4eb3d9e7-e3b6-49a9-9271-a859248821d3 Elder Chandon Jensen Back to Missionary Letters I’ve currently been in the mtc for just under a week but it is so much better then zoom. Our district is great and my comp Elder Anderson is a DAWG. We’ve had a lot of fun. We’ve played basketball a couple of times and spikeball and wiffleball which were so much fun. The food here is not good but we found a bright spot in the ahoha plate which is amazing so we pretty much eat it for every lunch and dinner. The spirit here is insane. Sacrament meeting was so quiet and the entire Sunday was set up to feel the spirit which is really cool. The studying is way cool too. It’s crazy how much I feel like I’ve grown in just a week. The scripture for this email is 2 Nephi 2:6-7 6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. I love this scripture because I know that Christ’s love and grace is infinite if we choose to come to him. Picture 1: Me and Elder Anderson getting ready for our first baptism. Previous Letter Next Letter

acd3d118-de4f-4c6a-a3f8-6c8eb613191a Elder Hayden Johnson Back to Missionary Letters Alma 26. The last week of my mission Well... As most missions around the world that have been affected by the COVID-19 Virus the New Zealand Auckland Mission as also been affected. All the missionaries in Auckland have been put in heavy quarantine for the next 30 days. The Prime Minister of New Zealand has put the country in Level 4 Lock down which has prohibited ANYONE that is not a New Zealand resident to enter the borders. Thankfully for here in the cook islands there has not been any cases and they have restricted the borders that they most likely will not be receiving it soon. If it were to get here on Rarotonga.... It would cause havoc! Since there is not adequate hospitals and medical facilities it would most likely spread very fast. The area Presidency took that into consideration and requested that all the missionaries in the Cook Islands be sent back to New Zealand...... BUT since New Zealand has closed their borders only 2 of the Cook island missionaries that are New Zealand residence went back and the 6 American missionaries were informed we would be stuck here until further notice.... 😂 Then yesterday we just received information that New Zealand has allowed us to enter their borders just to transit immediately back to America.... Yea, back to America... Back home.... We all were discussing if we would be reassigned or not, but now the church has released that any Elder with less than 6 months will be released. I only have 5 months left on my missions which means when I return to America I will be released as a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is many different emotions that run through my heart at this time. How quickly all this happened.. How scary it is around the world with all the unknown.... But as cheesy as it may be, the feeling that I feel the most abundantly. Is gratitude. How thankful I am for a Prophet to guide us in these latter days. How thankful I am to have been able to serve the Lord with ALL my heart, might, mind and strength. How thankful I have been to receive a change of heart and the gift of a firm growing testimony. I now have placed myself upon the rock of my Savior and I will not be moved. I know the Book of Mormon is true, that any man will grow nearer to God by studying and applying its words. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God, the only man that would be able to restore the Church of Christ in these Latter-days. I know the Plan of Salvation is real.... It brings me such peace to know the purpose of this life and to know where I am going after. I know that God lives and that He is aware of all of our situations, that He sent His own son, a perfect son, to suffer, bleed, and die so that we all may live. I have loved being a missionary for the Lord and just because I may take off the badge from my shirt. I will continue to serve the Lord wherever I may be. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me, messaged me, commented, or prayed for me... For I have felt the love and it has helped me throughout my mission. I no longer have to worry about the future because I know what I need to be doing now. I love you all Kia Kaha Kia Manuia Te Inangaro e au kotou❤️ -Orometua Ioane Tamaiti Previous Letter Next Letter

c2b66ead-5759-4432-ba08-36135eb14445 Sister Kaylee Sonnenberg Back to Missionary Letters 9 meses en Carolina del norte!! Una parte de mi corazón esta aqui para siempre Sé que la verdadera iglesia ha sido restaurada en la tierra otra vez y estoy muy agradecida por este tiempo que tenga para ayudar a otros a encontrar y experimentar este mismo gozo y paz que he sentido a través de Jesucristo! I know that the church of Jesus christ has been restored on the earth again and I am forever grateful for this time I have to help others find & experience the same joy and peace that I have felt through Jesus Christ! 9 months in North Carolina!!A part of my heart is here forever I know the true church has been restored on earth again and I am so thankful for this time I have to help others find and experience this same joy and peace I have felt through Jesus Christ!I know that the church of Jesus christ has been restored on the earth again and I am forever grateful for this time I have to help others find & experience the same joy and peace that I have felt through Jesus Christ! Previous Letter Next Letter

ae45a962-8ac9-4660-b1d8-2e84b411f9c8 Sister Kaden Lee Back to Missionary Letters signing off 2 months later I don't really know what to say... but the time has come:( this week I will end my service as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. my missionary experience is so close to my heart and it forever will be. Previous Letter Next Letter

9069951d-d936-4183-b566-cdbb357a7fb1 Sister Laren Leavitt Back to Missionary Letters Welcome August, Oh my goodness time is going by so quickly! Maryland is awesome! I didn't send out a group email last week sorry, was crazy busy. So a little bit of last week story. Had a long day waiting at the airport, arrived to DC at 2 in the morning, met my mission President and his family, got my trainer (who is seriously the BEST), met the YSA!! Seriously so much has happened. I LOVE THE WORK!!!! So to start off with a funny story.... so being a new missionary and all I thought I would be helpful and clean and do the dishes. Lol my comp. said that for the dish washer we dont use dishwasher soap (because we are cheap) we just use the regular dish soap. Ahh so I start it.... and maybe put a little to much in. A mess everywhere. Water and soap all over the floor! Oh it was so funny! I hope you can see the video! (Kinda dumb, but missionary humor is real) So yesterday was fast Sunday and holy cow FASTING WORKS!! The coolest miracle happened. My companion, Sister Harris, and I started our fast Saturday afternoon right after lunch (so about 2). we were in the car and began our companion fast, fasting that we may find a new friend to teach. NOT THREE MINUTES LATER, we get out of the car, walk across the street and run into this awesome guy. His name is Giles and he is 6'7, playing college basketball. We get talking to him and he so goofy and nice AND totally interested in the message we share. We invited him to church and he accepted!! He comes to church and we give him a heads up of what is going to happen today, he is taking everything in like a champ. We introduce him to a few of the members and just clicks with everyone. He kept saying 'this feels like home', he even got up in sacrament meeting and bore his testimony saying that he know meeting Sister Harris and I will change his life for the better! Seriously GOD IS REAL and THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH!! So pumped to teach him and show him that this message will change his life forever! Also this week, I began to reread the Book of Mormon and was in 1 Nephi chapter 3. (For those who don't know)This is when Nephi and his brothers go back to Jerusalem to get the plates or family genealogy, from Laban... anyway I thought of how Nephi made God his partner and put his trust in Him. That if Nephi had failed to get the plates, it meant God had failed. And because God does not fail, Nephi didn't. I know if we have Him as our partner than we will never fail! Trust in him, he knows our plan and he knows what will be best for us!! I love you all! Hope you have a great week! Love Sister Leavitt Update on the Temple: got word that the re-dedication is back on schedule and Salt Lake will be releasing a date soon!!! Previous Letter Next Letter

83f1982b-2072-433c-87ed-665a5954565e Elder Scott Sperry Back to Missionary Letters My Last Email Hey, it's been a while.... I know I haven't written an email in a while but here I am! However, this will be my last email seeing that I return home this week on the 15th. I thought I would give you guys an update on what has happened since last time I wrote. Paso De Los Toros: When I last wrote I was with my Chilean comp, Elder Aguirre. I had one transfer with him and then I received a new comp, Elder Lawrence from St. George. The day after transfers we had a baptism of a member's granddaughter. That transfer we also had a mission conference with Elder Joaquin E. Costa. We worked hard and overall had a fun transfer together. We were working on getting an inactive family back to church and this Saturday, one of the daughters got baptized. I only had one transfer with Elder Lawrence and then I got transferred to Camino Carrasco. I was put in a trio with Elder Peterson and Elder Estrada, but I was only with them for a week when I got emergency transferred up to Treinta y Tres, a zone I was in about 16-17 months ago. But to make it even more crazy, I got ETed back to my old area in Treinta y Tres, 33 Central. So I'm back in an old area with members I already know. My new comp is Elder Froncianis from Paraguay. Overall this transfer has been good, we have a few friends on date. Sadly I won't be around for their baptisms. Sadly my mission is coming to a close, but I know that a new chapter is opening up in my life. I´m grateful for these 2 years I have had to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ here in Uruguay. I know this Church is true and that we have a prophet on the Earth. I know Jesus Christ lives. P.S I land in St. George on the 15th at about 12:30 PM and I'll be giving my homecoming talk on the 31st because of the upcoming holidays. Can't wait to see all of you soon! Previous Letter Next Letter

6aead3df-7e41-4049-b9d1-08d8fb5c2cb2 Sister Jerusha Bundy Back to Missionary Letters Hey fans, I hope you all are doing well and have been reading your scriptures lately. This week was so good, i dont remember anything we did but ill try to recall. So tuesday we went to some sunflower fields and it was so fun! The sunflowers were very pretty and i picked some We also went berry picking and i loved it so much that ive decided im going to have my own berry farm on day, they are just too good. I really just felt peace as i picked the raspberries because raspberries are my favorite food and i just got to eat as much as i wanted. I felt like i was dreaming so one day, ill have a berry farm and itl be called "bundy's berry's" you all are welcome to come and check it out once its finished. Manjeet is doing SOOOOO WELLL, he loves having the Holy Ghost with Him and loves sharing the gospel. Hes such a good example to the members of the branch and im just so proud of him! Update on the machete: it is taken care of, I journeyed into the wilderness and it is in a very secret and special place. We also had MLC and it was so great i love seeing all the missionaries and learning from them and i always leave being slightly chastened by the spirit buy so motivated at the same time! Something l learned was to ALWAYS KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND HE WILL BLESS YOU NO MATTER WHAT I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF CANADA AND IM GOING TO MISS THEM SO SO MUCH. Anyways, im gonna cry a lot when i have to leave. 18 months wasnt long enough I know that the Gospel is true and I know that Jesus Christ lives! I love you all! Previous Letter Next Letter

bf561411-4812-4638-a8b7-702560438648 Elder Jeremy Perkins Back to Missionary Letters I am no longer in Rose City/Butler Creek anymore, but in a ward in Beaverton called Aloha, but it's pronounced (A-low-ah) for some reason. My companions' names are Elder Knudsen and Elder King. They are both amazing! They are both going home in 2 weeks though so I'm going to get another companion. Our area is doing really well! We have a baptism coming up on Saturday and one on the 31st! Also in my last area in Gresham Ruben is getting baptized on the 31st as well! Miracles are among us! I love our mission, we have some amazing missionaries here. President and Sister Haymond are motivating and inspired leaders. They and some other missionaries have come up with the goal of achieving 50 baptisms in the month of August. We have faith that we will achieve this and that the Lord will place those in our path who are ready! Our mission on average has 30 baptism's a month, there are 60+ missionaries leaving at the end of August and so the Haymonds want them to go out with a BANG! I've been thinking a lot this past week about the merciful love of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. I've also been thinking about the commandments and the importance it is to be obedient. There was a scripture I read this past week found in 2 Nephi 4:18-20 and it says "I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep." It's amazing to think that even when we do mess up we can be "preserved" because of Jesus Christ. Hope everyone has a great week!elderjeremyperkins Previous Letter Next Letter

6a58ed1c-683a-41ff-9d60-07a7934d87ae Elder Isaac Iverson Back to Missionary Letters Weekly...eh more like Monthly Email Hello friends and family!! I am bored enough today to grind out another group email. Let's jump into some highlights! Collin and Corinna: The Lord works MIRACLES!! We scheduled a lesson with this sweet part-member family. Collin is the member. We were doing some How to Begin Teaching, pretty much overviewing what we do as missionaries, and they start telling us how they were praying for an answer on how we could draw closer to God and me and my previous companion Elder Ackerson found them out front of their house! They talked much more of ways the Lord had prepared them for us. We taught the message of the Restoration and it was powerful. There was tears and warm fuzzies. It was a super bien lesson! We have another man named Franco who said he's ready for a baptismal date as soon as he gets his COVID vaccine later this week! I don't know what else to write about. Things are going great here in Boerne, TX! I love the mission and all the blessings it brings. OH! I hit 18 months on the 25th, so I'm an old Elder now! It's going way too fast. I would just like to leave y'all with my simple testimony that the church Christ had established while on earth has been Restored. We are living in the last dispensation and the Lord continues to love, bless, and work miracles in all of our lives! He loves you. I love you!! Have a great week or month til I right my next one!!😁😊😊😁😆☺🤪😝🤩☺😀😁😊😃😊🙂😊 Previous Letter Next Letter

d8002f7c-d196-4de8-bc4c-f2c60f04c96c Elder Drake Wakefield Back to Missionary Letters Transfer😮💨😮💨 Pagi yall, got some transfer news and I am finally moving cities🙏🙏I'm going to Bogor😁😁it has bikes and it's colder and it has mountains I can climb, that's all I need to know. District leader while training again, training arc pt.2 But this weeks been great, kinda been anticipating transfer news a lot cause I knew it was coming. But we were able to work hard and go to lots of janjis. Really have grown my love of the people in Indonesia by meeting with the members here. They are so awesome and fun, definitely one of my favorite parts here. Went to this LOADED family's house. Rich in like they had a pool with dolphin statues over it. There was a big Chinese New Year party there and after we ate, Brother Leo took us to his gym room, he had a whole Smith Machine and he let us bench🙏🙏 He whipped out his golf clubs too, hit a couple nice putts, he asked "when's your p-day?" Told him I'm moving cities, he said "if you go to Bogor or Bekasi, you have my number". A wise man once said, "let's go golfing" FOOD Buy one get one for Chinese New Years was fire Mixue is always fire for WPS (Boba sundae 🔛🔝) First shoutout to the Aston family, @mymom too cause they made their version of tacos in a bag, it was epic Some great indo food too, I actually enjoy it now that it doesn't give me the runs (no pics cause I forgot) Now that 6 months have passed and I'm moving cities, it feels like a new phase is starting, and it makes me excited to see what I can do even better in this new phase, how I can give my will even more to God Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. This sums up my my mission, but more than that too. Because of the mercies of God, I am able to present my body for not just two years, but my mortal time on earth to God. That's my reasonable service to Him. A limited mortal experience for an eternal one. The mortal experience however, is where we are transformed. “No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven" (Elder Wilcox, His Grace is Sufficient. BYU Speech). I gotchu Mrs. Quinn for in text citation🙏 This is our time to learn Heaven. We know no unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God, so all we can do is give our will to God, and know that His grace is sufficient -Elder Wakefield Brother Liliek Cool guy we met on the bus, bros gonna become a missionary too super sick that gas station is where the temples gonna be😁 (if they can actually build it bro) Previous Letter Next Letter

0941512e-ed00-45c8-aef2-4213c23f098e Elder Scott and Sister Stephanie Sangberg Back to Missionary Letters Elder Sangberg is the mission vehicle coordinator and I am the mission secretary. Our mission office is quite busy. We have about 180 young missionaries and about 20 senior missionaries. Our mission comprises most of New Jersey and some of New York. Our mission president is President Rolfe. He and his wife have 6 children, of which 4 are here with them. They are very kind and energetic people. We love serving here and seeing how the gospel changes lives, including our own. We love working with the young missionaries and being inspired by their dedication. Previous Letter Next Letter

2544410e-3d9a-4f99-8ac8-b20119afdab7 Elder Coleman West Back to Missionary Letters Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good week. This week has been pretty awesome and fun here at the MTC. It's been a bit hard though sometimes. I just can't wait to get out into the field and be with the people. It's crazy to think that in less than a week I'll be out there. Time is flying by so quickly already. It's weird to think that we are already in December. I know I've said it already, but I've felt the Lord's hand so much here. I've really felt Him continue to help me grow and learn. He has really magnified my efforts and is making me more than I ever could be on my own. I know He wants to, and will do, the same for you if you let Him. Not much else has changed from last week though. I've gotten to eat all kinds of new and fun stuff here in the MTC cafeteria though. They prepare food from all over Africa for us so I've had things like gizzard, a stew with cow skin in it, and a huge variety of ways to prepare rice. It's been super interesting and fun to try it all. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Much love from Ghana, -Elder West Pictures: -The temple from our apartments Previous Letter Next Letter