c84d7826-662f-4535-8a5e-8e9275c14f12 Elder Jaeger Lee Back to Missionary Letters 日本 Hello everyone! This week was pretty good. And P-day was lit! Previous Letter Next Letter

7f80c15d-51d9-4e04-be76-6db354f4a985 Sister Emily Leavitt Back to Missionary Letters Hi Everyone! This past month has been good! We finished our month of May goal to lose 500lb, sadly we didn't make it😅we lost about 470lb.BUT we did meet our goal to get 500 new people to church so that was good! This week was exciting, after two months of not being able to get any fast food, our president said we could again! We have also been getting a lot of new missionaries that are being reassigned from out of states! We got two new elders in our district so now it is 8 elders and us two sisters! We are a little out numbered.. Elyria, my last area got a new sister and they came to get some stuff from us last night! The new sister told us about what it was like to go home for two months and that would be so hard! But we are excited to have all these new missionaries! Sister Tanner and I really hope we get another sister soon! A few of our people are progressing really well! We had a lot of powerful lessons this week! We have developed a good relationship with Brad! Him and his fiance invited us to go get ice cream with them and their baby the other night and we had to say no because of quarantine. We were so sad! It would have been a great opportunity to get to know his fiance because we have been trying to get her to join our calls! And their baby is so cute!! Not to mention Mitchels ice cream is the best! We were talking to Brad's relative in the ward who referred him to us about their invite and they were so surprised because apparently she doesn't open up to many people or let people around her baby!! It is extremely frustrating to miss out on opportunities to meet and teach people in person but we are still excited they are comfortable with us enough to invite us! Yesterday we finally got a lesson with Juan!! Each time we teach him he always has good questions and we can tell he has a real desire to learn but he is really hard to get in contact with because he is so busy! We did get to commit him to read a verse every day that we send him so email me your favorite scriptures! He really want to know the Book of Mormon is true! The weather has been really nice out here! Sister Tanner and I are out side every day and we have found some really beautiful parks and the other day we went to a Botanical garden! Probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been! This one guy spent 60+ years creating 6acres of this garden!! We also went to Cleveland a few p-day ago and saw the Rock n Roll hall of fame...but couldn't go in...one day!!! We finally got Dylan to sign his baptism record so he can be an official member! He has been working a ton! Poor guys between being a single parent with his kids on the weekend and work all week he has no time so we haven't been able to talk to him much. It is a continuing struggle to find people in quarantine but we are so grateful for the people we get to teach! It is easy to ask when this is gonna end, especially when we see everything opening up but Elder Christofferson spoke to us a few weeks ago and one the main topics was stop asking when and ask what! What can we do to keep the work going! What do we need to learn! This whole thing has taught me a lot about patience!! I'm so grateful I get to be a missionary at this time!! Thank you for all your love and support I hope you all have a good week! Love Sister Leavitt Previous Letter Next Letter

7e909aca-4cad-483a-a95b-abcec483f52a Sister Kari Wakefield Back to Missionary Letters Mindful of you | Moroni 8:3 Alright amigos!! It is nearly unbelievable that this is my last week as a full time missionary. I have love my time here and am so grateful that I have been so blessed by my loving Heavenly Father to be able to come on my mission. It has warmed my heart and amazed me to see how many tender mercies the Lord has placed in my path as I have been placed exactly where I needed go be. He has been so good to me - as always! When I have had to say my goodbyes to those I love on my mission, I choose to share this scripture: Moroni 8:3, "I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end." I feel the same for you all. Thank you for all the love and support you have shown me! I hope you have felt my prayers in your behalf over these past months. I know God loves you and Jesus Christ knows you. Keep the faith and endure to the end. I love you all! See you soon! Con mi amor, Hermana Wakefield Previous Letter Next Letter

8649c2af-ec3f-44c0-9a6f-921bee5212bb Sister Danzel Park Back to Missionary Letters Sanding Flowers With Raw Fingers Hey guys! How are you doing? No really… How are you? I would love to hear from you!! Anyways if you are reading this it's because you want to hear how I'm doing, the answer is good :) My hands however not so much, I'll get to that… Bullet Points · It was Hermano Marcos's Birthday!!! FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!!! We made him a cute card and gave him a little chocolate · Cesar Vallejo… There was nothing to say about this. We went to a part of our area we don't go to often and we realized why. The best explanation is a ghost town with maybe the exception of 2 people who live there. · Gato y Raton means Cat and Mouse. We had a missionary night and played this game. It was so funny to watch everyone's faces, I was really stressed but it was fun! We played with two ties and passed them around but, if you get stuck with both ties then you lose haha! It was so entertaining =) · We found a new friend whose name is Mauricio, he is awesome and has really good questions. When we shared phone numbers he asked what to put our name in as. We told him to put the missionaries in and he said no… I am going to put mis blancitas amigas… HAHA I don't know where that came from. · Peach cobbler!! That is all that needs to be said other than I have the best comp ever! · The miracle of Evelin, We found her last Monday night. The Tabernacle choir is singing in Lima the 22 of February and we are inviting people to come and see. So we knocked on a random door… the first door we knocked was Evelin!! She is so cute and we had 2 lessons with her this week. Miracles are everywhere :) · Walter… Yeah… No one believed us on this one… Let me explain. Walter is our friend, he is interesting. We can't text him because he can't receive texts. So we call him for everything. Well he answers the phone but he doesn't talk. The elders who sent the reference thought it was so weird so we had them call the district council. HE ANSWERED THEM!! Hermana Mortensen and I were shocked!! So we set up a lesson with him with the elders to have a passalong lesson. Great idea! well the elders waited with us for 30 minutes with Walter on the phone not saying anything… We were right… but we will keep trying to contact him :) · REJECTED!! I have been told not a lot this week. I think I know how to take rejection with a smile now. I've practiced :) · Alexander!!! We put him on date for baptism!! 15th of March here we come!! :D Please pray for him. · Sad truth of missionary work :( We dropped two baptism dates this week and it was sad. We have been working so hard to help our friends but we will keep working hard! · Now about the title :) I will write more about it in my spiritual thought Spiritual thought I am so excited to share this spiritual thought with you guys!! We sanded flowers off a wall by hand :) It was a service project and it was really fun and really hard. Peruvians make their houses out of cement. And they paint directly onto the cement… We held the sandpaper and took all the flowers off the wall! It took a lot of work and time to scrub this wall until the paint was gone because there are air pockets in the cement. But just like our lives sometimes we choose to do something that is hard to get rid of. They chose to paint the flowers and they liked them at first, but with time we realize we might not like the decisions we made in the past. That is why we have people who can help us grow and clean the walls in our house. Through the power of Baptism and repentance We can be completely forgiven of all our sins and past decisions. Even if we liked them at the time, things change. Find forgiveness in your life through the power of the holy ghost. Start slowly removing the paint and other debris on your walls. One part at a time even if it hurts a little. It's not supposed to be easy. Sandpaper is what we used to remove the paint and little by little we began to see the cement once again. Keep going. You might not be able to get it all, but you can find the sure foundation again, Jesus Christ. I love you guys! Hope you had a fantastic week and don't forget to shoot me an email if you have a few minutes:) You're the best, remember who you are. And my new quote takes it with a smile! Keep me updated!! <3 Hermana Park Previous Letter Next Letter

8c1770d1-4c80-40e6-974c-49c51901b662 Elder Dylan Wilson Back to Missionary Letters Blessings Blooming in Bartlesville Hey y'all! These two weeks were absolutely fabulous if I do say so myself. Things have been great here in Bartlesville, but instead of rambling on about how great things are I'll just tell you why they're so great! We ate lunch with the Vaclaw family on Tuesday the 13th and they took us to a steakhouse with another set of Elders. It was quite delicious and filling so by the end of the meal I was exceedingly stuffed, but they decided that they wanted to buy a huge slice of chocolate cake for each of us. My companion got a third of the way through his while the other two Elders and I just picked at ours for a minute. We were all joking about how we should have a competition to see who could finish their slice of cake when Brother Vaclaw suddenly slaps a $5 bill on the table and says, "First one to finish their piece of cake gets five dollars." I'm happy to say, but also not happy to say at the same time, that I earned that $5 bill. Later that day we went street contacting and we had walked a pretty good distance away from our church building. We were able to pray and find a new friend to teach named Cheryl! As we were walking back we realized that we weren't going to make it back to the church in time for our lesson so we started running down the streets. I wouldn't recommend doing that in dress shoes and church clothes, but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. We had a really cool experience on Thursday the 15th! We went to the park to talk to people and after a few conversations with no real results, we were a little discouraged. However, the Lord loves effort! We started another conversation with this lady named Judy who was out on a walk with her kids and her friend. Long story short, we walked with her for about twenty minutes on a trail teaching about the Book of Mormon! She was talking about how much sense it all made and after we shared the classic Helaman 5:12 she said, "So how do we do this? Do I just give you my number? Can you come to my house?" We had a lesson with her the next day and she starts off by saying that she's been "thirsting for more knowledge" and "praying to know what changes I should make". It was awesome and she's so open! Found a few more new friends to teach, my testimony of God leading us in the right direction towards those that are ready to receive the restored gospel has grown so much. We talked to a lady named Sherry and she seems pretty nice, we found her at about 8:45 PM. Just a testimony to work all the way until 9 PM hits! Another time we were riding our bikes on Saturday night and started talking to a lady named Sarah outside her house. She recognized us as missionaries and was uninterested at first, but when she mentioned Boy Scouts as part of her life I pulled out my Eagle Scout card and she opened right up! Turns out that she's a Silver Beaver. Anyways, she listened to our message and we have a return appointment for this Tuesday! Took a trip to Pawhuska this week and it was quite interesting, Elder Grantham and I did a TON of walking and it reminded me of the old days tracting in Australia: heat, humidity, and lots of sweat. Checked up on some referrals, but nothing to really show from it unfortunately. Had a great Zone Conference! It was my last one which was pretty sad, but so many good things were talked about. Our friend Leslie is praying about being baptized so please pray that she'll receive that confirmation soon. Please also pray that Mike will receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon along with Judy, Regan, and others we're teaching. Things have been so great, I've been so blessed by the people here. Spiritual thought: Mosiah 18:8-10 I read these verses and was thinking about all of the things it asks us to do when we're baptized. We promise to bear one another's burdens, mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as a witness of God at all times. It seems like a lot, but it's important to remember just how many other people have made that covenant that are there to help you. At this current moment, close to 17 million people. Not only that, but Jesus Christ was baptized and covenanted with Heavenly Father to help you. Our covenants connect us! Stay strong and know that so many people have your back! I love y'all so much, have a great week!❤❤❤ ~Elder Wilson Previous Letter Next Letter

13e715d1-054d-4680-8178-e5dd7d498a72 Elder Spencer Cox Back to Missionary Letters Followers of Jesus Christ in Summerwood TX · I LOVE BREAD! I enjoy visiting our local bakery and trying all the different delicious pastries and breads! However, even when I take 2 whole bags of baked goods home, the items don't last long and I'm hungry the next day. There is one type of bread that will never leave us hungry for more: "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:35) Previous Letter Next Letter

65789b8d-0693-46e2-8904-263ea57bae32 Elder Caiden Jones 6-1 Back to Missionary Letters #44 A Birthday and a Baptism Wazzuuuuuup This week has been pretty tiring to be honest, but nevertheless it's been pretty fire. Lots of ups and downs but let's get into anotha WEEKLY EPISTLEEE‼️ Google Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SPHBKzMm2s5zEyUQ8 Email: caiden.jones@missionary.org ————————————————————————— Mission Address Letters (in Mission) PO Box 97 Marden SA 5070 Australia Packages (in Mission) 11 Sommers Avenue Firle SA 5070 Australia ————————————————————————— First off: ZEMMA GOT BAPTIZED‼️‼️🌊🥳🌊 WOOOOOOOOOOO It was a really awesome Baptism and I say that, because she was the one who planned it. There were a few scares and things that needed to be worked out, but all is well in Zion. Some fun things: - She literally ran out of the chapel, and to the font because she was excited! - I 'got' to give a talk on Baptism but it wasn't too bad - I also got to sing a special musical number with Elder Orr, Sister Foote, and Sister Atkinson. - I had the wonderful privelege of being able to confirm her. I was so nervous. Apparently I was pretty quick😬 - She's well on her way to getting a temple reccomend and attending the temple in August! On Tuesday morning, a member texted us and said that they were having a birthday party at the chapel at... guess when... the same time as Zemma's baptism😀 We called our branch president and he goes "oh ya I forgot about that" 😀😀😀 So we moved some stuff around and just hoped and prayed that the party wouldn't interrupt or ruin the reverance of the Baptism. God is good and all went well. I am so grateful for the opportunity to help bring souls unto Christ. Other highlights of the week: - I'm beating my comp, 50-2 in chess right now - Met the guy who sings "Jehovah" so that's cool. (Shout out Elder Katoa) - Got to give some blessings this week - A guy in prison asked for a Book of Mormon so the chaplin met with us and took a few! - Music practice was fun - Lesson have been great this week - We had three friends agree to work towards Baptism! (Not on date...yet) - The members have been super awesome - A friend bore his testimony on Sunday - Josiah Queen is awesome - All is well in Zion So I forgot to say something last week but this week we are having a mission tour! I am so excited because the Alice Springs zone is flying up to Darwin which means I get to see a TON of crazy fun missionaries. The Area President is coming and so the missionaries get a devotional and a Zone Conference, but more specifically, Darwin gets another devotional which is going to be awesome. Also my district is singing at it apparently. I am beyond excited. I'm also pretty certain I also forgot to mention a goal I set a week or two ago but I want to read every standard work all the way through by the end of the year. I finished the Pearl of Great Price on Sunday which is awesome and for everything else it's about a chapter a day. Except for the Old Testament which is 4-5 a day. Yay. I'm still pretty much on track but it's getting harder with studies for the mission tour AND we just started another 90 day Book of Mormon challenge. I know that if I keep trying though, I'm going to be blessed and get a lot out of this! If any of you want to join in on any of these challenges let me know how it's going! On Saturday night, a Sister in the ward came to Sports Night and she came up to me and asks me to sing with her for church. Out of nowhere. No set day or plans. She just said that she got the feeling she needed to sing with me. I was kinda confused but I'm actually kind of excited. I don't know why but this week has felt like it's been ALL ABOUT SINGING. EVERYWHERE. I don't mind it though. Shout out to my MTC district. It's all for you As I mentioned on the highlights, I have had the opportunity to give some blessings this week. As I've given some of these blessings (including some over the past few weeks) I have been having the same feeling and experience, over and over again. It's as if I'm shaking, but I'm still and firm, and this might sounds crazy but it's literally like priesthood power is flowing into the person that the blessing is being given to. It's an experience that I've noticed before, but I really noticed it the past few times, and it continues to strengthen my testimony on the priesthood. I feel so grateful that I have been trusted and priveleged with the honor of holding the Priesthood, and I hope that all priesthood holders out there understand the importance of their duty. Matthew 10:1 1 And when [Jesus Christ] had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease Priesthood power comes directly from Jesus Christ. It's really cool to view my Priesthood Line of Authority and see exactly how it came from the Savior and has been passed down to me. I hope that all of you reading, are taking advantage of the amazing gift that God has given His children. He has servants that He has prepared to bless the lives of His children, and He wants you to seek for His support. If you feel as though you need Priesthood power in your life right now, ask His ready and faithful servants. It was by Priesthood power, the power of God, that the earth was formed. It was by Priesthood power, the power of God, that miracles were performed. It is by this same power, that you can be strengthened. I love you all and 'till next time! - Elder Jones Previous Letter Next Letter

714650d1-adba-4e35-9937-72eb69e29e3a Elder McLain Easton Back to Missionary Letters Hau (Lakota for hello) This week has been amazing and full of so many miracles. Nellie, (someone we have been teaching in Pineridge) got baptized!!! I was able to confirm her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. It was so awesome!!! I was super nervous. Brother Not- Help- Him and Elder Oman told me that I could do it with the guidance of the Holy Ghost. My Mission Mom, Summer also gave me the courage I needed. So I stepped in faith and gave her a blessing and confirmed her a member. It was super cool and the spirit was really strong. We have so many angels in our mist. I will forever be grateful for the example of Nellie. Today I found out I'm going to get transferred. I'm kind of sad about it. My trainer, Elder Oman has been wonderful and has been teaching me so much. But that's the way the mission life goes. I'm still going to be on the Reservation. Its just in a different town called Kyle. Its about a hour away from Pineridge. I love the Ridge but I guess God has another plan for me. So I will go where God wants me to go, and do what he wants me to do. I invite you all to reach out to a coworker or friend who you think could use some spiritual uplifting. And remind them that God has a plan for them. I would love to hear from you easton.mcclain@missionary.org . Love, Elder Easton Previous Letter Next Letter

bc7880fc-491b-4b15-b655-f7b8b7178d4a Sister Elspeth and Elder Francis Kuta and Sister Jerusha Bundy Back to Missionary Letters Sister Elspeth and Elder Francis Kuta said Sister Jerusha Bundy came into the office and they enjoyed seeing each other. Sister Bundy was there on a leadership meeting. Canada BC Previous Letter Next Letter

df08c93a-3dfe-4306-b4a9-e752261d55aa Elder Layton Woods Back to Missionary Letters Hello! It's been a good few little while since I've wrote you an email, so here it is! Things have been going very well here, we are seeing a lot of miracles and it's been amazing! We have just been super busy, and I don't have too much desire to write emails every week, but we are working hard and receiving so many blessings from it! It is pretty crazy how fast time is going by over here. The weather is super nice and so it makes it fun to go out and talk to everyone. The people in Washington are so awesome, I love talking to them, and helping them to strengthen their faith in Christ! My testimony has been strengthened as we go out and look for people to help bring closer to Christ. I hope that everyone is having a good spring, and getting ready for summer! Although it might already feel like summer in Mesquite. Well, I love you all and hope that you are doing well! Thank you for the love, support, and prayers, I can definitely feel your love! Have a great week! -Elder Woods Previous Letter Next Letter

6112d420-646b-4d86-ae75-64dee278fbea Sister Kallie Grave Back to Missionary Letters Mailbox Backstory: Every day between the hours of 10:30 and 12, Denise (the mail woman) comes. This also means at around 10 we go to the mail to drop stuff off. Then again at 11:30 to pick stuff up... then again at 5 just to make sure we didn't forgot anything. We were Facebook finding and contacted a man who said "I live on Valley ct. I see yall walk to the mailbox all the time." I don't mean to brag here but... we're making quite the name for ourselves here in Gatesville. "The weird barefoot ones that are always in dresses and go to the mailbox 100 times a day." Sorry world but that title is already taken. One thing that I love about the Book of Mormon is that it focuses on the resurrection more than anything else and in Mosiah 16:8 it says "But there is a resurrection." How simple it really is. Why do we follow Christ? Why do we sometimes go through trials and persecution for our beliefs? Why does it matter what we do here? Why do we even have the other parts of the atonement? Because of the resurrection. You will live again. You will have a perfect immortal body at some point and because of that you will have to look Christ in the eye and receive your reward for your actions. Why do we have purpose? Because of the resurrection. I invite you this week that while you are reading the Book of Mormon mark every time it mentions the word or concept of the resurrection. You will be surprised. I know that when we come to understand the full effects of the resurrection, we will have a stronger desire to follow God and be obedient. I know that we will be resurrected and we will live again. We get to choose now what that resurrected life will look like. Love you almost as much as Sister Eckhardt and I love Denise. If only we knew her actual name. -Sister Graves Previous Letter Next Letter

7a29227b-e05f-49bf-88d6-153570623493 Elder Isaac Iverson Back to Missionary Letters The Place of My Rest That's right folks! I got transferred out of Scenic Oaks. I miss that area so much, BUT now I finally get to serve in the city! I'm in an area called Culebra Creek/Wildhorse. I'm still a zone leader (unfortunately) and even more unfortunate I'm in a biking area. My companion and roommates are super cool though! I have 4 months left of my mission and this is quite possibly my last area. My times in Scenic Oaks with Elder Taylor have been awesome! The people we had to teach and the work we got done were the happiest times of my mission. Its really too bad that I'm as close as I am to the end of my mission. ⭐ BUT here's some AMAZING news! I had the most spiritual experience of my mission yesterday. Someone I'd found and taught in Scenic Oaks chose to be baptized yesterday. I had the opportunity to go back and be a part of it. Before the baptism she pulled Elder Taylor and me aside and said, "Elders (starts crying), thank you so much for showing up that first day, and giving my family the opportunity to do this" and she gave us both hugs. I about lost it right there, but I held strong. The baptismal service itself was very beautiful, but the ordinance of baptism filled my soul with more joy than I thought I could have. Collin baptized his wife Karin, and the Spirit was so strong in that gym. I don't cry, but that experience even drew a tear or two from me. That is the most wonderful memory of my mission so far. One I'll never forget. I love Karin and the Degge family so much! Culebra Creek/Wildhorse is really cool! We had a baptism for a 9 year old last Saturday and have another baptism of a sweet old lady on June 12th! Her name is Lola and she is the sweetest lady. She gives us new ideas of what we can include in her baptismal program everytime we see her. She is very ready! I'm doing well. Lovin life. My testimony of the gospel brings me SO much joy! What more do I need? For today I'll just throw in my favorite scripture for today: Enos 1:27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen. The Degges are the picture of the 6'9 man. They are my favorite! Collin is a member and Karin is the one who was just baptized. I love them so much!!! Previous Letter Next Letter