Elder Rulon Udall

Monday, March 24, 2014

Grandpa Sherwood!

I knew the veil was no match for grandpa Sherwood. He could only be held here for so long before he busted his way through to his eternal companion. The world lost one of its last great cowboys today. I am going to miss him so much. He left a lot of good friends, branded calves, and sore elbows down here but I can only imagine how happy he is right now. I am going to miss him telling me and Chantz that we aren't worth our breakfast the morning after football games. I am going to miss him waiting until calves were barely even calves anymore to let us brand them. I am REALLY going to miss the legendary advice he gave me all the time, "That little round orange ball is supposed to go in the hoop" "Save money and buy whiskey" "Do it Damn it". What I am really going to miss the most though is the testimony he had and the example he set. I know that he knew what he knew. I was so thankful that he went to my setting apart. I am grateful for Sherwoods everywhere! I love them both in Arkansas and Arizona. I know this is so hard for Chantz because he loved his Grandpa and was around him all the time. But I know without a doubt that Chantz is "earning it" right now as a missionary. I don't think you could ever find a better friend than a Sherwood!

Well this week was another one of those crazy ones full of surprises and miracles. We went on exchanges with Benton this week and it went really well. Elder Smith and I stayed in Benton and we had some good experiences and some great lessons. Definitely the real highlight of this week was that John was baptized!! It was sweet. This man was one of the elect. Elder Davis and I found him 3 weeks ago and he was working construction at a house. This guy is awesome. He calls us randomly and tells us chapters he read in the Book of Mormon and what he like about them. He bore his testimony at his baptism and said how he knew he wasn't going to be perfect but that he was going to take that sacrament every week until he got it right. He is doing so good and will get the Aaronic Priesthood pretty soon.

So last Saturday night Elder Davis and I had a lesson with a guy named Aarmad. He is sweet! He is going to college and is really smart. We taught him the restoration and he loved it! He was blown away by the apostasy and all of that because the evidence is pretty thick around the south. He goes to a big Church of God in Christ church and after the lesson he was like"man I need y'all to tell my pastor about this." ha ha we agreed. So we may be having a lesson with a pastor this next week. The restoration is so much fun to teach. PMG says we should refer quickly to the restoration and I find that to ring true especially here in the belt! I love teaching and testifying of that message.

Last Saturday before the baptism Elder D and I taught like 15 guys on a basketball court, I bet you know where this is going. We walked up and started talking to them and they weren't really paying us any attention so I threw out a little proposition for them. I said for them to pick 2 of their best players and we will play 2 on 2 and if we win we get to teach them a 5 minute message about Jesus. We were in our proselyting clothes so we didn't really look like much competition and I am sure my red headedness didn't add to our intimidation factor. So we played to 15 and although they were beating us at first we ended up winning at the end. It was sweet! All their friends were making so much fun of them for losing to "Jesus people." So after that we taught them the restoration and we have an appointment with them next Saturday

Elder Davis is getting transferred this week which I am pretty sad about. He is a good missionary and we saw some miracles together! I will find out who I am getting on Tuesday!!

Thanks for everything y'all are doing for me. I love you and will keep you in my prayers.

Aunt Becky I know you hate me and don't want to give me Macy updates but I would appreciate if you would do it anyways.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Teaching the Gospel and Throwing out the Trash

How goes it Udall Clan?

This week was CRAZY! And I cant remember hardly any of it! But here is the highlight reel anyways. Tuesday was pretty nice weather so Elder Davis and I got our walking shoes on and hit the screets! On the side of one of the roads there was a bunch of bags of leaves and as we were walking by them the garbage truck stopped and 3 guys got out to throw all those bags in. So ELder D and I decided we would try our hand at it and just started picking up bags and throwing them in with them. Well these guys were really surprised I guess to see 2 guys in white shirts and ties doing this because they had all stopped and were just watching us do their job for them. Finally one of them said the majic words: "Hey man, what yall be doing out hurr anywayz?" So ELder Davis and I took that oppurtunity to immediately start teaching the restoration. It was not the most ideal lesson, with us having to yell over the garbage truck noises, it wasn't the best smelling atmosphere either. But it was awesome and we set up return appointments to teach them more! It was sweet!

On wednesday we had specialized training with President and sister Petersen. Elder D and I had to instruct everyone about how we can more effectively get our investigators to church. We then did a role play in front of everyone where Elder D and i were teaching one of our investigators and trying to commit him to church using a member in the lesson. President Petersen was our investigator and he had to come up with a concern for us to overcome. Well his concern was he heard the church doesn't let black people in it! ha ha that was easy to overcome considering Elder D is my companion, and the member was black too. It was pretty funny.

After that I went on 3 exchanges in a row!! One with pinnacle mountain, one with the spanish elders, and one the the AP's. They were all good. The Spanish one was kind of awkward because every lesson we taught was in spanish so I didn't really say anything. The whole time I was praying for the gift of discernment but anytime the investigator looked at me all I could do is smile and say bueno. It was pretty neat though hearing a testimony borne in spanish because even though i couldn't understand I still felt the spirit.

Saturday when I was on exchanges with one of the assistants we went down to Hot Springs to do a baptismal interview. A few weeks ago I mentioned in an email that I went on exchanges to Hot Springs and we prayed to find someone we could baptize in 2 weeks and we found him. Well it was that guy! We interviewed him and he got baptized on saturday!! It was sweet!

Things are going so good over here. We have a new Bishop and ward mission leader in Little Rock and I know things are going to take off! I love this work. I love teaching!

Our Investigator John Nickle is working on getting baptized this saturday! He is the coolest most humble dude on this side of the Mississippi. He has been smoking since he was 16 and now he is like 45 but he is just about to quit it for good. We gave him a priesthood blessing 2 days ago. Since then he said he hasn't had the taste for cigarettes! He said they taste nasty in his mouth now and he feels terrible when he smokes now!! Crazy huh?!! I know it was through the grace and mercy of the Savior that these miracles take place.

Family thanks for everything. Thanks for the letter and picture Kate!!

Monday, March 10, 2014

March Madness

Elder Davis is awesome. He is really funny and he is a good missionary. We work hard!! Me and him have had the craziest experiences together!

The drink is "purple drank" aka "slow your roll." its a southern thing.

March Madness Bracket for our Zone!

If only you could see the vision as I have. I wish I had your bodies to do
this work. I would run from house to house telling everyone the gospel, and
after I lost the strength to run I would begin to walk, and after I
collasped from walking, I would begin to crawl, and after my knees were so
bloody that I could not use them I would use my arms to drag myself, and
once my muscle in my body was gone I would begin to yell...oh, only if you
could see the vision that I have." - Spencer w. Kimball

MARCH MADNESS!!!!

What a week in Little Rock its been!! So on Tuesday we had Mission Council which is always a spiritual treat. Thats the meeting the ZL's and STL's and AP's go to to set monthly mission goals.

So that night after that meeting we had a lesson with one of our baptismal dates Jhonequia. She has chronic migranes and was having one during the lesson, and her migrane medicine wasn't coming in for another week! So Elder Davis and the member that came with us and I gave her a priesthood blessing. We had an appointment with her on thursday so we went to the UALR campus and she was a totally different person! She said she hasn't experienced any headache pains and she hasn't even took medicine for it!! The Priesthood is real. I have had so many experiences on my mission that back that testimony up. I am so grateful to be able to give priesthood blessings. Its one of the best experiences.

Anyways....wednesday was Zone meeting and it was pretty wild! We focused on HTBT (How to begin teaching) and how to use the Book of Mormon more effectively. Also to get everyone pumped about baptism we did MARCH MADNESS!! Due to my passion for bracketology we made a little baptisms bracket. Each team is one of the districts within our zone and we have 6 districts. I already figured out the seeds, odds, and sleepers for each team. It was a heck of a time!

After zone meeting I went on excahnges to Pine Bluff, aka Crime Bluff. That place has the second most murders per capita in the nation! Anyways guess who was my companion while I was there.....Elder Boyer!!! My second companion! He is now one of the district leaders in my zone. We had a good time! Cool Story: It was late in the afternoon and we were in another one of those situations where we had nothing to do, so I suggested we pray and in my prayer I asked for something very specific. I asked that we would be led to someone we could teach and baptize in 2 weeks. So far this transfer on every exchange we have went on we have asked for it and its worked! So we asked and got out of the car and went to the door......they weren't interested, but asked if they knew anyone who would be and they said the person downstairs! So we tried it out and this lady answered the door and let us straight in. She said she had prayed this morning for something to happen so she could change. We taught her about the enabling power of the atonement, bore testimony, and invited her to be baptized! She will be getting baptized in the 22nd! Miracles happen on exchanges!! It was awesome.

O ya and on saturday we were driving though a neighborhood and we saw a bunch of dudes playing ball on the screet they say screet for street and scraight for straight here. So we got out and played and wooped them 2 on 2 in our screet clothes!!(Church clothes) my feet are so blistered from playing in my dress shoes! It was sweet! The best part is we are teaching both of their families now! I love this mission. There is nothing else I would rather be doing. I love the screets of Little Rock! The people here are definitely different from AZ but they are awesome. I love them and I often get to feel how much Christ loves them.

Lately in studies I have been focusing on the character of Christ and it really has changed my mission. He has such an individual and personal love for each of us. In 3 Nephi it talks about him letting all those nephites feel the wounds in his hands and his feet. There were thousands of people there, and everyone got individual time with the Savior. I know he wants us to have that individual time with him. I know and can testify that the more we repent and seek the Savior, the happier we will become. On my mission I have never strived more to be obedient to the teaching of Christ and yet I have never repented more in my life. I love repenting! I love changing. I love the atonement which allows and empowers me to change. I know that through him we can reach our full and divine potential! I love you all. Thanks for everything!
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Monday, March 3, 2014

I got to visit Searcy for Branden and Sierra's Wedding!

Alright here is the low down on the week!

So........ First of all, I was listening to a talk by Elder Holland and it said something to the effect that we miss out on so many blessings and miracles because we simply do not ask, or we ask with doubt. So that being said, on tuesday I went on exchanges down to Hot Springs. It was pretty wild! I went with Elder Gollogher and we had a whale of a time! I wanted to make the exchange really effective and at the beginning we said a prayer and I asked that we would find someone that day that we could teach and baptize in 2 weeks. I really tried to focus on not doubting and just expecting it to happen. So we went to work and started talking to people but nothing was really going anywhere..... then that night our plans were wearing thin and we really had nothing else to do so the new Elder asked what we do in situations like this, so we decided to pray and immediately after the prayer my temporary companion had an idea pop into his head!

He thought of a referral he got that had not been contacted yet. So we went to the guys house and taught him the restoration. As we talked about the apostasy everything just hit him! It all made sense to him. He loved the message of the restoration and he is getting baptized now on the 15! After that experience I realized the power in doubting my doubts and not doubting my faith!

Another cool experience: 2 of the sister missionaries in our zone last wednesday night wanted us to go teach a family of investigators they had that they said were struggling! So we went over there and taught with the sisters. We talked about the Book of Mormon and it was apparent that these people had recieved major anti against the church! So we worked together to resolve concerns they had about the Book of Mormon. After all their questions were answered I knew it still wasn't going to be enough. So I told them the ONLY way they are going to know if this book is the word of God is by asking him. Then Elder Davis invited invited the mom to pray right there promising that she would receive an answer as she prayed. Well, it took a little bit of patience persistence and puppy dog eyes on the part of the missionaries but finally she decided she would ask. These are the moments that have shaped my mission. These are the moments and feelings and I am going to remember through out my life when trials hit or doubts arise. When this mom knelt and prayed she started saying the rote, usual sayings of a prayer, but then she talked like she was actually talking to her Father, and she asked if this book was really going to bring her to Christ. Everyone in the room recieved a spiritual witness of the Book of Mormon as she said those words! After she finished that prayer we sat in silence for a minute and then asked how she felt. She could not deny the peace in her heart and the clarity in her mind that she was experiencing! It was amazing! Kudos to Moroni for making that promise because It was fulfilled in probably the strongest way I have ever experienced. Its reality. The fact that when we pray we are talking to our Father, a Father we knew and had a personal, individual relationship with. The reason this Gospel changes people is because it allows them to experience the TRUE nature of God our Father and his son Jesus Christ. I wish everyone knew how involved he is in their lives.

Anyways I just feel so blessed to be able to have these experiences so often! O and guess what! Friday Night I got a call from Pres. Berkheimer and he said that he already got permission from Pres. Petersen to come get me and take me down to Branden and Sierras wedding! It was sweet! I got to meet Chris's whole family there too!! It was so crazy being back but it was awesome seeing everyone! So Jessica gave her college professor a Book of Mormon!! Isn't that awesome?! And her professor has been reading it during class!! Man she is like the coolest convert ever! Pres. Berkheimer said he has never seen people grow in the Gospel like than Chris and Jess! I cant wait for Chris to get baptized. Branden and Sierra are doing so good and it was great to see them too!

I love you all so much! Thanks for all your support in sending me out here it is the best thing i have ever done and I am the happiest I have ever been.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Wigs!

Well.....this is all I got for ya this week, exchanges with Elder Jackson. This lady had a bunch of wigs (she love her wigs), she asked which one i liked best so i had to try them on just to make sure.

Hey Fam!

This week has been one of those good/crazy ones! Elder Davis and I went crazy on Tuesday with finding new people for us to teach! It was a warm day which made all the difference because when it is a warm day in Arkansas there is barbeques, basketball, and bible studies and every street corner! So we were able to find some cool families this week that we are going to go back and teach.

You know Neo? The rapper and singer?....ya me neither! But he is famous and we found his grandpa and had a nice little chat with him. People down here are awesome! They are so nice. They always invite us in for a cold glass of kool-aid and some food, and i have never been one rude enough to turn down food. But it creates a lot of finding opportunities for us!

So on Wednesday we had zone conference in North Little Rock and it was sweet! President Petersen......that guy is awesome. Everytime that guy speaks he makes me want to be better and reach my full potential. He spoke a lot to us at the conference about the Book of Mormon and the power of it. Here is the not cool part about being a zone leader: Elder Davis and I have to get up in front of everyone and instruct, and then role play teaching someone. This time we talked about something called "How to begin Teaching." Page 176 of PMG. Its good stuff. Its just about the first few minutes with the investigators, really setting the foundation for the lessons you will teach.

Anyways after zone conference I went on exchanges with Elder Jackson down in Arkadelphia. Elder Jackson is awesome, not to mention he is Gladdys Knights grandson. But ya we had a way good exchange. President wanted us to focus on How To Begin Teaching so during the exchange we taught 12 lessons and 11 were How to Begin Teaching! The first lesson we taught was to this dude in McDonalds. He looked like he was having a doozy of a day so I asked him how things were going and he said "I've had better days." So we talked a little and he told me how he had been kicked out of his apartment because he couldn't make rent and he could not find a job. So Elder Jackson and I had a nice little chat with the guy where we taught him some restored truths and testified of the Atonement and Book of Mormon. At the end we invited him to be baptized and he said YES! So this is the crazy part. Seconds after he said yes the McDonalds employee came back and said that Wal-mart called and offered him a job! He said he had just applied a couple of hours ago. We helped him make the connection that as soon as he decided to follow the example of Jesus Christ he was blessed! It was sweet. Like 7 miracles happened on that exchange. It was crazy.

So on sunday I missed church for the first time in a good minute. We had a meeting in Memphis with President Petersen, all the stake presidents of the mission, Elder meredith who is a 70, and all the ZL's and STL's in our mission. It was sweet! We had a council and set an area goal for baptisms. The meeting was really spiritual! Man if we just get the missionaries and the ward members working together the work will explode!! I have a whole new vision and outlook after that meeting. It was sweet!

So we are still working with Jhonequia to get baptized this week or next. She has a lot of opposition with her family but she is getting spiritual confirmations through the Book of Mormon. Pray for her please! Thanks for the Letters! Thanks for everything. Family thanks for inviting people into the home to be taught the Gospel. I know that true happiness in this life comes form applying the doctrine of Christ in ones life and inviting other to do the same. Have a great week!

Monday, February 17, 2014

First Week in Little Rock!

LITTLE ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup its true. I'm in the heart of it now. Its way awesome! My companions name is Elder Davis from Idaho! He's crazy! And by crazy I mean funny and awesome and a good missionary. We get along very well! He is black so we got some soul power up in this companionship. He has been out for a little over a year. We are the Zone Leaders over the Little Rock zone! Which goes from Little Rock area and covers the whole southern Arkansas side. Its a really big zone.

So ya it was pretty sad saying goodbyes to everyone monday and tuesday. I could hardly go see anyone else though because Chris and Jess wouldn't let me leave! ha ha Chris has some family in Little Rock though so we are going to try and teach them.

This week has gone by so fast. It has been crazy. So I got to meet some awesome investigators we have. One is name Jhonequia and her friend Gisheera just got baptized and she referred us to her. Jhonequia is awesome and she wants a change in her life and know she needs to get baptized. Her mom is super against it though. She goes to college at UALR so we teach her in the lobby there. She went home to Hot Springs this weekend so I hope her mom doesn't try to change her mind.

Little Rock is a great place but let me tell ya.....it is not all sunshine and rainbows. In the couple of days I have been here there has been 2 shootings! Its sad but kind of exciting! On Saturday Elder Davis and I shot some hoops in the ghetto with some straight up G's! We are going to comeback and teach them this next week.

The other night we were out knocking doors and one family let us in and they were so cool! There was 6 kids and they all had to craziest names ever. They told me their last name was Jordan and I asked if they were related to Michael kind of sarcastically and they said they are like 2nd cousins! It was awesome!

So on saturday we pretty much drove around the whole zone!! We had to fix the car share situation in our zone so we drove down to Monticello which is the south east corner of Arkansas then drove dropped it off in Camden, then took a tag to the southwest corner in Nashville and Hope. We had a crazy experience there.......and thats about as much detail as I can tell ya right now. Didn't Uncle Kelly say his favorite area was Hope? I went there!! Thats where Bill Clinton is from (sorry Grandma Udall). But ya I was about to throw Uncle Kellys name around a little bit in his old stomping grounds but I never got the chance.

Last night we got asked to go to the hospital to give this girl in the CCU a blessing. She was really sick and her body temperature was really low. She couldn't talk to us or move at all. All she could do was open her eyes and she could barely do that. Elder Davis and I were a little confused on what to do because no one was in the room except us and she didn't know us, nor was she a member of the church. So we walked up on the sides of the bed and she grabbed both of our hands. This is going to sound super weird....and I don't know what happened but when she did that I felt so much love for that lady. She looked really sad and even though we had just met she acted like she needed us there. Again, she couldn't talk but we asked her if she would like a blessing and she squeezed our hands really tight. So we took that as a yes and we gave her a blessing and as we did I just felt a whole load of compassion for this lady! It was crazy! After the blessing she had tears in her eyes and the spirit was really strong. We left her a Book of Mormon with with a note. Afterwards a bunch of nurses asked us what we did and where we were from. It was such a cool experience! The Priesthood is REAL!! Its so important to be worthy of that power.

So Little Rock ward is pretty awesome. The people are great! They don't feed us to much or come out with us hardly at all so we are going to try to get that going! Anyways....I need to send some stuff home so I am going to try to get that done ASAP! Thank you for everything! Keep Little Rock in your prayers!

Monday, February 10, 2014

First Transfer will happen this week! Bittersweet! but mostly bitter

WHATS UP FAMILY!

Well........the Cooksey's are a great family. Chris is really hanging in there. He said he's a real warrior mormon, we never give up on anything nor anyone. I just love them so much. They say they can't wait to meet you! It is going to be hard to leave Searcy!!

Well the email that was just sent was Chris's, not mine. I typed the "Whats up family" part and he did all the "real warrior mormon" stuff. s I am going to miss this family! Anyways......I got the call this morning......and the time is here! I am getting transferred. So ya its been a pretty sad weekend. I actually knew on Tuesday. We asked President Petersen about it and he said I was leaving. He said I needed "new experiences." So I am pretty sad about the whole deal. It still hasn't really hit me yet though.

So this week has gone by so fast. We have been everywhere it seems like! Tuesday we went over to North Little Rock for Mission Council. Thats always a really good meeting. After that we stopped at a members pet shop in Cabot where we taught the restoration to 2 of his employees! It was awesome! Then they took us out to a chinese restaurant where I chowed down on some monkey brain.

On wednesday we had zone meeting here in Searcy. Elder Soelberg and i focused on the Book of Mormon and chapter 5 of Preach my Gospel. We went over the power of the Book of Mormon and how we can use it as a finding tool and to respond to every objection. It was a good meeting!

After that we went on exchanges with the Paragould elders and I stayed here with Elder Freestone. We had some good experiences! On Wednesday we drove up to Paragould and exchanged back, and then Elder Soelberg and I drove through Missiouri to Blytheville and blitzed their area. It was sweet! I got to do some baptismal interviews for some awesome people. I worked with an Elder from St. David, AZ who is actually going home tomorrow. We stayed the night at their place and just slept on their couches. The next day we drove to Jonesboro and did work in that area with the missionaries there. Its been crazy!! We have not been in Searcy that much this week but we were able to go teach this family the Schulists and teach them. They have a 9 year old son named Kaia that hadn't been baptized yet so we went over and taught their family and prepared him. Its a single mother and she is awesome. She has been less active for a long time but its been amazing to watch the change take place as we taught them and as they have read the Book of Mormon together. The first time it was a little awkward going over there for some reason, it just didn't feel that comfortable. The lesson went well though and the next day we went over there and it was completely different. They said they had been reading the Book of Mormon together and we could tell before they even said anything. You could really feel the difference. Things just got better and better progressing towards the baptism and at the baptism the mom gave a talk on the Holy Ghost that was so powerful. They are so much happier now! I wish you could see the difference. On sunday when they pulled up to the church parking lot the mom got out and saw us and had the biggest smile on and did like this fist pump! It was was awesome! Experiences like that make every sacrifice of a mission worth it. To be able to be apart of bringing a family together through the Gospel.

One more cool story: Remember the guy that is Brigham Youngs descendant? He heard about how we give priesthood blessings so last week he asked for a blessing for his sight and memory. That he would be able to see more clearly and remember things better. So we were able to give him a blessing and afterwards he said his eyes had immediately started to "open up." It was cool but he still couldn't see that well and I hadn;t really though about it until yesterday Sister Easter called and told us he can see patterns now! Everything used to be a blur but now he can see patterns and read!! The Priesthood power is real. I have 2 more miracles that happened to me that testify to that but they will take to long to type.

Anyways yesterday was really sad. It was my last sunday and it was sad saying bye to everyone. We have like 8 dinner between today and tomorrow though because people want to feed us before I go. Man.....this is kinda bitter sweet, mostly bitter, almost all bitter. but I guess it needs to happen. I love you all so much! Thanks for your support!