I never used bread as toilet paper before

(Elder Slade)

To the best Friends and Family a person could hope for, 

Before you freak out about the title, let me explain. What actually spawned this phrase was, we had a member text us yesterday that said something along the lines of "Do you guys have enough toilet paper and would you like some fresh bread I just made?" My companion's response was "I've never used bread as toilet paper before. Color me immature, but I thought this was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I busted out laughing. We did accept the bread (who wouldn't accept fresh homemade bread out of the oven?), but needless to say, we did not use it for toilet paper. for those of you are worried, we have plenty of toilet paper.

It's been one unconventional week. Early in the week, we were told that we were not allowed to knock on any doors, and we had to call first to set up an appointment. Later in the week, we were told that we could not enter any person's home. As a result, we were stuck in our apartment doing missionary work. We are allowed to go out for walks and exercise but, that's pretty much it. I'm doing fine being stuck in the apartment, but the biggest issue is making sure I don't get fat. You might think we would be low on food, but we have sooooo much food at home! Due to the high population of members in this area, so many members have brought us snacks and food. We told one member that we would like some healthy recipes if he had any. Next thing we know, he sent an email out to the entire ward saying we need more food. About 5 or 6 members dropped by food after that. We are pretty much drowning in food and snacks right now, so no one needs to worry about us dying of starvation.

Despite being locked in the apartment, we have seen wonderful things happening! We have had a ton of success video calling member families and teaching them the message of the Restoration. At the end of teaching them, we ask if we can teach them again next week, and this time, they invite someone else to join in on the video call. Almost every time, they have someone that they could invite. So, we could be finding a lot of people to teach this week. The work is still going on! This week we are memorizing a quote by Joseph Smith, known as the Standard of Truth

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; … the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

Despite all circumstances, the work of God will continue, through ran, snow, sleet, or Corona. I know this is a crazy time, and some of you might be a bit anxious, but I want you to know, that the work of God consists of bringing his children (all of you) peace and happiness. We may face trials and tribulations, but all things are to bring us experience and to help us become better people. Remember above all else, that Jesus Christ has descended below all things. He has felt your pain, your anxiety, your sadness, your disappointment and your guilt. Trust in God, and he shall direct thy path.

I love you all, I hope you have a spudtacular week! (all credit for that pun goes to my friend Akash)

Pictures:

1. A picture with our district. It was Edler Leavitt's idea to get on my shoulders

2. Me on a railroad track near our apartment

3-6. This morning we woke up early and hiked up a small mountain to see the sunrise. It was beautiful, and we got some good pics

Mar 25 2020

(Elder Petersen)

So this week has been very, very interesting starting from last Wednesday. Starting last Wednesday we got the message that all of the Missionaries in our mission have been effectively quarantined in our mission. After that message we had to cancel all of our plans for the days after that and reschedule for us to give our message to them over the phone. After that on Friday our mission president, President Hobbins called us to see if we would be home so that he could talk to my companion Elder Hall. In that discussion Elder Hall found out that he was being sent home due to the fact that he is a type 1 diabetic but was not sure when exactly he would be going home. After that he started to pack up his stuff so it was hectic that night and Saturday. Then on Sunday we had a mission wide zoom call in which all of the Missionaries who would be going home that transfer gave a quick testimony. After the zoom call ended about 10 minutes later President called us and thanked Elder Ward for is testimony but did not say anything about when my companion was supposed to go home, 10 minutes later the Assistants called us and told us that Elder Hall needed to be down in Ogden at the mission home by 9pm. So he finished packing, I packed a three day bag and we went to pick up two other Elders so that I would have a companion to be with until Wednesday when transfers are happening. So we also got our transfer board Sunday night telling us what would be happening and then today they told us that we will be getting a new transfer board Tuesday because we are getting 6 more missionaries then we had previously expected so now I have no idea what Is going to happen in the next week. So that is my week in a short email talk to y'all next week!

Im like a healthy beached whale

(Elder Slade)

To the best Friends and Family a person could hope for, 

Well, other than the world pretty much going into apocalypse mode, it's been a pretty normal week for me! Jk, these past few days have been super crazy. As of right now, we are doing normal missionary work and teaching. Our mission president told us to not freak out, however he did tell us to go to the store and buy two weeks of food and toiletries, just in case. Us, being mature adults and all, rather than buying 2 weeks of "food", we bought 2 weeks of snacks! Yep, you can begin to shake your heads now. He said if we come into contact with anyone with the virus, we are to quarantine ourselves for 14 days! I don't know about you, but being locked in an apt for 2 weeks with nothing to do but study, sounds horrible. Be prepared for me to lose my sanity and start saying really weird things in my emails if that happens to us. (You're probably laughing and saying, "I thought he was already saying some pretty weird things?", which you'd be right for saying. For example, one person we talked to was talking about the toilet paper issue. He said the only toilet paper he had was "John Wayne toilet paper", in other words, "rough, tough and don't take crap off anybody!" Elder Leavitt died laughing after hearing this.)

After we heard that all church meetings were cancelled, we were a little bit lost for a second, since that is one of our main focuses, to get people to church. However, after a moment's confusion, we picked ourselves up, and decided to start getting the fellowshippers/minister of the people we are teaching to invite them to do Come Follow Me with them. Our mission president later said that that is the way we would be counting "sacrament" attendance for our mission, so yay! It's amazing that the recent changes with the church, such as 2 hour church, and a home centered church supported curriculum for the members. this is a testament to me, of the ability of the prophet and the apostles being led by God in these latter days.

Despite the craziness and setbacks, the Lord is still working miracles. Nothing will stop the Lord's work from happening! We found one person to teach yesterday. His name is Sam Maughn is 9 years old, and his family is so talented! They invited us over for dinner, and the dad cooked for us. He is a professional cook that's been cooking for over 20 years and he made some coconut and peanut butter curry that was the best thing I ever ate! Yum! (elder LEaviit said the title of the email after we ate it.) Then after we had a lesson with them, his older brother Caleb, brought out his cello, and him and I (on the piano) played a Pianoguys duet of "Bring Him Home" from Les Mis. Their mother started singing as well, and it sounded amazing! It was amazing how we were able to connect with them through music. I definitely don't think it was a coincidence that I was brought to this area, where the Lord could us my musical talents in such a way. We were able to build a great relationship with them through this. This whole experience taught me to trust in the Lord, and to have faith in him. We may not know why we are sent somewhere, or why things happen to us, but we can trust in the "wisdom of him who knoweth all things" (2 Nephi 2:24). Despite the chaos the world may seem to be in now, we can trust in God's plan for us, and trust in the knowledge of where to find happiness and peace: His son Jesus Christ. I know that if you follow Jesus Christ and his teachings, nothing in the world will be able to affect your happiness. He is the light of the world, and the only way to lasting peace and happiness in this life. trust in him, and everything will be alright.

What disease is the leading cause of death among potatoes? Nope. It's not corona. It's

Nope. It's not corona. It's Tuber culosis

Pictures:

1-2. A beautiful sunset

3. 2 weeks worth of snacks

4. For service, we are helping a non-member build his house, so we did a little mudding this week

5. For some reason, when you sit on our coach, the light makes it so one pant leg is a different color than the other! It blew our mind the other day as we were planning.

Update

(Hermana Ellsworth)

Hello Family and friends!

It has been a while since I have sent out a weekly so we have A LOOOTT  to catch up on

I'll start off that I am now in P O N C E (Airhorn noises)  😎😎

Last transfer I was in Trujillo Alto and it was a wonderful area with amazing people :)

We taught some amazing people like Naomi, Emelio, the family Santiago Borrero. I loved the ward and my companion. Hermana Aguiar taught me a lot about being diligent.

I am grateful I met people like Benjamin  who is doing a church tour and building his own boat by hand :) He is a great example of always being anxiously engaged in a good cause

I am in a new area now in PONCE! We were working hard. And then church was taken away.... and now we cant leave our house... and things just keep declining.... BUT WE STILL HAD A GREAT TIME AT OUR OWN CHURCH!

I have been stress painting all day trying to keep calm not knowing how long we will be inside the house.

My new companion is Hermana Garcia from Honduras and she is the most amazing woman with so much faith. I love teacher with her.

At this point I am just grateful we have a prophet and leaders who helped us get prepared for things like this. It was such a blessing to take the sacrament in our home and have that familiar spirit. I love the gospel so much and I am so glad to be a missionary in Puerto Rico. The hurricanes, earthquakes,  protests, and plagues won’t stop me from enjoying my mission and trusting in the Lord.

I couldn’t get everyone on this list to send the weekly so please pass it along to my aunts and uncles and friends that aren’t on the list.

Mar 18 2020

(Elder Petersen)

Hey Everyone how have y'all been? Sorry I didn't email last week but it has been crazy since last time I wrote. That first week was not terribly bad, in fact it was pretty boring. Last Monday is when it truly started to get hectic starting out with my companion Elder Cianciotto getting transferred out of the area on super short notice with me staying in the area that I don't know very well with a new companion who knew the area not at all. Then the changes that have been happening in church policy to the extent that now we cannot really knock on doors anymore because now we have to call to set up an appointment with anyone whom we meet with now to make sure that it is OK for us to come over and teach them. But other than those 'minor' stumbling blocks everything is doing good and going well. 

Transfer

(Hermana Ellsworth)

Madison ran into an old BYU college friend. (picture above)

She is being transferred "But I'm doing well, I am moving to Ponce with Hermana Garcia from Honduras for this transfer. The phone doesn't allow emails for Group emails. That's why I haven't sent out a weekly all transfer. Next week I can but we don't have computers here.”

Madison ran into an old BYU college friend. (picture above)

She is being transferred "But I'm doing well, I am moving to Ponce with Hermana Garcia from Honduras for this transfer. The phone doesn't allow emails for Group emails. That's why I haven't sent out a weekly all transfer. Next week I can but we don't have computers here.”

Thats the umbilical cord of the chicken

(Elder Slade)

To the best Friends and Family a person could hope for,  

The title for this week came from Elder Leavitt as he was cooking a fried egg. He saw a white part coming out of the yoke and he said "That's the umbilical cord of the chicken!" After a moment's pause, I replied "Everything about that statement is wrong." He started laughing really hard after that as he thought about it. It was pretty funny.

Like every other week, this week's been great! The sun finally came out! We had a high of like 45! If it gets any hotter, I'll be drowning in sweat and heat. Just kidding, but it was good to finally have some of the snow start to melt. I can't wait until spring and summer. I've been told its super beautiful, and I'm excited. I've also been told there some really nice hiking trails. So I can't wait for a P-day that is warm enough to hike one.

We found two new people to teach. Their names are Jill and Jessie Bough, and they are super nice! I just love them. Jessie's super funny and I really hope they continue progressing. I went on an exchange with my district leader, Elder Johnson, on Friday. A funny thing that happened then was when we knocked on a door and we heard a kid's voice yell after he peeked out the window, "Mom, It's the mormon people!" In the moment, I thought it was pretty funny. Especially after the door opened and a large man answered, with the little kid peeking out from behind his leg. Super cute.  Other than that, it's not been that eventful of a week.

One thing that I've realized while out is that everyone is struggling with something. Whether member or non member, everyone has something that is hard in their life. Whether it's a recent death in the family, or something health related, or a struggling relationship. Or maybe it's depression and anxiety, loneliness, or being stretched too thin.  My invitation to you this week is to pray about someone that you can help and try to do something nice for them, to ease their burden. I promise as you try to look for an help others needs, your own burdens will be lessened. Ironically as we look outward, and forget ourselves, we find ourselves and receive more happiness in our lives. God lovers each and everyone of you and wants that happiness for you that lies in store when you care for others.

What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo?

A pouch potato! Not really a potato joke, but nonetheless, I thought it was funny.

Pictures:

1. Caden (the kid that got baptised) and us outside the temple, after we went to a fireside in the visiters center

2. Slow children playing! I think 15 mph for a child is pretty fast!

3. Pretty funny bumper sticker. Sorry for those who might get offended

4. Another beautiful Idaho sky!

God is Good!

(Sister Slade)

Well this is it y'all! You've had to put up with almost 19 months of emails but at last your misery is coming to an end. I fly home on Friday and for those of you near by, I will be giving my homecoming talk this Sunday at 9:30. If you want the address to the church building, email me separately.

I don't really know what to say for my last email except what I've said every email: God is good! I've been so blessed to be a part of His work and to have a front row seat to seeing Him do His work. There's a scripture that I really love, "I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." I've always loved the analogy to an instrument. Having a musical background, I think of a trombone, clarinet, or tuba. Heavenly Father "orchestrates" his work and we each can be an instrument in His hands. In the 18 months I spent serving the people of Arkansas trying to "bring some soul to repentance," I may have been the triangle that only contributed once or twice in the grand performance. But I showed up and the Lord used me. And that was my joy!

I know that I was sent to Arkansas to be able to serve and love specific people. I've come to see them and love them the way Heavenly Father does. And He loves you too. I know that God loves his children. He loves them so much that He sent his Son Jesus Christ to prepare a way for us to go back to Him. I've been so proud to represent Jesus Christ for the last 18 months. Even when I take my name tag off on Friday, His name is always written on my heart, "Written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God." So, one last time:

God is good!

Sister Anna Slade

pictures:

1-4. We got to go to the temple with Johana on Saturday! It was quite the adventure getting there though

5. The sunset on the way home from the temple

6-8. saying goodbye to everyone

9-10. we were bored and tried playing hide and seek (it didn't work so well in our small apartment) and sister Jelderks hid in the cabinet in my bathroom.

There's two ways to skin a cat, with a knife or an airhose

(Elder Slade)

To the best Friends and Family a person could hope for, 

This weeks title came from a member that was present during a lesson we taught. I don't remember what exactly we were talking about, but he said "There's two ways to skin a cat, with a knife or with an air hose," and I thought it was one of the funniest sayings! I hope I never have to skin a cat either way, but in case I need to, now I have two ways of going about it.

 It's been a good and crazy week! This Tuesday was my first zone conference. I learned a lot. One thing that we were challenged to do while there was memorize the entire first vision account to potentially use in a lesson, (JSH 11-17). I almost have it memorized, but I think the real reason he asked us to do it, was to build our testimony of it. After reading it and studying it so many times, I've come to really internalize it and reflect how that when we have our own questions, or lack wisdom about anything, we can ask God. Sometimes I think that there is a pile of blessings just hovering over our heads, and we just need to ask God in faith and try to follow Christ's example, and those blessings will be dropped upon us. I'd invite all of you to start reading the first vision, both to strengthen your testimony, but also to prepare for general conference coming up (It's going to big, and I'm excited!).

I went on two exchanges this week, one with Elder McGuire and Elder Fa'aumu, the same companionship I was with last week, and the other with Elder Posso, from Columbia/Utah, and Elder Bree from South Carolina. I love being able to serve with a variety of people, as they all have taught me something different.

The last big thing that happened this week was that we had a baptism! Caden Stewart, a boy that we are teaching was baptized on Saturday, and was confirmed yesterday! Elder Leavitt baptized him, and I played the piano and gave a talk at the service. It was really cool how a lot of members came to support him. I've only taught him for 3 or so weeks, but it was amazing to see how people can change. He's become a lot happier, and I can see the light of Christ shining more abundantly in his life.

My interesting fact of the week is that apparently, according to a website my mom got her info from, In Idaho it’s illegal to fish while sitting on the back of a camel or a giraffe. That sound fake, but you'll have to search it and see for yourself. My questions is, how would you get the giraffe or camel to stay long enough to fish from their backs.

Pictures:

1 and 3. Elder Leavitt, Caden, and I at Caden's baptism

2. Us the night before, with Colton, Caden's brother

4. Elder Leavitt's Yeti pajamas. I'm only a little bit jealous.

5. Beautiful Idaho

6. The coolest doorbell ever (it's a bear trap!)

Biking uphill with your brakes on

(Sister Slade)

Today's title comes from an experience I had on Tuesday. My bike has been having some issues and we went to a member that fixes bikes. Unfortunately he tightened my front brakes too much. We also didn't have a car for 10 days because of being in a car share with the elders. (side note: after getting the car back we cleaned it out because it was gross and we found toenail clippings in the back seat.) Anyway, on our way back from service we have to bike uphill the whole way. With the brake perpetually on. It was great. I did find a spiritual principle in this though. We have challenges in life (the hills). Everyone has them and sometimes it takes everything we have to get to the top. Sometimes we make things harder for ourselves by "having the brake on." This can take the form of anything; complaining, blaming others, or trying to avoid going up the hill all together. The hills are hard to go up but ultimately help prepare us to go up the next hill. I learned a lesson from my bike this week, but I can guarantee you I wasn't thinking about it as I was biking up Happy Hollow hill. I was thinking, "I AM GOING TO DIE!"

In comparison to the last couple of weeks, this one was pretty boring. Two exciting things happened though. The first is that Johana was confirmed on Sunday. Then she got up and bore her testimony again. It was just as powerful as when she bore her testimony a couple of months ago. There is a power in saying that you believe in what you believe in.

The second exciting thing is that Elder Ochoa from the 70 came and visited our mission. My last zone conference was conducted by a general authority. At zone conference President Strong talked about how knowing something is true doesn't do much for us unless we allow it to change our lives. He used the example that we can know the Book of Mormon is true just as much as we can know that our lawn mower manual is true. The difference is the power that the Book of Mormon has to change us. When we allow it to change us that's when our testimony of knowing is powerful. I think that is why Johana's testimony (both times) were so powerful. Not only does she know the gospel is true, but she has changed because of it and has accepted the change.

God is good!

Sister Slade

Pictures

1-5. some really creepy half heads that we found at service at a thrift store

6. When we were in Bentonville for zone conference I got to see some of my favorite people from Central Park. I only got the picture with Jerry though :(

7. she was supposed to be backing me but found a cat to play with instead