Dear loved ones!
I am here! I didnt get a preperation day last week so I apologize for the lack of an email.
I cant believe I have been here for a week now. It doesnt feel real.
I'll just go ahead and start out with my first day here..
After a morning of waking up at the presidents beautiful home and then having orientation and transfer meeting I was off to my new area with my trainer. It was about 3 in the afternoon. My companion and I were dropped off at our apartment by a member. We unloaded our suitcases and then were going to head to Walmart so I could get food for the week. The second we are about to leave we get a call. Its from B, our 15 year old investigator. She is bawling and trying to get words out. We hear "there are cops and ambulances here. My dad called the cops on my mom. I'm at my neighbors house." We try to settle her down and my trainer asks if we should come over and she says yes. So off we were. Many thoughts were going through my head. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. My trainer/companion tries to tell me a little about her background. She is 15 and has taken the discussions for a while. She was supposed to get baptized last week but her parents withdrew consent. She has some emotional problems and lots of family issues. She is embarrassed of her family and her house. The drive was about 15 minutes but felt like eternity. I was terrified. And of course expecting the worst. Turns out the situation wasnt nearly as bad as I thought. By the time we got there the cops and ambulance were gone. B was sitting on the porch and just crying. We were able to comfort her. Her mom had been drinking and taking drugs so she needed to get help. We helped B and told her she could find comfort through her Savior. We read some scriptures and prayed and she calmed down and was reassured that everything was going to be okay.
Welcome to the mission Sister Judd!
Luckily after that traumatic experience a nice single sister in the ward was signed up for dinner and she treated us to Olive Garden. So all was well. And we did get to go grocery shopping later that night.
North Carolina is Beautiful as everyone has said. I guess I'll get the two negative things out first.
#1. Mosquitoes. Oh my goodness. I have at least 20 bites on my arms and legs and i get new ones everyday. It is the worst. I am constantly trying to not scratch them. I hope they go away soon because I am too cheap to buy itch cream. I figure I am just teaching myself self control by resisting the urge to scratch.
#2. Spiders. Of course the two things I hate most they have an overabundance of. Spiders are everywhere. We walk into at least 3 webs a day. They say October is the worst month for spiders so I am just trying to prepare myself.
Other than that things here are just wonderful!! The humidity has not affected me at all.
So my first area is Wake Forest. My mission President said to people back home I could just say that I'm in the Northern part of Raleigh but do not tell the people that live here in Wake Forest that they are in Raleigh. So thats that.
My trainer's name is Sister Fullmer. She is so awesome. We are so similar and work so well together. I am grateful for her. We cover two wards; Wake forest 2 and Falls Lake. The Falls Lake ward is probably the wealthiest part of Raleigh. Very beautiful huge homes on huge yards and the most beautiful scenery. Just how you would picture a wealthy classy southern neighborhood. Wake Forest 2 has very nice parts too but it also covers some areas with said in the nicest way possible; country hick trailer parks. So we get to experience the best of both worlds.
And to top it all off our apartment is not the best. Our actual apartment is very nice and spacious but our doors are always locked and we dont walk around at night.
Unfortunately because of the wealth most people are set in their ways and want nothing to do with learning about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that will only makes their lives better. Therefore we only have one investigator, B who I mentioned before. We arent allowed to proselyte in this area because of the neighborhood rules. We knock of lots of doors all day of people that are referrals, previous investigators, or potential investigators. 90% of the time no one answers. And when they do we ask if we can make an appointment and then the day of the appointment they cancel. love it. There is a huge amount of less actives here so we are really trying to work with them and the part member families.
We might not have a lot of people to teach but the members here are so wonderful to us. They welcome us in with open arms and give us anything we need.
The works is incredible though. It can be very hard at times but we see blessings everyday for our hard work and dedication. Our Savior Jesus Christ is incredible. He loves us so very much and wants us all to return to Him. I love the Book of Mormon. I could read it all day, never thought I'd say that. It is an incredible book and I know that we can all find strength and help through our trials if we read it.
I love being a missionary. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to teach other people what brings me the most joy and peace in my life.
Love you all,
Sister Judd
PS: if you would like to write me my address is
4801 Riverstream Place #301
Raleigh, NC 27616
I would love to hear from you all!
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