PICTURES!!

These adorable little girls call me sister Noodle, and I Love it!  They are taking the Lessons!

This week rocked my world! let me explain why. so Tuesday morning started out so rough. all out appointments called and cancelled and sister Lawson and I were both discouraged and just not the happiest of campers. so we decided to say a prayer to know what we should do that day. not even an hour later we get a phone call from president morby saying that if we had time we could go to the temple! it made so much sense that all of our appointments cancelled! we needed temple time! so we went! it was my first time inside the Portland Temple and it was amazing! i received so much peace and knowledge and ideas for our investigators and sister Lawson did too. we really needed to be in the temple that day.

so last week we were tracting and this young couple chewed us out so bad! they were completely ruthless. just keep that in mind. so on our way home from the temple our ward mission leader calls and says to go to a certain address because a less active family had moved in and they needed help. the street sounded so familiar and when we got there, lo and behold it was our friends that chewed us out last week! it was awesome! neither of us brought up the incident. it remained an elephant in the room the whole time but we got to know them pretty well and they invited us to come back! so we're seeing them again this week! the Lord has a way of softening hearts i'll tell ya that much.

 on tuesday a lady in our ward volunteered to come out with us which is the best thing in the world! she was so sweet and kind and knowledgeable in the gospel. you would never guess, but she is from St Johns, Arizona. her name is sister Rasmussen but her maiden name was LeFevre. i guess i better admit to sister nicoll that not everyone from st johns is all bad. that felt awful as i typed it though.

The whole week was just miracle after miracle. sister Lawson is so spiritually in tune. we were driving along the other day about to go tracting and she stopped the car and said we need to visit the simmons. the simmons are a recently converted family and they are awesome. the only people that hadnt been baptized was micah and his girlfriend alex. well, when we went over there alex was crying and hugged us and said we were an answer to her prayers. long story short, her and micah are getting married in two weeks and baptized shortly thereafter! Bishop calls sister lawson and I cupids because we keep getting everyone married haha.

so on friday we did service for a woman who is quite seasoned if you're catchin my drift. she has been all over the world! she was cleaning out all of her stuff and we went to help and she gave me a little glass bird from norway! its awesome and you're supposed to fill it with potpurri so that will be fun for me.

 that night we took D&G to the visitors center. it was amazing. they both cried as we watched God's plan for His Family. The portland temple has an atrium on the inside thats garnished with beautiful plants and we took them in there and they both bore their testimonies to us! then they said they want to serve missions when they are retired. keep in mind, they are 24 and 22. i was just awestruck. i looked at them like where did you come from? they are amazing and so prepared by the Lord! ahh!

 but, lets get down to the nitty gritty, shall we? I SAW ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON! yes! he came to our stake conference! he also did a special missionary meeting and spoke to us all there. then he came to the baptism of a twelve year old boy in our ward! it was awesome. i saw him in the hallway and he came up to me and shook my hand and said good morning sister udall. yes. he said my name. i said hi back but i accidently said it really loud.

I love everyone!  Thanks for all the letters and the support!  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa and Mom and Christie and Rachel and Chris for the awesome letters!  I love getting letters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So send more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These pictures are of the sunrise in Portland.  I love it here!  It is so beautiful!

I Love my Mission!

Hiya, pal!

 

This week has been so crazy busy i don't even know where to start!

 

So you inquired about the man i gave my BOM to. He is awesome! we went over and as we were walking in he looked really sad. he told me he read the first few chapters and really liked it but his kids yelled at him for it and told him to give the book back and never see us again. so i took the BOM in my hands and it was seriously burning me! i couldnt take it back! i wouldnt take it back! anyways we kept talking to him and ended up teaching him the plan of salvation and he asked us to come again next week! what a miracle! so we're praying for his kids to soften their hearts. they're trying to get him to move to california so he won't see us anymore. anyways i left the BOM behind on the couch cause there is no way i was taking back the first book of Mormon i've ever passed out! but yeah he's awesome.

 

That night we went to a recent convert/ less actives house. she seriously told us her whole life! her daughter, named kylee, made me a purse. i thought they were just really nice and open people but after we left sister lawson was freaking out and said they usually don't let us in the door and they are usually very quiet. but they offered to feed us and kylee has a baptismal date of february 8th! so im stoked. she's fourteen but twice my height im pretty sure.

 

on wednesday we met a multiple personality narcoleptic lady! the elders gave us her as a referral and didnt tell us she wasn't all there so we had no idea! haha i loved my life in that moment. ask stella, i love narcolepsy. but anyways, she told one story, three times, from three different perspectives, without taking a breath. so that was interesting. then she fell asleep haha.

 

also, i met a woman named evie who was married to a wiltbank from springerville! we were so busy every day this week, especially friday. at least, we planned to be busy. besides D & G, all our appointments cancelled! so we went to D & G and just read scriptures with them. we wanted to talk about faith and the first book of scripture to come to mind was alma 34. then i remembered alma 32 was the chapter that said a gillion times but i couldnt get 34 out of my mind so thats what we read. i didnt really think much of it until that night. we gave D & G a tour of the church because they committed to come on sunday. we showed them all the rooms and at the end we took them into the chapel and explained the sacrament and the atonement. as i bore my testimony i was overwhelmed with the spirit. when i stopped speaking D was like, how did you do that? after inquiring of what he was referring to, he said every time you and sister lawson come and start talking about Christ my heart burns and the air feels heavy. and how did you know to read that chapter in the scriptures today? you don't know anything that we're going through, but that fit our lives exactly. after you left we sat down and talked so many things out and our family has become stronger since we've met with you. then they set their own marriage and baptism date! it was awesome! and they asked me to walk with their daughter down the aisle. i was so stunned. they both started crying and said that they feel like they have come home. i can't describe to you the love i have for this family. they have been so prepared to hear the gospel its insane!

 

so we had three nonmembers at church not including D & G's kids. it was the best day ever. they agreed to come to stake conference next sunday and guess who else is coming. ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON! he's even holding a special meeting for just missionaries! im so pumped! i love it here so much.

 

Dad remember how i would always call the man Lot from the scriptures Podifer? well, i taught a member that story and called Lot Podifer again haha. but, the story of it still applied. she is less active and said that she's been gone too long and can't come back because she thinks she lived too bad of a life. so i talked about that story. don't look back. God is providing her a way to escape those things, just like He does for all of us. you've sinned? so what? who hasnt? "God doesnt care nearly as much about where you have been as he does where you are now and, with his help, where you are willing to go" those sins are old news. as we think about them and "look back" like Lot's wife, we get stuck. she turned into a pillar of salt and in a way we do too. we don't allow ourselves to move forward. no one is a lost cause! i love this work and i love my savior Jesus Christ and His atonement. the atonement is a gift from Him to us and i've learned how important it is to use it every single day.

 

mom, guess what. i did a backflip today! i went to a members house and their kids are in gymnastics so they taught me how. i landed it and everything! it was awesome. oh, and i ate vegan food and it was really good! i love you all so much! work hard, pray hard!

 

Pictures!

At the MTC Map





Sister Udall with her companions and MTC teacher

Keeping with the Udall/Hamblin Fued.  She really does love the Hamblins




Sister Udall and Elder Wilson

The District at the Airport

The District Meeting President and Sister Morby at the Portland Oregon Airport

I love it here in Sherwood City Oregon!

Sister Udall and her first companion in Oregon Sister Lawson



Hello Family,

I just barely got to get on! hopefully she'll let me stay awhile. i made it to Oregon! it has been so crazy and so awesome. The plane ride was a little scary but i soon overcame that haha, but the second I stepped off the plane we were greeted by President and Sister Morby! they are so awesome and hilarious! I can already tell they're going to be my best friends on this mission.

They picked us up and first thing we did was go to the temple. My goodness it was somethin' else! I couldnt believe how beautiful it was! and the trees all around it are so huge and green and piney. I loved it. we went into the visitors center and watched a movie and then took some pictures. I would send them to you but I forgot my camera back at the apartment.

Anywho after that we drove to the stake center where we had lunch and met our new companions. mine is sister Lawson. She is from Utah, big surprise there huh? but she's really cool. she's been out for about 9 months and she is so popular in this mission. Everywhere we go people fawn over her. So yeah, we get along great!

I got to see elder Austin Davis! he's from St Johns and is like a brother to me! His cheeks have gotten chubby but he's so happy and everyone loves him too!

President Morby sat all the new missionaries down and gave us each a Book of Mormon and said we needed to place it by Thursday. I decided that I really wanted to place it that night, so on our way to meet my new bishop, I asked sister Lawson to stop the car and I knocked on my very first door! and guess what, this guy is awesome! He just finished reading the bible and has been looking for more to read about Christ. we even set a return appointment with him! I bore my testimony and then we left and mysteriously as we came.

We then met so many people in the ward I cant even tell you half their names but they're all so great! I can already tell I'm going to love this ward. Today we had a lesson with D and G. they seriously rock. It was the third lesson and they're already planning their wedding so they can be baptized. They're so legit.

I feel so loved here. I wish I knew what else to say! I just love you all so much! thanks to mom, Stella, Aunt Beaker, Kenny Cakes, Aunt Renee, Christie, and everyone that has taken the time to write me! I really appreciate it and it is such a strength to me.

Oh, In the MTC they asked everyone attending our sacrament meeting to prepare a talk on Enduring to the End.  They chose a Sister and an Elder randomly during the meeting to give the talk they had prepared.  The Bishop called my name to give the talk I prepared.  It was scary giving a talk that everyone in the congregation had also prepared.

For all you future missionaries, read Alma 26. I did the night before I came and it got me so pumped to do missionary work! I love this gospel so much. I know that families can be together forever and I am especially grateful for that knowledge this week. I know that Tell is in the care of our father in heaven and he is as happy as he can be. I know he's making everyone in heaven laugh just like he did on earth. I know that his pinky is whole again. He has such a great family.  I love Uncle Bobby and Aunt Marcie so much.  I love BJ and Tona and Steven and Laci and Kenzie.  I hope they know how much I love them and how they have helped me so much.  They are always so good to me and have made me feel loved. 

I love you and Dad so much Mom. I miss you really bad but i am in really good hands here so don't worry about me. I saw Elder Wilson this week and Chantel Udall so that was way wicked sweet. I was sad to leave the MTC cause I made so many friends there but I feel blessed to be here in Sherwood City, Oregon.

MTC!

One fast Sunday down, 17 to go. I feel like my mission is flying by already and I'm really sad about that. i really just love the MTC. my companions are Sister Porter and Sister Gunnell. They are both stunningly gorgeous and spiritual powerhouses! We get along so well and I have so much fun with them. I love my entire district! We've become so close!

 Last night sister Gunnell's mom sent her a package with Dr. Peppers in it so our whole district sat outside and had a "drink" together after a long hard day of teaching investigators. When i say teaching investigators, that's exactly what I mean. Last night we taught a real investigator! AHH! I was so nervous. I paced around the entire attendance hall and jumped and made noises and crouched down and almost died. Luckily I survived it though and the lesson went pretty well.

 The lady we taught is very religious and has a clinical fear of Mormons. When i asked why she decided to meet with the missionaries she told me that I ask weird questions and she doesn't trust me. hahaha I was laughing so hard. she opened up towards the end and I'm excited to teach her again on Wednesday. Our other investigator, Peggy, committed to baptism! This one is fake and we've been teaching her every day since I got here. role playing this stuff is hard but it is so good for me. I've learned to really rely on the spirit cause when I just say whatever I want I'm not very convincing, but when I say what God wants, the spirit is overwhelming.

 I have only met one kid that knows where Eagar, AZ is. He's related to the Turley's and he agrees that we have the best DQ on the planet. Oh and one of the Elder's in my district says his Grandma knows me and we're meant to become best friends and she showed him my picture and everything. That would make sense cause I'm much better with old people. I swear I was born in the wrong generation.

 Anyways, I am the sister training leader in my zone. how in the world am i supposed to train anyone to do anything? I'm the worst at everything! haha my companions make fun of me cause I still don't know how to get around and tomorrow i have to tour the new missionaries. I'm gonna get so lost.

By the way, congrats Jason! I'm so proud of you and I love you to pieces! I wish I could give you a hug right now but that would just be wild of me cause I'm a sister missionary now!

The MTC is so cool because the sisters get treated so well. I've made a lot of friends going a lot of different places but I still haven't seen Elder Wilson yet!

This experience has really helped me to see the importance of missionary work. Our purpose is to invite others to come to Christ because that's exactly what He would be doing if he was here on the Earth. This is His work and it is the most important thing in the world. These truly are the last days. Though i feel inadequate, I keep reminding myself that God saved us for the last days for a reason. Do not delay. feast upon the words of Christ, become converted, "and when thou art converted, strengthen they brethren." We are the anchors in the race of life, so give it your all and finish strong! I love this Gospel so much. I have come so much closer to my Savior and i know that He loves each one of us.

Thanks to mom and Christie for the DearElders. in my district they all think im the one who never gets any mail so I'm grateful that we proved them wrong with your letters! I love and miss you all, but not nearly enough to come home!