Week 9: The Wild Card Week

 (Sister Putnam)

 

Hello, everyone! I'll try to make this email kinda shorter than the last few haha.

Tuesday we went to Bishop's storehouse and got to work with Elders Wilkey & To'omalatai & it was a lot of fun. Elder To'omalatai knows Portuguese and that's similar enough to Spanish that he and I were able to communicate with him speaking Portuguese and me speaking Spanish, so it was really fun to practice. There was one order where the family ordered a ton of meat so I loaded the meat into the box and as I put it on the cart I was like "I wOnDeR iF tHeSe PeOpLe ArE vEgEtArIaNs." and another family ordered like 6 gallons of milk and I was like "I bEt ThEy'Re LaCtOsE iNtOlErAnT." Both times Elder To'omalatai busted out laughing and Elder Wlikey & Sister Madsen were like "bruh."

During lunch we got a phone call from our Zone Leaders, Elders Iketau & Wright (who are in the same hotel with us) & Elder Iketau was like "Hey, Sisters. Did something happen to your hotel room?" and we were like "um, no...." and he was like "Okay, come upstairs, we have something to tell you." and we were like "Oh um okay..." and we were concerned like, Was there a break-in, did someone's room get robbed? Well we went upstairs & the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders were like "lol so your room contract ended like 20 minutes ago, don't worry about it, we've contacted the mission office, but if someone comes to clean your room, then say no." and we were like "this was the thing you were so ominous about??" so yeah that was awesome.

Also, we decided to prank the Elders in our district. (we were going to include the sisters but then found out that they were getting a trio that night and didn't want to come off as mean to the new sister so we're planning on heart attacking them sometime this week instead shhhhh don't tell anyone) We got Jello and put a pass-along card into it and also goldfish. The goldfish crackers separated in the liquid and it looked so gross. Our plan was just to leave it at our District Leader's doorstep, but when we got there we realized their front door was in a hallway that was blocked by a locked door and so we had to call them and be like "um lol can you come outside we have something for you just pretend you didn't know it was us lol" and they were like "okay." So they came out & we presented it to them and they were like "what the heck" and busted out laughing so we're glad it was received well. Then we got permission to go and prank the other elders' apartments and so we went to Elders Call and Delis' apartment & put memes we'd printed out all over the door, then we knocked and ran and hid behind a car to watch their reactions and they didn't come out so we were like "okay they're probably in a lesson, they'll see it later" and we went to the Elders Wilkey & To'omalatai's apartment & started decorating the door with Nicolas Cage pictures and we were almost done and then our phone started ringing and it was really loud and a basic missionary ringtone so we ran away & left the last two nic cage pictures on the ground & answered the phone and it was Elders Call and Delis and they were like "you're suspects in an investigation we're having" and we're like "Whaaaaat???" And they're like "Yes. You put memes on our door." "Um why would you think it was us?" and they were like "why are you whispering, you're acting sus" And we were like "Um we're not acting sus" and they were like "well sister Putnam is a meme queen so we know you put the memes all over our door" and we were like "um no we didn't lol" and they were like "yes you did" And we were like "we have to go lol bye" and then we went & finished putting the Nicolas cage pictures on the door and knocked and ran and hid and then we heard the door open and then a "what the heck?" and then a bunch of laughter and elder wilkey came & looked for us & found us and that was fun. Of course there was a spiritual message involved. "Don't let Satan cage you up with sins."

Friday: We got robbed

So we did our last service project with Elders To'omalatai & Wlikey before going into quarantine (Elder To'omalatai is going back to his OG assignment in Brazil). We were supposed to go help a guy unpack his house and so we pulled up to his house and the elders were like "yeah this guy's name is Amaan, right?" And we were like "No, it's andy".  Turns out it was the same guy the Elders helped last time.  We helped him unpack his house and he has a ton of stuff. it was super crowded in there, we were like "I think he's a hoarder." And we cleaned up his kitchen a ton, he has like 100 pots and pans and he's the only one living there. After we helped him clean his house we invited him to attend church.  Later that night we went to say 'goodbye' to the elders before they went into quarantine (we'd still see them on the district video calls every night for the next two weeks) and then we got home and they called us and said "so president said Elder To'omalatai is getting transferred tomorrow morning to go into quarantine with someone else who leaves for his OG assignment at the same time, and a trainee is getting transferred here." So we were sad because he's super fun and so yeah we got robbed.

Saturday: Reba!!!

So, remember how Reba disappeared into the void last week? Well in looking for her on Facebook, I found two accounts who had lots of the same past profile photos, but not the one we'd initially contacted her with, and this week one of them disappeared so there was just the one. I figured those two were the same person, but wasn't sure if it was our Reba, but I figured, a friend request can't hurt. So I sent a friend request, and like 5 minutes later she dm'ed me "Yay you found me!" and so that was awesome! Apparently her other FB she was using got hacked and she'd tried to find Sister Madsen and I but she couldn't. Well we talked a bit, and she said "nobody else cares about me so why would God." and I said, "You have kids, right?" And she was like "yeah." And I asked "Do you love them?" And she said "I would die for them." And I said, "How likely are you to stop loving them?" And she said "Never." And I said "That's how God feels about you." And she was like "Really?" And I said "yes. And you don't have to take my word for it. Do you want to find out for yourself?" And she said she did so I asked her if she remembered how to pray and she asked me to teach her again, and I sent her the instructions on how to pray, and I asked her to pray. I told her to ask God in that prayer to tell her how He feels about her. "Will you do that?" I asked her, and she said, "yes right now." So we gave her some time to pray and about 15 minutes later she texted us saying she felt a lot better. We asked her to write down everything she felt in her journal so she could remember it. So that was awesome, because now she knows God loves her.

Sunday: fast & testimony meeting

Well, we had fast & testimony meeting, Reba came to church and she asked us over text what a testimony was so we explained it to her, & we told her that this particular meeting was one where anyone could talk and say their testimony. Afterwards she said she loved it & how she really wanted to talk about her experience the night before. She wants her testimony to grow! I'm so glad we were able to find her!

Haha, so this email was not as short as I'd hoped but I hope you all like it! I love hearing from you all, Until next week!

Sister Alyssa Putnam

S3 E5: Death of the triad, Birth of the Greenie (and the cycle continues..)

 (Elder Cummings)

大家好！

So, we dropped off Elder Pratt on Wednesday and now he's in South Korea...so that happened. My old comp(and my trainer) Elder Christensen also left back for Chile the same day. Apparently if you want to get to your original assignment you just gotta be my companion first.

Because of Elder Pratt leaving I got combined with the Spanish Elders that we share the apartment with so that was epic. We were working both areas for the week so we had lessons and appts back to back to back, English to Spanish to English to Spanish. That was wild but it was awesome to be so busy.

That being said, the Triad had to end eventually. Transfers are tomorrow so we'll have 4 elders here again and.......I'll be training!! I'm so so pumped to be able to show someone the ropes in the mission. I dont really know what I'm doing all I know is that I wanted to train so bad this transfer and it's actually happening. I don't know anything about Elder Rands but I can't wait to meet him tomorrow!

Also, because this was the end of the transfers, some families felt that they should feed us before some of us leave. So I will have had 2 dinners a night for 4 nights straight after our 2 dinners tonight. That was a lot of nights and a lot of dinners but I'll just say I will have had 8 dinners since Saturday after I go to bed today. I'm bursting

And finally, Regina got baptized this last Saturday!! This was by far the highlight of every thing I have done so far. I've had the wonderful opportunity to teach her from the beginning. I've seen growth and change ONLY possible through Christ and His Atonement. Tell me I'm exaggerating and I'll tell you you're wrong that's the end of the matter. Regina has pushed through all opposition waging from unemployment to terrible family problems. It was a humbling experience to be able to be a part of that growth and change. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for those willing to let God prevail like Regina is. Words can't express how grateful and happy I am because of Regina's choice, and the blessings that she has received because of it.

Have a great week y'all!

Elder Cummings

Will you Slade into my DMs?

 (Elder Slade)

To the best friends and family a person could hope for!

This week's title come from someone we're teaching named Autumn. We were texting her back and forth and she texted "Will you Slade into my dm's?" I thought it was pretty funny! This week wasn't too eventful, other than that, haha! We've been helping a less active family start come back to church, and this week they attended church over zoom! They are making progress, and hopefully we can get them to full activity soon. This week I also hit my year mark! It was pretty uneventful, but it feels weird that I am now on the downward slope of my mission. I'm looking forward to this coming year.

Elder Maunana also ate the calf liver this week! It was a nasty purple color and looked gross, and to Elder Maunana, tasted the same way it looked. Along with other exotic foods, we made some hamburgers made of Moose meat that someone gave us. It was surprisingly good! Would reccomend.

This week I was reading a talk by Elder Bednar about looking outwards, when one's natural instinct would be to turn inwards. Christ always turned outwards while he was going through suffering. Doing so allowed him to complete what His Father had asked him to do. When we are in suffering and we turn outwards to help others, it is a sign of a Christlike Character, and will allow us get through challenges in life with joy and love, a much better alternative to self-pity and sorrow. I'd invite you to try to turn outwards this week, even if you are suffering.

Love you all!

1. The parrot of Doug Grover, an older man we are teaching.

2. Elder Holmes and I eating our Moose burgers

3. Cool snow spikes on the trees

4. Elder Maunana beat Elder Uolmes by eating 76 gum balls.

5. The infamous calf liver.

S3 E6: Travel News!!

 (Elder Cummings)

That's right guys!! We got news this week...

I'm headed to a Spanish area! Kind of, not really. The real news is that Elder Pratt is leaving for South Korea in like 2 days and so I'll be a trio with the 2 Spanish Elders in our quad for the next week or so until transfers. We'll be working both of our areas so that'll be fun.

This week us two and Brother and Sister Palmer were headed to a lesson. After knocking on the wrong door twice... I decided to pull out Mekia's address. That was awkward, but I just was like "so THAT'S what tracting feels like". Anyway we get to her apartment and the doors open and she's just chowing down on some massive shrimp the way only a born-and-bred New Orleansite could, it was legendary. We walk in and she has a friend there too and we're pumped to teach some gospel. As soon as we start talking Mekia's friend, Susan, is like "Do y'all use the KJV bible?" And we answer in the affirmative. Then Brother Palmer straight up says "We also have another book of scripture called the Book of Mormon" and I almost choked. Please do not get me wrong, the Book of Mormon is powerful and one of our greatest tools in bringing people closer to Christ, but here in the Bible belt, people are very very very very very wary of accepting anything else as scripture so we have to be careful when we introduce it and I was just taken back.

However, Brother Palmer must've been inspired because Susan was like "Oh! I remember y'all now! I used to talk with you guys...John Smith right?"...Oh how I love John Smith. Anyway, we ended up talking a lot about the Restoration of the Gospel. And I felt the confirming witness again that the message we bring to the world is true. I stood there(there wasn't enough chairs) and testified the best way that I could that the heavens are open, that God speaks to His children now, and leads them now. God has given the world a prophet, and oh how we need a prophet today. Listen to him, follow him and you will Hear Him and be following Him.

Have a great week y'all!

1. Some Kachen food at Yawyaw's house(not kitchen, Kachen)

2. Us(elder roodbol) cleaning the car

3. Awesome chalk drawing of the Baton Rouge temple that I signed my name on the bottom and took a picture...then I erased my name don't worry, it was just for memes

Lotsa Things

 (Sister Putnam)

Monday: Golden Retriever!!

For Pday we went to WinCo & ran into a ton of other missionaries there, so we talked for a long time & then we went to the mall. On our way in we saw someone walking a golden retriever puppy so we got to pet the puppy and he was so cute! In the mall we got frozen hot chocolates from DQ and the guy at the cash register paid for mine, which was really nice!

Tuesday: Flamingo service

We went to bishop's storehouse & since it was Tuesday instead of Saturday, we were with Elders Wilkey and To'omalatai, and they are so fun! Brother Davis had me put a trivia question on the little whiteboard and so I put "Why do flamingoes stand with one leg up?" the answer, of course, was to conserve heat (and therefore energy). Well we decided to make the flamingo thing into a game (there were very few orders and we were getting really bored) so we tried to see who could stand on only one foot the longest. I honestly don't remember who won but it was pretty fun haha.

Wednesday: Fishy Exchanges!!!

On Wednesday we had exchanges and to begin, we all went to get sushi together, had district council, and we did Relatives Around Me on FamilySearch.  The closest I am related to anyone in that district is 9th cousins haha. Then we had a lesson with a ward member but they didn't show up.

Thursday: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

We had a Bible study with a lady named Kristen again. She's in Washington, actually, just not in our mission. She wanted to learn more about the Book of Mormon and so we taught her about the Restoration. She said that she's also doing studies with some missionaries in California, and that they read a chapter of the Book of Mormon together and it was super powerful. Kristen said she knew ever since she was baptized into her church when she was a kid that always knew there was more than just the Bible. She said she already knew it was true without even having finished read the whole thing or prayed about it yet!!

Friday:

Friday, we had lots of texting lessons, and we dropped off cookies to new people in the ward who'd moved in.   Nobody was actually home when we dropped off the cookies, and we couldn't find the majority of the people we tried to go to, so that was kinda frustrating.

Saturday: Ghosted

It was Elder Wright's birthday so we & the Sister Training Leaders waited for him & Elder Iketau to be at the gym & then we all decorated his door with birthday cards & stuff, so that was awesome, and he liked that. We tried to contact Reba on Saturday, and I sent a text to the group message Sister Madsen and I had with her, and Reba just showed up as "Facebook User" so I went to go and DM her & she again showed up as Facebook user & it says she's not available on messenger. So, I went to look up her profile & there was nothing. She was showing up for Sister Madsen on Messenger but not on FB so later that night we asked Elder King to look her up & she didn't show up, so it appears she's deleted her Facebook account altogether. We're worried about her & we've been praying for her, & we hope she's okay.

I love you all, thank you so much to all of you who read through these emails, sorry they're so long haha

Sister Alyssa Putnam

S3 E5: Winter for a Week

 (Elder Cummings)

Yeah so this week was lot's of fun but man was it cold, it like dropped to the 30s all week and now it's back in the 70s. They say the only thing that's constant about New Orleans weather is that it's never constant.

This week included cleaning a rat infested shed, filling an 18 wheeler with goods for some Hondurans in need, eating the biggest plate of fried chicken, fried plantains, and lettuce in my life, a massive cow painting, 16 extra Wendy's nuggets, a Spanish baptism, a Branch Fish Fry and more.

The Spanish Elders had someone get accept baptism this Saturday! It was an amazing experience and Regina was able to join in. She knows Spanish as well so understood it and was more excited for her baptism than before. As for me, I was asked to play the hymns and me barely understanding any Spanish just sat there as they announced the closing hymn. After like 30 seconds Elder Garcia was like "Elder get to the piano we're waiting on you" It was at that point that I understood why the guy said the number 56 in what I thought was his testimony.

"Sometimes the very moments that overcome us with suffering, suffer us to overcome" Joseph B Wirthlin. God doesn't give us trials to stop us, but to grow us. He knows we'll only become what He needs us to be by going through the hard stuff. Just like diamonds, we'll need some intense heat and pressure to become something magnificent. As long as I follow His will over mine, and repent when I don't, I can find confidence in the fact that He is indeed molding me into what He desires from me. No matter the circumstance no matter the hardship. In other words, when we let God prevail in our lives we know we're on the right track, or at least can trust the path we're on is in the right direction.

Elder Cummings

PS. That's not my desk mom don't worry

Parrots, Ice, and 1 year!

 (Elder Slade)

To the best friends and family a person could hope for!

Sorry I didn't email last week. We were a bit busy. But we have been seeing miracles! We've been finding several new people to teach and we've been able to see tender mercies if the lord. We've been helping reactivate a few people. One older man we are helping is named Doug, he's got the friendliest dog named Rosco (who also sheds more than any other dog I've seen) and has a pet parrot! It's been great to meet with him, because he is often very lonely. This reminds me of a parable Christ gave to his apostles, talking about a king telling his servants about how they had helped him and served him, fed him clothed him, and visited him, and they asked, when did we did this to thee? The king's response was: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." It seems so simple to visit an old man when he is lonely, but when we do it for others, we do it in a very real sense to Christ. I love me Savior and would do anything to help him, and that's one of the reasons I am out here serving.

Other important things that have been happening:

-Transfers came, and I'll be staying here another 6 weeks!

-Today I got Elder Maunana to buy calf liver! I think he has no idea what calf liver is. He asked if I knew how to cook it, and I said, "Of course I do! Just throw it in a skillet and fry it!"

-It has been incredibly slippery here. My impeccable balance has been tested nonstop. Never have I ever had so much adrenaline just walking down the street, ever step leading to my potential downfall. Haha! Elder Maunana and I have both fell a few times, but God has protected us from serious injuries. Just bruised butts.

-And.....This Friday I'll hit my 1 year mark! It's crazy to me that I've been out a year. Time seems to fly. This year definitely hasn't been the year I expected it to be. But it has been the year God wanted it to be, for me. As I've focused on humility and charity, and knowing what God would have be do, what God would have me be, I've been more rewarded and changed then I ever could have imagined. This last year has been the happiest of my life, and also the hardest year of my life. Never have I felt such love and joy for people, and such sorrow when some choose to live a life that prevents them from having God with them to guide and bless them. Never have I felt so alone, never have I felt so much love. I look to the next year of my mission with a little trepidation of what it could bring, but with 100% trust that as I align my will with God, that I will see more blessings than I could have ever expected.

I love you all! Thanks for the continual love and support. My prayers are out for you!

Pictures:

1.  A huskie followed us home one morning. We seriously debated keeping it.

2. Elder Maunana with Rosco the friendly dog.

3-5. Taking pictures in the snow

6. I convinced Elder Holmes to fit 75 small Gumballs in his mouth. I was seriously impressed with his jaw power.