Week 14?

The longer I'm here, the more I love Cerritos, our friends we're teaching, the members of our ward, Hermana Midence, and most importantly the Lord and this work He is doing through us.

A LOT happened this week. Like all missionaries, we experienced ups and downs but we saw the hand of the Lord EVERY DAY.  

HIGHLIGHTS

Zone Conference! This is one of my favorite meetings. Once every six weeks, we get to go to an 8 hour training with half of the missionaries in our mission. We learn from our mission leaders and the Spirit and walk away inspired and empowered to be more consecrated missionaries. This time was no exception. We learned so much and that night, we were blessed to find 3 people! Miracles really do come from following the guidance of God's chosen leaders. 

Exchanges! We did exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders (for real this time haha). It was my first time away from Hermana Midence and I missed her so much. It really made me so much more grateful for her and the unity we have in our companionship. But it was fun getting to know Hermana Gish and learning for her.

Love Yorba Linda Day! Yorba Linda has an annual service day where hundreds of community service projects are completed. The entire mission (about 150 missionaries) participated. It was so great to see all our friends and to be able to serve and form relationships with this community where the Lord is building a Temple. 

MIRACLES

This is a big miracle that President Platt told us about at Zone Conference. Every week for several years, the mission has partnered with Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda to help with their Food Pantry. One Zone of missionaries goes every Preparation day to help. President didn't know why he felt so strongly that we needed to continue doing this but then a temple was announced in Yorba Linda and the land directly across from Friendship Baptist Church was selected as the site for the temple. Now, the temple is experiencing opposition in the community and petitions are being passed around but Friendship Baptist Church is NOT on that list and are our allies in continuing the construction of the temple. The Lord's hand is so evident in the building of this temple.  

After zone conference, where we talked about the importance of finding families and helping them receive the ordinances of the temple that can unite their families for eternity, we found 3 people: Mari, Blanca, and Ligia. Two of them (Mari and Ligia) are mothers and we hope to be able to teach their families. Finding Ligia was really miraculous. We were late to the YW activity at the Church and we drove past a park and saw a family. We had a prompting to turn around and we went to the park and were able to teach Ligia! 

Finding Daisy! This was such a miracle! Julie (who was recently taught by the ZLs and baptized) had us teach her mom. The Spirit was so strong in this lesson! Julie and us were able to testify of temples, baptism, and the Book of Mormon. Daisy said she felt peace and committed to pray about baptism and the Book of Mormon! This was so cool because usually we don't have such a strong relationship with other missionaries' friends but God knew the end from the beginning and gave us opportunities to become friends with Julie and interact with her parents, like when we taught the Restoration at her baptism. We are excited to keep teaching Daisy and hope to teach her husband too. The Elders are going to try teaching her siblings as well. We're working together to help them become an eternal family!

We had a good lesson with Yarita. We had to push her date back but she still has a great desire to get baptized. She wasn't able to come to church yesterday but she is going to come the next 3 Sundays and we are going to start meeting with her twice a week. 

We had the sweetest lesson on forgiveness with Hna. Martinez. She was crying. It was one of those special times when the Lord inspired us to say exactly what she needed. 

This week I have been thinking a lot about temples. Temples are the house of the Lord. They are sacred places where we can feel closest to God. There, we make special promises with Him that allow us to return to live with Him and with our families one day. President Nelson taught us in October 2021 that "the ultimate objective of the gathering of Israel is to bring the blessings of the temple to God’s faithful children." 

I invite each of you to make efforts to go to the temple as soon as possible. To my friends in Virginia, take the time to go to the Washington DC Temple open house!! This is the first time in more than 50 years that the temple is open to the public. Please don't pass up this opportunity to be inside a temple of the Lord!

I promise you, as a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ, that at the temple you will feel a greater peace and joy than you have ever felt at the temple. You will feel God's love for you and better understand your purpose here. 

I know the temple is the house of the Lord because I have felt a sweet peace there that I know is from Him. I know that because of the sacred ordinances performed by the authority of God I will be with my family forever. And I know that each of you can come to this knowledge for yourself through the power of the Holy Ghost. 

I love you all and am praying for you always!

-Hermana Dudley

PS. Shout out to Irmã Webster and Irmã Goettl who started their missions today! Yall are going to be the best missionaries. I love yall!

1.with Hermana Young at Love Yorba Linda

2.Del Amo District at service (we planted flowers)

3.The Viet Elders, Hna. Veikoso (my mission "sister" because Hna Midence trained her first), and Hna Jackson (STL) at service

4.Zone council with the new Cerritos Zone

5.We had dinner with Hno Castiñeda, the ward mission leader, and the Elders

6.We teach Hna. Martinez every Thursday. We love her! We hope she comes back to church this week.

7.We all got CFA giftcards from service so afterwards half the mission showed up to this one CFA in Yorba Linda haha

8.Exchanges with Hna. Gish

9 .love my compa!