Hey there thanks for the email. It was great to hear from you and i am always happy and relieved when i hear that everyone is doing well. I am so glad that you were able to meet the Moffats. They are truly amazing. I love them so much. They have changed my life forever. I miss them very much but i know that i will see them again and be able to share all of our experiences together. What Elder Ballard said is true. President and Sister Moffat truly did know how to motivate us. All of the missionaries knew what was expected of them and we are the happiest group of missionaries in the church. I don't know if i ever told you this but i know their grandson. He was in the super sport program at Dimple Dell and i found out that he was their grandson a few weeks before i left. I always talked to Sister Moffat about him and so it was great to already have a connection with them. I love the Moffats.
Well still on the topic of mission presidents, i finally was able to meet President and Sister Ogden. They are great. The interview was great and we just got to know each other a little more. President Ogden is really excited and he seems to already know what he is doing. It was interesting to find out that he grew up in Florida. He moved all around Florida and he joined the church down there in about 1961 or 1962. I told him that Grandpa was a mission president down there but he was baptized before his time. It was pretty interesting. I love President and Sister Ogden and i am not worried about the mission at all. The England Birmingham Mission is the best mission in the world and the Lord is watching out for us and blessing us more than we deserve.
Other than that we have had a pretty good week. We continue to teach Mark. He is doing great and he is looking forward to his baptism on the 1st of August. I am so excited for it but the only thing is that i might not be here for it. We will see though.
Here is a little story for you. Yesterday we were out finding and we were both in short sleeve shirts and it was a beautiful day. No clouds in the sky to begin the day. Hotter than Africa. After lunch we went out and it was still nice and still hot but there were a few clouds in the sky. Then all of the sudden this big huge gray blanket of clouds comes over the entire sky and the heavens start to open. Neither of us have rain jackets or anything. Luckily we were talking to this lady and she let us stay under her overhang until it stopped raining. As soon as it stopped raining we took off towards the church and as we were running to the church the rain picked up again and we were getting a little wet. We got to the church and went inside and about two minutes after we got in it was back to blue skies. We left the church and walked up and saw a less active and as soon as we stopped talking to her the sky was gray again and it started to rain. Except it rained even harder. It was pouring rain. Keep in mind we have no waterproof stuff at all. Just white shirts and ties. We just started running and got under a tree. That only did us good for about 5 minutes and so we ran to another tree. Same story. Then we got to another tree which treated us well. It kept us out of the rain until it stopped. Moral of the story. Always bring your rain jacket and your waterproof trousers with you. I was pretty wet. But it was fun.
Well that was all the excitement for this week. I am glad that everyone is doing well. I hope to hear from all of you next week. I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Sorry about the envelope Dad. I didn't want it to rip open so i just taped it all up. I guess it worked.
I love this work that i am doing. I love this gospel. It is the only way to true happiness. We talk to people every day that their beliefs are so close to ours but they are just missing a few things. I know that this is the Lords Kingdom on the earth. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he is the only way back to our Father in Heaven. I testify of the power of the Atonement. Apply it in your life. As we do we are more happy. We are more obedient. We strive to do His will instead of ours. And as on Preach My Gospel pg 2 says. " As our understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ increases, our desire to share the gospel will increase." I love my Savior. He has helped me through the good times and the hard times. Joseph Smith is a true prophet. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah. I love the Book of Mormon and all that it contains. It does contain the fulness of the gospel. I love all of you and i am so blessed to be in the service of our God.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Letter - July 7, 2009
Hey there how is everything going? I am glad to hear that you had a good week at Lake Powell and everything else that went on. Tell Grandma Rudd Happy Birthday from me and that i love her. Also tell that to Grandma Lancaster as well and tell her thank you for all of the letters and postcards that i get from her.
Well this week was a good week. We have been teaching Sheelagh's son, Mark, and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying. He is dating one of the members in the ward and he has come to church almost every week for the past 9 or 10 months. He has never wanted the missionaries to teach him but for some reason he started wanting us to. We asked him to be baptized on August 1st and he accepted and so we are working with him and we are really excited about it all. He is a really good kid and he is already living everything in the church but he will be out of town for 2 weeks and so we can't baptize him before August. That was a bit disappointing but its alright. It will be great to have Sheelagh and Mark come into the gospel so they can support each other. Sheelaghs husband isn't interested but maybe one day he will be.
I havent met President Ogden yet but i will on Thursday. We have interviews on Thursday and i am really excited for them. President Ogden had a meeting with our Stake President on Sunday in Lichfield and so we were hoping to catch him and meet him but we missed him by about 5 minutes. Everyone who met him though said that he seemed like a great guy though so that just made me more excited to meet him. I know that he is the man who should be leading this mission at this time. I support him in whatever he does even though things will change and be different to what President Moffat did.
So i mentioned something about the so called "heat wave" that was happening. Well it only lasted for about 3 or 4 days. It is back to normal British weather. Rain, wind, cold, humid. I love seeing the reaction of the English when they get bad weather or they get something that is totally normal to me. I love it. The British are funny.
That is about all that has happened this week. Ben and Michal are doing great. Michal fasted on Saturday and Sunday and she said that it felt really good. They still continue to have a strong desire to come to church and to learn more about the church.
The church is true. I know that it is. Not a day goes by that my testimony is not strengthened in one way or another. All of the yelling and the people who just want to try and destroy the church and telling us that Joseph Smith plagerized the Book of Mormon, i love it. I love how satan just attacks our church and tries to tear it down but he can't do it. God won't let him. I love this gospel so much. It means everything to me. The time that i have been able to be on my mission has helped me grow as a person in so many different ways. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know that Jesus Christ lives. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and it contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith restored this church back to the earth and that he did many many things in our behalf. I am so grateful for all of you and your prayers and your support. You are the best.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. We have our own washing machine in the flat so that is how we do our washing. Then we just hang it up to dry. It is a pain but o well. I tried to get a lady to wash them but it didn't happen.
Well this week was a good week. We have been teaching Sheelagh's son, Mark, and he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying. He is dating one of the members in the ward and he has come to church almost every week for the past 9 or 10 months. He has never wanted the missionaries to teach him but for some reason he started wanting us to. We asked him to be baptized on August 1st and he accepted and so we are working with him and we are really excited about it all. He is a really good kid and he is already living everything in the church but he will be out of town for 2 weeks and so we can't baptize him before August. That was a bit disappointing but its alright. It will be great to have Sheelagh and Mark come into the gospel so they can support each other. Sheelaghs husband isn't interested but maybe one day he will be.
I havent met President Ogden yet but i will on Thursday. We have interviews on Thursday and i am really excited for them. President Ogden had a meeting with our Stake President on Sunday in Lichfield and so we were hoping to catch him and meet him but we missed him by about 5 minutes. Everyone who met him though said that he seemed like a great guy though so that just made me more excited to meet him. I know that he is the man who should be leading this mission at this time. I support him in whatever he does even though things will change and be different to what President Moffat did.
So i mentioned something about the so called "heat wave" that was happening. Well it only lasted for about 3 or 4 days. It is back to normal British weather. Rain, wind, cold, humid. I love seeing the reaction of the English when they get bad weather or they get something that is totally normal to me. I love it. The British are funny.
That is about all that has happened this week. Ben and Michal are doing great. Michal fasted on Saturday and Sunday and she said that it felt really good. They still continue to have a strong desire to come to church and to learn more about the church.
The church is true. I know that it is. Not a day goes by that my testimony is not strengthened in one way or another. All of the yelling and the people who just want to try and destroy the church and telling us that Joseph Smith plagerized the Book of Mormon, i love it. I love how satan just attacks our church and tries to tear it down but he can't do it. God won't let him. I love this gospel so much. It means everything to me. The time that i have been able to be on my mission has helped me grow as a person in so many different ways. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I know that Jesus Christ lives. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and it contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Joseph Smith restored this church back to the earth and that he did many many things in our behalf. I am so grateful for all of you and your prayers and your support. You are the best.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. We have our own washing machine in the flat so that is how we do our washing. Then we just hang it up to dry. It is a pain but o well. I tried to get a lady to wash them but it didn't happen.
Letter - June 30, 2009
Hey i hope you had a great time at Lake Powell. I heard that the Hulets have a new houseboat. I will be excited to hear about it. I hope that dan got some good skiing in and that he wakeboarded.
Well the big news of this week was that we had Zone Conference and that is where we said goodbye to President and Sister Moffat. That was no fun. That was the hardest thing that i have had to do. I don't want to see them go. I know that they have to and i know that President Ogden will be great but i will miss them greatly. There were a lot of tears shed from me thats for sure. At the end of Zone Conference we sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again. Talk about a horrible song to end on. I was already in tears by the time the song ended and then after the song President Moffat said that him and Sister Moffat wanted to say goodbye to us each individually and so we all got up and went a made a line. I was trying to stay calm but it was so hard. I never thought that the day would come when they would leave. I finally got up to them and i hugged President Moffat and then he told me a few things that really helped me and then i went and said bye to Sister Moffat. It was tough. I love them so much and my love for them goes beyond this life. I love them for eternity. I will have to admit though i think it was harder to say goodbye to them than to you guys. I'm sorry but its true. I can't wait to see them again. You will have to let me know how their talk goes and tell them that i love them. Please.
Ben and Michal are ok with everything now. They came back to church and loved it. They really regreted what they did and they said that it was just a difficult decision for them to make. They are doing well though.
We are in the middle of a "heat wave" England style. It rains all the time and can't make up its mind but it is hotter than Africa over here. Everyone told us that it was going to be a "heat wave" but they don't even understand what the meaning of that means. Even though it is very very very humid and i am soggy and moist all the time, i love it. I love preaching the gospel.
Well that is it for this week. President Ogden comes in tomorrow night at about 7 o clock. I don't think we will meet him until interviews which are next week. I am excited for that. He flies into Frankfurt, Germany today to spend a day with the Area Presidency and then he flies over here to England. I will let you know all that happens. I love all of you. I am grateful for your love and support. I am thankful for your prayers. I am thankful for this gospel and all that it blesses us with. It is true. Its as simple as that. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I hope to hear from you next week.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Well the big news of this week was that we had Zone Conference and that is where we said goodbye to President and Sister Moffat. That was no fun. That was the hardest thing that i have had to do. I don't want to see them go. I know that they have to and i know that President Ogden will be great but i will miss them greatly. There were a lot of tears shed from me thats for sure. At the end of Zone Conference we sang God Be With You Til We Meet Again. Talk about a horrible song to end on. I was already in tears by the time the song ended and then after the song President Moffat said that him and Sister Moffat wanted to say goodbye to us each individually and so we all got up and went a made a line. I was trying to stay calm but it was so hard. I never thought that the day would come when they would leave. I finally got up to them and i hugged President Moffat and then he told me a few things that really helped me and then i went and said bye to Sister Moffat. It was tough. I love them so much and my love for them goes beyond this life. I love them for eternity. I will have to admit though i think it was harder to say goodbye to them than to you guys. I'm sorry but its true. I can't wait to see them again. You will have to let me know how their talk goes and tell them that i love them. Please.
Ben and Michal are ok with everything now. They came back to church and loved it. They really regreted what they did and they said that it was just a difficult decision for them to make. They are doing well though.
We are in the middle of a "heat wave" England style. It rains all the time and can't make up its mind but it is hotter than Africa over here. Everyone told us that it was going to be a "heat wave" but they don't even understand what the meaning of that means. Even though it is very very very humid and i am soggy and moist all the time, i love it. I love preaching the gospel.
Well that is it for this week. President Ogden comes in tomorrow night at about 7 o clock. I don't think we will meet him until interviews which are next week. I am excited for that. He flies into Frankfurt, Germany today to spend a day with the Area Presidency and then he flies over here to England. I will let you know all that happens. I love all of you. I am grateful for your love and support. I am thankful for your prayers. I am thankful for this gospel and all that it blesses us with. It is true. Its as simple as that. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I hope to hear from you next week.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Letter - June 23, 2009
Hey there everyone. I hope you are all doing well this week. Well i had the worst news of my mission this morning. As we were walking into town this morning we got a text message from Ben and Michal. You know the ones that we have been teaching for about 6 weeks. She is Jewish. Well we got a text from them saying that they don't want to be baptized. As soon as i read that it just destroyed me. We were in the middle of talking to some people and thats when i got it. It was awful. We have no idea why they would say that because just on Sunday at church they said that they had never felt the Spirit the way that they did on Sunday. I am shocked. We have an appointment with them tonight that we are still going to but we will have to see what the problem is. They were doing so well and the were progressing very quickly. It has just broken my heart. We have grown to love their family so much and we were and are still confident that they will be baptized. This is just something that has been put in their path and they have to deal with it and overcome it. We will do everything within our power to help them out. Please pray for them. Please. They need our prayers.
We have Zone Conference this week. I can't believe that the time has finally come for President Moffat to leave. I never thought that it would actually come. I can't imagine mission life without President and Sister Moffat. I think Sister Moffat might be missed more by the missionaries than President Moffat. I am very excited though to meet President and Sister Ogden. They will be great and i know that i will grow to love them just as much as President and Sister Moffat.
Not a whole lot of new stuff is goin on. We are just trying to find a few more people to teach. It is difficult at the moment but i know that we can receive the Lord's help. The atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know it is. The power of repentance is one of the best principles we have in the church. The atonement is my favorite subject to study in the morning. I think i study some aspect of it every day. It is amazing. And as my knowledge of the Atonement increases my desire to share the gospel increases as well. The gospel is an amazing thing that we have. We are so blessed to have it in our lives. I have come to appreciate it so much more while i have been out here. I love this work and i love England. Thank you for all of your love and all of your support. You are the best family in the world. I love you.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
We have Zone Conference this week. I can't believe that the time has finally come for President Moffat to leave. I never thought that it would actually come. I can't imagine mission life without President and Sister Moffat. I think Sister Moffat might be missed more by the missionaries than President Moffat. I am very excited though to meet President and Sister Ogden. They will be great and i know that i will grow to love them just as much as President and Sister Moffat.
Not a whole lot of new stuff is goin on. We are just trying to find a few more people to teach. It is difficult at the moment but i know that we can receive the Lord's help. The atonement of Jesus Christ is real. I know it is. The power of repentance is one of the best principles we have in the church. The atonement is my favorite subject to study in the morning. I think i study some aspect of it every day. It is amazing. And as my knowledge of the Atonement increases my desire to share the gospel increases as well. The gospel is an amazing thing that we have. We are so blessed to have it in our lives. I have come to appreciate it so much more while i have been out here. I love this work and i love England. Thank you for all of your love and all of your support. You are the best family in the world. I love you.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Letter - June 16, 2009
Greetings from England!! I hope that all of you had a good week and that everything went well. I heard that it was Stake Family Fun Day and that it was good weather for it. Thats always good. It has rained off and on for this past week but it has been nice and sunny the past couple days. Really hot though.
Well the big news this week was that Sheelagh's baptism went through. It was great. It was a very stressful week for her because her daughter is currently in the hospital and is not doing very well. She had every reason to postpone the baptism but she decided to go forward with it. Her husband was very supportive of her and told her to go through with it. It is the best feeling in the world to see someone that you have worked so long and hard with enter the waters of baptism. My mission has been the time where i have experienced my greatest joys but also my greatest disappointments im my life. Missionaries have a lot of disappointing days and weeks but when someone enters the waters of baptism and receives that glorious gift of the Holy Ghost, there is no other feeling. The Lord has truly blessed me and shown me so many of his tender mercies. That was the biggest thing that happened this week. We had a few people that wanted to come to church but they didn't show up which really frustrates me but we will get them there.
Yesterday we taught this guy named Kenneth. We have taught him off and on for a few weeks but he doesn't progress at all. Yesterday we just told him that he needs to take this seriously or else he will never get his answer. He always prays that England will win the football matches and the cricket matches. He never prays about Joseph Smith so i told him yesterday that God could care less if England won the cricket or football. I said it doesn't matter to him. What matters to him is if people ask if he is there and if the Book of Mormon is true. That kind of hit him and he said alright give me a month and we will see where were at. It was very frustrating and very disappointing but i just thought i would share a couple stories that have happened in just the past few days of what different experiences we as missionaries have.
We have Zone Conference next week. It is President Moffat's last one. I am sad to see him go. The mission will take a hard hit but i know that President Ogden will do his best and he will be a great mission president and do amazing things for this mission.
The church is true. I testify of its reality. It is so simple if we just live by the teachings. The Gospel is simple and easy, but life is hard and complex. If we stick to the truths taught in the scriptures and from the prophets and apostles we can't lose. Satan has no power over us. If we fall into the things of the world then we will have a hard, unhappy, stressful life. We need to be like the boy prophet Samuel and say speak Lord, for thy servant heareth. If we apply that we will become unbreakable. We will beat satan. I love this work. I love the scriptures. They teach me so so much. I wish i had even more time to study them. They are true. I love all of you and i love our Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for everything.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Well the big news this week was that Sheelagh's baptism went through. It was great. It was a very stressful week for her because her daughter is currently in the hospital and is not doing very well. She had every reason to postpone the baptism but she decided to go forward with it. Her husband was very supportive of her and told her to go through with it. It is the best feeling in the world to see someone that you have worked so long and hard with enter the waters of baptism. My mission has been the time where i have experienced my greatest joys but also my greatest disappointments im my life. Missionaries have a lot of disappointing days and weeks but when someone enters the waters of baptism and receives that glorious gift of the Holy Ghost, there is no other feeling. The Lord has truly blessed me and shown me so many of his tender mercies. That was the biggest thing that happened this week. We had a few people that wanted to come to church but they didn't show up which really frustrates me but we will get them there.
Yesterday we taught this guy named Kenneth. We have taught him off and on for a few weeks but he doesn't progress at all. Yesterday we just told him that he needs to take this seriously or else he will never get his answer. He always prays that England will win the football matches and the cricket matches. He never prays about Joseph Smith so i told him yesterday that God could care less if England won the cricket or football. I said it doesn't matter to him. What matters to him is if people ask if he is there and if the Book of Mormon is true. That kind of hit him and he said alright give me a month and we will see where were at. It was very frustrating and very disappointing but i just thought i would share a couple stories that have happened in just the past few days of what different experiences we as missionaries have.
We have Zone Conference next week. It is President Moffat's last one. I am sad to see him go. The mission will take a hard hit but i know that President Ogden will do his best and he will be a great mission president and do amazing things for this mission.
The church is true. I testify of its reality. It is so simple if we just live by the teachings. The Gospel is simple and easy, but life is hard and complex. If we stick to the truths taught in the scriptures and from the prophets and apostles we can't lose. Satan has no power over us. If we fall into the things of the world then we will have a hard, unhappy, stressful life. We need to be like the boy prophet Samuel and say speak Lord, for thy servant heareth. If we apply that we will become unbreakable. We will beat satan. I love this work. I love the scriptures. They teach me so so much. I wish i had even more time to study them. They are true. I love all of you and i love our Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for everything.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Letter - June 11, 2009
Hey everyone!!! It was great to hear from a few of you this past week. Things are going great here and the Lord is continuing to bless us.
Well i didn't get transfered so i am still in Lichfield. Elder Williams is still here as well which we are both very happy about. We have big plans for this transfer and a lot of potential people that could be getting baptized. We just need to keep working with them and trying to help them in the best way that we can.
This Saturday is a big day for us. Sheelagh is getting baptized. I am so happy for her. She is ready and she has such a strong desire to learn more about the church. Her husband and daughter aren't interested at the moment but i think that her positive attitude and the change that will be upon her will help them out a lot. Her son is very interested in the church and he is not far behind her for baptism. The Lord continues to bless us so much. I just love this work.
We have just been having so much fun lately. Our new favorite thing is to start out the day, and continue throughout the whole day, running all over Lichfield talking to people and chasing them down. It is so fun. We are out of breath when we get up to the people but it makes us more excited about the work and always keeps our enthusiasm up. I love it. We handed out 7 copies of the Book of Mormon the other day which was really good. Our goal always is to hand out at least 10 per week. We have been averaging about 13 or 14 each week. We can do better though. We need to. Our goal is to hand out 1 full box in a week. That is 40! We will do it!
This past Sunday was our Stake Conference. It was an area conference and it was a broadcast from the Hyde Park Chapel down in London. President Uchtdorf was there as well as Elder Anderson. It was absolutely amazing. I loved it. In the Priesthood Session President Uchtdorf and Elder Anderson as well as President Oaks, the area president, answered questions that the members had previously written down and asked. It was really good. I loved it. I love President Uchtdorf and i especially love Elder Anderson. I testify to all of you that they are Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for a living day prophet and twelve apostles leading the church. What a blessing in our lives.
Well i think that is about it for this week. We continue to work hard and we know that if we are obedient and do all that is required of us and more that we will receive the Lords blessing. This is the work of our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ lives. He died for me and for all of us. I will be in debt forever to him. I love him with all of my heart. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Such mercy, such love and devotion can i forget. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner he suffered he bled and died. Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me. This gospel is true. Thomas S. Monson is our living day prophet. He is our greatest example that we have who is living on this earth. I love him. I love all of you. Thank you for your prayers and all of your support. They mean so much to me and help me more than you will ever know. I wouldn't be the person i am today if it weren't for all of you. I love you and may God bless all of you.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
P.S. SEND MORE PEANUT BUTTER AND MORE CHOCOLATE CHIPS IMMEDIATELY. I AM RUNNING OUT AND IT IS CRUCIAL THAT I HAVE THOSE AS A PART OF MY EVERY DAY DIET. THANK YOU!!
Well i didn't get transfered so i am still in Lichfield. Elder Williams is still here as well which we are both very happy about. We have big plans for this transfer and a lot of potential people that could be getting baptized. We just need to keep working with them and trying to help them in the best way that we can.
This Saturday is a big day for us. Sheelagh is getting baptized. I am so happy for her. She is ready and she has such a strong desire to learn more about the church. Her husband and daughter aren't interested at the moment but i think that her positive attitude and the change that will be upon her will help them out a lot. Her son is very interested in the church and he is not far behind her for baptism. The Lord continues to bless us so much. I just love this work.
We have just been having so much fun lately. Our new favorite thing is to start out the day, and continue throughout the whole day, running all over Lichfield talking to people and chasing them down. It is so fun. We are out of breath when we get up to the people but it makes us more excited about the work and always keeps our enthusiasm up. I love it. We handed out 7 copies of the Book of Mormon the other day which was really good. Our goal always is to hand out at least 10 per week. We have been averaging about 13 or 14 each week. We can do better though. We need to. Our goal is to hand out 1 full box in a week. That is 40! We will do it!
This past Sunday was our Stake Conference. It was an area conference and it was a broadcast from the Hyde Park Chapel down in London. President Uchtdorf was there as well as Elder Anderson. It was absolutely amazing. I loved it. In the Priesthood Session President Uchtdorf and Elder Anderson as well as President Oaks, the area president, answered questions that the members had previously written down and asked. It was really good. I loved it. I love President Uchtdorf and i especially love Elder Anderson. I testify to all of you that they are Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for a living day prophet and twelve apostles leading the church. What a blessing in our lives.
Well i think that is about it for this week. We continue to work hard and we know that if we are obedient and do all that is required of us and more that we will receive the Lords blessing. This is the work of our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ lives. He died for me and for all of us. I will be in debt forever to him. I love him with all of my heart. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me. Such mercy, such love and devotion can i forget. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, that for me a sinner he suffered he bled and died. Oh it is wonderful that he should care for me enough to die for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me. This gospel is true. Thomas S. Monson is our living day prophet. He is our greatest example that we have who is living on this earth. I love him. I love all of you. Thank you for your prayers and all of your support. They mean so much to me and help me more than you will ever know. I wouldn't be the person i am today if it weren't for all of you. I love you and may God bless all of you.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
P.S. SEND MORE PEANUT BUTTER AND MORE CHOCOLATE CHIPS IMMEDIATELY. I AM RUNNING OUT AND IT IS CRUCIAL THAT I HAVE THOSE AS A PART OF MY EVERY DAY DIET. THANK YOU!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Letter - June 2, 2009
Hey family how are things goin? It sounds like this week was a good one with all of the celebrations going on. It sounds like that was really cool. I was touched by that story you told me mom. I really did like it. Thank you.
Well sorry again about last weeks email it wasn't very long but we didn't have a lot of time. This will hopefully be a better one. We have been busy this week. We have been teaching a few people. Ben and Michal are coming along. Very slowly but they are finally starting to pick up the pace. Everything is just hard and complicated with her being Jewish. They are really interested in the church though so they will do well. I am excited. We have asked them to be baptized like 5 times but they just wont commit so we are taking it slow right now. Every time we go over to their house though they always have to make us dinner. Always. Even if we say we have already eaten. They just throw the food in front of us. I love it though. I never complain about getting food.
On Saturday we were tracting and the phone rang. It was Sheelagh. She called to tell us that she had spoken to her husband about being baptized and that he was alright with it. She said that she wanted to be baptized and so we set the date for the 13th of June. I am so excited!!!!!!! I am so happy that she feels she is ready. That is the most important thing. She will stay in the church for that reason alone. It will be great for Elder Williams. It will be his first baptism. I am proud of him. He is doing well. Sheelagh told us and promised us that she wasnt backing out on this one. WOW!!!! The Lord blesses us in so many ways. I can't believe it.
Saturday was also a good day because while we were tracting, we came to this house. We knocked on the door and a lady stuck her head out the window and we said we are talking about Jesus Christ. She told us to hold on for just a bit. She came to the door and we started teaching her. As we did she just said to us "This is what i need right now." It was incredible. She said that she would definately come to church and bring her 11 year old daughter!! We were in shock. It was amazing. Elder Williams was happy about it as well. Sad thing is that she didn't come to church but we spoke to her, Carrie, yesterday and she said that her boyfriend wouldn't let her come. I was devastated but Carrie said that she really wanted to come and she was almost in tears because she wasn't able to. It was a great experience. I love the mission. I live for those experiences.
I testify that the Lord does prepare people to hear his gospel. People don't join the church because of Elder Rudd. People join the church because of the Spirit that they feel. The Holy Ghost gets all the credit. The people are being taught by the best three-some of missionaries ever to be heard of. Our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. It is amazing. This church is true. I love it with all of my heart. I love serving a mission. I am not coming home when i have to. You will have to drag me away from this place. I love it so much. This is my life. The Lord is my shepherd. I love all of you and i hope you all know that.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. Just to let you know. Transfers are next week. So don't expect an email until probably wednesday. I don't think i will be getting transfered but i might. I love you all!!!
Well sorry again about last weeks email it wasn't very long but we didn't have a lot of time. This will hopefully be a better one. We have been busy this week. We have been teaching a few people. Ben and Michal are coming along. Very slowly but they are finally starting to pick up the pace. Everything is just hard and complicated with her being Jewish. They are really interested in the church though so they will do well. I am excited. We have asked them to be baptized like 5 times but they just wont commit so we are taking it slow right now. Every time we go over to their house though they always have to make us dinner. Always. Even if we say we have already eaten. They just throw the food in front of us. I love it though. I never complain about getting food.
On Saturday we were tracting and the phone rang. It was Sheelagh. She called to tell us that she had spoken to her husband about being baptized and that he was alright with it. She said that she wanted to be baptized and so we set the date for the 13th of June. I am so excited!!!!!!! I am so happy that she feels she is ready. That is the most important thing. She will stay in the church for that reason alone. It will be great for Elder Williams. It will be his first baptism. I am proud of him. He is doing well. Sheelagh told us and promised us that she wasnt backing out on this one. WOW!!!! The Lord blesses us in so many ways. I can't believe it.
Saturday was also a good day because while we were tracting, we came to this house. We knocked on the door and a lady stuck her head out the window and we said we are talking about Jesus Christ. She told us to hold on for just a bit. She came to the door and we started teaching her. As we did she just said to us "This is what i need right now." It was incredible. She said that she would definately come to church and bring her 11 year old daughter!! We were in shock. It was amazing. Elder Williams was happy about it as well. Sad thing is that she didn't come to church but we spoke to her, Carrie, yesterday and she said that her boyfriend wouldn't let her come. I was devastated but Carrie said that she really wanted to come and she was almost in tears because she wasn't able to. It was a great experience. I love the mission. I live for those experiences.
I testify that the Lord does prepare people to hear his gospel. People don't join the church because of Elder Rudd. People join the church because of the Spirit that they feel. The Holy Ghost gets all the credit. The people are being taught by the best three-some of missionaries ever to be heard of. Our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. It is amazing. This church is true. I love it with all of my heart. I love serving a mission. I am not coming home when i have to. You will have to drag me away from this place. I love it so much. This is my life. The Lord is my shepherd. I love all of you and i hope you all know that.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. Just to let you know. Transfers are next week. So don't expect an email until probably wednesday. I don't think i will be getting transfered but i might. I love you all!!!
Letter - May 26, 2009
Hey there sorry this email will be really short because the library is closed so we are emailing from a cafe and we only have 20 minutes. Kinda ridiculous but o well.
This week has been pretty good. We had Ben and Michal at church and also after church Sheelagh came up to us and told us that she wanted to be baptized. I hope you remember Sheelagh. That was a shock to me but i am really proud of her. She finished the entire Book of Mormon and she feels like she needs to be baptized. So we will start teaching her again.
Well we went golfing this morning. It was awesome. I hadn't swung a club in almost a year but it felt so good. I was surprised with how well i did. I was hitting the 175 marker with my 7 iron so i was really happy.
Well i love this gospel and i love serving the Lord. Elder Williams is doing great and we are having a lot of fun together. I love this work and i hope that we will have even more success. I love all of you and hope you are all doing well.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. i will write a letter today and tell you more about the week
This week has been pretty good. We had Ben and Michal at church and also after church Sheelagh came up to us and told us that she wanted to be baptized. I hope you remember Sheelagh. That was a shock to me but i am really proud of her. She finished the entire Book of Mormon and she feels like she needs to be baptized. So we will start teaching her again.
Well we went golfing this morning. It was awesome. I hadn't swung a club in almost a year but it felt so good. I was surprised with how well i did. I was hitting the 175 marker with my 7 iron so i was really happy.
Well i love this gospel and i love serving the Lord. Elder Williams is doing great and we are having a lot of fun together. I love this work and i hope that we will have even more success. I love all of you and hope you are all doing well.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
p.s. i will write a letter today and tell you more about the week
Letter - May 20, 2009
Hey there everyone. I hope you are all doing well. I am doing well and it was good to hear from you.
Well this week has been a pretty good week. We had Zone Conference last Thursday and that is always good. I love it. I always learn so much from Zone Conference. I only get one more with President Moffat. That is a sad thing to think about.
Also this week has been very wet. It has been pouring rain non stop pretty much for about a week. It has been horrible. Yesterday was mission football and we were absolutely soaked. It rained all day. I couldn't believe it. So i have been very wet for about the last week. Hopefully it isnt like this all summer. Mission Football was great but our Zone didn't do too hot. We lost every game we played and i just got so frustrated cause people weren't doing their job on the field. I am not the best player in the world but it was still frustrating for me. I am pretty sore today but life goes on. Also yesterday at mission football President Moffat told us that Elder Wear had gone home for medical reasons. He had his appendix taken out about 2 months ago and he was still having symptoms of appendisidis. (I have no idea if that is how you spell it). He kept fighting through the pain and i saw him at Zone Conference and he didn't look too well. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. When i heard that he had to go home i was devastated. Me and him grew to be really good friends. We have a lot of things planned together when we get home. Please remember Elder Wear in your prayers and pray for him to get back out into the mission field and finish off his mission.
Well at the moment we are teaching a family who seem to be interested in the gospel. Their names are Ben and Michal. She is Jewish but not practicing. They are very nice and they invite us over for dinner all the time. They came to church on Sunday and they said that they really enjoyed it. Hopefully they will be baptized on the 13th of June. That is what we are planning on.
Well that is about it for this week. I'm sorry. I feel like sometimes my emails are just pointless and you get bored reading them. Hopefully not. I'm glad that you still remember me and talk about me once in a while. The answer to your question is yes i still do that whistle. It is great. All my companions have wanted to learn how to do it. I tell them its just a god given talent.
Well i love you all. This gospel is true. I love serving a mission. I could do this for the rest of my life. It is the best thing i have ever done. (Alma 29:9). I have learned so much about myself that i wouldn't have if i hadn't come on a mission. You are the best and i am thankful for all of your love and support. I hope to hear from all of you next week.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Well this week has been a pretty good week. We had Zone Conference last Thursday and that is always good. I love it. I always learn so much from Zone Conference. I only get one more with President Moffat. That is a sad thing to think about.
Also this week has been very wet. It has been pouring rain non stop pretty much for about a week. It has been horrible. Yesterday was mission football and we were absolutely soaked. It rained all day. I couldn't believe it. So i have been very wet for about the last week. Hopefully it isnt like this all summer. Mission Football was great but our Zone didn't do too hot. We lost every game we played and i just got so frustrated cause people weren't doing their job on the field. I am not the best player in the world but it was still frustrating for me. I am pretty sore today but life goes on. Also yesterday at mission football President Moffat told us that Elder Wear had gone home for medical reasons. He had his appendix taken out about 2 months ago and he was still having symptoms of appendisidis. (I have no idea if that is how you spell it). He kept fighting through the pain and i saw him at Zone Conference and he didn't look too well. He looked like he was in a lot of pain. When i heard that he had to go home i was devastated. Me and him grew to be really good friends. We have a lot of things planned together when we get home. Please remember Elder Wear in your prayers and pray for him to get back out into the mission field and finish off his mission.
Well at the moment we are teaching a family who seem to be interested in the gospel. Their names are Ben and Michal. She is Jewish but not practicing. They are very nice and they invite us over for dinner all the time. They came to church on Sunday and they said that they really enjoyed it. Hopefully they will be baptized on the 13th of June. That is what we are planning on.
Well that is about it for this week. I'm sorry. I feel like sometimes my emails are just pointless and you get bored reading them. Hopefully not. I'm glad that you still remember me and talk about me once in a while. The answer to your question is yes i still do that whistle. It is great. All my companions have wanted to learn how to do it. I tell them its just a god given talent.
Well i love you all. This gospel is true. I love serving a mission. I could do this for the rest of my life. It is the best thing i have ever done. (Alma 29:9). I have learned so much about myself that i wouldn't have if i hadn't come on a mission. You are the best and i am thankful for all of your love and support. I hope to hear from all of you next week.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Letter - May 12, 2009
Hey there it seems like i haven't talked to you in forever..... Well nothing too exciting has gone on since Sunday. We found a really nice lady yesterday who said she wanted to come to church so we are very excited about that. Just wanted to tell you that i am still alive and that i haven't caught the big pig flu that is going around the world. It was so good to talk to everyone on Sunday. I am very lucky to have you as a family. I am so grateful for your support and love. I love all of you. Elder Williams dad wanted to talk to me on Sunday so i was able to talk to him. That was pretty funny. I got on the phone and the first words he said to me was "Hey Beetdigger." It was fun to talk to him. That is really all that is happening right now. Next week we have mission football which i am very very excited about. I always love it. You may not get an email from me next Tuesday. It might be later. Zone Conference is on Thursday. It might be President Moffat's last one. Mom you and Sister Moffat would get a long great. You will have to "hangout" when she gets home. I love you all and i will hear from you next week.
Love Elder Sam Rudd
Love Elder Sam Rudd
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