Returning With Honor

Newark never looked so good!

Proud and grateful parents!

 Mission Completed!  This is Elder Ludlam's last post...

Elder Ludlam caught the red-eye out of Guayaquil, arriving in Miami in the wee hours.  He reached Newark, New Jersey,  at 10:10 a.m., a few minutes early and his family was a running a little late.  We haven't had too many successful trips to the airport yet.  We always manage to find some new detour or traffic challenge!

Our stake president, Bruce Jones, released Grant that same evening.  What a wonderful and joyous occasion this whole week has been!  Grant is adjusting well and getting used to his new east coast home.  Mom writes, "Each day I get to spend with him seems like a taste of heaven!"

We miss you, Lia!

We love you and are so proud of you, Grant!  On to the next great adventure....

The Meaning of Enduring to the End

Farewell, dear Lia!  Hope you like the Y.  You’ll have to forward this on to her.

Goodbye to la Familia Velez

Left to right Elder Ludlam, Ligia, Michel, Elder Valenzuela

Well, we had a good week.  Yesterday was Elder Valenzuela’s birthday.  He got a whopping 9 people in sacrament meeting for his b-day present.  I am also looking to try and find him a watch.  We’ve been working with a lady that lives in our apartment building.  It makes daily contact really easy.  She has been really receptive to the restored gospel. She really likes the Book of Mormon.  We are also working with the family of one of our investigators.  They thought that their parents were never going to want to listen, but the more they hear about the Restored Gospel the more they like it.  They are members of another Brazilian church.  

I heard my companion gave a powerful lesson with them while I left him in my sector for an exchange.  He was rather proud of himself.  He managed to have four lessons all in one day.  He missed all of our actually-scheduled appointments, but I guess that makes his accomplishment even more amazing.  He even found members to accompany him to the lessons.

I heard from another missionary that the people I was working with in Solana with Elder Brooks have all gotten baptized.  That’s always great to hear.  I think my whole group will be finishing at the same time as me.  Hopefully I will be able to visit some of my old wards on my last few days.  I don’t think anyone is going to extend, so it will be good to see everyone again.  We had a training meeting today with our President.  Every time we have meetings like this, I am reminded of how much I want to still be part of the whole mission experience.  I am glad to see you all soon, though.

I really liked the quote you sent by Elder Hales.  I liked how it said that every missionary is always called to do more than they are able to when they start the mission.  When their focus is taken off themselves and onto helping other people, it allows for great growth and maturity.  That is what enduring to the end means.  After explaining that term every day, I thought it was a neat new perspective.  

My travel group: Back: Elder Griffin, Chicaiza, Fares, Zimerman, Snow;
Front: Hna Rosales, Presidente Montalti, Elder Smith, Rovira

I think ending the mission the second time is harder than the first.  Did you know that Elder Johnson forgot to tell me he got a second plane ticket until the day before I was going to leave?  If I hadn’t called him, I never would have known I had an extra four weeks.  The next day, when the news came in that Elder Christofferson was going to visit the mission, I said, "I knew that was a good decision."  I think General Authorities become 4x more exciting when you are a missionary.

Well, I love you all.  Hope to see you soon.

Love, a very viktor Nan

Am I getting home the week school starts?

Elder Christofferson's coming!

Querido Fam Fam,

Happy Birthday, Lia!  Guess what!  You made it to voting age.  This will be the first time for both of us.  Let’s make America a little more mormon-ier.  I wish I could have gone to Provo with you, but there are more exciting things happening in Guayaquil.  Is Ava excited to be jefa (chief mom) for the week?

We are sure excited about the visit from Elder Christofferson.  All of Guayaquil North and South will be there.  Did you know that the Twelve always take time to shake every missionaries hand?  I just learned that.  I am the practice accompañest for a special choir that will perform Divina Luz (The Light Divine).  They sound really good.

I am glad you enjoyed all my planned homecoming activities without me.  I would have liked to see some of those historical sites.

Well, I think my companion has a few more P-day activities planned.  We keep working hard.  I hope I will be able to just enjoy these last few weeks doing the Lord´s work.

Mas me tronqueo. (He’s is getting trunkier)

Feely

Your comment about readjusting to the less glorious labor of receiving a secular education me inquietó a little, Mom.  How is it trying to stay close to the Lord without being able to focus everything on his work?  I know he keeps loving us just the same after we are released, but it just seems like it will be so much harder to feel his influence so plenamente in life.

Well, lots of Nan loves--

Mr. G

Greet everyone you don't know!

Dear Family,

I am so happy for my bonus weeks at the beginning and end of my mission.  I enjoyed your pictures.  That’s cool that you got to go to New York City.  You never sent any reunion pictures, though.

This week they had the “big clasico,” the game between Guayaquil’s two most popular rival teams: Barcelona and Emelec.  Our house is just a few blocks from the Emelec stadium where they had the game so for the past few days there has been a non-stop line of traffic next to our house honking, "Beep...Beep...Beep Beep." (Bar-ce-lo-na, Bar-ce-lo-na)

We had a really good week.  Elder Valenzuela really likes this ward.  (He got a kick out of ward council, too.  It’s nice to know I’m not the only one.)  We have been working with mostly the same people that I told you about last week, but they all seem to be progressing so far.  The bishop stayed after church to interview all the investigators and I think it helped a lot.  I can see that they are resolving many of their doubts. 

Watching your investigators in church is always exciting.  Our ward mission leader got out of the sacrament meeting room first to block the hallway in order to very furtively send all the members back to go say hello to our new friends.  After everyone had gotten to their classes he came over to me, sighed, and then said, "Please promise me that when you go back to your home you will just always greet everyone you don’t know when they come to church."

After getting really excited about my extra few weeks, I started to have some anxiety come back.  I think I saw it as another chance to still reach my baptism goal.  When I thought I was only going to be here for two weeks, I didn’t have to worry.  I still was working hard, but I just felt happy finding new investigators and making new baptismal dates for some other missionary who was going to take over my area when I left.  I just did it because I enjoyed it and it was rewarding.  Work is more rewarding when I am not feeling compelled by someone else or by myself to go, but rather because I enjoy what I am doing. I guess what is really important is how I am working now.  That is what really makes me a successful missionary, not what my numbers are when I finish.  I am still fighting through this internal argument, but I think the principle I am learning is true.

Well, I’d like to stay here forever but I am glad I will be seeing you all soon.  Livi, Ecuador is hot and humid, too, but right now we are in the cold part of the year.

Love, Elder Luddles

I’ll try to get some pictures from on top of our house so you can see how my area looks next week.

A New Companion and Future Apostle Visit!

Hello Family!

Grant's new companion, Elder Valenzuela from México

I am happy that you are happy that I get to stay another mes (month).  There have been a few changes.  Élder Gómez se fue (left) and now my companion is Élder Valenzuela de Juárez, Chihuahua, México.  He is from the same group as Élder Gómez. He’s a humble guy and I think we are going to get along grandly.  It will be a good last four weeks. And bendiciones (blessings) --  Elder Christofferson is coming to the mission...Sept 1!  I’ll just get to see him on my way out.  Elder Piño was wonderful.

Well, we are working with a few people.  We are trying to reactivate one family.  They came to church yesterday.  We are also helping another family.  They are former investigators and have always wanted to get baptized, but needed to get married.  Now they say they want to get married.  The ward is really trying to go out and help them.  We are also working with an older gentleman.  He is the suegro of an hermano (father-in-law of a brother) that worked in Amazonas 1 (another area of Guayaquil) who helped us baptize his niece.  I am excited to get to work with their family again.

Mirella Barzola and family with Elder Rojas and Cuba

I will have to reel back in my crazy spending habits.  I got a full month’s allowance and I thought I could live the high life for my last two weeks, but now I will need to stretch it out until I leave.   

I am sure sad I won’t get to see you, Lia.  I got excited there when you wrote about how you wanted to do violin sonatas together.  I am glad you’re into that now.  At least we’ve got Christmas.  I am sending some pictures of my weekly planning session.  After doing our regular plans, I made my own plans.  It is hard to get and then “un-get" yourself trunky like this.

Feely: Nan's search for happiness

These past few days I have been trying to develop the attribute of sincere interest or amor cristiano (Christian love).  We watched a PMG movie about this one lady who was an eternal investigator.  She said that there had been lots of missionaries that showed great determination in trying to get her baptized, but only the last ones (that baptized her) made her feel like they weren't just trying to get something from her.  They came and listened and prepared themselves well before the lessons to answer questions she might have. Elder Gómez told me I am too direct with the people and that I need to show more cariño.  That is what I am trying to work on.

Well, love you all a ton.

Love, Elder Ludlam

September it is!

Dear Ludlam Family,

Elder Ludlam will be ending his mission on September 4^th! We were able to get him a later flight. I have sent the information to President Jones to be able to coordinate his release. Feel free to write if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Elder Johnson

Mission President´s Secretary

Ecuador Guayaquil South Mission

Phone: 011-593-4-228-2454

An Official Notice

Dear Ludlam Family,

Two years has gone by quickly! On the 7^th of August, 2012, your son, Grant Ludlam, will return home. We are very grateful for the service he has given in our mission. We are also grateful for the support you have given him. I have attached his flight plans for your convenience. President  Jones  is already aware and will be in contact with you to coordinate his release. We appreciate your response to this letter.

Sincerely,

Élder Johnson

Secretario del Presidente

Misión Ecuador Guayaquil Sur

Tel 04.228.2454