doing and Sister Yellow and I have come up with a response that explains
our feelings perfectly. We are Hudson Happy! We have been seeing a steady
increase in people to teach and people with a desire to be baptized. The
members are catching the missionary spirit and are actually anxious to talk
to us about their missionary efforts. Oh and our area is absolutely
gorgeous! It is the perfect mix between city and country. So you see, this
is why we are #HudsonHappy. It's a type of happiness that only serving in
Hudson can provide. Haha on the real though... I love my area! Oh also, our
gas prices here are sooooooo low! It has dropped an entire dollar in one
month! Is it like that everywhere? Why are they so low? This is awesome!
In other news... Last week we were asked to come in and teach the primary
kids about faith. Of course we decided to tweak the lesson a bit and teach
everyone in the room how to be missionaries. It was great! I was explaining
something to the class when a little 4yr old boy covers his ears and kept
repeating, "I didn't do it!" I didn't understand what he was doing until
almost the end of class. Apparently my "Purdy family" voice came out and I
was speaking quite loudly. The little boy thought I was yelling because he
was in trouble! Whoops!
This week we had Stake Conference and the Stake President was talking about
an experience his daughter had a few weeks ago while serving her mission in
the Philippines. She said she was sitting in a small home teaching an
elderly woman when suddenly she thought to herself, "how the heck did I get
here?" I laughed audibly as I had a flashback to my first area when I was
biking to an appointment in a Florida rainstorm that soaked me through and
through and then the pedal on my bike fell off. I had that same thought of,
"how the heck did I end up in Florida biking in a rainstorm, in a skirt!?"
Haha the answer that the Stake President's daughter had come to her is the
same answer that came to me. She said that as she stared at this woman and
asked herself how she ended up in that small home in a foreign place she
heard these words, "because I love her." She knew that Heavenly Father was
expressing his love for this elderly woman to that missionary. I have had
that same confirmation come to me so many different times as I stand and
bare testimony to perfect strangers. I truly have felt Gods love for the
people here. I am so grateful for that.
There is a quote from president Uchtdorf that Sister Yellow and I love!
"For what we love determines what we seek. What we seek determines what we
think and do. What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will
become."
Whatever aspect of life we want to improve in it all begins with where our
heart is. In the context of being a missionary, it starts with loving the
people and loving God. Really in life in general. If we turn our focus to
loving God everything else will fall into place. President Uchtdorf talked
about why God made the first and greatest commandment to love Him. It is
not because he needs our love, but he knows that by loving Him and putting
Him first, we will seek more wholesome things and become happier!
We can all try this week to be just a little more loving in all that we do
and say. I truly do love you all so much! Have an incredible week and stay
safe!
-Sister Upshaw
Also, birthday shout out to Nannon, Billy, and Abby! I love you all and
sorry I am a week late Bill and Rhi!
Pictures: missionary night with the activity day girls. (Pin the tie on the
missionary)
My MTC comp, sis Ormsby was in this months Ensign! Basically I know a
famous person now.
Oh and we now have a ridiculously large spider camping right outside our
window... That thing is the size of my hand!
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