Camera Lasted for Six Weeks!!!! I still Love this Kid!!!

Hey Fam!

How was the fourth? Did a bunch of cousins come? How the heck did the udalls let the meadors and coveys win the game? Disappointed. Anyways this week was pretty awesome!! My 4th was so much fun! Elder Tate and I got to spend most of the day with an investigator fishing for trout on the Little Red River! We each caught like 12 it was pretty sweet. Sad story though: I dropped my camera in the river......its kind of broken but not all the way. I can't take pictures but I can still turn it on and stuff. Anyways we fished with him pretty much all day and then taught him about the BOM. That night we went over to a members house where we had burgers and lit off fireworks! It was sweet. So the other night Elder Tate and I were at the hospital visiting a member when we saw this guy who looked really worried so we asked him if he could use a blessing from God and he said no but my mom could. So he took us into the hospital room where his mom was and the whole family was there. The mom was in critical condition and was about to die. So we gave her a blessing and it was awesome. The spirit was in the room so strong. I felt the power of God while giving that blessing and I just knew everything was going to be ok. So after giving the blessing we taught the family a little bit about the priesthood and the Plan of Salvation. The next day we went back to the hospital to see that girl again and we found out that she was going to die within the hour. It was really sad and that whole day I felt terrible. I had so much confidence that the blessing would heal her but I guess it just wasn't Gods will. Anyways a couple of days later the member who we went to go see at the hospital in the fist place called us and told us about a nurse that stood in on the blessing and was really impressed with all that we did and wants to start taking the discussions! The lord works in mysterious ways! Another cool story: So on saturday the day started off slow and nothing was going our way. Elder Tate was hungry so we decided to stop at a subway and when Elder tate was ordering all the workers were asking us questions about what we do. They then started telling us all their anti-mormon   stuff they read on the internet and the weird rumors about the Book of Mormon. The manager was telling us how much he hates the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. So I went out to the car and got some extra Book of Mormons and we taught 3 subway workers the Restoration lesson right there in subway. The manager even participated and was asking questions and wanting to know more. Afterwards we gave them all a Book of Mormon and we have a return appt. with one of the workers later this week! It was sweet. The spirit was definitely there. Without the promptings of the spirit this would be a hopeless work. I am a terrible teacher but when the spirit is there it doesn't matter because it can do the teaching. Anyways did you know Grandpa Sherwoods brother is in my stake? There is so many Sherwoods here its crazy! They all know Grandpa Sherwood and I have met two of them that knew Grandpa Udall! Small world. Also did you know badger is training Brandon Nicoll? How crazy is that! Grandma Wellman thank you so much for that letter! I needed it! And thanks for the package Mom and the letter Kate! It was sweet! How did ryans passing league stuff go? How is Kylies career as a pizza chef going? Tell me everything. I hope you all are remembering to read your scriptures every day. Thats the best way to start off the day. I love how much I am learning out here! Alright people don't forget to write!

Love Elder Udall

You all wrote letters to me?!! Yes! Christmas in July!! And mom being a ward missionary is such an important calling.  study PMG! especially chap. 6 christlike attributes! Elder Tate and I have been doing that and picked one each day that we are going to work on. I am getting to know my savior so much more by doing that. its awesome!! I love being out here mom. I am finally started to realize the power and authority of my calling. I love it. I love giving blessing. I gave a blessing last night to a guy who is a nonmember but we are teaching his wife and he doesn't want anything to do with it. anyways his friend just commited suicide and so we offered a blessing of comfort and we gave him one and afterwards he was crying and just opened up to us. I love the gospel. I love out family more than anything. and I love that we get to be with each other for eternity. I hope you all are trying to attend the temple regurlarly.

Hows it going Dad? Hows the summer up in RV? are you working with the mare
at all? I heard you lost in a footbal game on the 4th. thats embarrassing.
hows being ward mission leader? Man thats such an important calling. We
work with our ward mission leader so much. hows ryan doing with sports?
hows kylie doing with goobs? its so awesome out here. Sometimes its hard
not to get discouraged though. I want to be such a better missionary than I
am. So it makes me mad when I am not having as much success. I have no
patience out here and neither does my companion! Thats one thing were both
doing this week is chap. 6 of PMG. CHristlike attributes!


First Baptism!

Dear Fam,

Hows it going? Is Macy really nervous for the MTC? Because she shouldn't be! It is the most spiritual place ever! But I can't blame her for being nervous because I get nervous for everything. Before every lesson I still pace around and stuff like I did before football games! Its crazy stuff! Man this week was awesome. I went on exchanges with the zone leaders last Tuesday and I was with Elder Bell. We were able to set 2 baptismal dates within like 2 hours together. It was sweet! So this last week I was able to use the priesthood a lot! I love that God trusts us with that kind of power! I went to the hospital a few days ago with Elder Tate and was able to give a blessing to a guy that got his finger bit off by a hog. Ok cool story time: So we were in a lesson with one of our investigators and she has had a rough life. We taught her about the priesthood and asked if she wanted a blessing and she let us give her one. While we were giving her that blessing I could just feel the burdens she was carrying. She had so much stress. But after the blessing she was crying and we asked her how she felt and she said she has never felt that way before. Her countenance had completely changed and she just seemed happier. The priesthood is truly the power of God and through it we can work miracles as long as we are worthy and have faith. I know that now more than ever. Cool story: We saw this really tall African American man walking down the street so naturally Elder Tate and I go talk to him. At first he was scared because he thought we were the cops, but then we explained to him how were missionaries. He told us he played college ball at Arkansas University and played in college against Derek Fisher, Manu Ginobli and Shaq. This guy is like 6'10" so I believe it! He told us he was Baptist and I told him that he should just be Mormon and he said "I smoke to much weed to be a Mormon." So that was nice. Also last Saturday night we had a baptism and I was able to baptize a Tracy Conyers and his daughter! It was the best experience I had yet on my mission. I know they were baptized into the true church of Jesus Christ here on earth today. I felt it. I have had the opportunity to watch there family grow closer together and become truly happy as they have been taught the Gospel and have been baptized. Its so crazy how the Gospel is able to change people. I can't wait for them to get sealed in a year! Aunt Becky: Your the best!! That package was the most awesome thing ever! I loved the cookies and the letters form your family! Grandma Slade: Thanks for the letter! It was exactly what I needed! I love you all so much. I miss you too but I love it out here. I love my calling. I love the atonement. I know that through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we can be TRULY happy on this earth. Not any of that fake temporary worldly happiness that the world has to offer. This Gospel is the only way we can find joy through the good and the bad times. I hope you all are having fun in AZ! Everything is so green here its ridiculous! I love it here. The only bad parts is its humid and there is just all sorts of mosquitoes and stuff everywhere. Elder tate is awesome though! we are having so much fun. And ya please send those letters that the primary kids wrote! I love letters!! Mom I seriously love my mission though. its the best thing that ever happened to me. I still have so much to learn but I am learning!I gotta go. I love you.

He's been out for a month!

Waddup Fam!
Whats the good word in AZ? Life is going good out in Searcy! This week had been pretty rough though actually. For some reason our some of our top investigators were just falling off the face of the earth. Thats the frustrating part about missionary work. We have been doing more finding than teaching this week because we haven't been able to get a hold of a lot of our investigators. I know its going to turn up though! We were talking to Bishop Mcgrath about it to see if there was anything we can do better and he said sometimes we just have those weeks. I know it was just a trial of our faith but Elder Tate and I are doing everything I can so I know it will get better! I did have one awesome experience last Tuesday night though! So we went on exchanges and so I went to Heber Springs with Elder Parker who I was in the MTC with. We were both only 2 weeks out! Anyways we went to this girl named Bobby who is about 60. She is awesome and super humble. We taught her a little of the restoration and she told us how she feels different every time we come over and talk to her about the Gospel. She said that she wants to feel that way all the time! We explained to her how it was the spirit and how she can have the constant companionship of it after baptism. She was still skeptical about getting baptized so we tried "Pray Now." And we asked her if she would say a prayer right then to know if this church was the true church of Jesus Christ here on earth today. She told us she didn't know how to pray and so we told her to just say whats in her heart. The spirit filled the room! Her prayer was so sincere and afterwards we told her to decribe how she felt and she was at a loss of words! It was the craziest experience I ever had. I know without a doubt the spirit was speaking to her. Its hard to describe but I could just kind of feel how much Heavenly Father loved her. Elder Parker and I are no where close to being good teachers but when the spirit came into the room a miracle happened. Being out on a mission really gives you a different perspective on life. It shows you whats really important and what is a waste of time. Anyways how was your farewell Macy? I am so excited for your to go into the MTC! You are going to love it so much. Its like disneyland for missionaries. but out in the field is way better! Christie I am so jealous of you for going to Yellowstone. Cammie write me a letter! Can you believe I have already been out for a month? This is going by way to fast already. I still have a lot to learn but I am having fun learning it all. Dad-did you go to the broadcast thing last night? It was awesome. Its so cool that you and Mom are ward missionaries. They are seriously so important. Mom- your the best mom ever. Thank you so much for that package! That was just what I needed! That seriously made my entire day so much better! Elder Tate and I finished those oreos in like 2 seconds. Anyways you all better write me and tell me how everything is going! Remember to take time out of everyday to do the IMPORTANT things. Study the scriptues, say family prayers, all that good stuff! I can't meet with Bobby again! Because I was on exchanges last week and thats not in my area! Im like in depression about it! I love her and only knew her for like 20 minutes! I am definitely going ot her baptism though! Mom I am going to send you a picture of these 4 kids that Elder tate and I freakin love. We are teaching the Mom right now. Her kids absolutely love us. Sunday morning we went over there and woke her and her kids up and helped get the boys ready. Let me send some pics.

SEARCY!!

Dear Fam,

How the heck are ya?! Man do I have a lot stories to tell you from this last week!! I love being in Searcy! I am having such a great experience. One thing I did not anticipate about missions is how stressful it can be sometimes though because we will have our day planned out with all the investigators we need to go see but it can be disappointing when we have a lot of lessons falling through and when our investigators come do not come to church. Times like that can be really hard but I am having the best time out here. I am able to see miracles happen almost everyday. I am finally starting to learn how the spirit speaks to me and it is amazing to see how much Heavenly Father is involved in our lives when we let him be. Sometimes Elder Tate and I will multiple appointments fall through so we do what we call spiritual harvesting. Its not tracting. We just pray and ask where we should go. Every time we have done that we have found someone to teach. Seriously I have so many miracle stories to tell you about that, but it is for another time. Elder Tate is probably the coolest dude ever. He has been out for 5 months and he is a hard worker and we work well together and have so much fun. So I guess I am President Petersen is planning to keep me in Searcy for a while. He told Elder Tate to train me up good because he wants me to stay here and take over the area in the future.....pretty crazy stuff. I love it here though. My ward is awesome! So many people from here have been to Eagar!! Small world. Word on the street is this is the toughest are in our whole mission because of Harding University. Its like the BYU but for the church of Christ. So pretty much everyone here is a stout member of the Church of Christ and....ya lets just say they are not exactly inviting the missionaries over for dinner every night. They do not like us very much. I love the missionary life though. I love meeting everyone around here. This past week was bike week for Elder Tate and I and man let me tell ya...Arkansas is hot and HUMID. You're sweatin by the time you walk out the door and searcy has a lot of hills so were getting our work out in. Bike week has been a blessing though because we made a goal to stop and talk to EVERYONE we see. I was nervous to talk to people at first but now I love it! Once you realize how much people need this Gospel it is so easy and you can share it with a sense of urgency. People can really feel how the spirit when you share in an urgent way too. So this morning for P day we woke up at 4 45 again and went fishing at a members pond. We did not catch as much though because there was a big storm last night. Funny story: we were riding our bikes two days ago in the middle of the afternoon and we saw this old black lady that couldn't get her car started. So we rode over there and I asked of I could try and she let me. So I got in and right when I turned the key it started right up! she was freaking out and she asked if we were angles and I said "Yes and we want you to join our church!" So she is letting us come teach her tomorrow. Dalton- Thanks for the letter in the MTC man. I hope your doing good. Stay strong my friend. Race- That was the first letter I got out in the field and I really needed that.  Thanks that great advice. Kate- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!! I can't believe you are going to be 7 years old. ha ha just kidding I know your going to be 8! Write me and tell me what your doing for your birthday and how everythings been going. You the coolest littlest sister I have ever had. O and Happy Fathers day Dad! Last night some members had us over for fathers day dinner. The Footes actually. He knows Charlies. Anyways Elder Tate and I shared with them a spiritual lesson about fathers and it was really awesome. I love families. Especially mine. I know they can be together forever. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and the Book of Mormom is the word of God. I love this Gospel and would be completely lost without. Never take it for granted. Use the atonement everyday. It will bring you so much happiness!! Remember to write!  I want some paper letters too not just emails. I can't hear enough from you guys. I miss you so much but not nearly enough to come home. ha Mom I love being a missionary. I love being able to receive spiritual promptings for other people. I hope you are remembering to have family scripture study and home evening all the time. Remember that one Christmas where we wanted to read the whole Book of Mormon by Josephs Smiths birthday? I love that we stayed up late to do that. We need to keep that stuff up because I have been able to notice a huge difference in peoples homes who have the gospel and the spirit and homes that don't. I love member homes. In Nonmember homes you can't feel that same spirit. You feel distanced from it. I have just really come to know out here how much Heavenly Father loves families and how he values them. Mom I love you so much and appreciate all you do for me. you and dad should read 2 Nephi 9. Its kind of a long chapter but its gives you an eternal perspective and its awesome. have anymore questions for me?

 

 

Elder Udall

 

 

 

Searcy, Arkansas!

Waddup Family!,

Hey so Bishop let me use his laptop so I am going to just write you right now!! Arkansas is where its at! I love it here. Its so green and there is trees everywhere. My companion is Elder Tate from Utah and he is a stud. He works hard, he's black, he is a baller on the court and knows the gospel really well! He has been out for about 5 months, not 6 weeks like I said earlier. Bishop Mcgrath, the bike city guy, is awesome too! He is the spitting image of Steve Martin! In looks and personality. He is so into missionary work and does everything he can to help us out. I have had so many awesome experiences this last week. Funny Story: A couple of days ago we went to our investigators house to check up on him and his a this big black dude. Anyways we walk up and he is running into his door and trying to knock it down because he got locked out and at this point he is pretty close to knocking the door out. So he took a break for a minute and I just walked up to the door and turned the knob and it opened! My companion and I could not stop laughing! we told him it was the power of the spirit. Spiritual Story: 2 days ago we knocked on this one ladies door and started talking to her about the restoration. She went off about how she had already been baptized and her dad is a preacher and stuff like that and she was not listening to us. Anyways her daughter needed help with something for a second so she left and Elder Tate and I said a prayer together that her heart would be softened. (And then we said about 50 more prayers in our heads) When she came back it was like she was a completely different person. After talking a little more I asked when she found out the the Book of Mormon was the word of God if she would be baptized by the proper authority and she said yes!! Miracles. Anyways I am starting to find out that the stereotypes of Arkansas are the truth!! The lack of teeth in this area is pretty spectacular. ha ha So for P day this morning Elder Tate and I woke up at 4 45 and went fishing at this members pond!! I caught like 7 bass. It was sweet. I love it here. The people are so nice. They feed us almost every night. Even the non members are nice for the most part because they recognize we are representatives of Jesus Christ and they always tell us they appreciate what were doing. The south is legit.  Hey also there is a person in my ward related to the Sherwoods that knows Larry and goes to the Sherwood reunion in Eagar all the time! there is also a guy that is related to Charlie Foote and knows him pretty well! I'm in Searcy!!! Its the coolest place ever!! that's where the bike city bishop is!! Funny story: the first door I knocked on out in the field was a members house but i didn't know that. My companion set it up that way. When I knocked on the door the guy came out with a machete and was like "get away from me you bicycle bishop!" it scared the crap out of me!! but then I figured out it was a member and him and my comp planned the whole thing!! it was totally believable though because he just looked like a redneck dude and he didn't have hardly any teeth.  I got to go Mom but I love you so much. Thanks for all you did to help me get out here. I know it will change my life and others. You're the most amazing mom ever. and I miss our family too. Tell them all I miss them. remember to write me. I will send you the address later.

Elder Udall

ARKANSAS!!

Dear Brother & Sister Udall,

 

Your Missionary has arrived safely!

We are so excited that Elder Udall is here. We truly look forward to working with him. What a blessing to have a son on a mission. We will do everything in our power to watch over him while he is in our care.

Thank you for taking the time to write some thoughts about your missionary, it is very helpful for us to know more about him. What a wonderful missionary he will become! He was thrilled to receive your first letter when he arrived at the mission home.

Missionary work is so rewarding and miracles happen on a daily basis. We are anxious to get him to work so he can experience what sharing the gospel and serving others is all about. Thank you for sharing your son with us for a short time and for letting us love him for eternity.

Blessings will come to all of us as we strive to be obedient with exactness and love the Lord with all our heart. What a blessing it is to share the gospel and serve the Lord every day in every way.

With Love and Gratitude,

President and Sister Petersen

P.S. Here is a photo as your missionary arrived at the mission home excited and ready to serve

 

 

 

Second week in the MTC!! 5/31/13

Hows it going?!! Thank you so much for all the dear elder letters you guys have been writing!! It helps me to have such a better day when I get them and it helps me want to become a better missionary too!! Please don't hesitate with sending those! ha ha Anyways the MTC is the craziest thing I have ever experienced in my life!! Everyday I have very humbling and very uplifting experiences!! I can feel my relationship with Christ grow stronger everytime i pray and study. We practice teaching fake investigators everyday and its so awesome because then you get to experience the spirit working through you. Every lesson that I have taught that hasn't been very succesful its because I teach the lesson, not the investigator. But when I try to listen to what the spirit wants them to hear the lesson goes so well. Its crazy the power Heavenly Father trusts us with. We can do amazing things with it! I see people I know in the MTC everyday like Rex dadge, Devon Mann, Kaeli Wiltbank, Brandon Nicoll, and I saw Ashlee John yesterday! its awesome. The food here was really good at first but now its starting to rub me the wrong way. But yesterday they had a booth that was giving away free subway sandwiches and chips and cookies and pizza and wings and soda! Christmas in May!! So me and the 3 other elders in my district just grabbed all that we could carry and took it back to our room and had a big party. The typical day in the MTC goes like this. Wake up at 6 30, personal study at 7 15, breakfast at 8 15, class from 8 45-11 45, gym for an hour (every other day), Lunch at 1 20, class again from 2 05- 5 05, zone teaching from 5 05- 6 05, dinner, teaching progressing investigators from 7 15- 915, personal study for an hour, and then its lights out!! Ya they are pretty long days but in only the week that I have been here I have learned so much and have grown so much closer to my Savior! I hope you all remember the importance and praying and scripture study everyday!! Try to have a spiritual experience every time you read the Book of Mormon. Its crazy how much insight you can get. Anyways I get to go to the temple today for P day. Sadly though they don't let you go play basketball. We get to do that on wednesdays and its so much fun! Some guys in here take it way to seriously though. And that's coming from me. But for the rest of P day after the temple I do laundry and I can go workout at the gym and all that. P day ends at 6 though so after that I am going to teach an investigator with my companion. I love Elder Fredette, Elder Allred, and Elder Matangi. They are studs in the gospel and from day 1 we have all been really good friends. I love you all so much and miss you. I love it here though and know its where I need to be. I am praying for all of you every night and hope that you are trying your best to become closer to Jesus Christ. Thanks for everything.


O by the way I leave for Arkansas on Tuesday Morning!! and I got another story to tell. So last week our branch president told us to all prepare a talk on faith and he would choose 2 out of the 40 people in our branch to give it but he wasn't going to say who until sacrament meeting started. So of course he picked me to speak. Luckily I was ready. It was actually an awesome experience for me too and he told me afterwards that he felt a strong spiritual impression that I should give a talk for some reason that day. It was awesome!