Letter - March 17, 2009

Hey there how are you all doing? It sounds like you are doing great. I was happy to hear from you this week. I am happy to hear that Utah is in the tournament. Its about time we made it again. I am excited to see how they do. We need to buy tickets to it next year. We have the sweet 16 and the elite 8 at the Energy Solutions Arena next year. Hopefully i am home in time for that. It will be close.

Well this week was a pretty good week. It was very busy. We were running around a lot of different places. Lauren is doing extremely well and she is so excited for her baptism. Which reminds me. Mom will you go to the distribution center and buy a quad and put the name Lauren Taylor on it. We want to give that to her as a present for her baptism. Her baptism is next Saturday, the 28th, so please send it to me as quick as possible. I think she will really enjoy that and i will pay you back when i get home. Just write a note to remind me. But also with Lauren, we walk with her to church and this last sunday she told us something that was amazing. She said that she hadn't been taking prayer too seriously and that she was still finding it a bit awkward. But on Saturday night she said that she decided that she was going to pray and really mean it this time. She said that after she prayed she didn't feel anything but it was a couple minutes later that she felt this overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness. She said it was unlike anything else she had ever felt. It was so good to hear that and hear that she really is looking for answers to her prayers. I love it. I told her that when she received the Holy Ghost that she could have that as a constant feeling. All she said to that was Wow. It was an amazing experience for me. I felt so happy for her and for her little girl as well. They will really enjoy the church and they will be great members.

Robert was a different story this week. Last Tuesday night we had a teaching appointment with him and he came to the door and he told us that he didn't want to be baptized. We tried to resolve his concern and find out the real reason why he wouldn't be baptized. All he said was that he didn't want to commit to it. It was a bit disappointing and he said that he didn't want to have us teach him anymore. He has changed his attitude though and is willing to learn more about the church but he doesn't want to be baptized quite yet. We will work hard with him but please pray for him that he will have a desire to be baptized and that he will feel in his heart that the things that we are teaching him are true.

So on Saturday we had a ward activity for something called Red Nose Day. It is for a comic relief foundation and the whole country donated about 54 million pounds to it which is pretty good. But while we were at the chapel i was introduced to an older couple who is not from our ward but from our stake here. They are in the Wylde Green ward. But their names were Rudd. It was really cool to meet them. They said that there are quite a few Rudd's around. The husbands name is Alan and i didn't catch the wife's name. They said that a few years ago they went to Utah and were at Welfare Square and saw a book written by Glen L. Rudd. They bought it and they said that they wanted it to be signed so they went to the church office building and talked to grandpa and they said that he signed the book for them. It was pretty cool to have that experience. We don't know how we are related but there is some connection in there somewhere.

Well that is about all for this week. It has been a pretty good week. I love missionary work so much. The gospel really is an amazing thing and i would be lost without it. I love all of you so much and i am thankful for your love and support.

Love Elder Sam Rudd

p.s. Also next week is transfers so i will email on either Wednesday or Thursday.