Jeffrey :) Transfers

(Hermana Ellsworth)

  This week we had a baptism for Jeffrey. I have been teaching Jeffrey for the past 6 months and he has become one of my best friends out here. We have celebrated birthdays, cried together ( me more than him) , and have grown for our love of God together. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life to teach and struggle with Jeffrey and then see him grown in his trust and Faith in God. He was baptized this last Saturday and received the gift of the Holy Ghost  yesterday.  I learned a lot about how the Lord really is taking care of his children here on earth. I know that our Heavenly Father Loves us and is incredibly patient with our faults and weaknesses. Heavenly Father really does answer prayers and when Jeffrey received his answer if really did confirm to me that our Father loves us. We come from loving Heavenly Parents and they want us to come home to them.

The hard part about the Baptism of Jeffrey is that I will be leaving Toa Baja and him behind. I have fulfilled my purpose for the people in Toa baja and I will be moving on to Humacao back into the zone of Caguas which is on the southeastern side of the island. I am so grateful for the time I had with Hermana Carrasco and her hard work and everything that she has taught me with our time together. I will miss some of the most amazing members here. Hermano Toro, Joanna, Hermana Nerida, Gina Lopez, Los Bushers :) SO many amazing members here in Toa Baja :)

We also had a really wonderful district activity where we went to a cool lookout with one amazing district. But also we have a shout out to part of our old MTC district :) #8A

Jesus would be a Hufflepuff

(Sister Slade)

Today's title comes from Sister Faleafa who is a Hufflepuff at heart and claims that Jesus would be a Hufflepuff. My emails have had a lot of Harry Potter references lately. I guess we know what my first books to read when I get back are. :)

This week we got to go to the temple with Rick and Tommy. It was a really neat experience because we were able to do the work for their mom. Sister Faleafa was able to be baptized for her and I was confirmed for her. A couple of weeks ago, Rick was talking to us about their mom and how she would be praising our names forever because of what we had helped her sons do. Now we were able to help her progress as well. I love the temple and what it means for families.

Sister Faleafa was pretty sick again this week, so I did some more sewing. I finished the quilt that I'm planning on giving to President and Sister Strong for Christmas and made 3 more sock monkeys. Then I deep cleaned the apartment because I can't sew any more without going crazy.

That's about it.

God is good.

Sister Slade

pictures

 temple pictures

We got to hold some puppies

 some crystals that a member gave me because they would "help me find my voice and find peace."

 A face mask that made me look really funny

The finished quilt (mom you should be really proud of me)

Someone sent me a giant thing of hot Chocolate. Thank you!

November 4th 2019

(Elder Petersen)

Monday

               We had a fun day today. It was our P-Day so we went shopping for all of the stuff that we needed for the upcoming week. Then one of our favorite members by the names of Mike and Terri Smith took us out to dinner with some of their friends, so in total there were 12 of us dinning together at the restaurant. After that we had a Conference call with all of our mission at 9:30 and it was really good we learned a lot about how we should be communicating with our stake presidents.

Tuesday

               Today we had a Conference with our mission president and all of the training missionaries. It was basically just them telling all of the new missionaries who is who and where they need to go for specific information. Other than that we went to a ward party tonight and managed to set some appointments up throughout the day.

Wednesday

               Today we huddled with the Waldners and discussed with them what we are doing in their stake as well as what they are doing. We had some time between the end of our huddle and the service project that was assigned to us by the mission so we played some pool with Elder Waldner while we waited to go. That mainly happened because it would have been very ineffective to try and proselytize during the basically half hour that we had before we had to leave to make it to the service project on time. We then had a ministering appointment after that and then our day ended.

Thursday

               So it's a bit late as I am writing this email so it will be short. Today we packed all day because me and my companion are getting kicked out of our house tomorrow due to a baby being born shortly. So it has been a frenzy to get everything packed up so that we can move. So that is how we spent most of our day but for the last 5 hours from 4 to 9 pm we got to go to the temple due to Halloween and all. This was because the mission president did not want us to be out on the streets on Halloween night.

Friday

               Today we had MDC or Multi District Council and we learned about how best to use members to their fullest. We learned how to teach how to pray and how best to use the Book of Mormon. After that we moved which took up the rest of the day and we went on exchanges once more. From tonight to tomorrow night.

Saturday

               So today started out fairly normally with all the normal things. But it got slot more interesting with a surprise service that we participated in from 8 to 9 then after dinner we went to a non-member with intent of giving our condolences for the loss of his wife. We went there with one scripture in mind to share with him and it was John 16:33 which says "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." and I know that he loved that scripture and was touched that we shared it with him even though he is a very smart very anti LDS. That was my day we finished our splits and then we went to bed.

Sunday

               Today was a pretty good day although very tiring. The day started out fairly normally with fast Sunday and all so we went to 3 sacraments today and in each one of them I got up and bore my testimony in each of them. After that we had a meeting with one of our Stake Presidents to discuss what we would be doing in their stake and what we have been doing after that we met with a member family to discuss one of our previously taught non-members. Then we had dinner two other ministering appointments and a coronation meeting with our high Councilor over missionary work and then our day ended.

Did you say bean or being?

(Sister Slade)

Today's title comes from an experience sister faleafa and I had. I said something sarcastic (highly unusual for me) and sister Faleafa said, "You are a sarcastic bean." But I couldn't tell what she said, so I asked her, "did you say bean or being?" And then she said, "bean." But I still couldn't understand which word she was saying. So I asked her what she said again. This went on for about 5 minutes and by the end of it she was yelling "bean!" At me and we were laughing so hard we were crying.

This week was very boring. Sister Faleafa accidentally ate something she was allergic to at our ward trunk or treat on Wednesday and she was sick the rest of the week. So anyone want to guess how much time I spent sewing this week? TOO MUCH. I made 17 dresses for girls in 3rd world countries and then decided that I couldn't look at another dress. So I started making pillows and sock monkeys for people we're teaching (pictures attached below). I told sister Strong about the sock monkeys with an idea I had, so now we're going to make sock monkeys to deliver to the children's hospital here on Christmas.

On Sunday, because it was fast and testimony meeting, Johana decided that she wanted to bear her testimony. So she got up and did! It was one of the most amazing testimonies ever. I'm pretty sure that half the congregation was crying (I definitely was). She said that since she met us she said she felt like she had been found and was coming home. She said she felt this unbelievable warmth and happiness when we were in her home and that she was being taught things she had felt her whole life but couldn't put words to.

We got transfer calls on Saturday. Both Sister Faleafa and I are staying.

God is good!

Sister Slade

pictures

Technology is being dumb and won't let me upload my pictures, so you'll just have to wait until next week to see them because I've been trying for half an hour to get them to upload.

Oct 28th 2019

(Elder Petersen)

Monday

               Today was pretty much a lazy day until 6 pm and then we talked to a convert as of a year ago who is getting a little annoyed with the church right now so we went over to talk to her and help her feel better about her life in the church. Then we went and tried talking to a few bishops and after that the day basically ended.

Tuesday

               Today we had a service and a huddle with Elder Waldner and they were back to back. After our huddle we had our additional companionship study in which our zone leaders joined us and I tried hard to get my 4 minute resto down in which I managed to get all of my points in but was still just under 6 minutes at my best so far. Then we had dinner with a member whose husband had just passed 6 months prior and we all had a pretty good time. After that not much remarkable happened just a few more member visits and then our day ended.

Wednesday

               Today we did a few things, the first thing that we did after lunch was to walk up to a guy's house to talk to him his wife had just recently died and one of bishopric in that ward said that it would not be a bad idea to go see him. We have been a bit hesitant to do so though because he is a Bible basher so we went up today and knocked on his door, he was not home though so we left and did some stuff around the neighborhood and then went home to have dinner. We then went to a member visit and then afterwards our day basically ended.

Thursday

               Today we had zone conference and we got out our flue shots so we did not get home until after 4. Then we went to a soup potluck dinner at 6pm and had dinner there. We had fun with that and learned a lot of interesting stories that a member told us about dinner. Not the most interesting day but during conference we went over these verses with a fine toothed comb. (John 15:1-5)

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

In these verses I have a thought to share with all of y'all, in these verses we see that Jesus is talking about how he represents the vine bringing forth good fruit. But in the last verse in the line that is bolded it says "I am the vine, ye are the branches:" I really like that because it shows that through Jesus Christ we can bring forth good fruit, but the vine has to have something to grow from and that is the branch which represents us. So now since the branch represents us we have to put in the work to grow that vine. So to simplify it we have to through Jesus Christ put the work in to grow the vine so that Jesus Christ through us can put forth the good fruits.

Friday

               So today was a pretty normal day except for us going to the hospital because Elder Coupe needed to get a CT scan. After that CT scan we got Chick-fil-A for dinner and watched the Book of Mormon video that came out today. And finally we are having an exchange today so I have left our apartment.

Saturday

               Today began with an exchange but our district leader by the name of Elder Ficiur had stomach trouble so we switched back and I went to a non-member appointment with Heather which went well especially considering we managed to put her on date for the the first week in December the seventh is when it is happening so that was exciting. Finally though we had ministering appointments which ended at 10. So a pretty normal day in the life of a missionary.

Sunday

               Today started out with snow! I love the snow it has such a peaceful air to it as it snows. To me the snow blankets the noise of the world and brings in peace. When it snows you have a perfectly white landscape to see. So I love it because it reminds me of what I truly want to be like. I want to be as pure as I can be just like the snow, but I know that I will never be perfect just as the snow will be trampled over and turn nasty. I know though that through Jesus Christ's atonement I can become clean again just like the pure white snow. Hope y'all have a great week this week and have fun as the holiday season comes upon us.

Cheese fills a place in my heart that no man will fill

(Sister Slade)

Todays title comes from a 15 year old girl that we are teaching. Her family had us over for dinner and she put a lot of cheese in her potato soup and when we questioned her about her life choices, that is what she said.

Somehow this week was simultaneously one of the most uneventful yet eventful weeks of my mission. Don't ask me how that makes sense.

On Tuesday, Sister Faleafa woke up with a really bad migraine that lasted all week. So most of the week was spent in the apartment. I sewed 15 dresses and started making a quilt out of all of the scrap material to give to President and Sister Strong for Christmas.

Now for the eventful part of the week. On Wednesday we had to drive to Bentonville because our car was starting to freak out and they were going to switch the cars out. So they gave us a brand new 2019 toyota Rav4 that had 26 miles on it. They had us pick it up from the dealership. BUT they had us pick up two of these cars and drive them back to the mission office and gave us permission to be alone to do so. So, I was completely alone for like 5 minutes. It was the weirdest feeling.

On Thursday Sister Faleafa's migraine got so bad that we had to go to the hospital so they could drug her. And then the rest of the week she was kind of loopy and not very aware because of the medication.

Last but not least, on Sunday we had a baptism. Rick was able to be baptized!!! His brother Tommy who was baptized 4 weeks ago baptized him and Sister Faleafa and I were the witnesses. It was a really cool experience.

God is good!

Sister Slade

pictures:

We had fun last pday at walmart

Sister Faleafa broke one of the sewing machines and then fixed it and then broke it and we're going to fix it again today

While we were picking up a new car I got to hold president Strong's dog Tonks

The car that Sister Faleafa drove back from the dealership

One of the dresses I made actually fit me pretty well sorry the picture is blurry

 A super squishy and soft stuffed animal

 Rick's baptism

all of the people that had to help Rick be baptized because he's in a wheelchair and can't stand

 We went bowling last week as a stake

Elder Slughorn

(Sister Slade)

You know your a missionary when you try to quote a Harry Potter reference and  you say "Elder Slughorn" instead of "professor Slughorn." Other things my exhausted brain have said this week are "hurting laughs" and "sitting outside on a piano bench" (instead of bus bench).

It has been another crazy week. Tommy's brother Rick told us on Thursday that he wants to be baptized as soon as possible. So we're shooting for having a baptism next Sunday! I do love when people invite themselves to be baptized.

Our ward's primary program was yesterday and it was so cute! Little children can bring the spirit so much stronger and purer than any adult giving a talk.

Sister faleafa gets really bad migraines, so we have to spend a lot of time inside for her to rest. During that time I sew dresses. So (haha, see what I did there) our weeks are not very exciting.

God is good!

Sister Slade

Pictures:

Some really cute dresses that I made

A very pretty sunrise

A pillow that I made out of the scraps from making dresses

The other side of the pillow

We made Johana's daughter a missionary name tag and she sat there the whole lesson trying to be like us

She wouldn't let us leave after our lesson