February 26, 2014 (CCM Mexico City)

Hello everyone! For all of you that are getting my email for the first time sorry I had a blonde moment and forgot my email book at home :) oops!! And I am apologizing in advance for my English it has gotten a lot worse since being here! 

I GOT MY PACKAGE!! My debit card made it safe and sound along with all those wonderful pictures of my family! I was the first in my district to get a package and more have gotten them since then the mail in Nicaragua so I´ve heard is a lot more dependable than the mail here which is good news! 

 

I HAVE MADE IT HALF WAY!! I am also now the senior companion :)

 

Okay so this is the toughest week I have had yet but we will start with the good news! We had a thing called TRC on Thursday its where we have no idea who are investigator is they could work at the CCM or they could be Elders or Hermanas from another district or even from my own district and sometimes they throw in real investigators so needless to say I was a little nervous BUT I said a prayer and I was golden! We got an Hermana from the district that is a week ahead of us her name is Hermana Marcum she is from Seattle Washington so we went in and taught her and the spirit was AWESOME and so strong! After the lesson she looked at us and said wow you sisters have been prepared! I WAS STOKED!! 

So I probably should have told you this a while ago but my second Sunday here I spoke in church.....Solo in Español...it was AWESOME I was so proud of myself but I know for a fact it wasn´t me that taught! 

Alright two cool stories that prove to me that Heavenly Father knows me and knows when I need a boost! I like to talk to all the people that work here because it gives me a chance to perfect my accent and my Spanish so I was talking to the security guard the other day just about where I am from and things like that and he got all serious and said Hermana OOdall (they cannot say my last name) you have been prepared for this work your Spanish is wonderful! WOOP WOOP!! Thank you Padre Celestial for that! And then this Hermana that teaches here said I had beautiful Spanish! 

Alright another cool thing that happened this week So as part of our morning classes we have a part of class that is called Demonstrate teaching its basically where one of us plays the investigator and the "missionaries" come and teach us but it’s just our teacher Hermano Gallegos and another teacher that comes in well this time we were all sitting there watching and they were talking to Elder Dobieski and they got to the part about the first vision and he quoted it didn't read it and then he just let everything be silent for a few seconds the spirit came in and testified to EVERY SINGLE PERSON in that room that what they were saying is true and all of us are already members it was awesome!! 

Well that wonderful thing happened in the morning and I felt like I was floating on clouds but what goes up must come down ha I got home sick and just didn't feel like I had the spirit with me to teach and we had to teach Carlos that night and Carlos is a very very very difficult investigator he doesn't believe in God he has a problems with his family and he doesn't want to know about the gospel just about our religion....He’s killing me.. So we got in there and he Kept falling asleep and was on his phone and I was just getting so frustrated so the spirit went right out the door so then it was like a thousand times worse so we said a prayer with him and left then we go into class and the teacher we have is the one that's playing that difficult investigator and I can usually separate the two but this time I couldn't so when he came in all bouncy and happy it was rough Lots of prayer happened that night. Then he was having us practice teaching and when I went to open my mouth I just cried but I prayed again and I was able to stop crying and go back to class and work hard! 

We finally got feedback from Carlos WOW! It was not at all as bad as we thought! He wrote in his journal about us and that´s what we got to read keep in mind he is our teacher role playing our investigator. In his journal he talked about the way he love the feeling he had when we were there and he kept having us back because he wanted to feel that again! That´s the Holy Ghost doing his thing!! He talked about how he wanted to know more but he didn't know why and he loved hearing about how the gospel helped us in our lives! YES!! That proved to me it has nothing to do with me as long as I have the spirit that's when the miracles happen after we did that we asked our teacher how our Spanish was and he said it was really good but when we testified and bore witness our Spanish was PERFECT how awesome is that?! The gift of tongues is real!! 

So Here is my mother’s favorite part....I got the stomach flu this week yes that makes the second time I have gotten sick here and I haven't drank any of the water! 

 

I have so much to say and I don’t know how to phrase it! First all of you need to watch the new video for the mutual theme this year talk about AMAZING! Well it is time for me to head out! I love you all so very much and wish you the best!!

Stay strong Stay humble Stay clean

3 Hermana's from the same "Eagar Arizona Stake", Hermana Hamblin, Hermana Poche, and Hermana Udall

Dad(Jeff) is a picture thief! Stole this from Mysha Poche. Thanks for the nice picture!

February 19, 2014 (CCM Mexico City)

Hello dearest family!!! This week has been awesome!! My companion and I got our first "investigator" to commit to baptism!! Woop woop!! And then Tuesday we started teaching a man named Carlos he is hard to keep him focused but this next lesson is all focused on him so we will see how it goes!! Yesterday we started teaching Julio which is his investigator name his real name is Hermano Gallegos and he teaches me Spanish every morning he is super nice! We went in and taught him and when we came out and went back to class and he looked and my companion and I and said that lesson was perfect! Did you feel that spirit!? Incredible!! I was walking in the clouds the rest of the day!! It was amazing! 

So this week has gone so so fast!! Like one day it was El dia de P and the next day we were having p day again! So we had a devotional this last Sunday and they talked about the reasons missions were so hard and the first thing they said was “Was the atonement easy??” NO! Then why would your mission be easy!? Being on your mission is like you are living the life of the lord you are serving teaching preaching and blessing people’s lives the only difference is HE DIED FOR YOU so you have it easy so you can do it!! 

 

I GAVE A TALK IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY! IN SPANISH!!!!! It was ALL in Spanish! It was basically amazing!! AHH it felt so awesome!! Well my companion and I are finally connecting! YAY it makes it SO SO MUCH EASIER to teach I think that is why parents have to get along so well because they are like missionary companions and their kids are like investigators!!! Awesome huh! 

 

So one day this week I woke up and I totally thought I was in my bed at home and I was so happy so I rolled over to see if Morgan had left for school and it was not Morgan it was my black roommate Hermana Bush oh my word it was the weirdest feeling EVER! But I finally figured out where I was and realized it was 3 o´clock in the morning!! It was very interesting! 

So this week I met a bunch of Latina sisters that are FROM Nicaragua!! They are amazing! So extremely nice to everyone I am SO SO SO EXCITED for my mission!! Whoooooo!!! My CCM president his name is President Pratt he got married in the Mesa temple!! So cool! 

 

OH JORDON! THERE ARE SO SO MANY PEOPLE FROM GUATEMALA HERE!!!!! It makes me miss you! 

 

Nosotros had Enchiladas this week!! They were super good but moms are still better! This last week we were sitting at dinner and I looked over at this table and this sweet sweet elder that is always serving people and it just flat out nice was crying and It just killed me all I wanted to do was treat him like I would Trevin or Brandon and just hug him and ask him what’s wrong it’s so HARD not to be able to comfort people like I would want to so I have learned so very much to rely on prayer because all I can do is pray that everything will work out for them! It’s so hard! 

I am so happy that you guys got to go through the temple this last weekend I miss the temple so so so much! I can’t go for 18 months because they are renovating the Mexico City temple and so we don’t get to go :( and my dear sweet country of Nicaragua doesn’t have a temple so go as much as you can EVERYONE go as much as you can it truly is the house of the lord! 

 

Just fun fact for everyone I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting pictures soooo that would be a nice thing is emailing me pictures!! Yay! Good plan!! 

Well I am almost out of time I love you all so very much!! Life is crazy here and sorry this is so short!! I would like to hear from more of you anything will be awesome! 

Yo se que el Evangelio es Verdad

Yo se que el Libro de Mormón es veredad 

I am so grateful for this gospel!! 

 

When I first came out I don’t think I knew for sure why I was out here but now I know and it is a sweet sweet feeling to wake up with no regrets and with the Lord on my side and go to bed the same way!! 

Stay strong stay humble stay clean!!


Elder Ryan Cluff from Show Low Arizona and Hermana Jessica Udall

 

 

This is the room where Language Study is done
as well as e-mailing on Prep days

Earthquake safety spot!  Go here if you feel                  anything

 
                 

February 12, 2014 (CCM Mexico City)

Okay everyone well I made it through the first week I am going to try and send some pictures we took today okay well some things about my week so much has happened this week It is so crazy I can’t believe how far I have come! This is seriously THE HARDEST thing I have ever done! It is so emotionally physically and spiritually stressful but the spirit here is so so so strong! 

Sunday the CCM got dedicated and so Elder Oaks what here at the CCM I was like maybe 10 rows away from the pulpit it was awesome! During the dedication all the talks were in Spanish like everything else here at the CCM we pray in Spanish sing in Spanish Speak in Spanish EVERYTHING is in Spanish anyway Elder Oaks talk was in English which was good because then I could just focus on the spirit instead of trying to understand the spirit and let me tell ya the difference between a dedicated place and a not dedicated place is AMAZING oh my word its AWESOME!! 

Okay so my Spanish we taught our first investigator in SPANISH the third day we were here and it wasn’t too bad! It was actually kinda cool how good my Spanish was! The first full day we had here was awesome we had a series of orientations and classes that day but we walked into one of my classes and we were all sitting there waiting for our maestro and when he walked in and said alright elders y hermanas there is an investigator in the next room waiting for the missionaries so we are going to go in there so we all got up and went into the next room ( I was having a mild panic attack) but he said to be quiet and just observe so we all went and sat down in the room it was super awkward at first but then someone knocked on the door and it was two sets of missionaries the investigator answered the door (all of this was in ingles)and they came in and were just awful missionaries just so many things were wrong with how they were teaching and so our teacher had them and the investigator step out of the room for a little bit and asked what they did wrong and we discussed it and said things that they could do better so he had them come in again and start over and they were like so much better but they he had all of them leave again and he looked at us and said were there any questions you felt like you wanted to ask her but they weren’t asked and we said yes and so he said so all of you(there were about 30 of us) are going to be a big companionship and I want you to work together to help this investigator so she came in
and sat down and we all started asking things then I just got this over whelming warm feeling in my chest and but I didn’t know what to say so....I just opened my mouth and BAM all kinds of stuff was coming out that I didn’t even know I had in me it seriously was the most spiritual experience I have ever had it was amazing! But my Spanish is getting so much better it is super hard! But the better I get at Spanish the harder it is for me to speak English! It’s crazy! 

Okay so the food.....es muy interesante! It’s not too bad it’s just super weird Saturday they had curly fries and hamburgers and all the sisters in my district were so excited! I am never been so excited about food! I put lime on everything down here because it makes it taste like A TON better...I have to say though Mexican spaghetti with lime is kind of super weird! Every Tuesday night is Pizza night so it was pretty good last night it’s still super weird! 

Okay so I live in a house full of girls.....ya....there are 6 rooms in the casa and they all have 4 hermanas in them so yes that’s a lot of girls I have pictures of it I will send you. We get up at 6:30 every day and lights out is at 10:30 so.... I have some pretty long days that are so full that I never have time to be bored.

The only day I have really gotten home sick was Sunday and it was rough... I found that video on my camera of moms birthday when Mo Kel and I were all singing happy birthday to  her and I listened to it and cried....and I found that video of Brogan Morgan and Mykelti singing what does the fox say annnnd I cried... it was crazy! Other than that I have been good! 

 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my district there are two sets of elders 3 sets of hermanas and we all get along so well and it just fun! The elders are crazy!! 

Okay so here is mom’s favorite part. I started getting a cold on Friday but I thought it was nothing so I didn’t worry about it but it kept getting worse so I went to the DR. here and he said I had the beginnings of pneumonia don’t freak out these people down here don’t mess around when they make medicine they gave me this stuff that’s like a sedative and I take 2 pills twice a day and I get a little loopy and super tired and they make me skip gym which by the way is the BEST part of the day yes I know that’s weird coming from me but I love that part of the day but instead of having fun I have to sleep....so annoying anyway I had some of the elders give me a blessing (it was their first blessing!!!) and I feel so much better now I am little stuffy but other than that I am wonderful!! 

Well I am going to try and upload some pictures now Le amo mucho!!! 

Remember to serve everyone around you ALL the time because that is what truly helps you gain the true love of Christ and remember you are all missionaries too! As members you are truly the MOST IMPORTANT part of missionary work! So please please please serve people and love people! 

I love you all and hope to hear from you next week stay strong stay humble and stay clean!!

 

 

 

 
 
 

February 5, 2014 "Reporting Day" (Phoenix-Mexico City)

 

 

 

 

Hola! Familia!! I am doing so wonderful!! I made it and it was awesome I do have to say though the people here drive.....I shouldn't say drive it’s like they are all drag racing down the street its nuts! Riding the plane was not bad at all!! The only bad part about it was landing.....sooo sick...it was weird I was in THE VERY BACK of the plane next to the bathroom....yay.. After the plane ride we got off and got our bags and met up with another flight of Elders y Hermanas there were 26 on our bus and there was another bus just as full there were SOOO Many!! Anyway I forgot how funny Mexico smells....my poor sensitive nose is going to have to get used to a lot!! I just ran into Hermana Poche. It was SO SO SO good to see her! she is so happy and she gave me some advice she said if you make it to Sunday you´ll be golden and don’t worry about your taste buds they will soon die ha-ha any way my companions name is Hermana Stephenson she is going to the same mission I am she is very sweet and nice Well all is well here my P-Day is on Wednesday so that is when you will hear from me next I love you all so much and hope you are doing well Tell everyone I love them and made it okay!! I am hoping to send the few pictures I took today 

Hermana Shelby Rawlins from Snowflake and Hermana Jessica Udall from Eagar
They made it!




                                                               

                                                                                    Hermana Jessica Udall and new CCM companion Hermana Stephenson

Officially a full time Missionary!! (Eagar)

This feeling is so great when I got set apart I knew I was doing the right thing everything I had been second guessing just disappeared I am so ready for anything and everything that comes my way! The church is true! I am so glad I am part of a church and believe so strongly in a gospel that centers so much around family! It has been such a blessing in my life it has made my life easier! I know how life feels without the church and its scary! I hope the people of Nicaragua are ready for this crazy and excited Hermana Udall that is headed there way! BRING IT ON!!!