LAST WEEK!!! - Week 75 - 8/29/16

This is her last email.  Again, her homecoming will be September 18 at 1pm at 1475 N 50 E in Centerville.  Thank you all for your love and prayers for Sister Judkins.  Love you all!!

Aloha All :)

so update on mick and les: Mick has continued his reading and he LOVES it, he's got a love for the gospel and his spark is lighting a fire, allowing him to truly feel our Heavenly Father's love! :D it's great. Les and his wife did not do their reading assignments nor did they attend church :( last night i was able to bear my testimony to them, and we invited them again to ACT. They're a really amazing family, they'll figure it out!!

Shai, our 9 year old investigator, is AMAZING, and I'm sad i'll miss his baptism this week. He's so great tho, this week he was supposed to be out of town for auditions for Disney Channel down in Waikiki, but as he was thinking last Thursday (after our lesson with him about the Sabbath Day and his baptism), he turned to his dad and said "Dad, i don't want to do this. I want to go to church on sunday. and every sunday."

that kid is amazing. although he dropped this opportunity to be on Disney, he opened his doors to greater blessings from our Heavenly Father. & for the first time since I've been here, his dad decided to join him in opening doors & CAME TO CHURCH with Shai!! :) God is good.

This weekend we had Olomana Ward's Annual Fish Fry - it was a HUGE success! We had many members, non-members, less-actives & investigators there. TONS of food & TONS of great Hawaiian music. The spirit was so sweet looking out on everyone there :)

so the time has come.

my mission has FLOWN by. and i want you all to know that i have loved it. & the mission has changed me a lot, so get ready Utah cuz here i come... not only have i picked up on the local accent down here, but i have also learned the gospel.

i still have a lot to learn, but i know what i know, and i know the gospel is true.

i know God lives & that he sent his son, Jesus Christ to SAVE us. I know that they called a prophet to restore the truths of the gospel to the earth because they love us. i know that that prophet, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, and I know that record is true. I know that we have a living prophet today who holds the same authority to lead and guide God's children today. I know i was called by him to preach the gospel and to represent my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love it, and I'll miss it.

I love God's children here in the islands, and it's scary to leave.

MAHALO NUI LOA to each and every one of you for you love, support, prayers & testimonies. I'm grateful to be here, and I look forward to seeing you all soon!!

This week:

Tues: booked with missionary work :D

wed: head to Honolulu, go to swap meet, head to Laie Temple for a session & then Polynesian Cultural Center after!

thurs: pearl harbor, funeral dinner, and i fly out around 9pm

I'll see you all soon, mahalo again for everything. I love this gospel & i love my savior.

Love & aloha,

Sister Judkins

-- 

"Therefore, continue your journeys and let your hearts rejoice. For behold and lo, I am with you even unto the end." D&C 100:12 

God is always there for you. 

Christ can be your best friend. 

let Them in.

aunty lupe & investigator, Jon

making beef stew (yum! - but I'm allergic..)

ANNOUNCEMENT: the first "other" Brigitte i met in my whole mission. i thought I'd never find one, but then Saturday we FOUND ONE! except she is Scottish or something and spells it Bridget

The quote is from George Q Cannon, the first lds missionary in Hawaii. 

My traditional dress I wore to my last Sunday, along with many leis I received

-- 

Week 74 - 2nd to last week!!! 8/22/16

This is her 2nd to last letter as Brigitte flies home on September 2.  Her homecoming will be held on September 18, at 1pm.  The church address is 1475 N 50 E in Centerville.  We would love to see you all there!!

So this week was full of incredibleness. is that a word?

just two things I'd like to share in the short time I have to email...

1- We have been working with a part-member family since I first got to the Olomana Ward 7 months ago, and they have had their ups and downs in their progression in the gospel... yet they have always remained positive. Their faith is strong that God is preparing them to receive answers & that He has a perfect plan for their family. BUT THEY DON'T REGULARLY ACT ON THEIR FAITH. The husband, Les, had a baptism date for this upcoming Sunday, the 28th, but he hasn't been reading faithfully or coming to church and he hasn't received the answers we promised him.

on the other hand, we have another brother we're working with, his name is Mick. He has the same desire as Les - to find answers, to know of the truthfulness of the gospel, & to fulfill God's plan for him and his family. Mick has taken every reading assignment and been faithful, he has been very prayerful, and he has made a commitment to attend church this upcoming sunday.

we've only been working with Mick for 3 weeks, but we can see the huge difference his searching has made. He feels the companionship of the holy ghost. he feels Heavenly Father's guidance through the Book of Mormon.

today I was reading in Alma 32 and it finally hit me that in verse 38 it basically says that when we don't take care of our faith and exercise it, it's easy for us to forget it and in verse 39, "therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof" and verse 40, "ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life"

SO SAD!! I've witnessed it on my mission... sometimes we don't exercise our faith, or we forget to do the little things, and then we cannot receive the blessings.

we have to act on our faith if we want to receive answers from God.

2 - we had A RESCUE WALK on Saturday. we fasted & went out walking, knocking doors all day. we had 5 sisters from the ward come out with us. Each one took an hour and half shift. Although they were nervous to come out with us, they came anyway :D & WE SAW MIRACLES HAPPEN. this is an experience i'll never forget. They all did so well, and the spirit was so strong the whole day. Members getting involved in missionary work is THE BOMB.

I'm so grateful for the gospel. it is true. I know God lives. I know He loves us, and he wants to bless us. GO OUT AND WORK FOR THOSE BLESSINGS. :)

I love you all, and wish you a fabulous week. Keep Les & Mick in your prayers please.

xoxo,

Sister Judkins

ps. if any of you would like something from Hawaii you better email me before next week Monday so I can pick it up from the swap meet next week before I head back to UT. peace n' blessins!!

pics: THE WINDWARD WARRIORS @ district meeting, me learning how to pick breadfruit and my comp cooking it, and me with Sister Vidinhar (one of our rescue sisters).

Week 73 - Brigitte will be home September 2nd!!! - 8/15/16

Brigiite will be home on September 2 and her homecoming will be held September 18 at 1pm with a meal afterward at our house.  The address for the church is 1475 N 50 E, Centerville.  YAY!!!!!!

Okay first things first my peeps!

on Saturday we played a jeopardy game at the Relief Society activity. the topic was Hawaii, of course... & since I was the tour guide of the group, I wasn't really participating in answering, more just being the support and laughing at everything going on!

anyhoo - so one of the sisters picked Hawaiian Words for 400

and the Hawaiian word that needed to be translated was, Aloha wau ia 'oe

I was like, awe, I love you.

cuz I know that's what it means.

and the groups guessed, and BOTH GOT IT WRONG.

I was the only one out of those 10 people that knew this Hawaiian saying!

I was so proud. so yeah, that is my 30 seconds of bragging rights.

anyhoo - I LOVE YOU all!

This week we worked hard and witnessed plenty miracles! We took our young investigator, Shai, and his dad for a chapel tour on Tuesday. It was such an awesome time, and we set Shai with a baptism date of September 3rd. He's such a great kid! and he came to church yesterday and was so excited to show us his book of Mormon app on his tablet. haha, he's the bomb.

Wednesday we had another district flood, and as we were going out knocking on doors, we ran into this lady named Dawn. She had been given a book of Mormon from her lds friend years ago... and never really read it. After teaching her some of the Restoration and bearing our testimonies of the book, she was determined to read it. she said she felt like it was a special book before, but since she's more familiar with the bible and didn't really know what the Book of Mormon was, she never really picked it up. she kinda teared up hearing that it is another testament of our Savior, Jesus Christ. "I can't believe I never read this testimony of my Savior, yet" :)

Thursday we had members out with us ALL DAY. it was so stellar!! members make the biggest difference when we are teaching our investigators and less-actives.

Friday we went on exchanges and I had sister Iino from Japan in our area :) one of our peeps we went to visit TOTALLY opened up to us about his family and his love for the gospel. he's got such an amazing testimony of the Book of Mormon and of the Priesthood & just everything... and my favorite part was when Sister Iino was offering the closing prayer, the spirit was SO STRONG and we were all in tears. God is so good.

Saturday we went to the Relief Society Activity where I learned that I speak more Hawaiian than some Hawaiians. ;)

it was such a neat activity, The Cultures of Christ. We had a tour all around the world and learned about the church in different countries, and the special facts about how different cultures show their appreciation for our Savior. SUPER NEAT. and I got to be one of the tour guides, so that was lots of fun :) we started in the Philippines and then hit New Zealand, America, Mexico, Hawaii (yeah, it's separate from America haha), Samoa, and ended in Tonga.

Saturday night we got a phone call from the Mission Office saying that some sisters were moving in with us, and the truck would be at our home in 20 minutes. haha, so YAY! WE HAVE VISITORS!! the sisters' apartment had a huge mold problem GROSS so yeah they'll be staying with us till it gets fixed. awesome sauce.

Sunday we had many appointments, and all of them ended up canceling :( but somehow & someway, God led us to different homes where we kept busy & were able to invite many people to Come Unto Christ.

I really enjoyed this week because I was able to study more deeply of our Savior's infinite atoning sacrifice. I bear you my witness that Jesus is the Christ. He does live. and He loves us. And because He loves us, he suffered and died for us so one day we can return to live with Him, & our Heavenly Father, and our families FOREVER.

I love this gospel.

ALOHA & have a wonderful week!

Sister Judkins

ps. sorry this email is so long! I hope it makes sense... I wrote it SO FAST!!

Week 72 - 8/8/16

Aloha :)

so this week was FULL of missionary work :)

it was awesome.

full of tough times, difficult situations, flaky appointments, awkward moments, heart-breaking things, and disappointing follow-ups... BUT also incredible opportunities, open doors, softened hearts, amazing people & LOTS OF MIRACLES.

We found ourselves put in the right place at the right time quite a lot this week.

yay :) that means we're doing something right!!

The spirit was so strong as we visited with people off the streets, and let me tell you, I KNOW this is the Lord's work. because He is here every step of the way.

oh KALEB!! (my baby bro) guess what one of the sisters made for me on exchanges!? Ramen and eggs!! i had been craving that since last year march.. made me think of you ;) it tasted almost just like yours!

One of the investigators, Victoria, LET US DO SERVICE FOR HER!! She is so stubborn, and we knew she and her family was struggling. God really softened that woman's heart. and she's incredible. God is good.

oh and at sacrament yesterday we had those same inactive families come!!! plus one of our investigators FOR THE FIRST TIME :) it was grand!!!

God is good. I know He lives.

Please continue to trust in Him and follow him!!!

xoxo,

Sister Judkins

Week 71 - 8/1/16

Aloha :)

basically this week was pretty great!

I just wanted to let you all know that MIRACLES STILL HAPPEN. & we witnessed some this week.

3 inactive families came to church, along with 3 of our investigators. there were also 3 of our investigators who committed to baptism this week. we found 3 new investigators, too... and I think that was all the three's for the week hahaha

this week we took one of our investigators, T, (yes, his name is T) out on a chapel tour!! the spirit was so strong and he was just so happy to be learning. I LOVE THAT! it's so fun to teach people who are excited to learn about the gospel. we also had a member with us who's never come out with us before and man, it was just perfect!! GOD IS GOOD!!!

I was reading this week in the book of Mormon about abinadi and alma. I just love how dedicated they were to sharing the gospel. they truly put their trust in the Lord and were such incredible missionaries. I hope we can all be the same! Be dedicated to living the gospel. trust in His covenants and rely on the Atonement. miracles truly happen when we do so.

have a wonderful week!!! :)

xoxo,

Sister Judkins

Week 69 - 7/18/16

loha everyone :)

some highlights of the week:

#1: CONGRATS TO JAYCIE AND TREVOR FOR THEIR BEAUTIFUL WEDDING. LOVE YOU BOTH :*

2) We had a district flood (LITERALLY CUZ IT RAINED THE WHOLE TIME- see pics for proof) and this guy was so nice, he came walking across the street with this big umbrella, I was all, "Oh! hi! do you live here?" (we had just knocked on the door to the house), "no, I just want to bring you this umbrella cuz it's pouring out here... You can keep it"

we were dumbfounded haha! I was thinking, "did God just send you here to us? was it really that easy??" LOL the guy was super awesome, we talked about the gospel and he told us we can have the sisters stop by again. man, how cool is that?

3) Pearl Harbor Round 9... that was pretty fun :) next time I get a t shirt, cuz if you volunteer 10 times, you're cool. :) I'm almost cool!!!!👊

4) on Wednesday we had our first ever olomana ward night visits!!! it was great, we were able to catch so many families at home, and the spirit was strong as we gathered together afterwards to discuss these families' needs. God is good :)

5) Friday we walked all day and I'm not even kidding, we were meant to walk that day!! because we met new people and were able to contact some awesome part member families. God is good!!

6) Saturday I thought was going to be an AWESOME day because you know, my sister was getting married that day... but turns out jaycie and trevor hogged all the awesomeness up in Utah ;) nah, jk, it was still an awesome day, just had a lot of people who didn't want to see us that day :P

7) we had a really spiritual experience as we met for Gospel Principles yesterday. We usually have 5-8 people in that class, but yesterday we had like 20! it's cuz the guy who spoke in sacrament shared "God's counsel about..our Daily Lives" in which he so lovingly reminded everyone to go to ALL THREE meetings at church on EVERY sunday :) so a lot of people chose to stay :) God is good. so then, with all of those hearts & faces in our class, we were able to have a discussion on service based on Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice (the biggest way we all have been served). lots of people were teary eyed during the class, and many testimonies were shared.

It's so fun to see how the Lord strengthens us. He is constantly strengthening me, and I have the incredible opportunity to witness him strengthening others around me (my companion, our ward leaders, my family, our investigators, and especially the members here). Heavenly Father knows each of us! He loves each of us! & he will help us to succeed. He is so good, and we each have some of him within.

I love you all!!! thank you for your loving support & prayers. My last transfer has officially begun, and I will be staying here in Olomana for my last six weeks. & I'm very blessed to be keeping Sister Karitea by my side. :)

have a wonderful week xoxo,

Sister Judkins

Week 68 - 7/11/16

S/O to my cute sister jaycie and her cute fiancé Trevor for their WEDDING this Saturday.

Yesterday in church we taught on Eternal Families. I was kinda emotional cuz you know, I wanna be there for you guys!!!

I know this gospel is true. and the fullness of blessings are found here. that's why I'm sharing it with EVERYONE here in Hawaii!! I love the Lord. I love His gospel.

this week we saw many miracles!! we just gotta keep our minds hearts and eyes open to those miracles.

God is good. He is there.

have a great week everyone!!

Aloha,

Sister Judkins

Week 66 - 6/27/16

Aloha!!

This week was a true test of diligence.

we tracted into a lot of Athiests ... which I don't think is actually a thing, because c'mon, God is so real. It's so sad to see our brothers and sisters turn away from Him completely :(

we also had so much service going on I could barely keep up.

plenty of members decided all of a sudden that they have plenty of time to come out on visits with us & I almost lost track of everyone's schedules haha

& it seems like all of our investigators decided to stop reading & praying & decided not to come to church... so many appointments fell through and tons of people are out for summer (who stays home when there's a beach 5 minutes from home?!) NO ONE.

haha, but THERE IS GOOD NEWS :) we made it through the week. and I can honestly say my faith has been actually strengthened from this week.

truth is, we did meet a lot of incredible people in the midst of houses and houses of non-believers.

& we have been PRAYING AND PRAYING for service opportunities and for the members to make time for missionary work... GOD IS GOOD & ANSWERED OUR PRAYERS. almost too abundantly lol but hey, I'm so grateful.

also, it seems like things are looking upward now for our PEEPS, Satan got to them (and us) last week, but this week is a different story. I feel the angels around. good things are happening.

I know this gospel is true. I'm so grateful to be here, I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!

keep pressing forward, brighter days are ahead!

Mahalo nui loa for everything you guys. I have the best family & friends!!!!

xoxo,

Sister Judkins

-- 

Week 65 - 6/20/16

loha!! 

So here's the deal-e-o

we have some awesome peeps we're working with, and lots of good things going on here in OLOMANA :) this past week i learned a lot about adversity.

ouch.

we got locked out of our apartment & car, appt's canceled & all that...

but lo and behold!! WE STILL HAD A GREAT WEEK!! :)

here are our three progressing investigators.

Healani: hawaiian, we picked flowers with her, (sorry i can't remember what i have mentioned in these emails haha so sorry for repeats..), so we picked flowers with her, we talked with her, we made leis with her, and then we began to teach her. she started to read, she began to pray, and now she is enjoying the experiences of CONVERSION :) stupid satan tries to get in the way, but she is so strong and has a lot of faith & as long as she keep reading, satan can't even get near her.

Lester: hawaiian/filipino (i think haha!) and he is so great. his wife grew up in the church, and is semi-active at the moment. he's taken the lessons many a times, but now he is actually trying. he is reading and praying and we will be going to church with him THIS SUNDAY :) yay. it's all about that spiritual CPR guys!! CHURCH PRAYER READING.

Jonathon: he is part Haitian, part white haha, he's from New York, and he's so cool!! he is reading and praying and he's had some great experiences so far, he's only 38 years old and we are having a blast teaching him, it's seriously so crazy to see how much the adversary is trying to get to him :( but he's so much stronger. CPR guys! CPR!! 

anyhoo- i know the Book of Mormon is making all the difference in the people's lives. I know it's made such a huge impact on my life. I know that book is true. i know the promises found in it are SURE. God is good, he loves you all! please remember that, and give him the opportunity to speak to you through His holy scriptures <3

have a wonderful week!!!

Aloha <3

Sister Judkins

Week 64 - 6/13/16

Aloha!! ☀

So this week was pretty great :) the highlight was meeting an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Renlund. & his wife!!

so quick run-down of the week...

- Monday I got to do some family history work and I printed off a name to take to the temple!!! yay! I am sad to admit that this is the very first time I have ever printed off a name to take to the temple. But, I am pleased to announce it is definitely not the last time :) after finishing at the Family History Center last Monday, we headed to visit a less-active sister who just moved into our ward. when we arrived, we learned that she is on her honeymoon, and as we spoke with her recent father-in-law, it turns out HE'S AWESOME!! cool thing is that Bishop Durant and also the Relief Society presidency asked us to go THAT day in specific, and lo and behold, we met someone who the Lord really needed us to see. Team work, guys. God is good.

- Tuesday was really amazing because we had two members come out on visits with us, and we saw miracles happen!! team work, once again :)

- Walking Wednesday rolled around, and we headed out to work & tract all day. But, the Lord had other things in mind... we ended up spending every hour of the day in someone's home. each hour a different family. God is good.

- the rest of the week went like this: Thursday, zone meeting. Friday, Zone conference. Saturday, mission conference.

Although we were out most of the day at these meetings, we were still able to see huge miracles in our area :) we met some awesome people, a single mom with 3 kids that is super ready for the gospel, the Lord has prepared her. A less-active family that took huge steps to coming back to church!, Jonathon who is progressing quite well, he is so awesome!!!, and Sam who READ & PRAYED about the book of Mormon and is excited to keep learning :) and oh, just so many things I don't have time to write.

- we also spoke on sunday in sacrament meeting :)

sorry if this email is confusing :P

at Zone Conference on Friday, I bore my dying testimony. This is because it was my last zone conference i'll have on my mission. SAD DAY. but, I still have plenty of time :) I learned so much as we listened to Elder & Sister Renlund teach us. They are incredible, humble, dedicated servants of our Lord. They are truly called of God. I know that this gospel is true. Families are forever. The only way to do the Lord's work is TOGETHER. God is good. :)

go out and do good this week!!! :) shout-outs to my cousin Alex & my good friend Megee for finishing up their missions this week. they served well, I'm proud of them :) time flies too quickly, tho.

LOVE YOU ALL XOXO,

Sister Judkins

ALSO SHOUT OUT TO MY MISSION PRESIDENT <3 they go home in two weeks. I got to bear my dying testimony alongside with them.

Week 63 - 6-6-16

Aloha All :)

So I hope you all know how much I love being a missionary... cuz I truly do cherish it <3

and one of my favorite parts of being a missionary is that we automatically always have a connection with everyone. I'm serious, whether they notice it or not, people make a connection with us from the second we see them. that is the LIGHT OF CHRIST!! it reminds them of who we are and who we represent. they may not always have a positive reaction to that connection, but hey - God still gives it to them. And I have truly seen miracles happen because of it ... hearts softened, doors opened & fonts filled. this is truly God's work. He is here with us, and He knows His children far better than we do... we are merely just His hands here, He doesn't need us, but He allows us to partake in it, because He knows WE NEED HIM.

anyhoo- this week was great :) of course!!!

here are some highlights:

- Aloha 'oe to Sister Frost :( and ALOHA to Sister Karitea :) - my new comp. she is from Kiribati Island & is a convert of 5 years. she is the only member in her family & she is AMAZING. this girl truly does have a very special spirit, and I'm so pumped to work with her :) from the first half an hour we spent together, I could already tell that this transfer is going to be one of the most spiritual transfers I have ever had. :) so great, guys. God is good!

Sister Frost finished up her last night strong here in Olomana, and then headed to my greenie area ALIAMANU <3 we spent the hours of 7-9pm out street contacting! & we found some new investigators and some VERY interesting people... I just love talking to strangers & helping them to feel that LIGHT OF CHRIST. it's so fun.

- our first day together, Sister Keahiolalo (a member in our ward) gave us mountain apples! yum. BUT then a spider crawled out of mine when I was only half way done eating that thing... made my stomach turn a little.

- we were able to take the Dugan family to LAIE TEMPLE VISITOR'S CENTER!! YAY! that was a miracle. they are so fun! we had a good time @ lunch & the VC & roaming around temple grounds.

- we finally caught Tyrone @ home again. HE IS AWESOME. we introduced him to the book of Mormon, he's pumped to read :) such a great family.

- a couple weeks ago we got lost in the backroads of Waimanalo & pulled over to ask a guy for directions. He was excited to see our name badges & asked if we could come back to answer some of his questions about the book of Mormon. so we met with Jonathon on Saturday & HE IS SO COOL! turns out his best friend is a member on the other side of the island & had just given him a book of Mormon not too long ago. he's practically Mormon already, he just hasn't quite accepted it :P we look forward to teaching him again this week! last time he had food and drinks for us haha he's so great.

- Waimanalo ward (the ward we share our meeting building with) is CAMPING for two weeks @ bellows! man, it's so cool, they camp in luxury LOL they have water heaters they have brought over and LONG LONG extension cords so they can have tv and all that jazz :P so funny. we had fhe there last night, so fun.

- this week we will be having Elder Renlund and a couple of other general authorities meeting with us!! I'm excited to learn :)

I got a surprise visit from THE LOO'S yesterday!!! Oh my goodness, they are my mission parents from Honoka'a Ward on the Big Island. I was shocked to see them, I couldn't hold my tears back :P they took us to bfast this morning, they're here visiting their niece for her graduation. man, i died. (mom - don't tell sister loo i told you!! lol, i told her i would let her tell you tomorrow, but I JUST COULDN'T HELP BUT TELL YOU ALL!!) :)

Their visit plus knowing I only have 3 months left on my mission really made me reflect. I know I have changed so much out here. & I love it. I know this gospel is true, and that's what has changed me so much is coming to know my Savior more personally & helping others to do so as well. I know He lives. I am so grateful to be here, although i miss you all, there's no where else I'd rather be at this time. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL.

have a wonderful week! xoxo,

Sister Judkins

Week 62 - 5/30/16

In her letter to us, she mentioned the Halford family who she taught on the big island.  The Halford's apparently moved to Phoenix last month and a guy Brigitte graduated with, Dallin Parker, is serving as a missionary in their new ward in Arizona.  Small world.

haha, jk i'm not going to Maui, but hey maybe that caught your attention.

ALOHA!!

Last week we sat down with our Ward Mission Leader and decided on a new game plan. there are so many less-active families here in our area, and we have decided to focus on contacting them, teaching them and getting them introduced to their home teachers to pass them along to the ward. It seems like the ward just needs to be a little strengthened before the Lord will bless them with converts.

We have already seen huge miracles with this new perspective. Solid new investigators have come in to our teaching pool, and we have contacted some super cool families that are ready to come back to the fold. We are so excited!!!

One of the less-active families that our Ward Mission Leader asked us to contact ended up being a part-member family and the sons are interested in getting baptized! God is good you guys! God is good.

Anyhoo- sorry nothing too exciting happened this week :P we did see a lot of miracles & we did have really funny experiences, but yeah.. you'll just have to take my word for it :P

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. oh yeah, TRANSFER NEWS!!! turns out, my comp sister frost is going to ALIAMANU!!! (that's my greenie area, or the first area i served in)... she's gonna love it. and i am staying here and getting a new comp from MARSHALL ISLANDS!! I'm super excited to meet her, i love the marshallese people. & i love this ward, so i'm pumped to stay and to continue to work hard here in the Olomana ward <3

One thing Bishop Durant shared yesterday in Ward Council was Matthew 11:28-30, talking about coming together to share the Lord's "yoke", he talked to us about how the Lord's "yoke" is still a "burden" but not the kind of burden that brings us down... it's work & responsibility but it's something that actually makes us lighter, happier, and brings us together as a team as we share the "yoke" and experience the joy that comes from living the gospel <3 so sweet.

keep sharing the yoke. take upon yourself His yoke & share that with others. it's a team effort here, no child of God's left behind!!!

love you all. mahalo for everything <3

xoxo,

Sister Judkins

oh yeah, we tracted into a lady on saturday and she was super nice but said she's super busy, so we asked what we could help her with & she was all, "well, i could use help making leis for my daughter's graduation". so she took us around, picking plumeria & teaching us the Hawaiian way (there's very specific things you need to do in order to pick someone's flowers & make leis...) and then WE MADE LEIS!!! :) so cool. now we are teaching her :) she's so amazing.

Week 61 - 5/23/16

Aloha!

This week... was AWESOME! some highlights:

- we had 3 chapel tours, 1 with a less-active YSA, 1 with an investigating family, and 1 with a part-member family. the spirit in the Lord's chapels is SO strong. It's awesome. My testimony is always strengthened when we take others on chapel tours :)

- we got to sing in the choir for Stake Conference, we sang secret prayer in Hawaiian and those who are called to labor, or whatever that song is :P I didn't know it before, and now I still don't know it...at least in English, but I could sing the Hawaiian version for ya! :)

- stake conference was AWESOME! we had some members of the Seventy visiting & I got to speak German with one of them. they had great messages to share of the temple & family & the book of Mormon <3 it was so great.

- one of our members in our ward taught us about fighting ghosts this week! it's crazy.

- I can't remember if I mentioned the car crash we got into two weeks ago? my first ever haha, and now we are teaching the lady! God is good :)

- there's always peacocks roaming around here, this week one came running across the street with us, it was like 1 foot away from me! :P

- I had my last interview with President Warner. Him and Sister Warner are headed home less than a month! :( i'll miss them for sure!!

- I finished the Book of Mormon again, haha :) I LOVE THAT BOOK.

- we had so many miracles happen this week. we were led to these two INCREDIBLE families that have been super prepared for the gospel. one of the families is a disfellowshipped family of the Jehovah's Witnesses, you can totally tell how that has prepared them for the gospel. it's humbled them and opened their eyes to the Goodness of God that is REALLY found in the gospel. THE CHURCH IS TRUE GUYS. God is good.

President Warner and I set my release date officially for August 31, which is CRAZY. I love my mission so much. I know this gospel is true. I am for sure looking forward to these next three months and what they have to bring to me and God's children here in Hawaii.

mahalo nui loa for all the prayers & support. the work goes forward. God is good!!!

Aloha,

Sister Judkins

pancakes with chocolate ice cream, brownies, cookie crumbles and chocolate syrup hahaha! only @ Zippy's :)