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