Why Hard Things

(Hermana Ellsworth)

My companion is from Peru and she is such an amazing person. Sometimes we have questioned together as to why we have certain challenges and I remember a story of Elder Neal A. Maxwell and how he struggled with Leukemia for 8 years and when he struggled with something so hard and was in the depths of despair asking "why" the Spirit whispered, "I have given you Leukemia that you might teach my people with authenticity." I know that the people here in Puerto Rico have gone through hard things and it is just one more reason to have member presences in lessons because they know how to teach with Authority. When Shawn, Recent convert 20 years old, was struggling with job, school, and church the member we brought with us shared a story of how Heavenly Father helped her get through so much more than just those three things. It really hit me.  It does not matter how hard it gets or where we have been the important thing is that we are were we are now because of it and we have to decide how we are going to use our past experiences.

With Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 the missionary work came to a complete stop. The island was shut down. The Hurricane was really hard for the people here in the island. But, one year later President Russel M. Nelson came to the island. A few months later, the temple was announced. Hard things are used to prepare us for greater things. Like a temple. They test our commitment to our covenants and our Heavenly Father when times are hard.

Puerto Rico is doing well and the mission work is still moving forward. I love my Heavenly Father and I love my companion. I don't have much to write about because I was sick for half this week. I LOVE YOU ALL :)

Sister Slade, You're Old!

(Sister Slade)

Sometimes when I'm writing my weekly I think about something that happened in the last week and then think oh that happened months ago, but in reality it happened yesterday. I feel like too much happens in one week to actually give all of you a glimpse of what actually happens in my week. Sometimes it feels like I live a week in a day, a month in a week and a year in a month. ;)

This week I hit my one year mark! Yay! It was really weird looking back and seeing how much I've grown in just 365 days. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. My mission is going to be over before I know it and that makes me kind of sad. This week's title comes from sister Brown who thought that because I hit a year, it suddenly makes me really old.

This week we had a special zone conference. Elder McKay from the 70 was visiting our mission. It was a really good zone conference. Afterwards I was chosen to be 1 of the 6 missionaries to be interviewed by him. It was a really neat experience.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a family whose son in law wanted to be taught. Well we had our first lesson with him this week and he told us that he wants to be baptized because his ultimate goal is to be sealed to his wife. He didn't have any kind of religious background, so we taught him about Heavenly Father and prayer. I'm really excited to see his spiritual progression!

We also found a family to teach! We were street contacting at a farmers market and one family we talked to told us that they believe in the Book of Mormon and want to do a book of Mormon study with us. They're a really neat family and they've been through a lot recently, so I can't wait to teach them about the gospel and how it can help them.

Also, remember from last week the miracle I shared about using facebook. Well, in the week since then he's read HALF the Book of Mormon. He said he likes how he feels when he reads it and that it goes with everything he's been reading in the bible. And now he wants to learn more!

God is good!

Sister Slade

Pictures!

all the missionaries at zone conference

Zone conference lunch

Someone we knew saw us at Walmart and wanted to send a picture to someone else we know

Sunset pictures

Someone took a picture of us at one of our services

Sister Brown and I at zone conference

Week Three Letter

(Elder Petersen)

So I leave tomorrow for Ogden my travel Itinerary is basically hop onto a bus to the train station (front runner) from leaving the MTC at 7:15 in the morning and am scheduled to arrive at the mission home at 8:17. Most of my district left today at 10 o'clock so it is just me and my companion and a companion of sisters that are still at the MTC. My companion is going to Pocatello Idaho for his mission and will be leaving at 9:30 in the morning for a 3 hour bus ride. I just counted my ties today and apparently including my temple ties I ended up bringing 45 ties on my mission. I decided that I would document my companions by having them sign their favorite tie in my collection so that I will remember them every time that I wear the tie that they signed. So that is my life right now hope you like it.

Im funny even when Im sad

(Sister Slade)

This week felt like it was 5 weeks. On Tuesday we had to drive to Bentonville for the 6 week training meeting. 2 hours there, 5 hour meeting, 2 hours back. President did give me permission to see a few of the people in Central Park while we were there ('cause I was there for 9 months). It felt like going home because I was there for so long. I got to see James, Bev, Jerry, and the Pabst family. I also got to see Sister Minor! Sometimes I think about how we were only companions for 10.5 days and wonder how we became such good friends.

Because we had to go to Bentonville on Tuesday, we had to move around our service and appointments to different times of the week, so Friday felt like Tuesday, Thursday felt like Friday, Saturday felt like Wednesday and Sunday felt like Saturday. It was all really good though. :)

Last week we told someone we're working with (not quite teaching, but he likes talking to us) to send us his favorite scripture that he read during his bible study each day and we told him we would send our favorite scriptures. So we created a group chat on Facebook messenger and every day would send our favorite scriptures. The miracle though is that because we were connected on Facebook now, he saw that Sister Brown posted a scripture from the Book of Mormon. So then he got curious and STARTED TO READ THE BOOK OF MORMON. For most of my mission I've kind of questioned why we have Facebook, but this was really neat for me to see how it really can reach people and we can see how it touches their hearts.

This week's title is a direct quote from me. We were at service and Sister Brown accidentally made me lose where I was sorting and I said something sad but funny and Sister Brown thought it was hilarious, so I said, "I'm funny even when I'm sad." and she thought that was even funnier.

God is Good!

Sister Slade

Pictures

1. A cool picture

2. Sister Brown and I at weekly planning

3. Bev and I

4. The ice breaker game at 6 week training

5. Some of the sisters at 6 work training

6. Sister Elkins and I

7. Jerry and I

2nd Week at the MTC

(Elder Petersen)

For some reason I cannot send this email to more than 3 people so I need you to forward the email along.

I have had a great but tiring week. I got to hear a devotional from Tad R. Callister on Sunday it was a great talk that he gave. He talked solely about the Book of Mormon and what anti-LDS people say about how the Book of Mormon is false. His main point in the talk was how science and the Book of Mormon are good friends because whenever someone says that the Book of Mormon is false based on specific reasons it only takes science time to discover that what was said in the Book of Mormon is actually real but my favorite part about it is when at the very end he said that even though science is constantly proving it true the only way for you to know that it is true is for you to read the Book of Mormon. We got to listen to David A. Bednar tonight, it was such a great talk and the think that I loved most about it was the fact that all that is required of me or any missionary is that we are only required to be good not perfect. As Elder Bednar said be good boys and good girls so do what you know is right not what our silly brains try and convince us our right. Nothing can be perfect no lesson, no talk, no marriage, no person all that you can be is good and because that is all that is required of us the Holy Ghost will fill in the gaps and make them feel so much better to everyone who sees the talk, sees the lesson, or sees you as a missionary I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Amen. Love you all! Slightly less than 2 years left on my mission. See you when I get back.

TRANSFERS!!

(Hermana Ellsworth)

My time with Hermana Paredes has ended. We had a lot of amazing memories together :) We were able to bring Shawn, Miguel, Miyito, and Rafael into the waters of Baptism. We got in a car crash together and totaled a car, we hit some mile stones together and now a new chapter must begin here in Toa Baja. I will miss her :) It was very beautiful to see how much the Recent converts loved her and were so grateful for her hard work in bringing the gospel into their lives. She is a wonderful missionary.

BUT NOW I HAVE HERMANA CARRASCO!!!! She is also from Peru and we will be serving in Toa Baja Still :) We are going to see some amazing miracles and I am so excited. We are seeing some great progress with one of our amigos named Jeffrey. He is learning very quickly and I am so proud of the progress that he has achieved in his testimony. We had stake conference this week and that was a very spiritually uplifting weekend.

I wanted to write a little bit about how much Heavenly Father really knows our trials and our joys. This week was  a little rough but we saw many tender mercies in the work. When we needed a cloud there was always a cloud. And I really love the word for cloud in Spanish. Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to do our best and knows us so well.  

It was raining pretty hard for transfers but Hermana Bates and Hermana Nelson were at the transfer sight and it was so awesome to see them!!! I have four of my companions in this photo and Hermana Plum. Who knows maybe Ill serve with her someday too.

HERMANA CARRASCO!!!

Rafael is doing well and we are now teaching him how to smile more :) He has really changed so much and still loving his "new life" I am so proud of him.

The same thing Arkansas!

(Sister Slade)

Remember my title from last week? What did Tennessee? The same thing Arkansas! You might have to say it out loud if you didn't get it. Someone we are teaching told us that joke and I thought it was pretty good.

We've been playing softball on a Christian league with someone we are teaching and the tournament games were this week. I have steadily improved throughout the summer and on our last game on Saturday I actually made it to first base! It was a really neat experience because we were playing on a Baptist team and at first they were kind of standoffish, but they've warmed up to us and we were all really good friends by the end of the season. They even invited us back for next year!

A family in our ward that is super amazing, the Deans, recently had their daughter and son in law who is not a member move up from Florida to live with them. He's been coming to church the last couple of weeks and this morning we got a text from Sister Dean saying she had someone for us to teach and that it was her son in law!!!! Both Sister Brown and I felt the Spirit tell us that he was one of the reasons why we are in Harrison. We're super excited about teaching him. Pray for Lucas!

We got transfer calls on Saturday and both Sister Brown and I are staying. This will be the first time in 4 transfers that I'll have a companion for longer than 6 weeks!

God is Good!

Sister Slade

pictures:

Sister Brown and I doing weekly planning last week

Some fun mission memes I made from a picture of sister Brown

Sister Browns been making a lot of hats recently, so I put them all on

Umm, I think they spelled that wrong

Sister brown and I at service

Sister Elkins painted this for me

A lady bug that was on me yesterday

Sister brown and I playing a duet at the mission wide pday last week

A pretty look out place in our area

Arriving at the MTC

(Elder Petersen)

Last Wednesday I arrived at the MTC around 12:30 and it was a blur after that I got my bag's from at Aunt Jeanna's car.  Aunt Jeanna, her husband Richard, Avery and my cousin who is taking classes from BYU got pictures and then I was taken from them and brought to a building given my tags asked a lot of questions and brought to my residence hall. After that I was brought to my first class of the day not an hour after I arrived. I met my companion and it was not until after 4 hours of learning and getting to know my district of 4 Sisters and 8 Elders. Throughout the rest of my week it was none stop race to this building, race to that building, get to dinner. All through that I got to know my companion really well, he goes by the name of Elder Ogburn - he is great. I have had a great time going to everything from classes on how to talk to people, to devotionals on how you should not eat the holes on Swiss cheese. My teachers have been great the food has been pretty good as well. The best part though is the fact that as I am here I feel as if I belong as I have only felt with close friends and family. A really amazing thing that happened during my week is I found my cousin Austin who just so happens to live in the same residence hall as so I hope we can manage to do stuff together while I am here. I got to go to the temple today Tuesday the 13 the amazing thing about that is that the temple has been closed for the past nine weeks and it only opened up again today. I got to do an endowment session in the temple with my companion and one other Elder who was in our group. When we got to the chapel were we waited for the endowment session to start there happened to be 60 other missionaries there to do a session. I love you all and I miss you terribly but I will be writing next week and the week after that and I will keep doing so until I am back home in slightly less than 2 years. I will see you all then.

Rafael was baptized! :)

(Hermana Ellsworth)

This week was such a wonderful week. We saw a lot of miracles and a lot of opposition. A lot of opposition to the Book of Mormon especially. That is a wonderful book and is the only book that Jesus Christ himself declared to have the fullness of the Gospel D&C 20:9. In Doctrine and Covenants 84 the importance of the Book of Mormon is stressed that we should not "treat lightly the things [we] have received"

This week though Rafael was Baptized and it has been a long process of helping him get over addictions and to the point where he has felt ready to be baptized. He is from Salvador and has lived in Puerto Rico for most of his adult years. He always calls us Hermanitas "Cute little sisters" I love it so much. He is a very special spirit and he doesn't love to smile all that often but when you talk to him you can tell how much he really does love God and Jesus Christ. He is a very humble man with a large heart. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to teach him and help him take this step. He was baptized by Hermano Toro who is a the most amazing member ever.

This last Pday we also went to a beautiful look out of the Ocean and It reminded me of all the blessings that God has given us. There is so much that he has created just so that we could have joy while here on the earth. I love you all :) have a great week :)

What did Tennessee?

(Sister Slade)

To learn the answer to this weeks title, stay tuned to next week's email.

Hey! Sorry my email is so late. We were at a mission wide pday activity today. All of July we were doing g a fit challenge and then we were competing in a bunch of events. I took first in the 100 meter, pushup, and balancing competitions and 2nd in the 400 meter. Because it was stake against stake and my stake only had 4 sisters, we had to compete in every event to win and all of us were way too competitive.

This week we had exchanges on my birthday, so we had a fun little party with the other sisters. It feels weird to be 20. I'm not a teenager anymore! We also had interviews with president and sister Strong this week. I was kind of annoyed about that though because some guy from the stake interrupted my interview with sister strong so I didn't actually get an interview with her. :(

At district council this week we had the opportunity to teach some old the senior missionaries that serve with us. We taught the restoration to them and I could feel the spirit so strongly as I testified of the truthfulness of the Gospel. It reminded me of why I'm here and why I stay. Because I know the Gospel can bless peoples lives and help them find joy.

God is Good!

Sister Slade

I don't have any pictures from this week. My bad. :(