Elder Ty Brayant Back to Missionary Letters Ghana may be my new favorite climate. We have not had very hot days here in the last week and it has rained most days for about an hour which really cools it down a lot. I am stationed in a rain forest area with lots of vegetation and farms. I do not miss the desert heat I left at all and I will probably roast like a pig when I get home. I love seeing all the green around my area but It is sadly soiled by the trash along the ground. I really enjoy going to the villages we cover because there is much less trash and much more vegetation. The town itself is splashed haphazardly around with no real sense of organization. The shops are very small and surround the street. The shops themselves are like very small Konnex boxes and all sell pretty much the same products. The houses are just 4 concrete walls and a roof with a door and maybe one window. It really humbles a person when they see how much they really have and how little the people here have. The people themselves are wonderful. They all walk around with scowls on their faces until you greet them and then instantly they become much more friendly. They smile, ask you how you are. It isn't ever a long interaction but they are much happier the friendlier you are with them. Truly Ghana is a wonderful place to live. My companion Elder Williams is from Idaho and is a very hard worker, yet at the same time has managed to adjust to the Ghanaian lifestyle of going with the flow. He teaches me a lot, what I really had to learn right off the bat was how to simplify the gospel so that the people here can understand what we are teaching. The people we do teach have some very insightful questions and are usually attentive and inquisitive. They are so incredibly generous. It is not hard to tell that the people here have almost nothing, but about half of them offer to give us water or other small things. One lady gave us small bags of ground nut paste (peanut butter) which was all she had to give. One of the families we visited are pineapple farmers and they gave us fresh pineapple right off the bush and It was extremely delicious. I am not usually a fruit guy, but I wanted to eat a million of the pineapples. They skinned them and made handles out of the top, then we ate them like a giant Popsicle. We have an interesting mode of transportation here in Ghana. Unlike some missionaries who have cars or even buses we have tro-tros. 20 person vans that drive around and pick up passengers. Roughly half of them feel like they are on the verge of falling apart and seem like they are 30 plus years old. Not only that the drivers are crazy. If a driver wants to go somewhere he is going to go and nobody is going to stop them. everybody crams in like sardines and goes for a ride. The other mode of transportation we use is motos (AKA motorcycle taxis), You flag a driver down tell him where you are going and hop on the back. Sometimes they can fit up to four people on one motorcycle. They may be the most skilled drivers of all time if you ask me. They dodge and weave by potholes like prize fighters. Definitely not what I am used to but very enjoyable rides through the jungle. We spend most of our time teaching lessons and very little time tracting in the towns. We get a lot of referrals from the members here. Our hands are very full to say the least. I still have a long way to go when it comes to learning everything about teaching and the culture but it is all coming along bit by bit, or as they say in Ghana small small. The lessons are usually pretty simplified and I have to talk very slowly for people to understand my accent. Other than that we keep busy busy busy teaching and walking teaching and walking. It is the missionary life every missionary dreams of having. No awkward conversations with random people and lots of lessons that are ready to go. Our apartment is very nice. It has 4 rooms and a bathroom which for 2 people is a massive amount of space. It is nothing like we have in the U.S. but it is more than sufficient for our needs. I have attempted to eat the local food but the texture of it all is very foreign to me and does not agree with my gag reflex. I will get better at eating it, but for now I stick to the foods I know I can eat for sure. I am doing well here in Ghana to say the least. I am happy, I am teaching, and I am not starving. Thank you for all the support and the love. Elder Bryant Picture: Previous Letter Next Letter

Eder Chance Thornton Back to Missionary Letters MY FIRST EMAIL!!! I'm so sorry everyone! Forgive me for not sending emails sooner. I'll try and do better haha. The MTC was amazing and I learned so much there. When you're in the MTC you feel the spirit so strongly and for me leaving the MTC was terrible. It feels like the spirit weakens when you step back into the world. My first day in the field we taught a lesson. Oh and my companion's name is Elder Brown. Anyways, the person we taught her name is Amani and it was her first time meeting in person with the missionaries. We already scheduled her baptism date for next Sunday, 11/19/23. She came to us with the strongest desire to be baptized. She has studied everything that we've asked her to. Amani has already attended church twice. She faces opposition from her family but still wants to be baptized. I feel the spirit around her so strongly. I have a feeling that she will go to the temple some day and I hope that I will be able to attend when she does. I met someone that's been being taught by missionaries since August and he's an awesome guy. His name is Matt. He's a VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER! We bonded so quickly. As soon as I told him that I graduated Fire Academy in May he was like "No way, I'm a firefighter too! Wanna go see our fire station!?" He showed us around their station and it was so cool to check out their fire apparatuses (fire trucks). He let us sit inside and they are all different from the ones Mesquite has. We had our lesson at the fire station; I'll send a picture of the bar that we sat at while we taught him in the station. After meeting Matt I knew I was called to serve here for a reason. There's a convert named Bob that enjoys having the missionaries over. Bob is blind, so his entertainment is limited haha. He gets pretty bored so we go over to his place on Sundays and hangout with him. Bob gave me a nickname the first time I met him. He gave me the nickname "Second Chance" haha. I actually like it. He gave my companion the nickname "Father Brown" haha. I've come to love the people that I've met here in New Jersey. They start to grow on you a little bit haha. The ward members are also amazing; they are like a second family. Also I give my first talk on Sunday. They didn't give me a topic though so if anyone has any suggestions let me know lol. I love you all and hope everyone's doing well, Elder Thornton Previous Letter Next Letter

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

Sster Talia Hansen Back to Missionary Letters Sushi N steak 👌 What's up folks? Hope all is well and that you had a happy valentine's day! Here's the run down on my week. We got to go to the temple as a district this week which was really fun! I may or may not have also eaten 3+ rolls of sushi by myself. We also got steak 3 times this week which if you know me you know that steak is my favorite, so it was a pretty dang good week that way haha! Lessons CARLOS He was a little sick, but cute as ever! We got to tell him a story about the gospel of Jesus Christ and he really ate it up! He is such a funny kid and we love teaching him. TANA She started right away by asking us questions about what she read in the book of Mormon!! She has been reading like crazy. She was also excited because she finally got her large print bible haha CHRISTINE Holy cow Christine it's amazing she hasn't smoked in a whole week! She says she's ready for the next step and asked us if she's ready for baptism! We are stoked! She is doing so well. She said she had 1 cigarette the whole week and it was nasty nasty so she doesn't even know why she did it. She really has such a strong connection with her faith in heavenly Father and it's amazing to see how much she relies on him in her everyday life. MASTERS The boys were as rowdy as ever, but they brought a long a friend this time. Her name is cat and she wants to take the lessons and be baptized! So we said yes of course! We like her a lot she keeps the boys in check. NATE We were able to talk about temples and why they are important! We set up a day to go up to the Idaho Falls temple and he was super excited and so are we! BRIDGER We talked about the word of wisdom with Bridger and found out how much he dislikes broccoli 😂😂 Been a pretty good week! But like a man outside the hospital once said "bad days are for Californians and New Yorkers!" Love yall -Sister Hansen 💕 Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Emily Leavitt Back to Missionary Letters I LOVE church!..but I haven't always In college I attended a congregation of my church that was just made up of young single adults. Most of them were my age and attending the same school as me. I loved to feel the spirit there and I loved learning about my Savior. However, there were always so many new people I didn't know. I had a lot of anxiety trying to talk to people, especially people that seemed so much more confident and faithful than me! Eventually, I made many new friends and they have been a source of inspiration and strength to me in my life. I learned that church is about more than growing closer to God. It is also about community, supporting fellow believers, and finding strength in others. When I moved across the country to Michigan, I found that same community. I love my church family! Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Resha Bunker Back to Missionary Letters This is the most bittersweet email I will ever send. For the past 18 months, I have spent every hour, day and night, laboring in the vineyard of the Lord. I've devoted all of my time, energy, might, and soul to my Savior and my God. To say that I've seen miracles would be an understatement. No words will ever adequately describe the love I have for my mission, for this Gospel, for my brother, Christ, and for my Father in Heaven. I want to bear pure testimony of a few of the things I have come to learn to be absolutely true throughout my mission. First of all, I know that The Book of Mormon is true, and I LOVE this Book. I only know that The Book of Mormon is true because I took the time to study it, and then I asked God to know if it was true. I receive a reconfirmation of this every single time I read it because when I do, I feel GOOD, and good things come from Christ. I know that in the Spring of 1820, a boy named Joseph Smith knelt in prayer, and he saw God the Father, and the Son. Joseph Smith restored the Gospel to the Earth. This leads to my next point. I know that the Gospel truly is the good news of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the way to have true peace and joy not only in this life, but also in the life to come. Living the Gospel better helps us feel of the love that our Heavenly Father and our brother, Christ, have for us. Love is the essence of the gospel, that's what it is all about. Thirdly, the scriptures use the phrase, "There never was a happier people". This phrase occurs periodically when the people are being obedient, and heeding the words of the prophet, who was teaching of Christ. I know that there never has been a happier time in my own life as this time which I have had to serve the Lord. This happiness has been because of my obedience to the Gospel, and because I have been trying my best to exemplify and embody Christ. With that being said, none of us are, or can be perfect. BUT.... we can ALL try to be BETTER. I know it is challenging at times, but you can't grow without getting out of your comfort zone. Push yourself a little bit harder, and God will strengthen your efforts, and turn your weaknesses into strengths. I know that Heavenly Father LOVES us, and that's why He stretches us. Lastly, I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the true Messiah, the Redeemer of the World. He is the Son of our living and loving Heavenly Father. I truly know that with faith in Christ, there is absolutely nothing we cannot accomplish. Let Christ heal you and strengthen you. He will help you become the person God knows you can become. I am eternally grateful for this name tag that I have gotten to wear, and I'm grateful for who Ive been able to represent. I love my God, and I love my Christ. These have been very sacred days that I have spent on holy ground. I say all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our healer and our advocate, amen. Love, Sister Bunker Picture: The Bayview District, plus the Zone Leaders, plus the assistants. Previous Letter Next Letter

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

Elder Aden Woods Back to Missionary Letters It's been a while.. 🦸‍♂️ Hello all! It has been a long while since I've sent an email so here iam! Life is good and everything is going well here! Still here in Roseburg oregon! Transfers are coming up in about a week so we will see what happens! The mission life is awesome! My companion is great and we have seen some cool miracles here in Roseburg! We've had a really busy past few weeks with all our meetings! Time is flying by! Hope you all are doing well! Have a great week! ❤ Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Savannah Price Back to Missionary Letters 20 days???????????? Hola a todos Today I actually decided to write an email. Why? Definitely not because we popped a tire in our car and are currently waiting at Les Schwab for them to fix it, no no, definitely can't be that hehe Well to be honest with yall, this might be the last mass email you ever get from me. I only have a few pdays left, and with today being an exception with time, this might be it. Sorry about that 😅😌 Not too much crazy stuff has been going on anyways, just trying to stay on my feet for these last few weeks. I've seen the Lord's hand in a lot of different ways. I remember when I was younger, I used to ask myself a lot if I was feeling the Holy Ghost or if that was just me talking. As these months of my mission have gone by, I've begun to feel the HG in more aspects of my life, not just the spiritual ones. Sometimes I'll get the prompting that I need to bring my coat with me to go proselyting, and then I'm shocked to find out that it's cold outside and dang I really should have brought my jacket 😂 Nowadays I feel like the promptings come as strong as ever, with a lot of different meanings or significances. When I was younger, I felt like I only felt the Holy Ghost in the strongest of spiritual moments; like at devotionals or church or conference weekend. During my mission we have time set aside every week that we have devotionals or church or councils and with it comes an increase of the spirit, always. At this point, I feel like if I don't feel the spirit it's because I am avoiding it, because I don't want to feel it, because he is always there. I don't know what I'm going to do when I go home and don't always have the spirit with me. Luckily, I've learned a few tricks along the way. I've learned that if I start my day off with scripture study like I've done here, then my days go better. If I pray in the mornings and ask for the spirit, he is there with me. If I make a conscious effort to be more christlike, then I AM more Christlike, what a concept. Sorry to ramble, just some thoughts I've been having. The Lord knows why I am here. Maybe I don't yet, but he does and he will when the right time comes. He'll know. And I'll know. I love all of you! Sorry I'm so bad at taking pics. Maybe I'll scrounge some up and we can see what we'll get haha Keep fighting yall. Keep your origins in your heart. That's what it takes to be a Hero, right? That's what it takes to be a disciple? I know you can do it! That's what it takes to Go Beyond! PLUS ULTRA 💜 Previous Letter Next Letter

Sister Kaden List Back to Missionary Letters the honeymoon phase What is up my people, welcome to the council! How are you doing? Pls email me and pls tell me EVERYTHING!!! Today is my last Pday in the MTC!!! So let me update you on the last three weeks! Weeks 1-3 super exciting because once you start you. do. not. stop. I love it. I’m lucky if I get a second to stop and think about what the h*ck is even going on. We do a LOT of roleplaying and I can’t help but laugh every time. I am not meant to be an actress :/ My district is so funny and my companion ROCKS!!! She’s a go getter and I show up for classes an hour late. She’s organized and put together and I run around with my head cut off every single day. She plans our days and I just smile and wave boys. We get along GR8 though! She teaches me how to run around with my head on and I teach her how to relax a little bit (and then she regrets it and hates me afterwards #streaksdonthmu) My district?????? SO FUNNY! Like??? How did I get so lucky??? They make the 12-7pm classes a party and we all know how much I like a good party. I love them and I am SO UPSET none of them are coming to Kansas with me. I’ll get over it just give me a second. A normal day looks like this 6am: wake up and do something more than dream of your mansions above > 7am: plan our day > 8 - 10am: workshops, meetings, study, prep (maybe cry if I’m feeling up to it) > 11am: practice lessons and teaching > 12-7pm: classes > 7-10:30pm: cry because I’m so unorganized and stressed and my companion should've raised me better. Totally self inflicted so don’t feel bad for me. BEING A MISSIONARY IS THE BEST THING EVER. I wear this name tag like a GIRL BOSS! There’s something so peaceful and comforting about being a missionary (even though I seem to cry a lot -HAPPY TEARS). But on a real note, this gospel is sooooo true NOTHING makes me happier. Jesus Christ lives and He is so aware of us!! God is good, so so good. I’m so excited to get to Kansas. I’m so excited to meet the people of Kansas. I love you all, email me! **quote of the week “Don’t call me little, I am massive” - Elder Napoleon Previous Letter Next Letter

Elder Isaac Iverson Back to Missionary Letters Snowvid, Snowmageddon, Transfer News Well it's been busy, but good. The snow storm in Texas got pretty bad and tons of people went without power, heating, and water. We had a pipe explode in our ceiling and were out of water from Mon-Fri 2 weeks ago. We were in pretty good condition compared to a ton of other people. On the bright side of it all, we got a TON of service opportunities! Transfer News: I'm staying in Scenic Oaks and getting a new companion named Elder Taylor. Super excited about that! The work still moves on. We have a few friends who are right about ready for a baptismal date! Franco is SO close! He is just really trying to get his answer, but he really loves what we teach. Marty got into Family History and has been connecting to ward members that way!. We starting teaching someone who is really ready to receive the Gospel. His name is Luis, and unfortunately I was on exchanges for the first lesson, but my companion Elder Ackerson did great in teaching him the Restoration! We've been super busy and I've been loving my mission! Here is my favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon: 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. If we live faithfully like Enos, we will see our Redeemer's face with pleasure. He will welcome us and His love for us will radiate so powerfully! Previous Letter Next Letter

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