Week 39 - Mele Kalikimaka 12/21/15

Aloha :)

this week was incredible and i will give you three reasons why:

1) I received a huge answer to my prayer. i met an angel, her name is Valerie. she came at just the right time, and it's like we knew each other before... within minutes of meeting this "stranger" we were hugging each other in tears. God is so good. We shared the Book of Mormon with her, and she told me things that i really needed to hear. I know we are all children of our Heavenly Father and He is very aware of us. He loves us. ahhh prayer is real.

2) okay so then a family in our ward, the Murakane's, (their daughter is currently serving in the salt lake south mission so shout out to her!), brought us dinner this week because i was really sick (i slept for 12 hours, and it's gone now, so i guess it was a virus i dunno anyhoo-) and they brought us GIFTS with them. and it's these super cute "wish pearl necklaces" where we open the mollusk (or clam or whatever you call it haha) BY OURSELVES!! like what it was awesome [mom it reminded me of our trip to Oahu january 2014] and my pearl was Health like what haha God is so funny, so it was supposed to bring me health, then i slept for those 12 hours. man, He is so good.

and 

3) we followed up with those peeps from the flood last week. and, we found a family that is super interested in the gospel. We are so excited to teach them. God led us right to them, and it's crazy how cool everything pieces together like that. we were also able to teach Relief Society this week on living a Christ-centered life, and it made me really realize how all of these things, the entire gospel, is SO PERFECTLY set up. its so cool. and it changes people's lives. and that is the coolest part, is that it helps us to be better individuals and families and allows us to prepare to return to our Heavenly Father.

He truly does know us. He loves us. Why else would He send His Son to live, die, and live again than FOR US? I know our Savior lives. It is because of His birth, which we celebrate at this special time of year, that the Atonement is made possible, and the gospel is available to each and every one of us. so, go out and share that this christmas. and enjoy some hot cocoa too :)

love you all! mele kalikimaka is the thing to say on a bright hawaiian christmas day. that's the island greeting that i send to you, from a land where palm trees sway! Here we know that Christmas will be GREEN AND BRIGHT the sun will shine by day and all the stars by night. Mele Kalikimaka is a wise way to say MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOUUU 🎶😄

xoxo 

sister bbg

Week 38 - 12/14/15

Aloha All!

Time is flying. and it sucks :P but seriously, this week was so beautiful.

We were able to have a zone flood in Honokaa, which means we had the whole zone, which consists of 4 pairs of elders & 2 senior couples & us, knocking doors for two hours in our area. it was so good! God seriously led us straight to the elect. S. Alldredge and I fasted and prayed over this flood and came to the conclusion of two neighborhoods that needed to be knocked. God is so good. :)

AND THEN!! we had our ward Christmas party that night and we got so many less-actives there, it was awesome. plus, GREAT FOOD. so, yeah. my comp and I wrote a song for the ward council to sing, it's called "12 days of Honokaa" and it was super cute :) the punchline was FIVE HIGH PRIESTS SLEEPING. yeah, I know, we are funny... :)

okay, so then on sunday we had this HUGE Book of Mormon sacrament meeting that we have been preparing for for the past 7 weeks. the YSA came to our ward to share talks on the restoration of the gospel and perform some powerful musical numbers! we have been doing EVERYTHING to get people to that sacrament meeting, and we actually had so many people there that we had to open the back curtain thing (the overflow!). WOAH! it was great. after the meeting, Elder Dickamore (him and his wife serve with the ysa branch) introduced me to Ashlyn, one of our recent convert's granddaughters, and we shared our testimonies with her and gave her her very own copy of the book of Mormon! she was excited and said she will read and we invited her to be baptized and she said probably! haha she is cute. I think she is in her early 20's or so. she was lead us, and we were led to her. God is so good.

this week is going to be great, we are excited to follow up on the flood peeps and work with Ashlyn and all the other peeps we met this week! oh yeah, ps, I'M STAYING IN HONOKAA :) YAY! I love this ward, the people are amazing and yeah, it's just great fun here! plus, Christmas! whoo!

okay, the gospel is so true. our savior lives, he was born for us, he died for us, and he rose again for us. I know that because of him, everything is possible, I know he loves each and every one of you, so please keep him at the tip of your mind this Christmas season. It's all about Him, because He is all about us. go out and serve someone, and testify of the truthfulness of His gospel <3 thank you for your amazing examples and testimonies. if you have Christmas cards, send them my way (thank you Kari!! btw- the dickamores say hello!!) loves and hugs my peeps, loves and hugs <3

Aloha,

Sister Judkins

PO Box 837

Honoka'a, HI 96727

The first picture is of al the sister missionaries serving on the Big Island.  The second pic is Brigitte with her flower arrangement, complete with hand-tied bow she helped make for the ward Christmas party.  The third picture is a flower she found while out tracting.

Week 37 - 12/7/15

aloha🍍

this week was full of great things :) we were able to attend the temple which started the whole week off beautifully <3

Elder Hamula from the Seventy came for our mission tour this week, and we were able to hear from him and his wife! he had a really interesting approach to his message, which centered around us fulfilling our duty in order for miracles to occur <3 his quote, "you are depriving yourself of more miracles when you..." really hit me. because, how many things do we look at in life and say, "I can't let go of that.." or "that's too hard for me.."

his promise to us was as we are exactly obedient in the mission field, we WILL see miracles. but I want to extend that promise to all of you... as we are exactly obedient to the gospel in our lives, we WILL see miracles. and we will be of hands to help others receive their miracles.

life is good. the gospel is perfect. so share it! and smile :) I know our heavenly father is aware of each of you and he loves you so much!! keep working hard and trusting in the Lord.

Aloha,🌴

sister Judkins :)

This really nice couple from Waikoloa Ward (Kona Stake) takes us missionaries out to Hawaiian Style for breakfast every first pday of every month <3 they are too sweet! today they took 3 companionships out and we were one of the lucky ones!

aking our weeky hike up to haunani's house <3

haunani is a convert of 2 years, and she has the most incredible story. well, recently she stopped coming to church (like april of this year) due to some hardships she was facing! BUT guess what got her to come to church this week!!!! MISSIONARY WORK. we challenged her to give a book of Mormon away, and SHE DID! she found a woman on a bus who really needed to hear haunani's testimony and was interested in joining her at church, so haunani decided it was time to get back. ah, life is beautiful! god is good.

-- 

Week 36 - 12/1/15

Once upon a time there were two sister missionaries living in a small country town of Big Island Hawaii. They had such a strong desire to share the gospel and then they were given a challenge: hand out 80 copies of the Book Of Mormon as fast as they can, and of course following the spiritual promptings while doing so!

so they went, and they knocked, and they served, and they taught.

and one by one, the stack of Bom's shrunk..

the two sister missionaries saw eyes light up, hearts change, and lives turn around.. as they partook of the readings within.

& brothers and sisters, it's truly amazing, that this is what the gospel does to all of God's children. the recognition of the gospel truths lights up eyes and opens minds like none other. the spirit that works on each of us changes our hearts to align with God's plans, and living these truths continues to build on that spirit and changes each of our lives!!

I feel blessed and honored to be a part of God's army at this time, but may I suggest... we are ALL part of this army. it is our responsibility to give our brothers and sisters the gospel. So go out! share your testimony. live the gospel. serve others! & trust in the Lord. He will deliver.

It's a beautiful time of year, which opens even more doors... people are ready. and so are you!

The Hawaii Honolulu Mission is dedicating the month of December to harvesting... NEW MEMBER DECEMBER. and we can all be a part of it :)

love you all, have a wonderful week!! (sorry I don't have much time)

peace n' blessins xoxo

sister judkins

Week 34 - 11/16/15

Aloha All :)

you know those times in life where you're just so happy that you just can't help but smile? I hope you can all relate... cuz that's exactly how missionary work makes me feel. :) it's the greatest. literally every day is the same thing over and over again, wake up, run, study, track down less-actives, knock doors, visit some more less-actives, knock some more doors, eat the whole day cuz everyone wants you to get fat or something, and pray pray pray pray PRAY all day long. and it's the greatest.

yesterday in relief society we talked about missionary work, and the sister teaching asked us if we are happy being on missions. I told them all, I have never been happier in my whole life. and none of them were shocked because guess what... we all know the gospel is true. we all have experienced the joy that comes from following the gospel, we have all had spiritual experiences we cannot deny. and that's what's so incredible about missionary work and I could tell that every single one of them was familiar with that "I'm just so happy I can't help but smile" look.

so listen up, we have a huge BOOK OF MORMON CHALLENGE happening here on big island. and it is the most wonderful thing ever. this week alone we handed out 25 Book of Mormons in 5 days. God is good, people. God is good. He delivered every single one of those. He truly does know each of His children, and He led us right to open hands and thankful hearts. I'm excited to follow up on these peeps this week <3

we went to contact a former investigator this week and found her 23 year old son, Nalu. He was a nice guy, but what really struck me was the way his eyes lit up when we gave him the book of Mormon. it was like, it was familiar to him. not because he had read it or even seen it before. but because the spirit that he felt when he flipped through the pages was a familiar spirit to him.

we tracted into a lovely grandmother named Shirly, she had seen the sisters walk on the street before, and asked us why we are always so happy. I told her, because God is good. we taught her the restoration and gave her a book of Mormon. she was very excited to read it, and we promised her greater joy in her life as she came to understand the teachings found in the book and the huge blessings await her as she follows those teachings.

those are only 2 of the 25 stories I have...

I wish I had time to write them all.

but, I just want you all to know God is good. we sent a scripture out today it's 1 Nephi 11:22-23 and it reads, "And I answered him, saying: yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desireable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying: yea, and the most joyous to the soul!"

share the love guys!! strive to serve, spread the gospel, and trust in God because HE IS GOOD.

hope you all have a wonderful week!

mahalo nui loa fur alles & mucho aloha,

sister judkins

1. "this is auntie sweetie <3 she is our eternigator... and she adores the missionaries! she is the greatest :) love her so so much!!!"

2-5 Pics from a hike with the elders, including "Brig on a bridge"

Week 31, 32, & 33! 11/9/15

Sorry we have not sent an email for 2 weeks.  Brigitte had mission leadership conference back in Honolulu one week and had time for only a short family email; and the next week she received a new companion and moved and again only sent a quick personal email.  She is doing awesome!

Aloha All,

so once again I'd just like all of you to know I love being a missionary.

so much.

yesterday a member came out on visits with us for 3 hours, and she was so positive and enthusiastic the whole time and it just reminded me of 1) how much of a difference members make in missionary work and 2) that everyone has the opportunity to share the gospel and feel the joy that comes from doing so :)

on Tuesday we witnessed one of our wonderful investigators, Aaliyah, enter the waters of baptism. she is adorable. Aaliyah was ready from day one, which is cool cuz her family is less active/inactive in the church, and she has been the culprit in bringing her family back to church. one of my favorite things while teaching her is when her mom would say, "aaliyah, you gotta practice praying" and make her (in a loving way) say the opening AND the closing prayers for EVERY lesson... it's great :) anyhoo- aaliyah and her cousin, brookie were baptized together and it was beautiful and perfect. :) they giggled the whole time.

This week I got a new companion, Sister Alldredge!! she is from riverton, UT and is the oldest of 6 kids and is basically the total opposite person from me. and we love it. no joke, we've been bet frineds since day uno wakaka. plus, I'm her mother (aka trainer) and she is my first-born, so... instant bond I guess :P

we are working hard to find more people to teach and searching for the Lord's elect! this week we went in town to tract some doors, but we were approaching the first door (downstairs of a small apartment housing complex) and I felt very strongly we weren't in the right area. I told s. alldredge and she said she felt the same way. so we turned around and, after praying about it, went across the street to contact a part-member/less-active family whom we've never been able to contact cuz theyre NEVER home. Long story, short, we met that family and they are awesome!! they came to church yesterday and they want us to teach the daughter so she can be baptized!! God is good.

and it gets better -

after contacting that family, we felt good about going back to the apartment complex, this time the spirit directed us to the second floor, second door. Her name is Sidra, she is from Pakistan but has lived most her life in England! She has two adorable kids and a happy marriage... GOLDEN!!! ANDDDD she is super good friends with Chauncey - our recent convert! God is so good.

and it gets EVEN better -

we met some other awesome people on that floor, and then we knocked on what we decided was going to be our lst door... and it "just so happened" to be a less-active family from Marshall Islands! We had a way good conversation and lesson with them. Turns out, the dad helped translate the Book of Mormon into Marshallese as well as a few other church books!! Woah!! how cool is that? and the daughter, age 21, solemnly told us how she always wanted to serve a mission, but it was too late. We explained to her that she still could at her age!! absolutely!!! First she has to get back to church. so they are working on it and she has that goal :) God is great.

okay peeps sorry this email is so long, good work for those who actually read it all! ;) I am seriously touched by the tender mercies our Heavenly Father offers us. I am blown away at the miracles He sets in place. I am honored to represent my Savior as a missionary of His true church. I want you all to know that He loves you. He knows you. And, He loves to hear from you! stay strong peeps. life is good. time is short. church is true. our savior lives. God is great.

Much Aloha,

Sister Judkins

this is dareen. she is the most hard working woman I've met. always on the go, her mom, auntie sweetie is one of our investigators, and we're hoping that dareen will accept a visit from the elders (she doesn't live in our area). I LOVE HER.

this is uncle Jacob. definitely one of my all time favorite people. he's got an incredible story, which involves earthquakes, fishing in the deep blue, and turning towards Christ again and again. this Saturday he is going to the temple for a session, which he claims will be his last before his passing :| he's definitely does have a special spirit about him, and his stories are ones i'll never forget <3

Temple lovin :)

A few more pics of Brigitte and her new companion,  Sister Alldredge.   Also, she cut off about 8 inches of her hair ;)

Week 30 - 10/19/15

Aloha all :)

this week. was. AWESOME.

Charley, Chauncey, and Landon all got baptized on Saturday, it was probably the most beautiful baptism I have ever seen <3 they worked so hard to organize everything so that as many people from the ward could be involved. ah, so special. I think we had more people at the baptism than we ever have at church wakaka but, it was so good to have everyone there. the spirit was so strong, and there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

it's amazing what effect the members can have on investigators and the effect investigators can have on the ward family <3 it really brought everyone together. so cool. God is so good.

funny part of the baptism was 9 year old Landon getting slammed into the water. I guess the brother who baptized him didn't realize how light weight landon is or just didn't want to have to dunk him twice. so funny.

so also this week we were able to meet some wonderful people, do some service, climb mauna kea, hang out with our mission president...

oh yeah! president warner came out to big island this week for some baptismal interviews. while he was here he wanted to make a stop at Sister Gibson's house. Sister Gibson was baptized about two years ago in Honokaa ward, and she is just the most hilarious, down-to-earth person I've ever met. she also has the most amazing conversion story, it just so happens to be President's favorite.

So, Story Time: first off, it's POURING outside. S. Maher and I jump into President's car to go to S. Gibson's home, but problem is, sister Gibson lives up on the side of the mountain, and we usually park our car at the bottom and hike up. so we told President he would want some different shoes. we went to our home to see if there were any hanging around. there weren't. so we looked to the members we live with, the second counselor in the Stake Presidency. Well, President Loo had just got home from work and was in his driveway wearing his work coat, the conversation went like this:

Me (yelling over the sound of the pouring rain from the car): "Hi President Loo!! Do you have any work boots we could borrow?"

Loo: "Yeah, I also have another work coat. Where are you going?"

Me: "Up to Sister Gibson with President Warner!"

Loo: "Woah, I also have a work truck. Hop in!"

and that is why the Loo's are my fav because they are just so kind and caring and selfless, and President Loo took an hour out of his day to drive us up to her house (yeah, we didn't even have to hike), to visit with our fellow member, and to make sure that President Warner and "His missionaries" were kept safe. people are too kind. God is so good.

anyhoo, that story was probly pointless to yall but it took me a long time to type so I'm keeping it. #justgowithit

both president warner and president loo were so funny in the truck, president loo couldn't believe he had the mission president in his old work truck in the middle of nowhere on the island of Hawai'i and president warner was so touched by president loo's gesture and ah, they are just amazing servants of the lord, am I right?

okay so this email is getting really long. I just want you all to know that I know this gospel is true. I KNOW IT. I feel so blessed to be here serving the people of Hawaii and inviting others to come unto our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's an honor to be a missionary, and I can see the way I am changing as I watch the gospel change lives around me. Our Savior really does live, and through His atoning sacrifice, this gospel is made PERFECT. I invite you all to use the atonement everyday, to pray for opportunities to serve others, and to spiritually prepare yourself for change and for service through scripture study. I know our Heavenly Father loves you and he can use you in blessing others' lives. that is my promise to you. that you will change lives. including your own.

love you all | mahalo nui loa fur alles | xoxo

brig

ps. I love Dorito salad

pps. no one better dare tell me I'm reaching seven months soon.

Week 29 - 10/12/15

Aloha All,

this week was pretty great. we had temple cleaning one day, zone conference another, exchanges another, and the IRONMAN on Saturday! kept us super busy, but hey, busy is good!!

one of our investigators, Aunty Diane, has been meeting with the sisters for over a year now, and still has not come to church. some may say that she is not progressing, but here's what you gotta understand about Diane.. she was raised Buddhist and never learned anything about God, Jesus Christ, or the gospel. a little over a year ago was the first time she even heard about any of those things! She now studies from the Book of Mormon and reads from the pamphlets and talks we give her. and just a couple days ago, SHE PRAYED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! it was absolutely beautiful. & i just feel like the most blessed person ever because i was able to hear her pray. could you imagine hearing someone pray to their heavenly father for their very first time? man, it's beautiful.

i'll tell you what, family friends and strangers, GOD IS SO GOOD. and i'll tell you a couple reasons why:

- the spirit was so strong as we cleaned the temple in all white clothing on Wednesday. i was able to clean the oxen holding up the baptismal font, and that was a very cool experience! somebody told me that all the oxen are a little different, but to me they all pretty much looked the same haha. temples=god is good

- i didn't know i was so stressed, but when i was in hilo last Friday we were sent to a member's home for some service. some guy handed me a machete (spelling?) and i looked at him with wide eyes. (it was a HUGE machete). i was sent to a section in the elephant grass and was told to cut the grass down to shin height. let's just say, cutting down thick grass with a machete is exactly what i needed that day. God is good.

- President Loo from the Stake presidency was SENT TO US Wednesday night when we hurriedly prepped our car for it's Thursday morning inspection. haha too funny, he literally saved us tho, and i know god sent him. God is Good.

- i got to spend exchanges with Sister Jenkins. we thought it was fun to say, my name is sister Judkins and this is my companion, sister Jenkins. or visa versa :) she is really awesome, a wonderful missionary! God is good for sending her out here <3

- dinner @ the Derla's! They are such a strong family! They are preparing to go to the temple in January, which marks their one year since they were baptized! So awesome! & Brother Derla is a chef, so he always makes us a ton of good food! They didn't feed us Balut this time.. but next time they will :) mom, dont look it up! wakaka

- we were able to be on TV on Saturday at the iron man world championship! man, that was super cool! we also got to witness our bishop in Waimea ward compete, which was super awesome haha! he did quite well. we handed out bananas, gel, oranges and water to the bikers as they passed! i also tried to hand pass along cards to them, but they didn't seem to like that :| haha, it was a good experience tho, and dad i look forward to doing the iron man with you some day!

-we met uncle joe (one of our investigators) this week, he is usually a pretty sad man, but the spirit told me i needed to tell him about my experiences as an exchange student in Germany. his eyes just BRIGHTENED. he explained he lived in Germany for 3 years in the military, but he stayed with locals and really fell in love with the country and the people. he had so many stories to share and we spoke in german for a good part of the time. when we left his home, he had a big smile and was muttering some german words i will not put on here haha :) it was just so wonderful, God is good.

- the work is really starting to pick up, and we are constantly at a go. it is seriously the greatest thing ever. i love my mission! it has been so fun to work so hard and to see the different ways the gospel blesses lives and changes people <3

I am so excited for this upcoming week! I will be able to witness 3 of our amazing investigators enter the waters of baptism this Saturday. I feel so blessed to have been able to teach them these past couple of weeks... it really has been the BEST experience to watch them grow as they have come to love the Gospel more & more.

This Gospel is true. I love being able to share it with our brothers and sisters, and I am so grateful to have made the decision to serve a full time mission! It truly is the best! <3

love you all so much, mahalo nui loa fur alles & MUCHO ALOHA <3

Sister Judkins

She likes the ocean, right?



perfect shirt for mini fussy budget princess.  she couldn't hold still for the picture ha ha 

The following is an excerpt from Brigitte's letter to her dad that had a great message about the Ironman competition (an extreme triathalon) and the Gospel:

"I totally went to iron man on Saturday, we volunteered all morning :) it was pretty fun to hand out bananas and gel to the bikers as they flew by, and I thought of you the entire time! it was also kind of a spiritual experience to see these people dying of exhaustion and just calling out "water. water!" or "banana banana" as they came closer to us. they were relying completely on us giving it to them, and it had to be at the perfect timing or else the banana or water would drop. it was cool to hand people exactly what they needed to survive the race, and that's exactly what were doing as missionaries. we are handing out the book of Mormon, the teachings of jesus Christ, THE GOSPEL. and, people need the gospel to spiritually survive. some are getting exhausted in their lives and they are searching everywhere for something to hold on to. others are unsure if they need anything "deeper or bigger" in their lives, but once they see it or hold it, they figure out THEY NEED IT. and then there are some who avoid us completely, like the bikers who bike four feet away from us and don't talk, don't even look our way, they are set in their path, and they may or may not regret it a few miles down the road... but eventually they may think back and say "man, that would have been nice." and eventually, they realize they need an extra boost, a little more direction. at least God knows what perfect timing is in our lives, and I have come to understand that EVERYONE needs the gospel."

Here are a few pics that Brigitte sent this week.  They show Brigitte working at the Ironman, transfers, Kona zone group pic, and the cute family that will be baptized next Saturday :)

Week 28 - 10/05/15

Aloha All!

okay this week was the GREATEST.

not even joking, it was probably the best week on my mission yet!

we did see a lot of disappointments and discouragements,

but we met some amazing people and DOUBLED our number of baptisms coming up :)

God is good, guys.

God is good.

He allowed us to be in the right place at the right time

so we were able to meet the right people <3

I wish I had time to go into detail with each individual and family,

but maybe i'll do that after their baptisms

(Hallford O'hana, Patricia and Dyanna, and Makemai)

GOD IS GOOD <3

I know our Heavenly Father knows and loves each of his children.

it just would not work any other way.

this gospel is true

and IT CHANGES LIVES.

hope yall enjoyed conference.

it was pretty great :)

my favorite part was our investigator, Charley, came running into us after Priesthood Session and was telling his wife, "I got to see the prophet! I got to see the actual living prophet!!" it is pretty special we have the opportunity to watch conference TWICE a year and hear from all our wonderful leaders, even if they're "old men".

be sure to send me your verse of the week when ya feelin it!

my ponderizing verse is:

ETHER 12:3-4

Also, the Hawaii Honolulu Mission is reading the Book Of Mormon in 80 days!

if you'd like to join us, it is

OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT TO OUR SAVIOR

start today and read with me :)

<attached is the reading schedule I am following>

love yall <3 remember...

God is good.

sistah jay

ps. sorry for no pics this week... :|

Week 27 - HAPPY 6 MONTHS!!

Aloha All :D

here I am in Big Island and I want you all to know, Im never coming home. like, if you'd like to see me ever, i'll be here in Hawaii so come on down. I have fallen in love with the islands and the people and my mission cant ever end, ok? ok.

So last week was SUPER HARD to say goodbye to Aliamanu. I've never cried so much as I left what I came to know as home and ohana.  It was especially to leave behind the work and investigators.  I still haven't left that.....ugh.  I wish someone would've told me how hard it would be to leave an area!!

I was back on Oahu yesterday tho, and I got to talk to the barnes and sister mason.  It's all going well and David, Derrick, Kaipo, Carol and Dave are all still gonna get BAPTIZED THIS MONTH AND NEXT yay!  Ah, it's great. isn't it?

Okay so I feel lost and a little lonely here in these new areas,but I also feel super blessed to be here and I already have adopted family here :)

Sister Maher from Litchfield Park (Phoenix), Arizona is my comp and her and I are having a blast. it's great. We are working hard- there's a lot of good work to do in our two areas. oh yeh!! our areas - Honoka'a and Waimea - are half an hour apart, so we stay in Waimea Mon thru Wed and we stay in Honoka'a Thurs thru Sat and then we attend 6 hours of church on Sundays :)   it's great.

Honoka'a Ward:

a bunch of locals.

the area is BEAUTIFUL

ocean on one side,

forest on the other

and just a TINY town

very country

I love it.

Waimea 1st Ward:

1/3 Marshallese,

1/3 local,

1/3 other...

super great!

it's fun to have such a large variety :)

the town is small but bigger than Honoka'a

haha

very very country.

majority of folks wear cowboy boots to church :)

so wonderful!

there are some really amazing investigators we are working with, one family in particular - the Hallford's - are just...awesome.Charley and Chauncey and their son, Landonare all GETTING BAPTIZED on 17 October.  At church on Sunday, both charley and Chauncey bore their testimonies.  ah, it was beautiful.

well folks, happy October this week, and HAPPY CONFERENCE! yay! I'm so excited.I challenge each of you to prepare yourselves for conference through scripture study and prayer, then go into conference weekend with a question (or multiple questions if something is bothering you).then, I challenge you to LISTEN to each session really LISTEN.

I promise you that your question(s) will be answered.because the Lord always delivers. and those who put their faith, trust and soul into the hands of Him, His prophets seers and revelators, and in the Holy Ghost,

will be delivered (Dan. 3:19-28)

will be lifted (Mosiah 23:22)

will be supported in trials (Alma 36:3,27)

will be led (D&C 11:12)

and will not be confounded (D&C 84:116).

RELY ON HIM.

warmest aloha,

s. judkins

OH YEAH ALSO THIS WEEK:

- I flew 3 times - to kona, to ohau FIRST CLASS, to kona... woah.

- had women's conference - two investigators came!

- saw the famous Waipio Valley (it's in honoka'a area)

- ate Laulau ...pretty tasty :)

- had a relief society activity with amazing food and fun!

- taught relief society ... yes on my first sunday ... wakaka

- had lunch with Brother Danigan - a hilarious old guy who knows a lot about the history of the church ... so pretty much, lunch was more like an interview and test :| I hope I passed!

- helped someone move to two streets down

- ate pork adobo yummy :)

anyhoo- enjoy the pics!

Week 26 - 9/21/15

Aloha All!

So, the big news is that i'm headed to big island on Wednesday, I've been called as a sister training leader over the island. my comp will be Sister Maher (one of the sisters i came out with!!) and i will be on Kona side serving in two wards :) i am excited for the work there!

the BIGGER news is that DERRICK, DAVID, CAROL AND HER SONS, and KAIPO, ARE GETTING BAPTIZED!!!! it is incredible. this past week all of our prayers were answered, and we were finally able to set dates with most of these people. :)

i have been so blessed to be here in the Aliamanu Ward, and have seen so much growth! i thank our heavenly father for that... because of His love for His children, this work moves forward!! i feel very lucky to be a part of it! i am going to miss this ward with all my heart, but hey! i still got a year so i could be back, and i definitely will stay in touch with my Aliamanu O'hana <3

I've been studying about the Atonement of Jesus Christ a lot this past week. What has really stood out to me is that through studying the Atonement, we can greater understand it. And, through understanding comes appreciation. Which means, we can more fully access the Atonement. Because, when we understand something and appreciate it, we will use it!! This has helped me to teach our investigators and has strengthened my own testimony. I would invite you all to study more of the Atonement. Our Savior knows us, and he is always wanting to help us!! So "lift up your head, child, and rejoice!"

aloha,

sister j

Oh yeah... I forgot :)

this week was eventful,

we were evacuated on Wednesday due to a tsunami warning... but then we got a call a couple hours later and they said nevermind go back to work. haha, at least i got a couple hours of juggling the soccer ball and sort of relaxing.... that never happens :)

also this week, we started to go to the Whaley's home each morning bright and early to use their garage gym... ouch.

i dyed sister mason's hair.... yeah, evie don't ever let me follow in your footsteps because i will bring shame to our family.

SO MANY LESS ACTIVES AND PEEPS came to church yesterday holy macaroni. i died. my last sunday there, and i got to see so many of our brothers and sisters i never thought i'd see there. ah, god is good.

Also yesterday, the youth (ages 12-18) ran our sacrament meeting. they gave talks, bore testimony, had two beautiful musical numbers, and pretty much had all of us in tears. it was a very powerful sacrament, and i would invite any of your wards/stakes to try it out! super fantastic. such a PERFECT meeting for the less actives and investigators there <3

okay, God is good. the church is true. Our Savior lives. He loves you <3

and so do i!!!

xoxo,

sista jay

Fijian family i am going to GREATLY miss... ah there is so many families i'm going to miss 

Week 25! - 9/14/15

Aloha :)

This week was just like any other week, GREAT!

unprecedented bumps, unexpected turns, wonderful surprises, and highs and lows.

my wonderful companion was pretty sick this week, so I spent a lot of time studying, getting lost in deep thoughts, and juggling a soccer ball :)

luckily, she is feeling better!! so, we got to meet new people!!

We met this really awesome Samoan guy named Junior. He is great, his family is incredible, and we will be going back this week to teach them :) the lord really answered our fasts and prayers to find a family he had prepared for us to teach the gospel to. God is good!!

We also met this really amazing lady while tracting. her name is Auli'i and she, too, has been super prepared for the gospel. she has a close friend living in Kaneohe who asked her to read the book of Mormon after talking with one another about the meaning of life. When we walked up to her house, she was sitting on the front porch with her daughter reading a book. The first words out of my mouth were, "sorry to interrupt, but we also have a book, and we would like to share it with you. It will help answer your questions of life." she didn't seem too surprised, and instead of shooing us off her property (like many do), she asked what it was. Her jaw dropped as we spoke of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. She explained that her friend was trying to get her to read it. Well, we gave it to her, and she is reading it. and she is awesome. And that friend is awesome. and the gospel is awesome. and God is awesome.

okay, so another person we met is this cool guy named Memphis. yep, he is really cool. he has all these questions of how to become a better Christian, and he asked his friend to help him out. well, that friend is a member in our ward who was more than happy to share with him the gospel and get us involved. Ah, people are great. Memphis came to church yesterday and seemed to really enjoy it. it was literally the most perfect sacrament meeting ever for an investigator. perfect.

okay, so we are really excited for these peeps, and I know that god has a perfect plan for each of them.

Last night we were able to have dinner with the senior couple serving in our zone. They have pretty much adopted me as their own, or maybe I should say I adopted them as my grandparents/parents cuz I kinda just forced my way in to their lives and told them to love me and take care of me.

anyhoo, they're amazing and made us a wonderful sunday meal, and afterwards we were able to sit and talk about the spirit. somebody mentioned how incredible it is that we are given a member of the Godhead to be with us always. I thought that was really cool, and then my best friend told me "If you feel like you have the world caving in, be grateful, it means that God trusts you."

and that my friends, is the whole essence of the gospel. God trusts us enough that He gave us our agency. He sent us here, knowing we would go through trials, knowing we would hit unprecedented bumps, unexpected turns, have wonderful surprises, and highs and lows. But HE TRUSTED US that we would turn to Him, that we would trust Him, and that we would someday return to live with Him.

The plan is perfect.

mahalo nui loa fur alles & mucho aloha <3

sistah jay

Week 24 - 9/8/15

Aloha All :)

well, god is good everyday.

and everyday god is good.

this week has been great, full of learning and growth.
i love this area i LOVE the ward
sister mason is super great. missions are the best.
satan is stupid.
but everything else is awesome.

S. Mason and I were able to teach some really amazing lessons because BAM the spirit is amazing. ah, life is good, yeah? yeah.

So once upon a time, there were two sister missionaries who were teaching an investigator in a small beautiful chapel on a very green hill in paradise. well, the rains came down and the floods came up and the lightning struck. the spirit was strong and the sound of the rain just added to the affect. as the lesson grew to a close, the sisters began to testify of the gospel. just as sister mason concluded her testimony, the THUNDER SHOOK the whole island, and the investigator jumped up and exclaimed (with hands up in the air) "PREACH TO ME, SISTA MASON!"

wakaka

so just a few days later these two sister missionaries parked their car across from an investigator's home for a visit. As they were leaving the car, there was a voice that called out "how long you park here?" (that's how hawaiians talk, small kine talk) .... the sisters answered "about 10 minutes" and proceeded to have a quality gospel conversation with this man. after the man politely rejected them, they crossed the street as they had planned, but then suddenly, a big truck came roaring up the street and a woman called out "MOVE YOUR CAR. I LIVE THERE. THAT'S MY SPACE. MOVE YOUR CAR." and the two sister missionaries slightly giggled inside because Satan thinks he's clever, but the sisters politely moved their car to the other side of the road and proceeded to have yet another quality gospel conversation. oh, the joys of smacking satan in the mouth.

the advesary works so hard against all of us but guess what brothers and sisters!! WE ARE STRONGER. We have God Himself on our side! He knows each of you. He loves you. He wants to help you. So please continue to follow our Savior so They can help us fight against satan and his followers, and so we can all return to our Heavenly Father as a family <3

i know this gospel is true. i know it with all my heart. and i love it. so so much. this week we were able to go on exchanges once again and sister frost (from ogden) and i got SOAKED LIKE COMPLETELY SOAKED by the rain and floods. and we were walking, and i just could not help but smile because satan was trying to make me feel bad, feel bad that i was soaked, feel bad that we had like two miles left until our car, feel bad that there was no one around to talk to about the gospel, feel bad about not having any lessons by four o'clock in the afternoon... but GUESS WHAT! WE ARE STRONGER <3

i know that much.

love you all, thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

warmest aloha,

Sistah Jay


Sadly no pictures this week, Sister Jay's camera is broken :( :(

Week 23 - 8/31/15 PICTURES!

We are so excited Brigitte finally sent some more photos!  We also received a surprise email from Sister Taylor (a woman in Sista Jay's ward!) who sent us a funny video and additional photograph.  Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!