Sacrifice = Love

We're going to start off with the spiritual topic of the week because why not? This week during my personal study I was reading somewhere about sacrifice and how it's a faith building thing. And just a bunch of nonsense about it when I had the thought hit me that people sacrifice for love. I went to the love of parents. I mean that's love in it's purest form. But really they do sacrifice everything. And they do it because they love us. Then I went to the greatest example in the world. The Savior. Why did he suffer and die for us? Because he loves us. Then a step up to our Heavenly Father. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Now who is the world? Nosotros (us). And he truly does love us. Pero I was thinking how we can show our love to him? We can't even begin to repay the love. We know that. But we do know that we can at least try. And if we love him we can keep his commandments. But I'm learning on the mission that people don't love him as much as they say. Because if they did they'd keep his commandments. I'm guilty as well. But even the simplest of go to church and read the scriptures and pray we all struggle with. Why? Probably because we're in a fallen state. But the purpose of this life is to progress and overcome that fallen state. We need to get to the point where we love God and we show it through our actions. Anyway there you have random spiritual thoughts with Marley. I hope you enjoyed it.
But as for the week I finally put up my hammock and have been enjoying it with all my soul. Why don't we have more in the states? That's my question. They're freaking lovely! I also saw some very cute little piggys with a duck and a chicken. I've never been surrounded by so much farm life. I went to a village that sits at the bottom of a volcano. It's a beautiful volcano. When the clouds pass over it takes my breath away. I also had divisiones with another gringa. That's always a fun adventure. I completed 13 months! Woo! We celebrated with rootbeer floats in plastic champagne flutes my comp bought me for christmas. (Sorry the pic is blurry. I have a crap camera.) And here's a pic of one of my favorite members. He's just so happy and I get to have super deep spiritual conversations with him. It's cool. Anyway there you have my week! Love you people! Ciao!

Marley

P.S. I have a funny story. That's actually really sad. So like we were visiting a members house. They have a ton of chickens and ducks and stuff and it's super cool. Well one of the hens recently hatched an egg. And obviously resulted in the cutest little chick in the world. So I went to go pick it up and it ran away until the sister accidentally stepped on it. And killed it. It was so horrible! And to make it worse the little 2 year old afterwards picked it up by it's foot and ran around saying, "Look! Look!" And yeah there you have my slightly funny/slightly sad story. You're welcome.

Feliz Navidad

Well my gente! I could tell you what I did this week. We may have had a multi-zone conference where I saw all my friends. And we may have eaten like 5 dinners christmas eve. I may have seen a baby duck and eaten the almond fruit (it's gross). But really it's christmas and I have no ganas to write more. I mean I'm talking to my fam in a bit! So I'm excited! But I promise that next week will be a little better.

I hope you all have a wonderful christmas! I love you all dearly! I hope you all know that I love being a missionary and teaching and telling people about the gospel of our lord and savior. It's incredible. But anyway I shall talk to you all next week. On a Tuesday! Because they're giving us Tuesdays as p-day 'cause it's impossible to work chirstmas and new years. Till next time! Ciao!

Hermana Judd

Soy Una Misionera Chafa

That's right I lost my missionary badge. I have no idea where it went and I've looked all over the place. Buses, investigators houses, streets, our house, literally everywhere. So I went without it for 4 days but people kept giving me crap about not having one, so I made a fake one. It's even more chafa than not having a badge. (Chafa means crap quality or something along those lines. It's a Chapin word.) But hey I'll just have to suffer for a couple weeks I guess until the office elders get me a new one.  

But besides that this week has been quite busy. I feel exhausted if I'm being honest. But it's all worth it! Woo! Anyway I got a package from the fam! It made my soul happy! I felt puro japones. Look at my pocky and kimono! I made Chow Mein over a fire with one of my favorite fams (day I lost my plaqua). I def smelled like smoke after. We went to the temple with an investigator. I always love the temple. It's the best. Even if we have to wake up 4 to go and so we eat crepes for lunch to make us happy again. Had a fun NDH (FHE) in the monte. Went to a boring district meeting. Was tired with my compita. Went to an aldea far far away called La Bomba! We saw a lot of cows. And lastly here's a pic of my fake badge. Isn't it beautiful? You can barely tell the difference in pics! In person it's a lot worse. Anyway there you have my week! 

But as for spiritual learning and progressing I think I learned that life is about making it yours. And you do that by looking for the lord. And really not caring about what the world or other people think. Sometimes I believe that it's a very hard thing to do, but in the end when one just worries about what God wants for you life is a lot happier. I'm learning that about mission life, but I imagine that it also applies to everyday life as well. So mi gente make your life YOURS! (and the Lords) That's my only advice. I love you all! Till next time!

Hermana Chafa  

P.S. P-day has been changed to Tuesday next week for Christmas and I'm imagining they'll only give me an hour to talk to the fam and no time to write you people. Entonces lo siento. Ask my parents how I'm doing! Hasta luego!

Perdiendo Tiempo en el Monte

We may or may have not gotten lost in the mountain this week trying to find an aldea (village). We also may or may ave not left the mission doing so. But I don't really know 'cause we were lost and wasting time in the monte. Good times being a missionary. I love it. Anyway in other news this week we celebrated my hijas cumple mes with granizadas (#4), saw some christmas lights,  hung out in abandoned houses, had weekly planning, and my comp ate steamed carrots for dinner (she misses vegetables or something). And yeah there you have it for fun things.

I guess I should also tell you that this week we had changes. But we didn't have changes because I'm staying here in Mita and I'm staying with my comp, Hna Sorensen. Another 1/3 of my mission in one area. It's cool. And I've never had a comp for 3 changes so we'll see how that goes. I think I'll love it. I'm going to have my "fam" with me for chirstmas. Or something like that. No but really I'm super excited to spend christmas here. I did not want to leave. And the fact that I didn't leave tells me that God knows me.

Anyway as in way of spiritual things I would like to share some of my studies with you. I was reading in Moses this week. Really I finished it. I think it's one of my favorite books. But really this book just shows how much God loves us. How he truly cares for every single one of his children. And it kind of hit me that he truly has a plan for every single one of us. A plan of happiness and joy. But it's up to us if we follow that plan. We need to look for it. We know we have the basic outline in the gospel and in the plan of salvation. But its' so much more detailed and if we look we'll find it. And really I thin that's what this life is about. Finding your plan he has prepared for you. It's what I've been trying to do for the past 4 years now and I think it's working out great. I may have no idea whats ahead of me but I know it'll be for my good as long as I align myself with his will and that's what I want to encourage all of you to do as well. Seek and ye shall find right? Anyway I love you my gente. Till next week! 

Feliz Cumpleano

A mi! That's right! I hit a year this week! I'm officially old or "dying" as they say. Congratulations me. I celebrated with my favorite district. They bought me a cake.  We took it on a bus and ate it in the park. That sounds so relaxed but you guys don't know how the buses are here. Es bien peligroso. I may or may not have burnt a skirt. #missiontradition  My comp experienced real bus living. Children sleeping on you and then later throwing up next to you. Good ol jicotes. I made a traditional guatemalan dinner. Eggs, frijoles, and monjar. It's pretty much a cornstarch pudding. Rico. I made my hair fabulously curly. Porque no soy colocha?! We messed around with ties. And there you have my week. Of fun interesting things. It was a good birthday week. It makes more sense in spansih because it's literally completing a yerar, cumpleano but in english it's not the same. That's why I like spanish. Jk I like no languages because I legit cannot talk in englsih or spanish. M grammar and pronunciation is so horrid in the both idiomas. It's the best. 

Anyway in this week for completing a year I've been reflecting on things that I've done. My year has been a crazy one. There's so many things that I've done and seen that I never thought I'd experience in my life. But here I am. But more than anything I think the biggest thing that I've learned here in this year is that loving people is the key to success. The work, the play, but really just the key to being happy. This year I have felt the happiest than I ever have in my entire life. Don't get me wrong I really miss my fam. but it doesn't make me sad. I feel like every day is a new experience that really is a joy filled experience. As I said before i can't speak any language so I don't know if I can convey how  I feel. But really I just feel grateful for this oportunity to be here in Guate loving and serving others. Trying to love people as Jesus loved people.  Anyway my people thanks for sticking around for this year. I've got six months left. Kind of crazy but I'm going to keep enjoying  my mission for as long as I can. I love you people! See you later! Till next time!

Being Friends

I think my favorite thing about being a missionary is that I literally get to be friends  with every single person I meet.  I get to be friends with the 84 year old man who has weird blood flecks all over his shirt and almost  died from being attacked by a hive of wasps, I get . I get to be friends with  the pretty much servant girl of a family. I get to be friends with super high energy little kids who call me ¨hna canche¨or who tell me all about their bolito dad.I get to be friends with the jovenes, the mamas, the abuelos, todos. And I just love it! It´s literally my favorite thing about being here on the mission. I felt like I already knew I could be friends with everyone before the mission. But now I   KNOW it. And I hope that I always get to be friends with these people. I´m worried that after the mission I¨ll loes contact but I guess we´ll just have to wait and see. I just love having so m any friends. I love loving them and being loved by them. IT´s the best. I feel like I have the biggest family while I´m´away from my real one. And it´s great. I think it´s God showing me that I still have love abounding in my life. Even if  I don´t have my parent s or my sibs. And really it´s amazing. 

Anyway that´s what I want to share with you. It´s random but true. But in other news this week we went to  volcano. IPala! IT´s gorgeous. We also had root beer floats, had a jovene make us dinner, got a newphone iphone  and some beautful views. I love life. Anyway that´s all I´ve got to say! And that´s all Till next time! Adios!

Hna Judd

Running Through and Aldea

Now what is an aldea? It's a villgae. And there's many of them here in Guate. But especially in my area. Like some ar over an hour away but we sill go visit them because it's fun. But anyway this week we went to an aldea se llama San Rafael. We hung out in hammocks and  and swings and cool things like that. But we left late and missed the bus and had to run to catch the next one. It was a fun journey. But while we waited for the next one we took pics in the middle of the street 'cause we're cool that way.  Life sure is an adventure here in Guate. In other fun things we did: We went to a baptism of our friends the elders, ate crepes after a multi zone conference, and enjoyed the naturaleza.  A very full week if I do say so myself.

And in ways of all things spiritual  this week was a week full of making a conscience effort to follow the spirit more. And in consequence I've been on the verge of tears more times this week than probably my entire mission. I love being a Judd.  It's amazing how when we follow the spirit people are more open and the spirit is more widely felt by all. Because really the spirit is the thing that testifies to the person that these are true. And if they have that testimony they cant  deny  it. And seeing their testimony grow helps my testimony grow. Really I just love being a missionary and having the opportunity to see people grow closer to God. I love that I have the opportunity to just love people. And feel successful at it.  But anyway this week I don't have an exact experience just that it was a very spirit filled week and it made my week better. So siempre my invitation por all you peoples is to follow more the spirit and I think you'll find that your week will be 10 times more enjoyable. Probably. Anyway I love you all. Till next time!