long as a member takes you.  So a couple of changes and some really good training on how to better work with members.  They emphasized how our purpose is to invite ALL people to build their faith in Jesus Christ, members, investigators, and everyone else we come in contact with.  Also how we need to embed ourselves in the ward council.  Missionaries really want to help the ward and can help in phases.  Remember, ask the missionaries, they can help!  

After zone meeting we did some family history training.  We are learning how to do it so we can help others.  I feel like I already know quite a bit, but I can always learn more!  We then dropped off a Korean Book of Mormon to one of our investigators and went tracting.  That was a street full of prepared people!!!!!!!!!!  Almost every door that opened, someone listened to what we had to say and even seemed interested.  We got a referral for the YSA elders, a new investigator who said "I don't know what prompted you to knock on my door, but I am glad you did", someone who said they would watch conference, and we talked about families to a young father for 10 minutes and directed him to where he could look at a "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"  It was awesome!  

We then had a good dinner and met a less active woman.  She was really nice, but clearly stated about 3 times that she was now Southern Baptist.  She said we could come back though, so who knows what will happen.  We also dropped by one of our investigators' and gave her a present.  She is moving into a new apartment since there was a little fire in her's.  We gave her a framed picture of Christ and a copy of "The Living Christ", the testimony of the 12 Apostles.  She wasn't there, but her daughter was and it was good to talk with her and get to know her.  We have a lot in common.

Saturday was the beginning of General Conference.  I have never loved conference more than I have on my mission.  It was amazing!  We watched the first session at the stake center and the second session with a less active family.  I thought it was really neat that some of the speakers gave their talks in their native language.  I loved watching Elder Holland speak. Go back and watch it.  He put so much emotion into his voice and was almost crying in some places.  It is worth it to go watch his talk.  I also really like Elder Christoffersen and Elder Jorg K(I can't spell his last name).  We had a good dinner with a family and then went off to contact some more people.

The Sunday sessions were also really good.  We watched the first session with a family who joined the church in China two years ago and then we had lunch with them.  They are super nice and sent us home with lots of snacks and gluten free brownies (which are better than regular brownies).  We then went tracting before the second session which we watched with another member.  They have a tradition where they try to finish a puzzle before conference is over.  Though of you mom!!  I know how much you like puzzles.  We then had dinner at a park before going out to tract.  We stopped by and visited a member family.  They are super musical so I was able to borrow some music.  We then stopped by another member before returning home.  

I just love General Conference!!!  I love that we have the opportunity to listen to a living prophet and apostles.  We have the same organization has Christ's church, and He truly leads us today as He led His church anciently.  I can't wait to get he Conference issue of the Ensign so I can go over the inspired messages that we received this weekend.

Street sign on way to Stake Center

Love your missionary who is beating the streets in The Woodlands!

Sister Hudgens

Wild Hogs and Dragon Boats

We decided on pasta salad for lunch this week!

So I most likely will be coming home on the 25th/26th of February because that is how the transfer cycle works out.  I asked someone in my ward to help me find music, so we will see how it will work.  

I love you mom and I think you are great :)  I feel like I have appreciated you and all the things you have done more and more on my mission.  So thank you for everything! 

This was a really crazy week and we had so many appointments, it was great!  Monday wasn't super exciting, but it was nice.  On Monday night we went on exchanges, so I went to Imperial Oaks with Sister Murphy.

Sis Murphy amd me!

Tuesday was one of my favorite exchanges so far.  We had a lot of fun together!!  Sister Murphy was trained in Katy 4th and opened it up for sisters, so we already had that connection.  On Tuesday, Imperial Oaks and a few other companionships go to this nature preserve and do service.  We pulled grapevine weeds off of trees and it was funny to see the elders grab the thicker vines and act like they were swinging from tree to tree.  It was fun to be with different missionaries than usual and in the words of Sister Goodrich, "That district is full of a bunch of nerds".  This was illustrated as they walked into the woods singing the opening song from Beauty in the Beast and the elders all joined in at the different parts.  It was hilarious.  

After service we had some lunch and then went out.  These sisters are on bikes, but one bike is getting fixed so we walked instead.  We walked over the tracks into a trailer park to teach a lesson to their recent convert.  We met a very jumpy dog along the way.  It was a little dog and kept jumping up really high and evening spring boarding off our hips and doing flips.  It was pretty funny!  We then searched for a trailer and thought we located it.  We then checked the phone and realized we had missed some calls.  Our dinner appointment had canceled and someone else offered to take us out.  Funny thing was, she is not even in that ward, but she took us to dinner anyway.  After dinner we went to the trailer we thought a less active lived in, only to discover it was not.  But the guy that lives there had a Book of Mormon he was reading, so that was cool.  

We continued walking on our way and met one of their potential investigators and talked to him outside for a while.  We then walked to a member's house, one that was going to take us to exchange back.  Her name is Diana Hoelscher and she is a super awesome speaker on member missionary work. Look her up on YouTube or something.  She is great. We then switched back and it is always nice to be home.

Wednesday was fun.  We went to the horse ranch and after picking some paddocks we dug a hole.  We are digging partway under a bridge so they can get jacks under and do some stuff.  They other missionaries had done it last week, but it rained a lot and so we had to start back at square one.  At least the dirt was soft!  Then we had lunch, watched some videos for district meeting on Friday, and then tried to visit a less active.  They weren't available so we tracted and found a lady who wants someone from our church to talk to her cub scouts about family history.  That was neat.  

We then went to dinner with this couple that went really long.  As we were returning to their home, I mentioned a car that was parked really close to ours. He then mentioned that his neighbors were having bible study and we should go too.  So we went over.  They weren't doing the study that day, it was their social, so we talked with them for a little bit.  They were nice, but a little standoffish at us missionaries.  We are a scary bunch!  We then went tracting and returned home.

On Thursday we had a great opportunity to watch Meet the Mormons.  It was awesome!!!!!!  When it comes out wherever you are, go watch it.  Invite a friend to go with you, it was great.  The Church is really good at making movies now.  So....go see it!!!!!!  Then we did weekly planning and that took forever so we were rushing out the door to dinner.  We had dinner with a convert of about two years and her daughter.  Her husband wants to join the church too, but he is in China right now and they want him to get baptized here.  I really am not entirely sure what is going on there.  

We then went to go see a referral that Sister Heaps' mom had sent us.  I guess a friend of her's had moved here a few years ago, so she looked her up and sent us her address.  It was one street outside our area, but the mission president didn't hesitate in telling us to go.  That was a very interesting experience.  Really cool.  

At the dragon boat races in our yellow mission T-shirts!

Friday was a crazy day!!  The zone leaders had sent us a text the day before saying the district was going to do some service at a park the next day helping some old people play games.  Sounded like fun!  We get there and there and there are lots of EZ ups and a big sign that says "YMCA Dragonboat Team Challenge" and no old people.  We then promptly called the elders and asked what the heck was going on and what did they sign us up for.  They didn't have much details, one of the mission president's councilor's wives had told them about the service activity and signed us up.  We soon discover that we are not there to help run the games or anything, but to be part of the Regent Care Center "Wild Hogs" team.  

Sis Heaps & I at the Races!

We got signed up to play with them because they needed more people to be on their team.  We were already there and couldn't exactly tell them no, so we played games!  We did minute to win it, dodgeball, obstacle courses, sumo soccer, and human fuseball.  We had to break it to the team that we weren't allowed to do the dragonboat, but it looked like fun!  It was the craziest morning ever, but it was lots of fun and we got to interact with the community.  

Our team on the dragon boat

Afterwards we had district meeting in the lounge of our apartment office since we were closer than the church building.  We had a quick lunch and a quick change and then went to go see an investigator, but she wasn't there.  We saw a less active sister instead and it was a really great lesson.  We showed her the "Because of Him" video and talked about the Atonement and she cried.  She still has a testimony and still believes, but her husband isn't  a member so it is easier to just not go.  She is a great lady though and even though I hardly know her I love her so much!!   We ate our dinner of PB & J (the first time all week) for the third Friday in a row.  Don't know why, but apparently no one wants to feed us on Fridays.  We have a dinner appointment next Friday though, so yay!  

After our dinner tried by some potentials.  We parked our car and decided to walk.  As we are walking Sister Heaps asked if I had tracted the street.  I told her we only tracted one side, so she looks at the house we are walking by, sees a little boy in the window, and says "Let's knock on this one, might as well".  A man answers the door and we spend the next half hour talking to him about the Book of Mormon and our beliefs.  It was a miracle!!!  That was the only house we knocked on and we found a new investigator. I am so glad we were able to listen to the subtle promptings of the Spirit, even though we didn't recognize them as that in the beginning.  We then had a lesson with a recent convert and it was a great way to end the night.

Saturday was jam packed with appointments.  We tried less actives in the morning, tracted, had some lunch, and from then on we were bouncing from appointment to appointment.  We went to an apartment complex where we have 4 investigators.  We saw one outside and talked to her briefly.  She had an incident with fire and sprinklers in her apartment so she is moving everything out.  She just seemed so heavy, so I shared one of my favorite scriptures on hope, Ether 12:4.  We then left her with a prayer and she was crying.  Oh how I pray for her!  

We then tried by a few other people and were able to get in and see our investigator Bob.  It was little miracle because he said he was supposed to go out of town, but didn't.  We were able to answer a few of his questions and then invite him to a church tour.  We then saw a member and a then had an appointment with a family we are teaching.  It was great!! They have had some concerns about the 10 year old not being able to sit through church, but those where gone.  As we talked about the Holy Ghost, the boy kept saying, "I want the Holy Ghost"  We invited him to be baptized in December and he said yes!  It was amazing how the Spirit had softened their hearts!  We then rushed to another appointment with a member and then to dinner with a hilarious family and then it was off to the broadcast!  It was really amazing there and one of our investigators was able to come as well.  Made it doubly good!  When Sister Marriot spoke and her Southern accent came out, everyone in the room just gasped and there was a lot of chit chat for a while. 

Sunday was good, very calm which was nice.  We were able to go out and contact a few people before we went to the church to make a ton of copies.  The meetings were all good.  I don't think I have heard the same person teach in Relief Society since I got here.  They have all been great teachers though and I have really enjoyed hearing from them.  We were able to contact our 14 year old investigator finally and set up an appointment, then we went to the church to eat our dinner and then went to Autumn Leaves to sing with the old people.  We didn't go last week and so it was really nice to be there!  We then met with two member families and they are awesome.  We have been trying to met every member of  the ward and share brief powerful messages and it has been going really well.  I love being a missionary!!!!!!!!!!!

Sister Hudgens

Really creepy window we saw!  

Send me quick lunch ideas!

Fun being missionaries with Sis Heaps

It sounds like you had a really fun week!!!  I loved the pictures of Heidi and the other young women at the beach.  They were really funny.   I also got your letter.  It was really well timed.  I had been feeling a little down that day, not to bad, but down.  I was just wondering why I was even out here if no one wants to listen to what I had to say, but then I got your letter saying you were glad I was on a mission and that brought me right up.   I truly love being a missionary!  It is really hard sometimes, but when you look back on it all, only the good things stand out and the good always overshadows the bad.

In an effort to be more bold, we have decided to take a different apostle every day leading up to general conference and try to be more like them.  It has been really fun and I have really enjoyed studying the different apostles.

Monday was nice, very low key.  I managed to knock out 4 letters in an hour, just enough time before having to go out for the day.  We did a lot of tracting and were able to meet a less active family, so it was good.

On Tuesday we met with one of our new investigators that we had tracted into the week before.  She is from Korea and attends a Korean baptist church. I didn't know those existed, and I am not quite sure what they believe, but the lesson went well.  In response to the story of Joseph Smith she said, "I have never heard that before".  She seemed very interested in it, and we are working on getting her a Korean Book of Mormon.  Only problem, her mom came in from Korea this week and is staying for a month so we won't be able to teach her again until after she is gone.  We then did a lot of tracting and member visits before having a delicious dinner of a quesadilla. 

I am pretty sure that the majority of my diet right now consists of peanut butter and jelly, quesadillas, and oatmeal.  So again, any other suggestions for on the go lunch is appreciated.  After dinner we were going to have a family home evening with one of our investigators, but she forgot.  It is really hard with her because she is 14 and often has her phone taken away, so we have a very hard time getting a hold of her.  But we had FHE with Sister Guzman after, so that was good.  We had another appointment after, but she had to cancel too.  However, we did get in to see a less active we have been trying to see for a few weeks now, and it went really well.  Her husband is super nice and friendly, her 5 year old daughter was cute, but she was a little stand offish. Understandable.  People get nervous around the missionaries.

Wednesday was a rainy day.  Luckily it waited to start until after we had finished cleaning all the paddocks.  We were getting ready to leave the horse ranch when the rain started.  Sister Goodrich and I decided to skip in the rain back to our cars. I am pretty sure our companions and the elders thought we were a little crazy, but hay (get the horse joke?), we have to have a little fun too!  We then had lunch and companion study with Sister Goodrich and Sister Tofa.  Sister Heaps is the Sister Training Leader so we get to do all sorts of stuff like do companionship study and go on exchanges with other sisters.  We then went out tracting. I discovered that unless I want to have wet feet all day, I can no longer wear my favorite pair of shoes in the rain.  They have holes in the bottom that let the water in and it is not a pleasant experience.  Don't worry though, I do have other shoes.  I just have to be careful which ones I wear in the rain.  We also had a dinner mix up on Wednesday.  We were supposed to meet a member at a restaurant, but we each went to different ones!  Felt bad about that, but it worked out.  

Thursday was a lot of weekly planning.  We were running out the door at 4:45 to make it to dinner on time.  We had a great dinner with a Mexican (like straight from Mexico) family.  Those were good enchiladas.  Then we tried to meet some less active members and went tracting in the rain.  I have come to the decision that I like tracting in the rain better than the heat.  Either way you are wet, but at least when it is rain it is refreshing and not sticky and gross.  

On Friday we had district meeting and it was really good.  We have been focusing a lot of family history this month and the Spirit was really strong as we were talking about it.  Family History is so important!!!  We need to save ourselves and our dead, for we cannot be saved without them.  After district meeting we ate lunch with an investigator and her friend.  They are both strong in the Methodist faith and though they may not be ready right this moment to accept the gospel, they are eager to learn. We taught the Plan of Salvation and at the end we invited the friend to read the Book of Mormon. We discovered that she already had one, a friend had given it to her in high school. Sensing that I knew who had given it to her, I asked, it was a member of the Rascon family. I have met many people who have come in contact with the church through this wonderful family who have since left the Woodlands.  I am grateful that the Rascons have left such a positive impact on the people here in The Woodlands.  The friend said this might be a sign that she should finally take the time to read it. I pray she will!  

We then went out to tract and meet some of the members of our ward that we don't really know (there are still lots).  We had a lakeside dinner of PB & J, then we went home to await our ride to go to Conroe for exchanges.  I got to switch companions for the next 24 hours with Sister Andersen.

Sis Anderson with me

Saturday was great.  I learned a lot about Sister Andersen that I didn't know before.  She is usually very quiet, but I learned that her family owns a hunting guide business in Idaho and that she led the bear hunts.  I asked her if she had shot a bear before and she said yes, and they made it into a rug and it is hanging in her room at home.  I found it pretty impressive!  Throughout the day we went tracting, met great new strangers, visited a member and shared a special message that is just what she needed, and had a great dinner appointment.  They served us salmon, and because I am a missionary I ate it.  They had a mango pineapple salsa to go with it, so it actually tasted good.  I am not a fan of the texture though, so no salmon when I return home.  

We then had an appointment with two people we met tracting last week.  We had to cancel the second one though because the member we had lined up canceled and since he is male, we wouldn't be able to go in.  It ended up being alright though.  The member coming with us to our first appointment was late so we would of had to push back everything anyways.  The appointment went great though!  She really seemed to understand what we were saying, and what the Spirit was saying.  When the member we brought with us bore her testimony on the Book of Mormon, in Spanish, even though I didn't know what she was saying, our investigator did (she also speaks Spanish).  Tears just welled up in her eyes and I knew that she was touched.  I have such great hopes for her!  We then raced home to exchange back.

Sunday was great.  We found out that the stake is splitting and we are now going to be in The Woodlands Stake. It is going to be interesting how it all plays out, but no ward boundaries are being changed, so I don't think it is going to make a huge difference. Missionary wise, the zone will change and the districts will probably be rearranged, but it wont be too big a difference.  Relief Society was great. One of the counselors in the presidency taught and I have been looking forward to hearing her teach ever since I got here.  She is hilarious!!  She is from England, a convert, and she served a mission.  Just the way way she talks, the words she uses, and the way she is so expressive with her whole body as she teaches makes for a very interesting, spiritual, and entertaining lesson.  

After church we just had time to eat a quick dinner before we drove to Cypress for a special mission president fireside that the mission is putting on in a different location every month.  It involves a missionary choir, special musical numbers, recent convert testimonies, and the mission president and his wife speak.  We went early so we could be in the choir.  It was such a great experience!!!!  The Spirit was just so strong.  I felt it as we sang the different songs and listened to the musical numbers.  I want to preform in one, but I don't have anything to play!  Could you look for something I could play?  Something centered on the Savior and that I could learn in a reasonable time.  Please?  I would really appreciate it!    It was a great time and I hope we will be able to go to another one in our area soon.

Being a missionary is the best!  

Have a blessed week!

Sister Hudgens

I Love Being a Missionary

Sisters Heaps & Hudgens

I am glad you got my card!!  I was hoping I timed it right and you would get it on your birthday.  The day before is close enough.  

Last Monday was good.  Not super eventful.  We did the regular P-day stuff and I wrote lots of letters.  My hope is always that the more letters I send out, the more I will get back.  Doesn't always seem to work out that way.  That night we tried by a less active with one of the YSA's in the ward.  We pull up and get out of the car, and a car pulls out of the driveway we are going to visit.  Instead of walking up to it we turn around and walk the other way and as soon as it rounds the corner we turn around, only to find out the person we wanted to see was in the car that just left.  All around awkward.

On Tuesday I had the most intense and awesome personal study of my life.  I began the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon.  My mission president had said in a recent zone conference that whenever someone goes up the mountain in the scriptures, it is like going to the temple.  Read Ether chapter 3 with that thought, and your mind will be blown.  Mine was.  I couldn't wait until companion study to tell Sister Heaps what I learned.  After studies we went to an old people home and joined a group from the ward that was singing.  It was fun.  The place had all these animals all around.  Dogs just wandering around.  It was pretty cool.  We spent the rest of the time until dinner walking around, trying potential investigators and less active members.   Before we went home for the night we dropped off cookies at the apartment of an investigator we hadn't seen for a while.

Wednesday we volunteered at the horse ranch and spent most of the time picking paddocks.  In other words, cleaning out the manure.  That evening we went tracting and found a new investigator named Molly.  She is the sweetest thing!!!!  She is so nice and just looking to strengthen her faith in Christ.  She even offered to make us lunch when we came back on Friday.

On Thursday we volunteered at the Interfaith food bank and then did weekly planning.  We finally got all of the 1st ward stuff out and got it all ready for the elders.  Took a while, but we got it done!  We then went to dinner with one of the recent converts and had the next new member lesson with her. She is a talker, so it went longer than expected, but it was mostly on topic :)

They didn't ride horses in medieval Texas, they rode armadillos

Friday was a super amazing day!  We went to an appointment with a less active we had tracted into a month ago and brought a member with us.  It was amazing.  She had gone through basically everything he had.  Their stories were so similar!  The way they met the missionaries, their falling away, unanswered questions, and reasons for their desire to come back were almost identical.  It was a great appointment and she did most of the talking and we were simply there as guides when he had a deeper question.  It was awesome!!!!!  We then had district meeting and our appointment with Molly.  She is so sweet and so ready to learn.  That was also a great appointment.  Afterwards we went tracting and contacting.  It was a super awesome day. 

Saturday was the ward boating activity, so we figured most of the members wouldn't be home.   As a result we tried by less active members and tracted for most of the day.  We did get in to see one of our investigators though.  She is quite the talker too and I am pretty sure she talked for a hour and a half straight without stopping to take a breath.  It was good though because she expressed how much this church has helped her and her grandson, whom she is caring for.  

We went tracting that night in some apartments trying to contact our 25 people.  The 25th door was golden!!!  This woman opened right up and let us in and was so nice.  Her son was adorable as well.  He offered us something to drink and before we left he gave us a cute little hand puppet he had made for us.  It was the sweetest most adorable thing I have ever seen.  I am so excited to go see her again next Saturday.

Hand puppets

Hand puppets

Sunday was good.  Good talks and great lessons.  One of our investigators even came to church!!  I love it when they do that :)  Our dinner calendar has been a little empty as of late so we had dinner at the church.  I am pretty sure it is because Sister Heaps is gluten-intolerant.  It is fine though.  I am however, getting a little sick of peanut butter and jelly.  Have any lunch on the go suggestions?  

After our dinner we went to Autumn Leaves and then took a girl who is leaving on her mission soon to an appointment with a guy we had tracted into the night before.  It was great!  Bob is so prepared.  He went to the St. Louis temple open house  a few years ago and requested a Book of Mormon.  He was just so open and had lots of questions.  It was a really good appointment.  Afterwards we talked to the girl we took with us for a while about all the things she was worried about going on a mission.  She feels like Satan is hitting her so hard right now and feels farther away from God than she ever has been.  That is what Satan does.  Every time something good in our lives or for our lives or others is about to happen, he tries to tear us down so we won't receive those blessings.  Some times I just want to give him a swift kick, but then I remember he doesn't have a body to kick and I do, so I am at peace.

Today when we came to the computer lab it was full so we switched things around and went grocery shopping first. Sister Heaps convinced me to buy the HEB brand Moopotamia milk, it is the best thing ever. It takes like vanilla ice cream.  I am in love with this milk.  I am sad that we don't have HEB in California because no other milk will ever live up to it.  That is all.

I love being a missionary!!!  It is so amazing!! This church is true!! The gospel is true!!!  The priesthood authority and Christ's original church has been restored to the earth in these latter days!!!!  Do you know what that means???  This is the best news ever!!!  

Sister Hudgens 

Happy Days Are Back!

I thought the flowers were real....then I stepped on one and realized they weren't

Sounds like a crazy couple of weeks on all fronts.  In our mission, if there are two sets of missionaries in the ward, they are not supposed to eat dinner at the same members house at the same time.  I have often heard that when you get a group of missionaries together, they stop being missionaries.  Something I have also learned is that missionaries aren't perfect. They are just regular 18-23 year old people with a big responsibility and each one treats it with a different level of seriousness.  It is important to remember that we are all representatives of Christ, no matter if we have a badge or not.  In our baptismal covenant we promise to take His name upon us and we renew this covenant each week when we partake of the sacrament.  Sometimes we forget we are His representatives, so it is nice to have that weekly reminder.

Anyways, like I mentioned last week, Tuesday was hard.  I felt bad for Sister Heaps because her first experience as my companion was to see me as a wreck. As long as we kept moving and doing though, I was fine.  So we went out to work and worked hard!  We were able to see one of our investigators in first ward.  It was really good.  She hasn't been taught any of the lessons yet, but we have been sharing different scriptures from the Book of Mormon with her on forgiveness.  She kept thanking us over and over today for it and telling us about all of the things that she had been holding in for so many years.  She has had a very hard life and hearing her just express her thanks for helping her feel the relief of forgiveness was amazing.  It is experiences like that that remind me why I am on a mission.  Seeing the gospel affect and change someone's life, it makes up for all of the long hard days when no one wants to hear what you have to say and you feel like no one even cares you traveled all the way to Texas and put your life on hold to bring them the greatest message in the world that will bring them happiness in this life, and eternal happiness in the life to come.  

Ok, rant over, sorry.  Anyway....we didn't have a dinner appointment so we had a fantastic welcome to The Woodlands dinner at Zoe's Kitchen, this nice little Mediterranean place.  We then quickly went back to work and at 7:30 we met with the elders that were now serving in the 1st ward to go over what the heck was going to happen.  It was good, and hopefully I didn't overwhelm them, but it is not like I really had much idea what was going on anyway.  Afterwards we went to the 1st ward mission leader's home.  I love that family so much and I was so sad to not be able to go over there anymore!   I really needed a blessing though so I asked him if he would do it.  It was very much needed and helped give me the peace and direction that I needed.

At the ranch, gettin' dirty

Wednesday we did service at the horse ranch again.  It was pretty fun.  We got to clean horse paddocks and water plants.  What made it fun though is the people we were with.  It is nice to just work outdoors with my fellow missionaries and get some stuff done.  Then we came home, had some lunch and went out again.  We met with one of the members of the ward who went out teaching with the elders a lot to try and get some information on the people they were teaching.  It was good, he also gave us some ideas on where to start in the ward, I think he could tell I was a little overwhelmed.  It was getting better though!  We tried by a lot of less active members, finding them moved or not at home, and knocked on a lot of doors.  We didn't have a dinner again so we had a great dinner at home and went out again!  It was a good day.  Sister Heaps is great, I love her already!

On Thursday we went to help out at a food pantry, just making bags of food for people to take.  Then we did our weekly planning.  It was intense since Sister Heaps is new to the area and we have to figure out what we are going to do now.  It was good though.  We were able to start the long process of separating the records we have, dividing them between 1st and 2nd ward.   We then had dinner with a Chinese family and they made excellent Chinese food, the real kind (sorry Heidi, no orange chicken).  

We then decided to go to the Relief Society activity because it was a meet and greet, and that is exactly what we needed.  We got there a little early, so we decided to knock on the doors leading up to the home it was being held at.  We confused a lot of sisters because they thought the activity was at the house we were knocking at.  They would start coming up to the door as we would leave.  It was kind of funny.  It was a good activity, we were able to meet a lot of the women and answer some questions for a girl that is leaving for the Salt Lake City South mission in a few months.

Friday was district meeting, I always love district meeting.  It leaves me spiritually recharged and able to make it to Sunday.  We studied and discussed Section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants on the spirit world and family history.  There is a a lot more emphasis on family history going on in the mission and it is great!  I love family history!  There is a lot of temple work to do in our line, so once you get the baptisms done, feel free to send me the cards so I can do the endowments!  After our meeting we went out again.  We walked around and went to visit people who had previously expressed interest in missionaries before.  We did a lot of walking.  Between Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I was actually sore!  It was fun though, just to walk around and talk to people and my companion.  

We ate dinner at a park and then went tracting at these apartments we had never been to before.  We got really excited for a moment because there wasn't a gate to the complex.  That excitement quickly turned to disappointment when we realized the individual buildings had gates.  One was open though so that was a miracle.  We then went with a member to try by some people that the previous missionaries were teaching.  It went well and we got a return appointment with one.  We were about to leave when the member thought to ask one of her friends who lived close by if we could stop by and see her.  We weren't able to, but I thought it was awesome that she had the thought to ask.

We had a jam packed Saturday morning.  I got your package!  I was not expecting it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the note on my door Friday night.  Imagine my surprise when the other sisters in the complex told me that they had received a note that I had a package waiting for me in the office as well.  Dad forgot to put the apartment number on the box.  The apartment office knew that missionaries lived in both apartments, so they put a note on both doors.  I thought it was hilarious.  I thought it was even funnier that Dad but one of his work sweatshirts in the box.  I am not quite sure when he thinks I will use it, but I don't fear the cold right now. It brought a smile to my face though and really lifted me up, as did the letters.  The cards were so cute!  Thank you so much :)  

We tried by a few less active members and tracted before we met with the Relief Society president to see if she knew anyone we needed to pay special attention to.  It was really good, but since she likes to talk, we had to book it to our next appointment.  It was awesome though!  We are teaching a family that the elders were previously teaching.  She is a less active member and he is not a member.  It was a really good lesson though and they seem very committed to reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church, so we will see what happens there.

Sunday was amazing.  One of the best so far.  All of the testimonies were wonderful and so were the lessons.  It was weird to not go to both wards, and it kind of freaked me out a bit.  Didn't know what to do before church.  We actually had time for studies in the morning and to go out tracting a bit.  As we were out walking this kid ran up to us and asked if we would like a drink, holding out two bottles.  It was so sweet!  We thanked him and he ran back to his car and they drove away.  It was only then that we realized he had given us bottles of tea.  The gesture was so sweet though!!  I felt awful just throwing it away, but we had no one to give it to and there was no hesitation in us to obey the Word of Wisdom.  It was the kindest thing though and that little act of love carried me all day.  

After church we tracted a little before going to dinner.  Their daughter was super excited to have someone else that was gluten intolerant at dinner (Sister Heaps is gluten intolerant), since none of her family it.  It was a delicious dinner, made all the better by the fact that it was Fast Sunday.  We then went to Autumn Leaves and sang with the residents.  A member of the ward came and brought his guitar.  He made up a fun little song on the spot without asking the missionaries.  It was a really fun song.  We tracted a little before it got too dark and then visited a member before returning home.  It was a great day.  I am doing so much better now and I am really able to cope with the task that has been set before me.  I am just filled with so much happiness, I have no room to be sad!

Have a happy happy happy week!

Sister Hudgens

This cute little girl drew my picture!  Guess which one is me?

(hint, I have curly hair)