September 24 Letter

Dear People,

It's a gorgeous day in Boston and I just wanted to send another wonderful email. It is such a pleasure to do this every week. I apologize for sometimes not being consistent!

I have had some good experiences since i last wrote. As usual, the missionary work feels like it goes up and down like waves but when I take a step back right now and look at things, they're going pretty well. Unlike the BYU cougars, which is unfortunate. It's ok though, because the Red Sox didn't do very good either.

When I heard that my family got another vehicle i surprised myself by not feeling bad about it at all. Im happy for my brothers and maybe everything will run smoother now. It looks like a really nice car.

There was a zone conference on tuesday with Elder Haleck of the seventy speaking to us. It was in Franklin and it was a spiritual feast. We passed by Gillette Stadium on the way there (Where the Patriots play) which was on my mission bucket list. Elder Haleck spoke about working with members and shared some profound stories from his time as a missionary and mission president (in the same place, Samoa.) The picture of me with a wooded background is there next to the church. 

Last P-day was also my first time at Harvard square. We walked around a little bit and went to the bookstore there. It's a neat place. I still haven't been to very many of the historical sites around Boston but im planning on doing more next month.

Something really exciting for me is the diversity of people that im starting to talk with on the streets. We get approached by random people all the time but recently a muslim came and talked to us for a while. I have actually met quite a few arabs and spoken in arabic with them. Even at subway! At the same restaurant i chatted with some israeli's that were visiting the US. They were a super friendly couple from Tel aviv. Immediately after that another couple from Jerusalem stopped us outside and asked us for directions. Ohhh the city life.

I haven't started teaching Natalia yet but she has come to church twice in a row now and our plan is to start this week. Most of our teaching has been with really solid long-time investigators that are finally starting to approach baptism. There are a few of them. So we haven't taught very many first lessons lately, or picked up anyone new. 

Best of my wishes to Grandma Ludlow as she goes through more recovery. I love all of my grandparents and salute them for exemplary lives and the great letters I receive from them. 

Remember to be doers of the word and not hearers only! When we come before our Savior and say "Lord, Lord" but haven't done what he asked us to do it will mean nothing. Live the gospel and let the spirit thrive in conversation, action and meditation. I encourage you to let the holy ghost lead one of your prayers this week.

Avoid the pride virus! I have seen pride everywhere on my mission, and it's bad :/ Humility and charity are the best antidotes. This is a serious disease in the world today.

Love always,

Elder J. Ludlow Jr.

Birthday Thank You

Hello everyone,

 

I would like to start out by thanking everyone for the things that they sent for my birthday. I appreciated every little thing that i received. It's an inspiration to me, having such great family members and friends.

 

My birthday was an interesting day. In the morning I happily opened some packages and letters that i got. From then until the evening everything was just like any other day. We walked and walked and walked until our feet were sore looking for less-active members around our part of the city (where we live). After that we joined the young single adults of boston in their activity, which ended up being walking around looking for less-active members, if you can imagine that.

Following the YSA activity, Elder Swasey and I decided to do something different for Dinner. So we walked over to a Dominican restaurant and ate there. It was pretty good. I got "El bandera" which is rice, beans and chicken in a special dominican style. With the food i had a tropical style drink called "Lechosa"

When we walked out of the restaurant, a deluge of rain started to pour down on us. So we had to run through the rain back home. We were completely soaked but happy at the same time.

 

Thanks for the emails. I dont have much time anymore to comment on them, but i will try to answer any questions.

Yeah we do eat a lot of eggs at our apartment, for some reason. Im not hooked yet though. The district leader right now is my companion. There is definitely some of the college atmosphere. There was a lot of hubbub last week with everyone moving in and out. Finding investigators is difficult because there are so many people. We get plenty of referrals and talk with people all day but it seems like most of the people we find come out of the wood work. Like they are put in our path by miraculous means.

 

Just a spiritual thought. We have a lot of technology these days. I see people every time on the train or bus looking at their phones or listening to music. I believe that many of the inventions that we have in our era were inspired by God for different reasons. One reason is for the spreading of the gospel. With the amount of time that we spend on our electronics, are we focusing our efforts and things that really matter? We could make a huge difference in our lives by utilizing technology to study the gospel, learn more, or uplift ourselves and others.

 

I love you. Until later,

 

-Elder J. Ludlow Jr.

Short email plus pictures

I've realized that I dont have very much time here to write emails so I'll have to abbreviate them a little. Maybe what I could do is just go over some of the highlights and then answer the questions that you have.

It was great to read about the latest happenings and everything. I think I got some of the best emails so far this week.

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Im going to briefly answer some of dad's questions and then possibly go into detail next time if you would like. Yes I do a huge amount of walking here and we talk with people all day long. It's impossible to count the number of people that we contact in a week.

We teach quite a bit in spanish, im still adjusting.

Sister Hales is actually in my ward and district. She is one of the spanish sisters that we work with all the time.

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I went to Cambridge yesterday for basketball and stuff. It was fun.

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Ok I have some pictures. Our shopping cart on p-day, Me at the Charles River, At service at the Roslindale congregational church, my desk and our map. The photo with the car in it is just a random shot of Hyde Park Ave- where I live.

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Thanks Mom and Dad. Love you!

Charles River

map of tracting area

Elder Ludlow's desk

P-day Grocery shopping

Hello from Boston August 27, 2012

Hello from Boston,

 

It's a nice sunny day here in the city. As you may have guessed, there have been a lot of changes for me in the last week. It's still sinking in for me. I hope that you're having a good time and getting into the groove with school starting and the normal schedule as well.

The work here is the complete opposite of how it was in Gardner. The biggest change is transportation. We don't have a car here in Boston :) We get around by bus and on the metro but especially- on foot. It has been exhausting but im getting into good shape pretty fast.

 

On the day of transfers we actually had to ride the metro (also known as the "T") into the city. When we went to the surface to change trains we were right smackdab in the middle of downtown Boston. I can tell you that I felt kind of like a fish out of water for the first couple minutes.

I love to be in the city though. We talk to more people, see more things, just overall it's more exciting. I have always enjoyed being in the city and seeing the many various buildings. There are some arabic people too, and i hope to talk with some in the near future.

 

 Another difference is that I live in a four elder apartment and spend plenty of time around other missionaries. The other two elders are haitian speaking and theyre really cool. In my ward, Boston 1st, there is us, Elder Swasey and I, two spanish sisters and two english sisters. A couple of wards meet in our building and there is a spanish group that is working on becoming a branch. Yesterday we had the opportunity of attending a baptism that the haitian missionaries had and it was really neat.

 

Elder Swasey is an excellent companion. He is from Boulder City, Nevada and is a lot taller and bigger than I am. He's very concentrated on learning spanish so that has been good for me. Im finally spending time with spanish speaking people for the majority of the day.

So im not sure if i made it clear but- and this is mind-blowing to me- Elder Swasey and I are the only english/spanish Elders in the entire city of Boston. Then there are the four sisters, english and spanish. It's crazy to think about.
 

I have eaten some more ethnic foods since arriving here. Rice, meat and fried plantains are the usual fare. My stomach is still making the adjustment. Brick Oven definitely sounds good right now. There will be more updates there in the future.

 

The area where we live isnt ghetto exactly but its not what my last apartment was like. You learn to adjust and appreciate the things that you have.

I dont have any time left but I love and care for you. May God bless you!

 

-Elder Jared Ludlow

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

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