March 24, 2014 (Granada, Nicaragua)

I AM LIVING IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY!!

I made it to Nicaragua and I absolutely love it.  It is so flipping hot but it is very very pretty here I am in a place called Granada.

 The plane rides were good kind of long but good! I got to talk to some people on the plane one in Spanish and on in English about the church I loved it such a cool experience I got to call my parents at the airport my dad at the first and my mom at the second and talk to them for a few min I love them so much!

 We made it to the mission home safe and sound President Russell his wife were there to get us from the airport with 2 of the APs on of the APs Elder Ortiz is from southern Guatemala!! There are so many missionaries here from Guatemala!! I love it because I think of Jordon all the time and it helps me work harder!!

 The first place we ate at when we got here was.........Burger King......it was gross ha-ha I was all gung ho ready to eat awesome Nica food and I got that hahahah it was interesting, Speaking of food the missionaries are not allowed to eat pork here because the pigs have this bug that crawls up your spinal cord and gives you seizures I totally don’t know how to spell that word sorry. That’s crazy though huh!!

 Well we had training ALL day the second day at the mission home and then. The next day was cambios!!! It was so nerve wracking they had all the new missionaries and the ones that were leaving bare their testimonies... then we had cambios and I met my mother!!! She is Guatemalteca  she is from Chimaltenango in Guatemala. I love her to death she works me hard and keeps me positive she speaks both English and Spanish which is nice.
 

Hermana Jessica Udall and her new companion from Guatemala, Hermana Avila

 

 I was sitting at changes FREAKING out and feeling a little over whelmed when an elder walked up and gave me a letter from my WONDERFUL Abuela (Grandmother Myrna Udall)!!! I read it and cried I needed that right then!!

 Okay so my house is just an apartment above a ladies house it has one room with a bunk bed two mesas a closet thing and a mini fridge that was extremely messy from the last elders that were there before us my companion and I are reopening an area so it’s hard because we don’t know the area but it’s so fun!!

 The first day I got here we planned and practiced contacting and my companion looked at me and said you read to go? and so then we went out and contacted and I did it and didn’t pass out!! I also gave out my first BOM this week and got my first baptismal date my companion and I have gotten 19 Fechas for baptism since we got here! PILAS!!!!

 I LOVE THE FOOD HERE!!! White rice and red beans ALL the time with some kind of meet all the time and plantas they are the green banana looking things you will have to ask Jordon about them I am pretty sure he has eaten them.

 The mosquitos here are crazy!! I have huge bug bites on my legs and yes mom I am using my bug spray EVERY day!

 I really truly do love it here I am so exhausted every day but the Lord gives me strength

 My companion and I drink so much orange juice its unreal! There is a little store around the corner from out house that has COLD juice which here is a blessing!!

 Granada is beautiful it is a tourist location of Nicaragua I have pictures but I can’t send them yet I don’t have a chord but I will work on that. Granada is one of the hottest place in Nicaragua and one week in the year it’s hotter than EVER and we are coming up on it really soon it’s crazy I have been here for a week!! and on my mission for almost two months I am so extremely proud to be wearing a name tag that says Hermana Udall on it I have so many stories I want to share but they will have to wait till later I don’t have much time.

 I love you all and hope to have time to sit and share stories when I get back home!! I love you all so much!!

Oh and I had cake for my birthday....we went to a wedding before a baptism and I had their wedding cake for my birthday and That night president Russell and his wife called me and sang it was wonderful!!

"Birthday Cake"  :)

 

Everywhere I walked on the street there was at least on house in that street that was having a birthday party so I heard that song like a million times that day they always sing it in English here for some reason and they really like gringas down here we have to be home by 830 because everyone starts to drink here and its dangerous but Nicaragua really is one of the safest places in Central America pray for the people down here it will help I promise!!

 My Spanish is getting a lot better but it is still hard and the Spanish down here is so so so different from Mexico Spanish they don’t say the S and they drop have the words off sometimes it’s crazy!!

 

Well more next week and hopefully pictures I LOVE YOU!!

March 15, 2014 We got our Travel (Flight) Plans!

All the Elders and Sisters leaving for Nicaragua this week.

                                                        
Well everyone I got my flight plans this week!! It was so nerve wracking opening it but I am golden and have one full day left before I leave! 

I leave from the CCM Monday at 12:00 and my flight is at 4:37 we fly to San Salvador and they get on another flight to NICARAGUA!! I will get there at about 9:30 ish I am so nervous and excited all at the same time!! 

The Honduras sister from my district leave at 6:00 am on Monday and all of our boys leave on Tuesday! It’s so crazy this is actually Happening. 
 
Yesterday we had in field orientation it was awesome I had so much fun they explained to us how important it is to use members in our lessons and how to use them and how to use all the church leaders to help the work progress. I AM SO SCARED EXCITED AND HAPPY FOR THIS!!!!! I hope to hear from you all soon! The next time you hear from me I will be swimming in the deep end of the pool and hopefully loving it!! 

 TE AMO!!!!

March 12, 2014 Last week in CCM (Training Center Mexico City)

Herman's Udall, Grow, and Marcum leaving for Nicaragua soon!  :)  :(

Hello my dear sweet Family and Friends I have missed you all a lot this week! This week has been more of a Roller Coaster than normal for all of us because Satan knows we are all about to go out and dominate the mission field so he is trying to make us feel like crap but we won’t let him! Because he has the power to bruise our heals but we have the power to crush his skull. The gospel is amazing ANYTHING hard we encounter in life we are given was to overcome it or we are given people to strengthen us so we can do it. I LOVE THIS GOSPEL! 

So this last Sunday my Rama(branch) and I except for one district in my Rama we all performed the EFY medley at a devotional Saturday night with everyone at the CCM and let me tell you when missionaries sing that song...oh my goodness the spirit in that room there was not a single dry eye it was so strong and we were singing it in Spanish. THE GOSPEL IS THE SAME ANYWHERE IN ANY LANGUAGE that is how we know it’s true. One of THE coolest experiences I have had at the CCM I recorded it so when I send my memory card home you will all get to see it! I had some help from some Elders in another district which by the way was not the best Idea to give your camera to a bunch of Elders.....they still think selfies are cool. 

I also sang in sacrament meeting this last Sunday and I lead the music a lot Thank you mother for teaching me to lead! 

This week the district that got here a week before us left It was sad but that is what we came here to do is leave I am scared but I am so excited to be gone!!

Brogan is the winner of the week she just sent me pictures!! I want to know about home! And You guys! I tell you all about me but I do want to hear about you! The work of the Lord is really and it is flying. AND I am a part of it!! 

If any of you want to see pictures remember that I have a blog and if you don’t know how to get there ask my wonderful parents!! I am sorry this email is shorter but I love you all and wish you the best!!
                                 

March 5, 2014 (CCM Mexico City)

Hermana Jessica Udall visiting the Mexico City Temple

           
Hola Familia y Amigos!! This week was awesome! Of course it was like a crazy roller coaster but it was so wonderful! I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for always supporting me I really truly do appreciate it it is often what keeps my spirits up!

So this week Hermana Hamblin and Hermana Poche left the CCM I will admit I cried pretty hard ha-ha. I didn’t realize how nice it was to have a familiar face here! Cada Domingo (every Sunday) we have a movie at the end of the night and after that we all sing God be with you till we meet again to say goodbye to all the districts that are leaving that next week. After that I went and found Rachel we both cried for a while then I went to find Kale so I went to stand up on the stage and then I hear this are you okay?? and I thought oh my goodness how ridiculous I must look so I looked down and it was my good friend Elder Stevens ha that poor kid is always there when I break down....He said some stuff to make me feel better and then found Kale for me he also informed me he was my new support system so I never had to worry it was nice! I will be sending a picture of him later! 

Well my time here at the CCM is winding down that is so CRAZY but I am so ready to serve the people in Nicaragua! 

So today we went to the temple!! BUT the temple is closed for renovation which sucks but the cool this is the spirit is ALWAYS there I absolutely love it. There is a senior couple that is serving at the visitor center their last name is Yates he was the principle of Snowflake High school not very long ago so he look at me and said Udall? You’re from Arizona aren’t you?! 

I had a very special experience at the temple today...Mom and prepare yourself you will cry.. So I have been missing Grandpa Frank A LOT lately and today at the temple we watched the video on families and in the video the Grandpa passes away and I lost it all I could do was think of Grandpa Frank I bawled and then all the sudden I felt like someone was hugging me... I know without a doubt it was him..because he can do that now he has been here the whole time with me keeping my spirits up I love him and the fact that we believe in Eternal families....the gospel is true. 

Hermana Jessica Udall and her "District" members

                                                                   

This week we got to go in and play investigators for the district younger than us..he he it was AWESOME! It was such a good experience I now know what investigators kind of feel like it is super amazing! 

I have officially been made the mother of my district I am older than everyone in my district and the district that got here before us... I am old...

So I don’t know how many of you know what Zapateco is I had kind of heard it before my mission it is a native language for down in Mexico City and my teacher is fluent in it it is amazing!! My morning teacher Hermano Gallegos gives me so much crap all the time! The other day we were practicing asking questions in Spanish and he was giving everyone else words that we all knew and understood and then he looks at me and asks a question with words we don’t know and he said them really fast then smiled at me and said hey Udall you got this! He is crazy! 

Well congrats to Mykelti for getting her license! Finally ha-ha. Well I am off to send pictures. Hope to hear from you all next week! Someone please help Brogan not go crazy and you all need to hug each other for me! I miss good hugs everyone here is awkward.....I don’t think missionaries get weird on their missions it happens in the CCM.....

Hermana Udall and Hermana Stephenson

                                                                         
Love you all so much!!