Email 4.8.12

Mi Familia,

This letter will obviously be a short letter due to something.. But yeah. HAPPY EASTER!! What a wonderful meeting we have had in Rapid City. It was amazing. We had a couple that just moved into the ward speak. They did such a great job!! They did wonderful. The spirit was very strong.

Me and Elder Ellefsen had an opportunity to give a blessing on Monday to a terminally Ill cancer patient. She is a friend of DJaye and Joe Hansens mom. It was a incredible blessing. She was on her way to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn to get one of her Kidneys Removed. She is in stage 4 of the cancer. Her and her husband are wonderful people. i had the opportunity and privilige to offer the blessing and heavenly father blessed her with many great things. She came to church today. That was amazing. I love to be even a fraction apart of the miracles that happen. I love this gospel!!

Tanya and Zariah have been baptized!! I had the opportunity to baptize Zariah and Ellefsen baptized Tanya and then today I confirmed tanya and he zariah. It was a great service and a great day all together. i love this church sooo much.

I am perfectly fine with working the catering the night after I get home. Thats fine. I will do my best to represent ShellyAnns again.

I have lots to talk about, But I will save.

If you have any questions just email me during numbers today and tonight.

I love you!!! I am excited to see all of you this week.

Love,

Elder Michael Corey Rudd

Email 4.1.12

Wow,

Great email lots of good things happening. Sounds like a party right now. You couldnt wait to have a party when the actual party gets home. Alright, Alright I see how it is! But yeah, Sounds super fun.

Conference was amazing wow. Many answers to prayers were there. I did see David Archuletta in the choir. Some of the priests showed me at culvers after the session. They said he is going to Chile on his mission. I am happy to see that and I admire that alot.

I love this church so much.

Crazy experience this week. James Hill is amazing. We had an incredible experience with him. James was talking about his ailments and his injuries and his diabetes. He has lost a couple of toes from infections and all. But he said you know never in my life have I felt that the lord will heal me but right now I feel like the lord will for some reason. Me and Elder Ellefsen look at each other and we open up to James where it says call upon the elders of my church to annoit thy head with oil and bless you. So we told him that we are those elders and we can do that and he got a big smile on his face and started to cry and said Elders please do so. So I was able to give him a blessing and be awesome. The blessing said he would be healed through his faith. We knew James had faith. We knew we had faith for him to be healed. We went to the hospital the next day and James was sitting in his hospital bed and as we walked into the room he started to cry. We shared a tender moment. James told us that the doctor came in and said that the toe did not need to be cut off the infection was gone and that he did not need surgery. We were able to see a miracle of our heavenly father. It was incredible.

I have alot more to share and talk about but I want to wait and share. All is going well on my end. We have ALOT happening this week! ZLC tomorrow and tuesday then the start of transfer boards and then district meeting and then packing up and transfers next week. Things are getting crazy!! I love you all so much!

Pictures 3.26.12

This Property is protected by Jesus Christ sticker. So cool.

The Beaumonts and Family Home Evening

Me and Ellefsen at the Beaumonts Family Home Evening

someone put Peanut Butter on straws and then put them on some brews car.

Some pictures that the "Rapid Brews" had taken. According to Elder Rudd "brew time" means guy time.

(We didn't get an explanation why the pictures were taken but there are some fun ones!)

Email 3.26.12

Hey Dere!

Mi Familia, How art thou? Another crazy week aboard this crazy train that is my mission. I just have adopted the motto to roll with the punches. The Mission continues to roll on with great succes.

So this past sunday was super hectic. Elder Anderson one of my favorite missionaries was hit by a car here in Rapid. We were doing numbers and Elder Liechty called and told me and I freaked. We were at the scene of the accident in 2 minutes. With the accident being 3 miles away. It was CRAZY. Heavenly Father needed us to be there pronto. So me and Elder Ellefsen hopped in the truck and we were there within 5 minutes after the accident. It was incredible. So, the lady who hit him was a less active member in the Canyon Lake Ward which is the ward Elder Anderson is in. He has totally played it to their advantage though. He called her this Morning and was like hey this is the Elder who was in the accident last week just wanted to call and invite you to church. The Lady felt sooooo bad that she is coming back to church. But Elder Anderson was emitted into the hospital last sunday night in the ER and found out that he has 3 broken ribs and a bruised kidney. He has had alot of pain and soreness of late but he is doing really well. It freaked all of us out. I was not happy. Everyone just calls me the General. I just want to get in there and figure it out whats wrong whats up fill me in kinda thing, lets get it done. So, yeah. He is out of the Hospital and we had to go take another areas car in Sturgis and give it to them while he recovers. Ribs take forever though. So to be continued........

This week we were on the road again. We took off thursday morning for Gillette and were able to do an exchange with the Zone Leaders there. It was fun to be back in my old stomping grounds. I loved the time we were able to spend there. The first day me and ellefsen split up, I went with the Zone Leaders Elder Bishop, Elder Wilkes. It was a blast. We were able to get alot of work done. They are doing super well over there. Elder Ellefsen went and exchanged with Gillette 2nd Ward; Elder Cushion, Elder Smith. On the 2nd day. Ellefsen went with the Zone Leaders and I went with the 1st Ward Elders. Elder Dawson, Elder Hogan. It was a great exchange with all. We were able to get alot done and see alot of people. I am so grateful for the missionary program and it goes off without a hitch (Sometimes) :)

Tanya and Zeriah are doing soooooo good!!! They came to church. Tanya brought 3 other girls too. So all together six of them. It was great. The ward welcomed them in and all went well. They will get baptized this weekend maybe because of conference. We want to do it so they dont have another week of temptation. So we are playing it by ear and what bishop mclaws wants to do. But they are doing awesome!!!

Me and Elder Ellefsen are getting along pretty dang well. I am glad we are. I think we understand each other now. But we are doing good. Great! Awesome!

I can not tell you how excited I am for GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! :) I love General Conference. It will be amazing!!! I cant wait to hear President Monson say: "We will build a temple in Rapid City, South Dakota." I think if that happens I will fall on the ground and just lay there for hours. I will be just paralized from excitement. :) I would love that so much!! :) By the way!! TAKE NOTES!!! Dont just tell yourself I will wait for the ensign to come out. Take notes and recieve revelation!! :)

I love my mission so much. I cant explain to you what I feel about these people and this land. It owns my heart. I love the Dakotas I love the Wyoming Plains. I know that I was and am called by a Prophet of God to here in this area at this time. i love this church!!!! I love my Heavenly Father! I love Jesus Christ. Never before in my life or probably ever again will I be this in tune with my father in heaven. I cant tell you how wonderful my mission has been. But my testimony is so strong and burns with this gospel. I cant wait to share it wherever the lord wants me.

I love you all!!! :)

Love,

Elder Michael Corey Rudd

Email 3.18.12

Hey Dere All.

Another week flies by just like the rest of them. It is such a bummer to me that weeks just continue to speed on by. I want to press pause and rewind the last two years. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have served the lord in this Labor of Love. I want to let EVERYONEknow that for the last two years I KNOW that the lord has sent me to South Dakota to gather his children from all over the plains. I am so grateful to be a instrument in the Lords hands. I will miss most of all the Mantle of A missionary. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be in one hundred percent service to the lord.

This week has been pretty crazy. We spent most of the week on the road. I know I know shocker right?
But we had leaderships this week. On monday we took off for Gillette and had a great leadership over there. Our training was focused on How to Use the Lords time Wisely to fulfill the Lords purpose. It was a great meeting and were all spritually filled by the spirit. The Lord always knows what is best for his mission and what his missionaries need to know. It will be good to continue to learn and grow. That will be my last training at a leadership. I have done five in my time as an Assistant. For my whole mission I have always had so much to say and want to just spend forever talking and hopefully someone gets something out of it. But I will have one more training at Zone Leader Council in a couple of weeks. It will be great. The works are already in progress.

Got a good story to tell you. Elder Hallstrom of the Presidency of the 70 came into town and it was just great. He wasnt even here for a full day. But he came in to the mission and we were able to be instructed and interviewed by him. It was so funny though. He came into our office to check it out at the mission office and President Layton came in as well. Elder Ellefsen forgot to erase what was on his to-do list. It said "Party" When President Layton came in the office he looked at the to-do list and pointed at Ellefsen and was like what are you doing? Like you are embarassing me face. But President Hallstrom was talking to me and he didnt even notice the to-do list. But President threw us under the bus and was like "Well bretheren tell President what you mean by "Party" on your to-do list. I was like OH NO! So we simply explained to President Hallstrom that what we mean by Party is to enjoy what we are doing here in the mission field. He didnt buy that so he said well maybe choose a word like find JOY. We were rebuked basically by an apostle. It was was a HOLY BUCKETS moment. But other than that we had a great visit with him. We both were able to be interviewed by him individually. He asked us why in the last two years is the SDRCM leading the central area and above the United States in so many categories. It was a really tough question. #1 Heavenly is blessing his children and gathering them into the fold. #2 We are a Preach My Gospel Mission. It was a great opportunity. He is a great man.

What a wonderful opportunity we have to be lead by great men such as this. I know that this church is lead by the savior Jesus Christ himself. But the Savior is a perfect person and a very smart man of course he is going to select only those who have been prepared. How wonderful.

This week was a pretty slow week. We just had a lot of meetings and alot of things that we needed to take care of. It was really hard though this week I had to say goodbye to so many. As we went around the mission it was the last time I will see Elder Hammond and so many. It was tough but thats okay. Its all good. Its in the Lords plans.

Just some little things. For those who will be at the airport. I want whoever to come but people I know of course. Like friends and family. Anyone from the ward. things like that. I dont know I just want to know people there. Thats all. But yeah, I have to come to grips with this sooner or later.

I love you all so much. What a wonderful life. How can you frown at all. We live on a earth made for us by a loving heavenly father through his son Jesus Christ and both of them love us sooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!! So all ya'll (incluiding me) STOP COMPLAINING!! We got it made!!! I love you!!

Love,

Elder Rudd!! :)

Pictures 3.17.12

Us & The Buxton Family.

Me and Veronica Buxton being dumb

We have a joke going throughout the mission that Arizona is the Number One State. So we convinced Sister Layton to throw up a #1.

Email 3.11.12

Family & Friends,

Wow what a wonderful week. I am enjoying being here in Rapid City so much. If I could explain my mission in three words they would be.. Blessing, Humility and Party. I have had the attitude for two years to let the lord Direct his work and me be worthy and hang on for the ride and let him direct me wherever he would have me go. Most importantly get out of the way so that the lord can do his work. I love my mission just in case you dont know.. :)

But this week has been such an incredible week. We were in town for most of the week. We were here and were able to see alot of people and teach alot of people. It has been amazing. We were able to meet James. James is a older man about 52 years old. He was forced into retirement due to a broken leg that has taken 25 surgeries to fix. On top of that he has diabetes and that really is not good for him. He struggles with that and things are getting better. But he has had to be humbled a whole lot and has been through alot of things so that the lord can reach him. The Canyon Lake elders gave us his name. He had ran them down on the street and asked them to come see him and they saw that it was our area so they gave him to us and yesterday we went and seen him and had such a great lesson with him. We talked for a while and got to know eachother and the conversation went towards the gospel and thats where we stayed for the rest of the time. He asked us he was like "Do you believe that Jesus Christ and God and the holy spirit are the same person. We said no we dont he leaned forward and said "ME EITHER!" He asked another question.. "Do you believe everyone is going to hell?" we said no we dont. he leaned forward and said.. "ME EITHER, in fact I dont believe there is such a thing called hell. We said We dont either. He just flipped out and was like holy moly!! He is so awesome. Such a great guy. We invited him to be baptized and is on Date for April 7th. He is awesome. We are super excited to continue to work with him and further his relationship with heavenly father.

We had Zone Leader Council this week. It is crazy that this Zone Leader Council was almost my last one. I will be here for one more. But, I have been at Zone Leader Council FOREVER. Everyone else this is there 5th or 6th time. It was my 15th ZLC. It is crazy. Crazy Business. But it was a really good meeting. In other news. Elder Hallstrom from the Presidency of the Seventy will be stopping through rapid city this coming week. He will be coming to check on the Mission Home and the Mission Office and make sure all is in tip top shape so that the new mission president will have no problems and all when he comes to rapid in a couple months. So he has requested that he meet with us and president and talk about the mission. So that will be absolutely crazy.

We head out tomorrow for Leadership conferences. We take off tomorrow for Gillette for the 1st one and head off to Fargo on tuesday morning for the other leadership and we will be back in town on Friday from Fargo. The Work just keeps going and we keep working and keep driving. It is crazy. But we just keep going. :) Roll with the punches. :)

Mom, I did get my debit card all taken care of on that end.

We just went and ate at the Beu's home. Their daughter just got back from Mesa on her mission. So we were able to talk about it for a while. It was super cool. Super Super Weird though. She was telling me all these things and I was like WHAT! So Crazy. Super cool stuff.

Elder Ellefsen and I are working alot better. Still working out some kinks but so far so good. We get along alot better.

I cant tell you how much I love this church. I know that this church is the Church of Jesus Christ. He does live and leads his church today. I love getting asked the question why we have church on sunday or why we dont have a cross on our buildings... Think about it with me. Jesus Christ did die for our sins he did and I love him for that. But what signaficance would that of had if he just died? Oh great Christ died for my sins. Brothers and Sisters I am here to tell you yes he did die for our sins but more important than that he was ressurected!!!! He conquered death and lives today. I will thank my savior everyday for him dying for my sins. But I will remember my savior everyday because he overcame spiritual and physical death. He Lives and loves you!

I love you all so very much. The Work continues on in the South Dakota Rapid City Mission. Never a dull moment. Yes my mission is getting short I am reminded of it everyday BUT! I have been called for two years!!! So.. Got me some work to do! :) I love you!

Love,

Elder Michael Corey Rudd!

Elder Michael Corey Rudd

Assistant to the President

South Dakota Rapid City Mission