Transfer News Flash

Breaking News.

Elder Ludlow has been called to serve in another part of the vineyard. He will be transferred tomorrow to the Boston 1st Area. Many of his associates were astonished to hear about the change. It is doubtless that the work and life as a whole will be very different for him in the coming future.

 Hartford

Hello Everyone! I had a good time down in Connecticut last week. It was interesting to go on splits with the Hartford spanish missionaries and see what urban spanish work is like. Hopefully it helped me prepare a little for Boston. The zone conference was excellent. I dont know if you are familiar with Elder Clayton Christiansen but he was recently called to my mission presidency and he spoke to us for a while. He's the dean of the Harvard school of business so that was precious time.

A downside was the extensive driving. We've already reached our limit on miles with ten days left in the month.

Goodbyes

In the last few days I said goodbye to the ward and some of the people that I got closer to. It was emotional at times but easier than I thought. It's interesting that a few of my investigators that aren't progressing were the most enthusiastic about keeping in touch.

Our final district meeting was good. We had a testimony meeting at the end, which i thought finished things off nicely. The district will be completely different again after this week. The sisters are opening a new area somewhere else and a seasoned elder is coming in to "shotgun" their area. Him and my current companion will be training.

Hellos?

From the time that I got my call I had a feeling that I would end up in Boston someday. I've heard positive and negative comments about where Im going. Many have told me that I will be in the ghetto, or more rough places. I welcome that! Coming from Eastern Jerusalem there are few surprises. The Lord will protect me.

I heard rumors that I will be in the same district as some of my missionary friends. It will be good to see my MTC comp at transfers as well.

 One investigator here, Natalia, got really close to baptism but then moved to Boston. I really want to go find her and start teaching again, Insha'allah.

The Book of Mormon

Another training that we received at zone conference was about the BoM. President Packard used a sheet made by Victor Ludlow (I believe) to talk about the four major engravers of the Book. The significant point is that the Book of Mormon was written for our day. Selecting only the "hundredth part," the ancient prophets made sure that the material vital for us was included in the plates that Joseph Smith uncovered.

There is a power and a special spirit in the Book of Mormon. If any of you are not reading it consistently, I encourage you to do so. It will change your life. One chapter that highlights what I have mentioned is 2 Nephi 33.

 Until Monday.

The next preparation day is this upcoming monday, not very far away. Beginning tomorrow I will be much closer to the coast :) I will let you know how im doing. I love you and pray in my heart for you throughout every day.

 

-Elder Ludlow

 

Letter from the second week of August

Greetings from Hartford!

How is everyone? Im in Connecticut because of Zone conference tomorrow. We drove down yesterday, coming from the part of our area up by New Hampshire and it was quite the trek! (About 2 1/2 hours.) We arrived early and saw a lot of geese flying in V formation. After a while, we got tired of waiting so we drove through Hartford and I saw a lot of huge mansions.
 It was fun to be with a bunch of other missionaries last night and in our studies this morning. They have a very nice house down here for the zone leaders. For the rest of p-day my companion and I are with the Hartford spanish elders.

As my family is making the transition back into normal life, I've thought a lot about the home ward and family in Utah (more than usual.) I hope everyone is doing great.

The weather is going crazy in western Massachusetts. We've had plenty of summer thunderstorms that tear through like a wild animal and then leave like nothing happened. The rain pours down like a waterfall followed by the hot sun.

I took a few pictures this week! The vista with the church and forested hills was taken in Fitchburg. Somewhere amongst the many trees is the town of Lunenburg, where I live. The deer and the fancy banquet were in Ashburnham. A city in the forest near New Hampshire. The members (Lawrence family) fed us a high-class meal which we definitely enjoyed :)

I did some good service for members this week. Moving furniture and removing paint, among other things. Many of my investigators are proving to be very difficult but the work always seems to shift the right direction eventually. One lady, Natalia,  unfortunately moved to Boston. She was close to baptism.

It sounds like there is a lot of interaction between the family going on right now. Fun fun fun. Let me know how that goes. Is there a lot of preparation for school? Is the house in good shape? :)

To answer Dad's question, It's obviously tough to pick a favorite place in Israel... I have to say that I really liked Jerusalem itself, every part that I covered. The Jerusalem Center was a great home for me. I love that place so much. Another location would have to be the sea of Galilee. That trip had a profound effect on my testimony, it really catapulted me even higher.

Well, this saturday is transfer texts and I dont have p-day until wednesday. I finally remembered to warn you! This transfer has felt slow but gone by incredibly quickly. I have a feeling that there will be a change this next transfer. So remember to mail everything to the mission office in Natick, and not my home in Lunenburg. Who knows, I could be in Boston next week. Or somewhere in Connecticut, or Rhode Island. Or in the same area. We will see.

Have an excellent time everyone. It is my wish that the gospel becomes or remains a constant part of your lives. It's hard to imagine a world without the restored truth. The gospel really is an anchor that keeps us steady in modern days of turbulent water. Our faith is our grasp on that anchor. If you feel like your faith is dormant or weak, do what you can to build it up. What is it that we hope for? Redemption through the atonement of Jesus Christ, through which all things are possible.

Hasta Luego!

-Elder Jared Ludlow Jr.

July 30 letter from Elder Ludlow

Hi everyone,

My mind feels saturated but I'll do my best to recount my week, etc..

Thanks for all of the emails and letters! My heart goes out to all of you.

I have found peace and gratitude in some of the blessings that have helped me this week. I love my area, it's really beautiful. I've noticed the scenery around me more, possibly because im driving now.

I also have a great love for the scriptures. They have been a comforting force in difficult times. An awesome scripture about the scriptures is Helaman 3:29. If you envision what it describes and pay special attention to the wording it's a vivid imagery.

 

The end is near for the fantastic Jerusalem adventure that the rest of my family has been on. But in reality it's not the end. Jerusalem stays in your heart and changes your perspective. And there will always be a return. For me, I have a huge desire to learn the languages and live there again.

 

Some cool things are going on for the family. Lots of stories. Lots of emotions. I liked the words and advice from Mom, they were neat. The pictures were the best too.

 I'll try to answer some questions from Dad and then share a few stories.

We dont have a specific number of hours for service but I try to do as much as I can. There have been some solid opportunities lately. Yard work, painting, and putting up dry wall. A consistent thing for me has been helping out at the Fitchburg library. Although it's tough because I keep wanting to read the books! Such a hard rule for me! The worst is when the books are about Israel. The other day I came across one about the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

 

We dont teach english classes but I wish there was some way to do so. I dont know where we would meet... My companion is from Provo. He likes to say "im from south korea" which is true, but he lived the last 7 or 8 years in Utah. It's like me saying im from California. He has been out for nine months.

 

My spanish is good. I definitely spend a majority of the time using english. It has been harder these days to find spanish people to teach. I actually like being able to switch between languages. District meetings are in english. There are only two spanish companionships in my zone. Out of... eight i believe or nine. Our zone is all of western mass. Oh I did exchanges with the ZL's again. I didnt go down to Ludlow though. Still fun and enlightening.

 

Mission President Packard came to our ward yesterday because the stake president was there. It was great to be with him again. He talked to a couple of my investigators in the second hour too. Tomorrow we have interviews down in Springfield. Yahoo!

 

Some exciting progress is being made by my investigators. I dont want to share too much because i feel like i've jinxed it a few times but please pray for Natalia Charles. Pray that she will be helped to make the steps she needs to in her life. Thanks!

 

We got some rain here which was a breath of fresh air. Today is a pleasant and warm sunny day. I got to play basketball for the second time on my mission. Just shot hoops by myself while my companion wrote letters. It felt so good.

 

I promise to take more pictures. There will be some interesting updates this next week for sure. I have changed a lot in the previous weeks and feel immense love and appreciation for the Lord, my family and my friends. They have all helped me along the path of a brilliant life. Even though I tend to look at the weeds in the garden and not the flowers.

 

Thankyou,

 

E. Ludlow

-

The amazing Elder Ludlow July 23 letter

Hello,

It was one of those weeks where the days feel really long but the week flies by. I find myself looking forward to this part of the week more and more. Sunday with going to church and then P-day. 

I had flashbacks to Galilee as I thought about you being there. Truthfully it's a little painful to not be there but i rejoice that my family can experience it. It's hard to imagine frequently swimming in the water because that was super cold when I was there. Although the weather overall was pretty nice. 

Do any of the sites look different at this time of year? Also im wondering when is your departure date?

It was good to hear about the various sites you got to see. I've been reading a little in the old testament lately and some places pop out to me, like Megiddo or Hazor. 

Aw poor Marissa. I love her too. I bet it really shakes thing up to have her in that condition. 

 

Yeah ive had two district meetings now and theyve been interesting. The last one was rough because the sisters werent able to make it (slow car repairs) so 1/3 of the missionaries were not present. I might have already mentioned this, but it's an unusually young district. No one has served a year yet.

 

Every friday we meet in Worcester (pronounced Wooster) for the meeting. It's one of the largest cities in Massachusetts and is about in the middle of all of us so thats where we go.

 

It was an inspiration to see my trainer finish with a clear conscience. He has no regrets and a lot of good memories to look back on. That is something I desire wholeheartedly.

 

Things are dynamic with investigators and you never know what will happen to them within a month. I hate feeling like I have to prod most of them along at a snail's pace but thats usually what happens. It's very exciting when someone acts for themselves. We received a media referral this week for a man that was already taught by missionaries in new hampshire. Upon contacting him we realized he lives about twenty seconds away from the Gardner church. Without much effort from our part, he came yesterday and stayed the whole 3 hours, taking notes and asking questions.

So that was nice.

There are a few teenagers as well that have started to investigate the church, thanks to the work of some members. They are coming to church and want to meet with us, so it's not such a bad deal either.

 

Things havent been all sunny and bright this transfer but I push myself through each day and try to focus on the Lord. When any doubts arise, I can look back on all of the blessings I have been given in my life, which are many. I want you to know, whoever you are that is reading this, that YOU are a blessing in my life and it makes all the difference for me to know people like you.

 

Shalom, shalom

 

Elder J. Ludlow Jr.

July 16 Letter

Dear Amigos,
Needless to say, Im envious of my family that is at the Sea of Galilee. I would actually enjoy the heat and humidity that are probably attacking you. That's one of those experiences where you really need to soak up every moment and make sure it's done vicariously for me.
Has the family started packing up a little bit?
Maybe you will get to swim in the sea more now that it's warmer.

Things with the new comp have been.. different...
You know it's kind of difficult to "kill" a companion, or be with them as they finish their mission. Because you picture, in your head, their arrival and loosing from responsabilities. Followed by desiring the same thing. I also didn't realize how much I relied upon Elder Torgesen. Life was good with him around.
Carlos was not baptized. His situation is tough because he prayed and felt bad about going through with it. The personal agency of people is very strong. I wish that God would apply more of His influence sometimes..

It was good to hear about time with Elder Holland in the holy land. He is a great man. It is easy to see his apostolic power.
I feel really bad about Marissa. I really worry that things don't get worse.

We'll see what happens next year for the Fourth. It would be nice to see Boston in general.
My relationship with the ward is pretty good. It could be better. There are some members that I get along with very well. You know, I haven't heard very much encouragement for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. However, I know that they're trying to get all the YSA's to go over there.

Yeah things are still green. The church is true, the book is blue.
And that is all I have to say.
Love you. Les Amo.

-Elder J. Ludlow

Transfer Week

Dear family and friends,

This is a wednesday p-day right before transfers. So those will happen tomorrow! My next p-day is on monday though, so you'll hear from me again soon. We got t-texts on saturday and there are a lot of big changes. Half of my district is leaving and I've been given a leadership assignment. My new companion will be coming from the Hartford Zone, Elder Shim. I've seen him a few times due to zone conferences down in Connecticut.

 

Things sound really awesome over in the Holy Land. I hope everyone is having a positive time and enjoying it while it lasts. I feel sorry for Marissa. Get better soon! What has she been doing in the apartment?

 

I really liked what Mom said about becoming holy. That is actually something that has popped up quite a bit in my missionary studies and teaching lately. As a missionary it's especially important to turn my heart over to the Lord, purify myself though imperfect and become more like the Savior.

 

President Packard is great! Last tuesday we got to know him and his family, which is fairly young. Their kids are all in the teenage years, I think, with one on a mission. He is very genuine and humble but has a strong presence. The texas accent is a plus too. It will be excellent to see him again tomorrow at transfer meeting.

The fourth of July was really lame, unfortunately. We could have gone into Boston if we had some members going and a good reason but that didnt come to pass. There were a few appointments but people cancelled. Elder Torgesen and I played some soccer and that was the only highlight.

 

Updates from this week...

>We had a movie night on sunday, featuring 'Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration'. A few people came and it was a spiritually powerful experience.

>One of our investigators, Carlos, passed his baptismal interview! The zone leaders drove up and we waited at his house for a while but he didnt show. So we decided to eat some dinner and return afterwards. He was still late! but we waited it out and he showed up at the last minute. Tonight he will tell me his schedule and we will work out a time for his service, hopefully this weekend. That should be nice for Elder Shim :P

>Elder Torgesen led his final district meeting followed by pictures, predictions for tranfers and a picnic outside. I dont think I could send any of the district pics because they're all really crazy! One of the pictures i AM sending is of our predictions. The horizontal rows being each of our "guesses". The vertical row with letters for each person. So the vertical "L" row is what people thought would happen to me. Elder Hall (H) was the closest.

>Speaking of Elder Hall, he came to Gardner area for exchanges and we had a good time. Now he gets to shotgun train over at University (an area in Boston). Tough stuff.

 

To explain the other picture, I found a delicious and easy meal. It's white cheddar pasta shells with tuna. Trust me it's good.

 

I'll be back on Monday and I'll have some exciting new details for sure. Keep up all of the positive endeavors that you are involved in. It was a good week for mail and I really appreciate it. Love you all.

 

picture of Elder Ludlow and Elder Torgeson with their bikes in the heat and humidity