Dudley, Emma

The best thing about this week is that we were able to go to the temple on Tuesday with the zone!!! It was so peaceful and calm and helped remind me why I am here. I am here to help others to make sacred covenants that will bind them to Christ.  I feel like this week was definitely a growing week. We had lots of opportunities to learn. Recently, we've been focusing on prioritizing and choosing to do the things most effective with our time.  Last week, we had 51 friends who we were teaching. From counciling with our leaders because there were too many demands on our time, we decided to pause teaching some of our friends who aren't very consistent in meeting with us. We also prayed about some who we should give to the Elders we share a ward with.  One of those families that we gave to the Elders was Carlos and Jaqueline and their kids, Nicole and Alan. We met Jacqueline one of my first few weeks in the mission. We had been assigned by the APs to contact all the young adults...

It's been another amazing, busy, miraculous week!!! ☆I went on exchanges with Hermana Jackson in Huntington Beach. This was my first day teaching outside of my area!! It was so fun to be with her and learn from her. Hermana Jackson is one of my mission role models. She loves the Lord, she loves her friends she is teaching, and she loves other missionaries. I learned so much about how I can improve and grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ from this exchange! ☆We had a lesson with Yarita where we reestablished our purpose and set expectations. It was a really good lesson. We both feel that she is not ready for baptism until she can consistently keep the commitment of reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church, so we took her off baptismal date. But we will continue meeting with her and hope she can make the changes in her life to be able to progress towards making and keeping the covenant of baptism.  ☆We found a family yesterday! Lourdes was contacted in a park by the LA missiona...

This week was the most miraculous and Spirit-led week of my mission. I don't have a lot of time but wanted to share two really quick miracles: 1. We got in a small car accident that aggravated my companions back pain that she's had for a few years. She had the faith to ask for a priesthood blessing and was healed. For the first time in 3 years, her back pain immediately went away.  2. We felt inspired that day to share a lesson with our friend Andre about miracles. Andre is 16 and has been taught for 2 years. He has the strongest testimony but his parents won't let him be baptized. We were talking about miracles and as we were talking, the Spirit spoke clearly to me to promise Andre that if he asks baptized, his seizures (which he's been having for almost a year) will go away. As I was about to open my mouth, my companion said those exact same words. We didn't talk about it before. The Spirit was so strong on that moment. I testified of the words or my companion.  I...

First week out of training was crazy! Definitely bittersweet to leave my trainer but I am so happy to be back with Hermana Young!! We have had an amazing week and saw lots of miracles. ☆We were able to find new two people on Eucalyptus street to start teaching! Sterling recently moved here from Nicaragua and we taught him a quick restoration! Maria Torres is the sweetest lady. We met her a few weeks ago and have been trying to find her for awhile but she was finally home and we had a short lesson about the atonement of Jesus Christ.  ☆We've been talking to Brenda a lot about personal revelation this week and she was able to resolve some of her concerns and learn more about how the Spirit speaks to her! ☆There are two girls that we've been teaching for awhile but haven't had a lesson for awhile and we showed up and had a lesson with one of the girls, Maribel and her mom, Gabriela and we invited them to be baptized! They are still thinking about it. the Spirit was really stro...