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

33ba38a9-3061-407b-8b45-66171eff8ded Elder Ethan Leavitt Back to Missionary Letters Buenas 🙌 welp here I am. Sending another email after like 6 months lol. I made it to Argentina great. I had 3 flights. I left Portland at 1 made it to to Atlanta in 4 Hours and then ran to the next gate because I was going to miss my flight. Was on the Plane for more than 10 hours, hardly slept lol made it to Buenos Aires fine, had a native who work for the church help us buy tickets and check our bags and so and so. My next flight for Buenos Aires to Córdoba was like 1:30 minutes. But made it here just fine haha can't believe I'm here. Definitely feel like I'm still in the US but no one speaks English and idk just weird. But yeah met my comp he's a Native Argentino. Doesn't speak English, has a thick accent and talks really fast lol. But I understand almost every thing he says so thanks to the Gift Of Tounges! Right now we cover 2 areas LAS FLORES Y HOGAR 3 it's pretty safe over here. The President suggests not taking your phone and any belongings with you when working because you will be robbed. My comp was robbed 2 weeks ago.... lol but that's because the thief saw he had a phone. So yea. The Peso to American dollar is like 100 or something but if you brought cash you can change it with these dudes standing outside the bank for over double the price! So I'm loaded now lol. But all is good 👍sad to leave my friends in the states and I hope they know I love them ! ❤ I hit a year in the mission in 10 days so that's exciting! Love yall 💓 lowkey prolly will forget to send a northern email for a while...... Previous Letter Next Letter

da11ec98-2b52-4719-9057-bdecbf8a232f Elder McClain Easton Back to Missionary Letters This isn't the Reservation!?! Hey Fam, This week has been pretty good. I miss my reservation family, but Minot is cool. There's a lot of awesome members here. I am also excited to teach lessons to and provide service for. The people here are super nice. We get fed meals! There is an Airforce base in Minot. I am excited to learn more about it. Being a Zone Leader is pretty amazing There are some awesome missionaries in my zone. I can't wait to get to know them better! This week I was able to use my Melchizedek Priesthood authority 3 times, which was awesome. If you have the Melchizedek Priesthood, I invite you all to use it because it's a rare gift that not a lot of people have. If you are going through some trials or need some comfort, I invite you to ask for a blessing! The Melchizedek Priesthood is the power to act in God's name. I bare testimony that a Priesthood blessing comes from God. I know that it can heal the sick and help anyone! If you want to know more about the Priesthood please ask. Love, Elder Easton Pic Another Cool companion Elder Fawley Previous Letter Next Letter

59afcde3-952d-41a5-858f-7143a619d4b6 Elder Braden Harris Back to Missionary Letters Whats up My mom's making me send out an email this week so here's a quick update lol. Transfers happened and I got moved all the way down to the middle of nowhere in a town called Alamosa. I've been trying so hard to keep things moving but holy cow it's been tough. Reading through D&C with come follow me this year has been keeping me sane so that's cool. Hope your all having a good week. Oh yeah my birthday is coming up so if someone wants to send me some candy that would be tight lol. Love yall, sorry for a lame email. It's just been tough haha. Hit me back! Lmk what you've been up to https://photos.app.goo.gl/aN5bokFkpGHwXD3LA Previous Letter Next Letter

f0e89a04-4500-4f2b-ab37-6ea8b9d4b87b Sister Malia McOmie Back to Missionary Letters WELP... IM BACK QUE PASO AMIGOS?! I debated on writing an email this week... but i wanted to hop on this before all the other talk did cause yk lol <3 #ALLNIGHTER Tuesday at 11pm me and Hermana Longhurst went to the hospital, it was a literal fever dream. We were there until 4pm on Wednesday. staying in the ER all night long is no joke, it was like a simulation or something. We are HIGHKEY paying the price still to this day for that all nighter, missionary work is exhausting as it is haha. The hospital didnt find much, and I wasnt getting much better. SLC, the mission president & doctors decided it was best if I came home and got it all figured out. ET ET ET Emergency transfers aren't fun... my poor mission president had 2 of us... FROM ONTARIO leave today. This whole week is just a blur... I got told yesterday I was coming home, packed up last night and left today, it's been crazy. Im so sad I didnt get to say goodbye to like anyone. But don't worry yall! It is just a TEMPORARY return home, and I plan to get back as soon as I can! #cantgetridofmethateasy READ THIS X100 the last week was DEFINETLY a rollercoaster of emotions. & I definitely said "if only I could BEGIN to see God's plan" about a million times. I think sometimes there are things in life that make it HARD to be submissive and willing to follow God's plan. Things we don't want, things we don't get, things we miss out on, things that suck, things we never expected, A MILLION THINGS. But I was reading in Ether and found this gem of a story. Yall know the brother of Jared, the boats, the rocks that God lit with his hand... thats where we are at in the scriptures. Well this is after they had gotten the cool rock lights, made the boat and now they are on the way to their promised land. Ether 6:5 "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land ; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind." HOLD UP, HOLD UP, reread that... I love love love the wording on this. It is SO applicable to trials that just happen, sometimes for no rhyme or reason . God could have just let the boat move slowly and calmly. But no, He CAUSED the winds to blow (aka our hard times) the next few verses explain how terrible of a storm it was. But, I love that He did it to move them TOWARDS the promised land. There is always a reason for the things that happen. Sometimes we might know that, sometimes we might forget it, or we might not even realize it at all!!! I know that sometimes life will toss ya around. But I also know that God is in control of everything . God is loving, He is the author of everything, and I KNOW He wants what's best for everyONE. Personally, I dont understand right now why I had to come all the way home when i like just got started. There could be a million reasons why. But I do know that this storm will pass and will lead me to my promised land, even if I don't know exactly what that looks like. God has a plan for you, even if it doesn't match your plan! Keep sailing cause it'll end for your benefit eventually. Trust in God and His eternal perspective & who knows I might see yall soon :P MUCHA AMOR -Hermana McOmie Previous Letter Next Letter

6549bc79-50c9-4d9b-9461-618dfc485fb3 Elder Brogan Bingham Back to Missionary Letters So this week was a super eventful week as you can tell by my title. I have returned to Catanduanes Island if you remember the last time I was here I was in the farthest area out in the jungle. SO what happened is my companion went home early so he could enroll in a school which left President Abraham with the decision of what was going to happen to me. So this week we also had Zone Conference and we found out new plans for the mission but we still had no idea what was going to happen to me. After zone conference, I found out that President was going to Catanduanes for another zone con and I still had no idea what was going to happen to me. Then what happened is I woke up the next morning and got a call from the assistants that I needed to pack my bags because I was traveling with them to Catanduanes. In the car with President Abraham, I found out that I would be a Zone Leader out here on the island which was super surprising. He told me that he woke up in the middle of the night and received the revelation that I need to go to Catanduanes with them and be a Zone Leader. So here I am on Gilligans Island just me and my companion and 16 other missionaries. Pretty exciting but I gotta go and I will send pictures because I have a lot. Love you all and have a good week . Previous Letter Next Letter

790fb58c-36ab-4954-a97c-d7567d814e3a Sister Dantzel Price Back to Missionary Letters I send the "bubbles" when I feel awkward What a week! I hope that everyone is doing well and has found something positive in this week. This week has been just like every other week here at the MTC... In case some of you don't know the schedule, we started HSI which stands for hablo su idioma (speak your language). This means that we are only allowed to speak Spanish no English... our days start with a 3 hour class in full immersion spanish. Then we eat lunch, then have an hour tutoring session. We do our personal study, companion study and language study before dinner which takes around two and a half hours. Then we go to another 3 hour class in full immersion spanish. And we are speaking spanish constantly and yes I have a constant headache learning new words and interpreting hand motions from others. But, it is so fun to see myself progress in the language! I am starting to understand and pick up on regular phrases that people use a lot. I know how to get my idea across as long as people are paying attention. I also love talking with my hands and I look like a bird trying to fly when I am speaking in Spanish. I can confidently pray, testify, and ask to use the bathroom! All big improvements!! I sang in choir again this week for the general authority! We sang I will walk with Jesus which is one of my favorite songs. It is one of the new hymns that came out last week and singing it with so many young Elders and Sisters who chose to walk with Jesus was so powerful. If you have not heard the song before I totally recommend it because it is so comforting to know that if you choose to walk with Jesus He WILL walk with you. Not only will He walk with you but He will carry you through the hardest things you are going through or will go through. I am so grateful to be a missionary for La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias! Yo testifico que Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial. Yo se que con Dios ayudar en nuestas vidas nosotros crecemos a ser llegar como Cristo. Yo se que con fe en Jesucristo nosotoros puedemos hablar con Dios en un oracion. digo esas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo amen. Previous Letter Next Letter

d56c209c-7298-4057-8275-c56a634b3488 Elder Jody Ludvigson Back to Missionary Letters So this week was absolutely wild! My new area is absolutely insane, I dont even know how to describe it. Basically all you need to know is I am going to have some crazy crazy stories by the time I get transferred out of this area. This area is also super busy! We have 2 baptisms coming up on the 15th and are super excited for that! We have found a bunch of super cool people to this week! With tons of miracles throught the week! So my first day here one of our lessons cancelled so we decided to go stop by some interested people, and we felt super prompted to go and visit this lady named Barbara, so we go and knock and she let's us in and starts talking to us getting to know us, and we found out she just recently had a family member pass away and really needs the gospel! We were able to teach her the restoration and about the Book of Mormon and she loved and is going to start coming to church with us! It was super cool to see when we follow the promptings of the spirits the miracles that come from it! We are also teaching this super cool family who's Dad has been inactive and the rest of the family aren't members, and it has been super cool to be able to get to know them and teach them, they have this 12 year old son who is an absolute beast! So pretty wild experience that happened this week was we had another lesson that cancelled so we decided to go visit another person that is interested. So we go to visit him and this address is taking us out to the middle of nowhere, and where we live now it is pretty country, and a lot of trailer homes. So anyway we get to this address and the home it takes us to looks abandoned, it is only half built, with no windows holes all over, looks unlivable, so we pull up and there is like a junk yard next to the abandoned house and we see a guys rummaging through the junk yard and we get out to talk to him to see if he was the guy we were looking for, and he walks up to us just head to toe covered in dirt, and so we asked him if he was Cody Dalton (the guy we were looking for) and he says no, but he lives in there, *pointing to the abandoned house. So we asked is he in there and he said idk go knock. We walk up to the house and the door is destroyed it's not even on the wall, its leaned up sideways against the door frame, and we thought no way anyone lives in there, but we knock anyway and we hear someone yell from inside, "who is it" and we say "the missionaries, what are you up to" and Cody responds "oh nothing just smoking some coke" and he invites us in. And we were like what in the world, so we start talking and he introduces himself, he says "my naked Cody Dalton, my mom call me Cody Dalton" so we start teaching him and the spirit was actually there so we invite him to church and he says he wants to start coming so that was cool! But this transfer is going to be amazing! We are always super busy so that is nice! Also my Comp Elder Macdonald is a stud, he is from Hawaii, and we get along super well! Previous Letter Next Letter

1cef6f67-e0cb-4bdf-a1e3-7bdd0c22acc4 Sister Jamie Bundy Back to Missionary Letters Quarantine Week 22: Last one Well hello. I can't believe it. This is MY LAST weekly email. This last week was the week of lasts. I had my last District Council, my last service project, my last Zone Conference, my last correlation, my last weekly planning, my last sacrament meeting, and today is my last PDay. I had my departing interview and I gave my departing testimony. And throughout it all I have had so many sweet moments that have brought me some closure, which is something that is really important to me. I've been asked numerous times questions like the following: "What's the biggest thing you've learned from your mission?" "Whats the biggest piece of advice you would give?" "What are some of the best experiences you've had?" "Whats the first thing you'll do when you get home?" "What are your plans for when you get home?" HAHAHAHA WHAT? I think it was just yesterday that I was telling people that I was still just a baby missionary and only a couple months out. Lol turns out that it was actually last year. I can't believe its all coming to an end. The time I have left to proselyte is LIMITED. I am seriously just down to hours now and every time I think about it, it makes me a little anxious hahaha. There really will be so many things I will miss about serving a mission and being a missionary. I truly have gained so much from this time and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am so grateful for everything I have been able to gain because of it. I am excited to come home though. Even though it does make me sad to think that its almost over, it also just feels right. I feel ready. Don't know if I'll be saying the same when I'm boarding the lane lol. President Dunnigan gave me a promise about 14 months ago that leaving the mission would rip my heart out....I have yet to feel that so I'm sure there will be more emotions to come hahaha. But anyways I guess I can give you some updates on how my week actually went. It was a really good one to end on. We were VERY busy and it was honestly the best thing ever. On Tuesday I had my last district council. This last district I've served in has been a good one and I've been so blessed to be a part of it. They are all great missionaries and I've had a lot of fun with them. I will miss them. On Wednesday we did some service pulling weeds. It felt pretty good to DO something for once hahaha. I got all sweaty and dirty and even got scratched up. Twas the best. The best part though was when the service coordinator couple were so proud of us and sent the picture we took to President Dunnigan hahahahaha we got rebuked for not wearing masks and because we had more than two companionships there lol. I would say that I felt bad and that I apologized and all that, but then I would be lying to you haha. So yes that's the most rebellious I have gotten on my mission. On Thursday we had a mission tour with Elder and Sister Basset and we had a Zone Conference with them. It was really good and I really enjoyed it. I also had been informed earlier in the transfer that I would be giving my departing testimony at this Zone Conference. So the whole time I was just anxiously waiting for when they would announce for me to go. But then they didn't hahaha. So I was pretty convinced they had either forgotten about me or didn't actually wanna hear my testimony lol. I honestly would not have been surprised for either one of those. On Friday we did some service for the last time at the Food Bank of Delaware and it was really good. I've been goin to that place for a long time so it felt kind of weird knowing that I probably would never see it again. We also had our VERY FIRST, I N P E R S O N N O N M E M B E R lesson on Friday with this SUPER sweet lady named Rosemary! It was amazing! It seriously felt so good to have an in person nonmember lesson. And it was so good for me to be a part of Sister Kent's experience with it as well. It was awesome. She was happy to receive a Book of Mormon and we....well...the other sisters, look forward to meeting with her again and I look forward to hearing about it and eventually attending her baptism. On Saturday I had my departing interview! It was good. YES! President Dunnigan did talk to me about marriage hahaha, which I had no problem with. It was good though. Glad to be ending on a good note. On Sunday I gave a talk in our Zone Church service where I spoke about some different experiences from my mission and then I also finally gave my departing testimony at mission devotional haha. I lucked out though because instead of only doing it in front of my Zone I got to give it in front of my whole mission hahahah just kidding I don't think that was luck because I was dang nervous and didn't know what I was gunna say. But just Heavenly Father always does, He helped me out and gave me the words to say. Well ya'll I think that about wraps it up. Thank you all so much for the love and support you have given me. I can't believe I've made it and I can't believe who I've become because of it. I am changed forever and I'm so grateful because of it. SEE YOU ALL SOON! Love, Sister JAMIE Bundy 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

51b5eeac-a8cc-4233-9f2d-9760c964b3db 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

89ee6518-5430-4fcd-9c22-dc92d8abd8b1 Sister Resha Nicole Bunker Back to Missionary Letters To start off, we had District Council on Tuesday. Part of District Council includes us discussing a Gospel principle, and deciding what we can do to teach it more effectively. This week, we discussed the Great Apostasy and the need for a restoration of truth. It all makes perfect sense. After Christ and the Apostles were killed, there was no more authority on the Earth. The Priesthood was simply gone. With no authority on the Earth, there could be no leader. With no leader, there could be no more guidance or direction from God on a large scale. As a result of this, unauthorized people made unauthorized changes to Jesus Christ's truths he had taught. For 1,820 years, people were lost! This really puts things into perspective for me. Because of the restoration of the Gospel, we don't have to be lost anymore. The Priesthood has been restored to the Earth, we have a leader, aka President Nelson, and we have Christ's truth back on the Earth in their fullness. IT'S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING. We had an opportunity to teach a man, Kenny, this exact thing. We were out doing some tracting one day, and while we were walking towards the street we wanted to knock, a man was standing outside watching his friends kids. We discussed The Book of Mormon with him, and discussed how it is evidence of the restored Gospel of Christ. He was so fascinated! We are going to meet with him tonight! Here is another good tracting story. We tracted into 2 members who hadn't updated their address. So moral of the story, update your info on LDS Tools. :))) It was hilarious! Our zone is making an emphasis on tracting this month. We are all setting aside an hour every single day to tract. We knocked, and we knocked, and we knocked. I've loved every second of it, who knew that tracting could be FUN?! Saturday night we had a lesson with Marleney and D'leiny. They currently attend a different Church, but have been praying about being baptized. They asked us how to know which Church they should commit to. We invited them to pray, and to search for the Spirit answering their prayers. They asked us the following questions: -How does the spirit speak to you? -How do you feel it? I invite you to reflect on how the Spirit speaks to YOU, and how YOU feel it. President Nelson gives some suggestions to help figure this out in his first address as President of the Church. Go read "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our lives." Acting on the promptings we receive from the Spirit and being obedient help us to find the most joy. I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and I came across a verse, 2 nephi 5:27. "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness". The people of Nephi were being obedient to the commandments, and seeking for the Spirit to guide them. The result was happiness. I know that obedience brings blessings, and obedience brings joy. God has created a beautiful plan of happiness for you and for me. It's up to us to choose it. Have a great week! Sister Bunker Previous Letter Next Letter