Elder Jaxon Snarr Back to Missionary Letters Week 102: The End, Two Year Mark, Final Goodbyes, Plane Ride Hey everybody! This is the last one! Tuesday - playing some spikeball Wednesday - we did personal study and then we had district Council! We had lunch then we did companionship study! We visited some people and had dinner! Then we did Facebook work ! Thursday - we did our studies and had lunch! We did weekly planning and had dinner! Then we stopped by some people! Friday - im on an exchange with Elder Henderson! we did our studies and visited some people! We prepped some names for the blitz! We had dinner and did our exchange review! Saturday - my two year mark!! We had apartment Inspections! We did our studies and had lunch! Then we had mini exchange with the zone leaders! We had dinner and visited the Torres family Sunday - we did our studies and I got to speak in church! We taught some named Santos! We went to dinner and stopped by some people! Monday - we went around and said some goodbyes! Tuesday - hanging at the church and playing spikeball Wednesday - riding the transfer bus, dinner with President and other missionaries! And my final interview Thursday - going to the temple and getting on my flight home I love you all! I know that God answers prayers, God loves us, and Christ died for us! Previous Letter Next Letter

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

Elder Daxon Toone Back to Missionary Letters I am thankful for Prophets. Teachings from old and modern day Prophets bring us closer to God and help us overcome challenges we face in life. Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Stetson Ludvigson Back to Missionary Letters What a memorable week we had this week! So we started the week off with a split to Manado, which is about a 3 hour flight from Jakarta. My companion used to serve there, so he knows all the members, and a member family said that they would takes us to dinner when we land, we land about 5:00 and head to dinner with the family. They take us to this super cool reasturant where the tables are on little docks in the middle of a lake, and in order to get to the table you have to walk across this little wooden bridge. This family has 2 little kids about 7 and 8, so we sit down and eat and had some amazing fish, after that we were sitting talking while the kids were playing. One of the kids thought it qould be a good idea to sprint full speed across the little bridge, and to no suprise "splash" he falls in the pond. Luckily it was shallow and he was able to just stand up and walk out and laugh about it. It was pretty hilarious and we all got a good laugh out of it. The split to Manado was amazing, we went to a village up in the mountains where some members live, we were able to visit 4 different member family in the village which consisted of a lot of hiking through the mountain, it was super pretty, and an amazing experience! Also at one of the members homes we had some smoked fish, and here they smoke their fish with coconut shells which makes it super good! This week we also had some amazing lessons, we had another lesson with Sis Rose we were able to teach the restoratuon and the spirit was super strong, after that she gave us a tour of the school she owns, and it was super cool! This week we also had our english conversation class which is actually super fun, the people here love trying to learn english so its pretty easy to get people to come! This p-day we had quite the adventure, so first we were planning on going to a zoo but we get there and find out it was closed on Mondays, which sucks, but we decided to go to this park place instead. We had no clue what it was really, but we pay and get in and are trying to figure out what to do and we see they had like a reptile museum so we decide to go there and check it out. At first we only though it was a little building with no live animals, after we walked around the building and came out we were getting ready to leave a little disapointed but then Elder Mocodompis spotted something, around the side was some glass boxs with some lizards and stuff. And as we continued around the side it kept getting better and better, we saw komodo dragons some massive alligators some huge snakes. So we were then satisfied and ready to leave, and at this time the park was about to close, and there was like no one their, it felt like a ghost town. But as we were walking out one of the workers waved us into this glass room. And here we got to hold a baby alligator and some giant snakes. It was pretty sketchy but also super fun! And thats all folks, love yall keep increasing your faith everyday! 1% better! Sampai Jumpa Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Taylor Allen Back to Missionary Letters double the fun in apt 6 As time goes on throughout my mission I have been slowly getting worse at writing these weekly emails but I promise I'll try to be better 😅 but hello everyone! Crazy that this is the last full week of the transfer but we got some exciting news that we will actually be having two more Sisters move in with us next transfer! The past few days consisted of us going shopping with the senior couple to get more beds, dressers, desks, silverware and anything else they could need! Our apartment is not small but by all means not huge so it will be interesting to see how having 4 missionaries in this one space will be! I am looking forward to it though 🤩 there is gonna be a party at 85 wall street Last Monday we were able to go with the Elders to the Ausable Chasm which is what everybody here calls 'the grand canyon on the Adirondacks' (the mountain range we live in)! It was real cool then we also were able to drive down to Lake Placid and see where they had the 1930 and 1980 Olympics! New York always just blows me away with the views and I am in awe whenever we get to explore!! WE PUT OUR FRIEND REBECCA ON DATE WAHOO she is soooo elect. It was really neat to hear how she connected the Book of Mormon being true to the church as a whole! Our friends Jose and Kasey are also on date so the next few weeks are going to be filled with baptisms! Funny story so on Sunday we actually had tons of friends and returning members come that they were really short on bread so they had to do it at the beginning and again at the end after someone ran home to get more! Our mission President actually came to our branch to do interviews with us this week and joined for the church service as well so we were glad he was able to see the progress of our area by a shortage of resources 😂 Here is a little spiritual nugget-> Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer and no trial that we experience is wasted. All that we anquish and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable.… It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” I have been thinking a lot about past hardships that I faced and how the different tests we go through in life can be excruciating. Whether it be illness, betrayal, temptations, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, or some other ordeal, affliction is part of our mortal experience. As missionaries we get asked alot why we must face difficult challenges and I know that they are vitally important to the process of recognizing our divine nature. If we handle these afflictions properly they will be consecrated for our gain! Stay strong and push through! God always has great blessings in store 🥰 I love you all Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Stetson Ludvigson Back to Missionary Letters So this week was pretty insane! A lot of stuff happened, so we had transfers this week which is always a party, me and Elder Miles are staying together in Garland which I am pumped about because there is a lot of people here searching for the gospel! So after Tranfers we went and had a few lessons, one with Debra and Richard who are just the best, they are on date for November, and Debra has such a strong testimony it astounds me because she has had a tough life! But after our lessons it was towards the end of the night and we get a call from one of the Elders in our district, and we answer and see that he is in a hospital gound and at the hospital, So Elder Coons said that he has choked on some pulled pork so his companion had to do the heimlich, and after he got it all out he said he would still feel something in his throat, he went to the ER where they did an X-Ray and saw a big piece of bone stuck in his throat, so they had to ship him to a hospital in plano to have surgery on his throat. We had to go and pick up his companion while he went to plano in an ambulance! So that was pretty wild! But everything was fine and we got everything settled that next morning. We also went and visited Claudia and her family who are just the best! We are always leaving there laughing! She is an inspiration, she has beat cancer twice and has a son who I'd disabled and has around 10 seizures a day, and has completely changed her life around when she found the restored gosepl of Jesus Christ! So this Saturday come rolling around and we are heading to a lesson and as we were walking through the complex we saw Nelson, who is a recent convert that we haven't been able to get in contact with, and so we stop and talk with him for a little and share a spiritual message and got him another Book of Mormon, then we just headed to our lesson just a few apartments down from his. As we were teaching this lady, Shannon, the restoration a bunch of cops just start rolling up. And we are trying to figure out what was going on, and we see all these cops start running straight to Nelson's apartment, and so we kinda pause from our lesson to see what is going on. And we look over and see Nelson the recent convert guy we just taught getting pulled out of his apartment by the cops, and then taken to jail so that was pretty wild, haha. I guess that's what happens when you aren't following the commandments! But anyway our lesson with Shannon went amazing! She is the greatest and we are super pumped for her! On Sunday night we had a lesson with Keith, who has had a hard life and has really struggled lately to feel Gods love, but we had a super good visit and towards the end of our visit we asked keith if we could give him a priesthood blessing! And he said you can but to it according to your faith because I dont know if I have any anymore. And all through the lesson I had to use the restroom super badly but figured I would just hold it, specially since he lives in a trailer. But as we stand up to give him a blessing I knew I had to go before the blessing or else it would distract from the spirit haha so in Elder Miles words "it looked like you were about to say something so inspired it was gonna blow his socks off." But I stand up and say "keith... can I use your restroom man." Haha it was pretty funny, but after we gave him a blessing and the spirit was insanely strong it was pretty epic! I definitely knew at that moment that God loved Keith no matter what he had been trhough. Later on in the week we had MLC which is always a great time to see the other missionaries and to receive revelation, one thing that was really amazing that we talked about was a scripture, 3 Nephi 27: 2, and in this scripture Christ says "What will ye that I shall give unto you?" we talked about what you would say in response to this question, what would you ask for from Christ? Maybe perhaps a better family life or more faith whatever it is. Then our President shared James 1:5-6 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." And so whatever you would ask Christ if you were there while he asked the Nephites this question, go and ask him! And I loved that thought, so that's my challenge for y'all! Sampai Jumpa, cinta kalian semua Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder RileyWaite Back to Missionary Letters Last 6 Weeks/Transfers Well, it's a little crazy to think that I only have one transfer left to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I have loved being a missionary and will give all I've got these past couple weeks. This last week was amazing, we grinded all week and found some new people to teach! We had a stake conference which was great and 3 of our friends were able to come and attend and it was a super spiritual experience for them! Also last Saturday we had Zachary's baptism which was awesome! After the baptism he turned to everyone and started doing the Rocky thing with his hands in the air and jumping around which was pretty hilarious! Anyways love you all, I'm being transferred out to a small town in Minnesota for these next 6 weeks which I am excited about because it has spanish people and I haven't been part of a spanish area since my first area in the mission! Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Jazon Snarr Back to Missionary Letters Exchanges, Bottlepoolhockey, Home Alone Hey everybody! I hope your week was lit! My week was real good! Tuesday - Went to Estes park and shopped for a little! I bought some stickers! Wednesday - We woke up and did personal study! We had District Council and it was really great! The sisters gave a great training! We filmed a "meet the missionaries" video! We ate lunch and did our companionship study! We did some Facebook work and went to dinner! We contacted a few people and then had a ward correlation meeting at Dairy Queen! Thursday - We woke up and had a lesson with Chris and his kid! We then went to help the Dennisons move! We ate lunch and then did our studies! We ran past Ron and set up a meeting with him! We ate dinner and walked for the rest of the night! Friday - Exchange with Elder Callahan! We woke up and did personal study and then had the mission wide devotional! We did companionship study and ate lunch! We biked to a few peoples houses! We came back for dinner! We did Facebook and our exchange review and then exchanged again! We played and invented a game called bottlepoolhockey! The people we live with have been gone! Saturday - Exchange with Elder Dustin! We did some personal study! We went and made food at a homeless shelter! We had Chick Fil a for lunch and did some Facebook then we had dinner at Arby's and street contacted for awhile and did our exchange review! Sunday - Happy Sunday! Today we woke up and did personal study and headed to church! We ate lunch and then had a meeting about Facebook with our district! We did comp study and then we had dinner with the Olyphants! We helped Chris Orlando move a fridge and then taught him a lesson!! Hes awesome! Monday - We went to the track in the morning and today we have lots to do! We filled out some stuff to move apartments! We had dinner with the Redfords and got to butcher their goat and turkey! Tuesday - Spikeball, shopping, and hanging out Please read "The Tongue of Angels" by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland I love you guys! Keep working hard! Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Kylie Cannon Back to Missionary Letters I’m Home Hey everybody it's been a couple weeks. I didn't think I would write another weekly email. But might as well end one with a bang right?! so guess whatttttt... I finished the "last lap" of my mission pretty quick. 6 weeks early. You didn't know I was so fast huh ;).Here is the low down. My pops decided to finish his "race" of life quicker than we all thought too. My dad gave his whole heart to my family and I. He worked his tail off to support us and teach us how to work hard. March 8th 2021 we finished his time here on earth and i'm sure he ran right into the embrace of his momma on the other side of the veil. My dad got really sick the past month and it was his time to go. Let me tell ya I LOVE MY DAD! I also love my heavenly father who sent me to my mom and dad. I am grateful for Jesus Christ. Because of his life, death and resurrection I know I can see my dad again. You can if you have lost a loved one. I LOVED MY MISSION. I HAVE LOVED MY COMPANIONS AND MISSION PRESIDENTS. It has been the greatest learning experience of my life so far. I have met lovely people and have made some lasting friendships. I have witnessed the power that comes into people's lives as they love and serve God with their whole might, mind and strength. I know the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. I know God lives. I know angels are real. I know life is hard but our burdens can be made lighter as we turn to Him who knows all. I am grateful for the time I have had to be a representative of Jesus Christ and teach others about His gospel in the Perth Australia mission and the Tempe Arizona Mission. A pic of my family and I at the funeral. They are some good looking people whooyee. I love yall. Hope yall are well. God Loves You. love, Kylie Cannon kyliecannon8@gmail.com Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Keith Rushton Back to Missionary Letters The Final Email Hey everyone! So technically I do have one more P-day after this but you know how I am with writing these emails... so this'll be the last one 😂 I will be flying home on the 27th! It's wild that my mission is finally coming to an end! I'm definitely excited for the next step in life, but I'm also very grateful for the experiences I've had and things I've learned throughout my mission! I'm thankful for all of you and the support you've given me along the way! The past couple weeks have gone by decently quick! As they've gone by I've experienced a lot of my "lasts". My last zone conference, my last missionary exchange, my last fast Sunday as a missionary. There are still a few more "lasts" that I have yet to do, this week being the last full week, I have one last P-day after today, and I will have my last District Council this week. Like I said before, I'm definitely excited to move on from my mission, but there has still been a part of me that is a little anxious about leaving this part of my life behind, there has been a little sadness thinking about my mission ending. I was reminded a few days ago of a quote given by, I think, Elder Ucthdorf. He says something along the lines of "the reason humans don't like endings, is because we are made of the stuff of eternity". It's natural for us to dislike the idea of things coming to an end, because we are naturally destined to have eternal life with our Father in Heaven! I think that is such a wonderful concept and I'm grateful for my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation! Even though endings may be difficult, I know the Lord will always be there for me and for all of you as we persevere through those changes! I hope that we can all continue trusting in Him and allow Him to guide us through the path He has set up for us! I know that He will lead us back to Him and our Father! I'm excited to be able to reunite with you all soon! I do know that I will be speaking in my home ward in Mesquite on the 31st and would love to see you all there if you'd like to attend! The meeting will start at 12 o'clock (you can reach out to me if you'd like more details!) I hope you all have a fantastic couple of weeks! Thank you again for your love and support throughout the past 2 years! I'm grateful for this mission experience and have truly come to know that this church is true! I know Heavenly Father sent His only begotten son to die for all of us and allow us to have someone who knows what we go through perfectly, He can help us and can forgive us! I know that He will as we trust in Him and follow His guidance! I know the Book of Mormon is true and holds the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I know that we have a living Prophet who receives revelation from God to help us in these latter days! I know that there is a plan for us, and that we can live with our families and God forever! I'm so grateful for this knowledge and so many more things that I've learned! I love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I know they love me and all of you too! And I love you all as well! ~Elder Rushton Pic: .Top Golf last Monday! Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Calla Haviland Back to Missionary Letters ILOILO!! HIIIIII, how is everyone??? I MADE IT TO ILOILO!! I dont even know where to start. This place is incredible and so beautiful. My first area is in Makato which I am so blessed to be in. Its on the opposite side of the island of iloilo and not in the city at all. Its so so green and I love it. The difficult part about this area is they speak the hardest dialect thats on the island so that is lovely. I cant remember what its called actually, I think its like akalan or something like that. The people understand me when I speak hiligaynon but I dont understand them when they talk back to me. But its okay though ill get it eventually. I have the sweetest trainer ever. She matches my energy all the time and we work so good together. Her name is sister largo and shes from the philippines. The people here are all so sweet and they love the missionaries. Theres one girl her name is joyjoy and she was just attached to me yesterday. We have a special handshake, she shared her snacks with me, and everywhere we walked she just held my hand. She loves trying to jump higher than me because to her I am a giant. Thats most peoples first reaction to seeing me is that im just tall especially while Im next to my companion. So far not much has happened. Yesterday was the first day I actually went out and did anything but it went so good. We ride these little tricycles with side carts everywhere which is fun. In my area theres a lot of jungle like places so to get to peoples houses your like walking through a jungle. Its my favorite part though. Anywayyyyy thats my week for ya. Hope everyone is doing so good!! Love you all! Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Nathan Reber Back to Missionary Letters In Wasilla Alaska wn by. The days are still cold and the nights are colder. I’ve got to see the northern lights a couple more times. They truly are indescribable. Pictures can’t do them justice but at least it’s a way to share a small inkling of what I saw. Makes me thankful for eyes That can see things that A camera lens cannot capture. We’ve been staying busy here in Wasilla. today we got to go dog mushing. The guy who taught us and allowed us to use his dogs came in second to last place in the Iditarone a few years back.He wrote a book about his experience and gave one to me and signed it. I will tell you it’s a very cold and loud sport. Between the dogs barking And shouting commands to the dogs it’s loud. What a thrill. It’s something I would definitely do again and would love to learn how to do well.I guess you could say the last week I have been living the Alaskan dream. I learned the other day the lake by us is 4 feet thick with ice. I’ve always worried about falling through I guess with 4 feet of ice I don’t have to worry about that. I think we’re going fishing next week. Someone’s offered to take us. I know I say it every week but I’m gonna say it again. The Lord loves all of us.Our heavenly father loves all of us. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done we can always go to him. The atonement was for all not just a select few. I thought a lot about agency this week. How we can use it for good or we can use it for bad. For example we can use our agency to talk about the gospel or to talk about other people. At the end of the day our agency not only affects us but other people around us. So I guess the messages Is make sure we use our agency wisely. Also this week I was able to hold a woolly mammoth bone. A bag of gold, a rock with gold in it. I also met the guys who owned the claim that Todd Hoffman from Gold Rush used. It really is a small world. Well I’ll leave you all with my testimony that I know I have our Heavenly father loves us and I know He wants what’s best for us. He has given us ways to communicate with him ways for him to communicate with us and scriptures to lead us back to him. I love you all and I will write again next week. Love Elder Nathan Reber Previous Letter Next Letter