Elder Tyler's letter 12/29/2014

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!

WHAT??!!!!

You are ALL soooo in-freakin-spired!!!!!  Every single one of your emails was EXACTLY either what happened this last week, or what I needed to hear!!!!

Holy crap, I think I know how Alma felt when he fainted with how exceeding was his joy! hahah I had to lock my comptuer screen, go to the bathroom, get a drink and take a break!! I'm soo serious!!!

Wow where do I start?!?! I'm definitely going to be sending a recording next week!!

Ok, so first off, I was having a rough go of it in the middle of the week. I felt just tired.  Tired of taking ALL the initiciative in every single aspect of our work here, teaching all the lessons, making all the plans, doing all the contacting and coordinating with ward members and leaders when it's my second week here, my head was killing me. Just tired. On Friday, I wasn't sure how much more of this I could take! I felt like I was in arm's length of my limit! but then I decided to take the advice from Elder Busche and instead, turning all my thoughts, grumblings and tiredness into the perspective of my eternal hope, and in gratitude of my Savior, and Father in Heaven!  Boy did that make me feel better :) Then on Saturday, we talked for a minute about what we thought our purpose was here on the mission!  It started my companion asking why I was so "go go go" all the time, and he felt like I needed to slow down.  I told him that I'm here for these 2 super short years to completely immerse myself in the service of the Lord, and to see what miracles come when I'm totally focused, heart might mind and strength on missionary work.  I feel like I have the ability, right now, to rise to MY full potential. Just like the Book of Mormon prophets, they turned into millions of people's heros by first following spiritual prompting, then another, then another, then another.  Pretty soon, the decisions that required soo much sacrifice were easy for them, because they were diligent in keeping the commandments (or promptings) of the Lord! Also that I did NOT want to look back on my mission and have an ounce of regret. I want to leave as Peter, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith" and I feel pleased with my service. The conversation then moved to how we felt about being consecrated to the Lord's service, being set apart from the world, and how we felt about our calling as missionaries.  I didn't like his opinion on that one, and we'll leave it at that.  

That week in sacrement meeting, a high councilman stood and delivered an amazing talk about the Savior. I went up to him and congratulated him, told him what an amazing talk I thought it was he gave, and explained that I learned a lot about what to do when times get hard, and almost out of random, he told me "I'll give you one piece of advice. Maximize every moment of your mission. Don't waste a second.  You have 2 years to put forth your best effort, and your whole life to analyze how you did." talk about confirming revelation!

Later that day, my companion expressed desires to stay in the apartment and carry on P-day activities at 7:00. At first, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.. then, (thanks to the spiritual preparation I received, I'm sure) I sharply rebuked the notion by the spirit, he then, without another word, got changed back into prosleyting clothes, and we went out and visited a family he thought we should. Turns out that the woman of the house had the strong impression to call the missionaries the day before to help her 6 year old deal with a mountain of guilt she was carrying due to life in foster care. She teared up when we showed up "randomly" the very next day. We then had a powerful lesson about being strong and of a good courage (that he lead, and it was SUPER spiritual! it was incredible!) and I experienced an angel of the devil being cast out during the closing prayer. When I prayed that Satan's grasp on her be loosened (or whatever the spirit said) it disappeared almost grudgingly! The point is, ALL your emails and ALL the quotes were all about hope and about these very principles I experienced this week!! I'm totally printing out almost all the emails sent to me today and keeping them!!! I love you all more than I can express!! You're the reason I'm able to be strong and of a good courage!! You're in my prayers always!!

Love,
Elder Judy
foot note (a) Perfect meaning whole, or complete.

Elder Tyler's letter 1/5/2014

Dear Mom,

That's so inspired that you shared the scriptures in D&C 6!!  I've used those scriptures a lot in sharing them with other people, but I didn't even think twice about applying them to myself! Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I got the feeling to read my journal a few days ago, so I'm reading it just like scriptures! right now I'm in the "section" where I'm a few days out in the mission field! hah I was so green... :) I think what's really cool about what the scripture says about "say nothing but repentance unto this generation" I've taken that to include my companions, other missionaries, and people I come in contact with. When I know by the spirit what I'm doing is right, I feel like it's a commandment of the Lord to stay faithful and diligent to it.  If it's not my words, but my example that is preaching repentance, so be it, so long as I'm fulfilling the Lord's will.  But yay!! Thanks for the update!! That's so fun! I was wondering about you guys going skiing!! That's come up a few times in conversations about skiing. You guys need to keep up your skills so you can re-teach me everything I've forgotten!

Yeah I'm going to contact the mission office about my apartment, because the floor is curling up around the toilet, and tub, and revealing the nasties from beneath... eck. BUT!! a miracle happened this week!! I went to the other missionaries' apartments, and I wish I took before and after pictures of when I first got there til now! THEIR apartments are looking a LOT cleaner than they used to be! and they admitted that the cleanliness may or may not have been inspired by our place... :)  It was super awesome!  It re-invigorated me to continue cleaning up after myself and one other person :)

My 3 wards are doing ok!  We cover 8th ward, 9th ward and YSA Branch (which is over ALL of Safford).  We have one 10 year old we're baptizing this week!! woohoo!! His dad (less active) is going to baptize him, and he wants me to confirm him! I'm so excited! :)  We also have our other investigator, Frank, come to church this passed week! he only stayed for sacrament, but that's the most important part!  We'll work with that! :)  He said he wants to be baptized on March 28th (Dallin's birthday wooo!) but I know the spirit has prepared him to accept a date MUCH sooner than that ;) haha

One of the miracles I saw this week was during fast Sunday!  I was hungry.. obviously.. towards the beginning of the day when I didn't have all the reasons for my fast written down and figured out just yet, so I was just "wandering" around the kitchen looking at the food longingly, when the impression came to me so strongly, that I spoke it out loud: "the Lord wants to give me something better." BOOM! I was never hungry or even tempted to think about even BEING hungry the rest of the day because, along with my reasons for fasting, I would repeat that to myself every time! :) I don't know what it is yet, but I'm super pumped for it!! haha :)

SO! I have a person in my ward that works at the Nauvoo temple seasonally, and he said that he would have been working at the time I got my endowments!!!  whaa?!  super cool!!  So I built a new deck for him for his trailer-house :) hahah

 ALSO! we had this Mission Unity Day on January 1st where we had the entire mission come together and play a whole ton of games, sports, and other activities!! it was soooo fun!! I hung out with Elder Malcarne the whole time :) hahah it was to beesstt!!

LAST THING!  We had a lesson with the 6 year old I told you about, and my companion actually said some things!!  On top of that, they were freakin inspired!! It was soo cool! it was like a 60-40 teaching lesson!! I was soooo pumped!! things are DEFINITELY getting sooo much better!!  Plus I feel like we're actually good friends! :)

I love you mom! Thank you for being inspired and loving me so much. I am so grateful for all the hard lessons you taught me, despite my grumbling attitude towards...all of them... I really appreciate the influence you've had on my life.  It's done nothing but good for me here on my mission. I love you!

Love,

Elder Judy

Elder Dallin's letter 1/5/2014

Elder Dallin's letter

Dear Family, 

   Thank you guys so much for the letters!!! Your thoughts and comments are so endearing and inspiring!! I tell everyone about your stories and I reflect on them all the time throughout my week! I truly just love my mission and I have changed so much during my mission! 

    I actually got to speak in sacrament meeting this week! It was nerve racking of course, but we both actually spoke and were asked to speak on the New Year. So Elder Madsen spoke on just renewal in general, and I talked about putting this new year in the hands of the Lord, and following Him. 

    But here's some updates! Elder Ombach was called as the new district leader! So now I'm being led by my new missionary!! It's actually quite fun!! I like to give him a hard time. We have SO much fun together! And for New Years, as we were riding home, I had a cop pulled me over on my bike and got out to tell me that we were on the most dangerous street in the city, there is always stabbings and shootings here, and whenever cops are called to that street, they always send two. And that just happened to be the very street that we live on!!! Hahaha!!!! It was pretty funny. The cop was a member of the church in a different city. 

 But if I send a list of things, could I have you guys pray for them?  Here's the things I need help with:

-The first is the father of a family that has 6 people in the family and he doesn't want to get baptized because he doesn't feel that this is the only true church. He needs the Spirit soften his heart and we need inspiration with who we need helping us to get him 

-My companion.  He needs answers to his questions and answers to his prayers. He needs motivation and help with loving the work. 

-Me. I need help staying focused and strength to work harder and smarter. Thanks so much guys!!!!!!!! 

       But I can't believe that it was that cold there!!! I'm going to straight DIE when I get home!! I get SO cold when it's only like 40's! The gloves and sweater that you sent me works awesomely! 

     But I learned something cool this week!! When Nathaniel and another to-be Apostles were following Jesus, He turned around and said, "What desirous thou?" and they said "where dwellest thou?" and He said "Come and see." I love how He didn't say, "listen to my teachings, and it will give you peace, or happines, or purpose." He simply invited them because the teachings of Christ help us all with the individual needs that we all have. Some actually do need peace, some need forgiveness, some need direction. "Come and see."

    I love to study the life of our Savior. He is such an incredible Person. He truly wants us all to have the most happiness that we can have and knows all of our potentials. I am so thankful that he will share His perfection with me so that I can "become perfect IN Christ" (Moro. 10:32). I know that He actually lived and that He has a plan for us. I am SO thankful for Him and all that He has done for me. It is truly an honor and exquisite privilege to sacrifice in His behalf and to help our brothers and sisters say "yes" to His gospel again!!! Thank all of you so much for your profound support and love that has carried me through the hard times and has always been there for me!! Your letters and packages are ALWAYS so awesome!!!!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!

-Elder Dallin Judy

Elder Tanner's letters 1/5/2014

Elder Tanner's letter 1/5/2014

This week has been a great week! We had a great New Year's Day. It was Elder Nanney's birthday, an elder from the Heritage ward who is in our complex, on the 31st so we had a surprise party for him and celebrated with him for a while which was fun.

Elder Jacobson and I have had a really good past few weeks! We found 2 new investigators so that makes 6 in 2 weeks which we are really excited for. We did a LOT of tracting. All of our investigators all said to meet with them the week after new year so we had no one to see so we tracted our shoes off. We tracted about 30 to 40 hours in two weeks minimum, but things are going to really pick up for us this week as we visit all of our old investigators and new.

Elder Jacobson and I really have bonded well this past week. My perception of him has finally changed from " my trainee" to my companion and I have seen him as an equal to me. When I got the call to train, with out meaning to, I perceived him as just a lump of meat who didn't know anything about missionary work and assumed I knew the right way. 

I think I thought that way because that's how I came out. I felt like a didn't know a single thing and the only thing I knew how to do out here was keep myself alive. So I think I felt like I needed to help him out this grand amount like my trainer did me, but he has his own potential and his own knowledge. So I had a really humbling change of heart this week.

The work is going well! Like I said we haven't been able to make much progress with our investigators this week which is a shame, but we are still optimistic about them all and really hope to baptize soon! However, we did have one woman who we have been trying and trying and trying to see for months and FINALLY she answered and seemed really down, and she told us she recently had a death in the family and wanted us to come back and teach her.. exciting but sad :( I know the lord has a plan for each of his children and we can have confidence  in that.  

Thank you for all your prayers and support with your letters they really help and they are so spiritually refreshing!

Love, Elder Judy

Dear momma

Thank you so much for those scriptures and thoughts! I wrote them down for Kenny.

 I hold those scriptures you just said very close to my heart. I remember when I had finished the book of Mormon on my mission for the first time and I prayed for a witness that it is true.. I and It didn't really come as strong as I wanted. I felt the spirit.. but not in the way that I thought. so I decided to read d&c for my next book to study, then I read those verses and I remembered the first time I received a witness it was true and how powerful it was and then I felt the spirit so strongly then! It was.. something else.

I  have DEFINITELY felt your prayers this week prepare my heart for a big change I need to make within myself. Elder Jacbson and I had a heart to heart last night, and he was asking me questions about the way I did certain things.  I realized that in my prayers to develop Christ like love, that was the answer I was looking for.  I know your prayers helped my heart accept it and try to change. Thank you.

I actually have used vs 33 through 36 MANY times when talking to members and trying motivate them to do missionary wrk!

Love you so much thank you for your prayers and support.. I really couldn't do this with out them.

Love always, Elder Tanner Judy

 oh ps we weren't able to see Kenny this week :( he was busy

Dear Elder Tanner,
You have been in my prayers especially this week.   I hope you have the guidance you need with your new investigators. You have many challenges.

Something that has helped me when I am facing discouragements and challenges is to read my journal when I have received answers to my prayers.  Our Heavenly Father is with us.  We just need to remember.  

In Doctrine and Covenants, I love these scriptures.
6:22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
6:23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?

I have many experiences recorded in my journal of times when I have received sweet feelings of peace and answers to my prayers. I was thinking that in the case of Kenny, maybe he needs to be reminded of the spirit that was there the first time he came to church.  Heavenly Father teaches us through the spirit and we need to remember.

I love the whole section 6.
D&C 6:8 Verily, verily, I say unto you, even as you desire of me so it shall be unto you; and if you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this generation.
9 Say nothing but repentance unto this generation; keep my commandments, and assist to bring forth my work, according to my commandments, and you shall be blessed.
34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

I know that when we are about the Lord's work, we are so blessed.

I love you so much and pray for you all the time. 

I will send another email with updates:)

Love
Momma

Elder Tanner's letter 12/29/2014

This week has been a great week! It was SUPER awesome to talk to you family!!  It was super weird at first, I felt like I was breaking some serious rules when I called cuz it was on my mission phone, the one STRICTLY for mission purposes hah but I got over don't worry:) 

As far as what to do for Mothers Day, I am going to ask President Ames about doing an exception with Skype at a members home for Dallin's last call home and cuz the 3 missionary thing. Or something else we could do is a conference call rather than 3 individual phones..

Christmas was super fun! I LOVED all the presents I got! and thank you SO much for them!!  The glasses, the ties the sweaters, the gloves, the candy, the posters, the cards EVERYTHING just put the biggest smile on my face! :)

This week has been actually really successful! we did a lot of tracting for sure this week, but luckily we found great success from it!  We have been focusing on finding the people whom the Lord would have us find and trying our best to teach each person like that's the one sent from God. We taught 5 other lessons and got 4 new investigators from them! The spirit was really with us with the people that we got to talk to.  It was awesome.

There was actually a funny experience that we had the other day.  There was a man driving past us when we had stopped for a second to re evaluate our plans.  He stopped in the middle of the road and he asked us, " Mormons?" and I replied, " Yes sir!" then he smiled and said simply, " love ya."  It was really an uplifting, simple remark, but from a complete stranger it was refreshing and funny.

We taught Kenny again this week.  We taught him about the importance and role of prayer expressly. It was a pretty powerful lesson, but he still feels like he needs to investigate other churches. We encouraged him in what he did, and we hope that he will take seriously the quest for finding the true church and do what we've advised him to do as far as reading and praying.

Sadly we weren't able to get in contact with any of our other investigators this week, so theres no real update as far as other names I have mentioned in the past.

But as far as Elder Jacobson and I go we are doing really well and our companionship is growing into more than me training him on how to be a missionary, but to us being more equally yoked in the "cause of the Christians".  It has been really interesting what the Lord reveals to each of us and allows for the other to trust the promptings of the spirit and seek confirming revelation.  We have strived for unity in all we do and are trying to find better ways to be unified and the Lord has blessed us in our efforts for sure. 

We recently read Doctrine and Covenants section 109 and that section is the dedication of the Nauvoo temple and it is AMAZING it is just full of promised blessing from the Prophet Joseph Smith.   I read it with more sentimentality cuz me and Tyler took our endowments out in that temple:)

I love you all sooooo freaking much!!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Tanner Judy

Elder Tanner's letter 1/26/2015

Dear Family,

 

This week was a fantastic week!  We taught a good lesson to an 8 year old girl about to be baptized on Monday which was fun.

Tuesday was our zone conference and that was absolutely amazing.  I learned soo much. and also I learned things that I didn't really notice I needed to work on particularly working with members.  I didn't really know that my pre-dinner, mid dinner conversations were a little less then "consecrated to missionary work".  Now with the vision I have been given in zone conference, we have been keeping the conversation topics about the gospel and missionary work which has had a dramatic influence on the lesson afterwards.  The lesson has been much more powerful as we have thought about and prepared a lesson each day this week.  We have President Ames's  vision to thank for increasing our own.

Quick investigator update:  One of our investigators has been really sick this week he was actually admitted into the hospital this past Thursday.  We have been praying for him and asked our zoneleaders to have our zone pray for him, so he's doing a lot better his mom said.  What is really cool though, is we told our bishop and he said he would take the priests down to the hospital on Wednesday and visit him which is a great idea and I'm really glad he is willing to do that.

We recently found a new investigating family.  They are pretty young with 2 kids.  The wife feels the need to be "rebaptized" and the husband has been really interested in the doctrines of the church and how everything seems to be "lining up" so this next lesson is going to be solely about the Holy Ghost which we are really excited for.  Our last lesson was really powerful in that Elder Jacobson and I bore our conversion stories about gaining our testimonies of the book of Mormon.

Sadly, we weren't able to get a lesson with our new investigator this week.  We had an appointment scheduled for a week in advance that didn't work out and they weren't able to make it to church. :/

We stopped by the home of one of our older investigators.  They are a LA/PM and she really wants him to come to church and feel the spirit.  She actually was brought to tears there on the doorstep when she felt like it wasn't going to happen.  We assured her that as she tries the Lord will indeed bless her efforts, and that the Lord's will will be done as she follows the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  It was a powerful exchange.

We have had a great week this week all in all!  I was feeling pretty depressed on Tuesday, because the weight of my calling and the responsibility I have was pressing on my mind and it caused me to reflect on how far away I was from being consecrated.  However, during the week I read a "consecrated missionary" talk by Tad R Callister, and was surprised to see that most of the attributes described in it were things I had realized and had been working on.  Then it really came to me that it was a process and a "receiving spiritual light" talk by David A. Bednar and that one became meshed in my brain.

I realized that the Lord "give[s] us our daily bread" as pray for it and seek it.  He helps us and strengthens us day by day to help realize the humility and patience we need to have in this process of becoming sons and daughters of God here on earth.  I learned that in our prayers, we need to ask for strength and help on a daily basis, and to look at the blessings that come from living the prayer you offered, and to not be frustrated when the end result isn't achieved in a timely matter, but to have confidence that we are indeed changing and "receiving more light, and becoming more Christlike " as we are faithful in our prayers.

 

For example: I have been praying for Charity, and In hind sight I noticed something.. as I began praying for it daily, I was given a little bit more.  I was able to love one person a little more than I would have otherwise.  Over time I had become frustrated that I wasn't loving everyone perfectly after all these prayers and working on it..  Now in hind sight, I can see just how the process of developing charity had begun and just how much it had indeed changed me.  Also, just how much I had overlooked it, being so focused on trying to be as charitable as Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and confidence.  It has been an amazing strength to me to see the positive nature of the vision and support I have from those I love.  It truly helps me keep my vision towards heaven not to the ground.

Love Elder Judy 

Dad's letter

Dear Elder Judy,

We've been in Las Vegas this weekend as it was Mary's farewell...  Mary's talk during sacrament was about service and was based on a conference talk from this past general conference.  I started to think about the parable of the good Samaritan and thought I'd share a couple of thoughts with you that came to me during the rest of the meeting.  I've also been reading the Gospel's again, and I've felt that the words of the Savior are so perfectly chosen.  There isn't a time where the words in the scriptures aren't exactly what He wanted to be there regarding His personal teachings.  As such, with respect to the good Samaritan parable, I was thinking about what the cost of service to the Samaritan was.  Approaching the injured man might have placed him in peril as those who'd done the deed may have been still around and he could have identified them to the Samaritan for justice to have been done to them.  Despite the possibility, and against the current sentiment of mutual dislike between their regions of origin, the Samaritan bound up his wounds and placed him on his beast.  My guess is that the Samaritan had to then bear the burden that had previously been on his donkey as I'm sure the donkey couldn't have handled both the injured man and the current load it was bearing.  The Samaritan then was seen in public with the injured man while presenting him to the innkeeper where he took from his own purse the cost of lodging and care that might have been incurred along with an assurance of payment for any further costs that might arise in bringing him back to health.  I thought I'd just list some of the costs of service the Samaritan faced:

Dear Elder

 

public scrutiny, physical labor, personal inconvenience for the detour of way and time, financial outgo, personal ownership of the situation for future costs.  There may be more, but ultimately, the teaching wasn't meant to be one of an extreme example.  I believe it was meant to show an everyday situation and what our level of willingness to serve ought to be.  It may actually cost us money and perhaps a significant amount.  We are likely to be inconvenienced in our time and way.  We may have a social cost that we feel as we serve, but all of it is known to our Father in Heaven who sees and hears us in secret and rewards us openly when our eye is single to His glory in serving His children.  I know that our efforts to serve Him are NEVER unnoticed by Him or wasted.

 

 

Have a great week!  Hurrah for Israel!

 

Love Dad

Elder Dallin's letter 1/26/2015

Dear Family, 

     Thanks so much for the letters and pictures!!!! They were awesome!!! I was just pondering about you guys this week and I just couldn't help but smile and be full of love for you guys. You guys have done so much for me and continue to do so much for me that I wish I could repay you all for. But the truth is is that I can't, but what I can do is trust that Heaven will bless all of you for the things that you are doing for the Lord's servant. My mission presidents have always said, "The Lord loves His missionaries, and the Lord loves those who love His missionaries." I find that to be true whether the missionary is a grandson, cousin, or son. Thank you all SO much. 

    Anyways!! For this week, we had a family in one of our members home to teach them there, because the Spirit can be a lot stronger in a home that is a covenant-keeping. But the father, I think he was just out of his comfort zone and it bothered him a little. But while the rest of the family was talking about how hard it was to hear answers to prayers, I felt impressed to ask them what questions they would want to ask God if He were right there. The father had no desire to talk, hold a Book of Mormon, read, or participate. We had the member extend the invitation to come to church with them and sit with them, and promised that he would fast for them to help them to know that this church is true. So I did as well. So they committed to coming to church finally!!! And while we're waiting for them with two rows saved for them we text them to see if they were close and the father texted back saying "We going to our regular church." I was heart-broken. So much so that I forgot that I was asked to give the opening prayer and had a little bit of a delay getting up there, but it wasn't too bad. We are kinda lost as to what to do with them as of right now, since even though both the mom and the 14 year old daughter know the church is true, they still won't do anything. But we'll keep at them! One of these days, it will just click. 

  My companion is doing a little bit better, but Dad you really nailed it when you said that it being around someone who is only loosely committed to being there may make it much harder to be diligent and as fully engaged as you otherwise might be. It does, but I know that we were meant to be together for a purpose, so I will just keep on him and keep the spiritual blood flowing in him. He really is such a strong missionary when he wants to be and I love him dearly. He had really improved and doesn't want to go home any more, now it's just fine-tuning his obedience and charity for others. He's just such a stud!! 

   Dad I loved what you said about the sacrifices about the good Samaritan. Such a powerful parable. That list of sacrifices included some that I had never before thought about! 

  So after talking to some bishops in the zone, the common denominator with what they all had to say was loving the members. So what I did for my training was had an elder carry a piano bench with 4 ping pong balls on top and set them on a table. He couldn't do it, so I asked for a different elder to do it, but this time giving him a small can to put the balls in so they didn't roll everywhere. On the bottom of the can, I had written "LOVE" and on all the balls, I had written things like "member trust", "Team ups", "Dinner Appointments" and stuff. I taught that as we have love for our members, everything else becomes easier. 

     But I'm out of time!!!! I love you all so much!!!!! I'm so glad you had such a great time in Las Vegas!!!!!!!!!! Give everyone my love!!! :)

-Elder Judy

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 15:33:26 -0800
Subject: Re: momma's letter 1/19/2015
From: dallin.judy@myldsmail.net
To: judycoldsteel@hotmail.com

Dear Family, 

   Thank you guys so much for all your prayers and thoughts that you have sent my way!! They have been so helpful and have really changed the way my investigators have reacted to my teaching!! All of you guys' faith is truly a formidable force that can influence the work out here! 

    I say that because when we were teaching a family (who have a baptism date, and have come to church for 2 weeks now) they almost all struggle with the word of wisdom, but they received WAY better than we could ever have expected! When we left the house, we just stared at each other in disbelief and just then, I had the impression that this was an answer to a prayer that wasn't said by me. Very awesome experience! 

   So as far as school, thank you SO much for the help with that! I really appreciate it Mom!! I don't know if this is too late, bit I really wanted to work for a month or two before I go to school so I can have some money in the bank and help out with the college bills. But I asked my mission president about an interview!

   And Brit??!! At the dance??? Holy moly!!!! I didn't even recognize her!!!!! She looks AWESOME!!!!! I have a guy in my ward that saw a picture of her  and asks for her email all the time! Then I proceed to tackle him and tell him to stay away hahaha!!! 

  Mom, thanks so much for the video!! I will definitely try to show it. I kinda confronted him and told him that if he doesn't want to try to gain a testimony of God's love for him, it will NEVER come. He took it really well and asked some pretty good questions after. I think he just needed someone to get in his face a little about it. He said he's improving on getting some answers. Thank you for the prayers!!!!!!! Once again, your faith is getting put to work out here and doing things that I can't do myself!!! 

  I went to the doctor and our med. coord. said that I would need surgery to get my finger thing fixed. It's just a really tiny BB sized ball in my figure, and the doctor said that it's fine. He called in like a ganglion cyst or something. It's harmless. What a relief!!! 

   Dad, I loved what you said about the article that you found!! It truly sounds like you rely on the spirit when you are teaching. I really can't wait to read it!! I was asked to give a training on using the members more effectively in our work, and it's going to be for the entire zone. So what I will be doing is calling every bishop in the stake (10) and asking them for 2 people's numbers who go out with the missionaries the most and ask them a few questions like " How could missionaries work more effectively with the members? What do missionaries do that impress you? How could they prepare you better for team ups?" Things like that. I hope it will be helpful for them. 

  Also!!! More answers to your prayers!! The family, (Carlos is the father) they have been really receptive to listening to us and a few of the children have been opening up a lot more about things that we never knew they had questions on, so that was really helpful!! Carlos is being very difficult and close minded, but that's just something that we'll have to work with. We're getting really close to dropping them. Maybe being away from the warmness of the gospel will help them realize the blessing that it is in their life. We are really hoping that we don't have to though. 

   Something that really stuck out to me this week while studying is in 1 Ne. 2:12, and v. 16. I think these verses really help us see the difference between a disciple and an weak link in the chain. When we are faced with adversity, sometimes we murmur because "we know not the God who created us." But some of us dig our feet in and figure out what God wants us to learn from our trials. I love that principle. 

   Anyways!!! I'm outta time!!! I love you guys so much!!! I LOVE my mission and I thank you all again for your prayers!!! 

-Elder Judy

   

On Mon, Jan 19, 2015 at 7:29 AM, claine Judy <judycoldsteel@hotmail.com> wrote:

Dear Elder Dallin,

In my letter about the ecclesiastical interview, I said it needed to be done this week, but it just needs to be done and submitted by your president by February 1st.  It is so important that it is on time though.  Your essay has to be submitted by Feb 1st as well but I think it would be a mistake to wait on that.  Just do the essays today if you can and email them back to me.  If you don't have time today, do them this week and then email them back.  

We didn't get a recording last week.  Did you try to send one?  I wondered if something went wrong.  I am so excited to hear about the family you have found.  That is pretty amazing that there is a whole family who is ready.  

I loved your experience about the homeless shelter.  I am so amazed at how much we are blessed.  I just hope that those people find a way to get out of that situation and are able to support themselves and their families.

Mary is having her farewell next Sunday!!!! Can you believe it is already time for her to go?  Now we will have two missionaries from our family in Texas!  I am so excited for her.  I know it is a really tough mission but I know she will do great.  Auria's farewell is March 8th.  We are planning on going to both of those.  

I already told you about Emrie's swimming lessons, but this week, she was doggy paddling across the hot tub by herself.  She just didn't want to get out!  Amazing!!  Lyndsie is LOVING her dancing.  It was so cute yesterday when Cheri and Curt and their kids came over yesterday, they all made up a dance and performed it for us.  It was so cute!   Britney had a great time at the Snowball dance this weekend.  We had the after party here at our house.  It sounded like they had a great time.  She went with a really nice boy named Trace.  They dressed up in super hero shirts.  It was a really cute theme.  Brit will probably tell you this, but she got her braces off this past Thursday!!!  She looks really cute!  

Oh, I don't want to forget, Kaylee quit her job because of the environment and is looking for a job.  We should remember to pray for her.  Her and Abe are finishing up their schooling and trying to decide what graduate program Abe wants to apply for. 

Subbing is going well for me.  When I prayed about doing this long term subbing job for Ms. Nystrom, I felt like I should do it.  Her class is really good.  There is a little girl in her class whose dad has cancer and he has been in Utah getting a bone marrow transplant.  He is a doctor here in town.  It really makes you feel blessed when you hear about things like that.  They were really excited that he would be out of the hospital for Christmas.  I think he still has to live in an apartment near the hospital so that he can get back to the hospital quickly for a while though.  I hope things go well for him.

We are doing really well but we need to pray for continued guidance.  I know it is so important the we do what the Lord would have us do as a family.  We have been so blessed and I know we will continue to be blessed as we rely on him.

In the YW lesson I was in yesterday, the teacher showed a video that went with the lesson about a boy who was driving a car and hit some ice.  One of his best friends was killed and the other one was critically injured but he (the driver) walked away unharmed.  He talked about his feelings of anger and feeling alone.  He decided to turn to the Savior.  He talked about how he prayed and wanted the answers right then, but realized that that wasn't how the Lord works.  He realized that he needed to be patient as he put his trust in the Lord that he would have the answers come.  I wondered if you could use this in your teaching.  The video would be on lds.org under the lesson topic for YW/YM for this month.  The lesson is about trusting in the Savior.

We have been praying for you and Elder Madsen as well as Carlos and the Millers.  I hope thing are going well for all of you.  When I pray for you, I feel that the Lord is hearing our prayers.

We love you and I hope you can get everything accomplished that you need to.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve.  I hope Elder Madsen can see what a wonderful opportunity and a chance of a lifetime it is to be able to serve a full time mission.  It is just so amazing that we have been so blessed.

I hope you have a great week!!

Love

momma

Hello Family!

 

Great week this week! It has been a really busy, fun, FAST week! Holy COW it feels like Yesterday I was just on emailing home! Elder Jacobson and I have been really focusing on member present lessons because our mission president wants us to. We have been working really hard to get exchanges to come with us. We taught 4 mpls this week which is more than usual! But what really shocked us was usually we get about 5-8 other lessons a week. This week we got 12! I guess as we weren't so worried about turning every contact into a lesson, the lessons just came naturally as we just relaxed and went with the spirit! So that was pretty interesting! 

Our ward missionary in charge of the meal calendar has had an increased vision as far as our meals recently! This week we were able to eat with 2 LA/PM families! He is really do a great job creating opportunities for us!

Shelly wasn't able to come to church this week. We saw her on Saturday night at like 8:30 and she said she would come. But then got called into work Sunday morning. We are trying our best but that agency has really been a big factor in all this haha.

 

Grady had work also this week and Kenny was sick... so yeah kind of depressing Sunday! It was good to be able to focus on myself and recommitting to be more Christlike and repent. 

Me and Elder Jacobson have been working on unity more and more which is going well I feel like. There is some repenting I need to do with being more agreeable, but other than that it has been a great 1 1/2 transfers! Transfers are on Feb 4 just an FYI.. I really don't want to leave this area!! The only other ward I've ever lived in is our home ward! so I've like totally re-attached myself to this ward and I don't wanna leave!! haha but I will probably end up leaving. Such is missionary work I guess. It's just hard to picture being anywhere else!

 

We had a service opportunity for a part member family this week and I got to go on the roof and take down Christmas lights for an hour which was SO fun! I was happy to be doing "the fun stuff" on a roof again! haha

 

A little spiritual thought I had this week. I think I have been focused a little too much on " preaching" a mission rather than "serving" a mission and I have been working on serving others. It was cool cuz I heard shortly after I realized this someone say, the best way to serve God is to serve his Children.. That's so true cuz God's labor is to bless his children! That was deep to me.

 

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support! I have really felt like I have been relying on them a lot this week so thank you all.. seriously SO MUCH!!! 
HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

 

Elder Tanner Judy

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Tanner Judy

 

 

1/19/15

 

 

To: judycoldsteel@hotmail.com

Awesome thanks dad!!

 

I had a pretty sweet experience with prayer this week.  I was talking to him (my companion) a little about homesickness and I was sympathizing with him saying I miss you sometimes and then he said "and being with you all the time just.. sucks".... and I was REALLY offended.. like can I tell you?? and I had just this huge grudge against him cuz it really depressed me..  Like I figured it was true anyways.. but then that stab in the back just HURT so I was depressed and angry at him for a while, but all the while I was trying to let it go! Trying to just shake it off. But it was hard!! I didn't say anything to him cuz I didn't wanna retort with anger and drag something out. But finally we went in for lunch and I went into our room and started praying.. and I said " Father please help me forgive him... I don't want to hold a grudge"  As soon as I said "I don't want to" I just felt this.. soul piercing weight lifting peace..... ah... it was beautiful. I really just had my testimony confirmed that the Savior loves me and wants me to become like him. A son of God and will stop at nothing to help me overcome my weaknesses as long as I stop at nothing to learn to rely on him.... it was cool. Pour yourself into him, and he will pour himself into you. The only thing he doesn't have is our desires. I need to actively give them to him and let him make of them what he will. Pretty cool.

 

Hows work? What's the update?

 

I love you too dad!!

 

Love Elder Tanner 

To: Tanner Judy

Just know that the Savior is the very best example for everything that happens to you.  Look to Him in everything that happens and I promise that He'll help you with it.  His example of patience, forgiveness, love and charity are there for us so that we can deal with people who say and do things that are hurtful.  I'm so glad that you turned to Him in prayer in the moment!! I know that expression of faith in Him allowed Him to come to you and heal you.   
Work is going well.  January is always kind of a down month because people have a new deductible to meet and are trying to recover from Christmas so they are less willing to have surgery if they can avoid it.  That's why many surgeons take vacation in January and February (aside from the fact that they want to go somewhere and warm up a bit during the winter).  I'm starting to go to Preston to help them out while their usual surgeon is out with some shoulder surgery.   I'll fire this off because I just saw that you're still sending stuff.  Love you!

Elder Tyler's letter 1/19/2015

Dad! 
　
　
Ok! Everyone! :) This week has been the hardest week of my whole mission. Being as such, it has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life!!  I have learned soooo much and have obtained much knowledge in the workings of the spirit, that I can't give anyone, or anything else the credit but our Father in Heaven. This is truly His work and His glory and His name be glorified forever!!  I wish I could share the smallest part of how I feel, but I can only express what the weakness of my fingers can communicate, and the rest is up to the spirit in each of you, and your sensitivity to the Spirit of the Lord, I pray that He be with all of us. 
I would like to share with you one or some of the rewards I have seen these passed few hours of trial.  The first thing that comes to mind is my understanding of other people's agency and the beautiful and integral part it plays in the Plan of Salvation. I want everyone to come to the gospel period. It doesn't matter what their history is, who their parents are, or if they really did kick the neighbor's dog. Everyone deserves the peace that is so freely given and provided through the great Mediator of all men, Him visiting his people in so much mercy, and love, that He sacrificed his moment to shine and to progress for himself and gave his life for ransom for all of us. Every human that ever has or will live should come to this knowledge! But they can only feel what they want, and they can only do what THEY want, not what I want, or even what the Savior or our Father in Heaven wants! If this were the case that I COULD control what they want to be what I want them to want, or want for them, then Satan's plan must surely come to pass. I have applied this not only to people, but to my companion as I realize that he has his own desires for righteousness, and I have my own. Difference doesn't compare one to another. Our desires are no less valuable than the others'. When we can unite our desires, then weaknesses truly become strengths, and thy God shall faithfully be thy strength. 
The hardest transfer of my mission just turned into my favorite transfer of my mission. I feel like this has come through prayer. I have a firm testimony that in any circumstance, in any place at any time, prayer can truly "change the night to day." Prayer has changed my "night" of a week into a "day" of a week. Anyways, just random insights, but I felt like I should share them! 
We went on an amazing hike!! It was more of an area to explore. It was filled with all these cliffs, holes, caves everything!!  It was soo fun to just loose your mind and worries in all the tunnels and caves! Climbing these cliffs was very dangerous. This place was all hardened sand, so NOTHING was stable. Not even rocks, because the sand around them would give way! So I was really bummed I didn't get to let loose the monkey/mountain goat (that I'm thoroughly convinced is my spirit animal). But it was so fun! The Lord really took care of me by showing me in a vision I had while praying of me falling off a cliff! ...in explicit detail.... It was through no fault of my own, a "secure" foothold gave way and I, having no other security, fell. When I came to the same scene at the place as in my mind, I found that 2 other Elders had climbed it before me! The temptation was really strong.  I thought " wow, if they could do it, then me, being far more experienced (pride) can do this!" But I decided to listen to the promptings of the spirit, and be forced to humbly run around the whole mountainside to find the trail I could easily (and with pansy-like representation) climb back to the top. The only injury I was able to acquire is when I instigated a HUUUUUGGGEEE bee's nest and go stung in the eyelid, inside of the thigh, and twice in the right arm.  IT WAS SOOO FUN!! and SUCH a rush when I hit the nest!!  I had to run like crazy, jumping across huge 45 ft. deep holes, slide down skinny passages, and thoroughly enjoy myself :) hahah 
As far as people go, we have a new baptismal date we set!! This man is Justin, and he is definitely ready to accept the gospel and be baptized! He is set for the 21st of February! He could use your faith and prayers! Also, Frank has set his date for the 28th of March! woooo!!! and Shea, a 21 year old nut-job, is set tentatively for the 7th of February! They are doing so awesome! I'm so proud of my little nuggets :) 
Thank you all for your love and support!!  At random times throughout the week, I'll say to my companion, "Wow, we have SO many people praying for us!"  I really can feel all your prayers, and they are appreciated!!  I pray for as many of you as I can by name!  The rest go in a group-text to be blessed, so I hope the Lord, in his mercy, visits each and every one of you with tender mercies!! :) 
I love you Dad and Mom! I know I wouldn't be here, being the person I am, having the knowledge of the gospel I do without your faithfulness and diligence in keeping the commandments of the Lord!  You truly have blessed my life by living righteously.  Much love and prayers!! 
Love, 
Elder Judy