Sleepover???

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, everyone!

So this week was pretty fun. We had a district council prepared by elder Triplett centered around how God is our Heavenly father Heavenly how much he loves us and is willing to do for us.

On friday we did some service for our nextdoor neighbor, Joel, who has a massive garden.

We had overnight exchanges for the first time in our missions. They were overnight before covid happened but now they're back, and so I went with Sister Anderson to Bellingham and Sister Durham came to our area with Sister Israelsen. In bellingham we did a lot of service and I got to pet a fluffy dog. We helped a lady do some garden work and then we dropped off mail to some other people around the zone. It was actually a lot of fun and Sister Anderson is incredible.

Okay, love you all!

Sister Alyssa Putnam

Elder Jaggi and fun debates

 (Elder Slade)

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

This week was amazing!! We were visited by Elder Jaggi of the seventy, and it was so great! One of the great things I learned from him was the importance of being dependent on God. It's not a weak thing, it's a humble strength that comes from knowing who we are. Elder Jaggi invites us to give our will to God. I love my Savior and will happily give my life, energy, and everything to Him.

Apart from that, we helped at a ward Hawaiian party. We helped serve food, but they gave us some sweet flower necklaces to wear. As a district, we have also been recently been having debate brackets about random things. We did a 32 man bracket for cereal, candy, and scripture prophets. Reese's puffs, Reese's egg, and Adam won. It's been pretty fun as we debate.

I love you all! Make it a great week!

Pictures:

1. A picture we took and sent to someone to hype them up about church

2. Elder Barron and I reuniting at the mission tour

3. A picture from a while ago of our zone.

Radiator Springs

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, everyone!!

This week my mind was wandering and I made a connection I hadn't thought of before. A couple years ago one of my friends was serving on his mission and he wrote in his weekly email about how charity is a universal solvent.  It protects us from sin and from the hurtful actions of others. Elder Bednar gave a talk in I think 2008 or 2006 about taking offense, and how our reaction to the offensive and hurtful actions of others are a reflection of our own spiritual maturity.  So, putting those two together, I found that as we increase in charity we also increase in spiritual maturity.

On Tuesday we had service at the local salvation army food bank, and then interviews with President Auna, and we were maskless. Washington right now is like Saul: on the road to De-mask-us.

Also, idk if I've mentioned this before but downtown Lynden looks like Radiator Springs.

On Wednesday at district council, Elder Triplett bore his testimony on how we are children of God, and he challenged us to ask Heavenly Father to tell us who we are to him, so I thought I'd also extend that invitation to you. If you do, God will tell you.

On Saturday we helped make a hiking trail more travelable (is that even a word? Probably not. Whatever, you know what I'm trying to say) and that was fun and then we had a couple stake conference meetings!

Okay, love you all!!

Sister Alyssa Putnam

S7 E1: Divine Intervention at Schlotzsky's

 (Elder Cummings)

Good morning y'all!

This week was the first of the transfer, I'm staying put in Alexandria and I'll still have the blessing of working with Elder Richards! So really, nothing changed. But because this is my second transfer with him, that makes him the first companion I've had for more than a transfer since training back in October.

I love miracles, and I love being able to be a part of them. It's something else when you can look back and see that you were an instrument in the Lord's hands. Miracle time:

Thursday morning we drive out to help a member in the ward move a big ol bed and dressers onto his trailer and he tries to hand me $30. I refuse and he gets real real serious with me in his Louisiana accent, "Nah son, you take this here cash n git y'allself summin good to eat tonight er I'm fixin to beat yer companions head in". Needless to say, we accepted his money.

Then lunch time rolls around, our friend John bought us Schlotzsky's but asked us if we could pick it up and meet him at the church cause he was running late. So we head over to Schlotzsky's and the lady at the register says, "Oh hey y'all I was done baptized a Mormon when I was 11" And we were able to talk with her for a while. Turns out she remembers and loved Young Women's, the missionaries, her bishop, etc! She just moved and lost contact with the Church. We were able to get her number and give it to the Marksville Elders! Then we have to pay for the food...and we don't have enough money. But then I reach into my pocket and feel the $30 Brother LaCaze made us take and we have just enough to pay for our food! I truly do believe that we needed to be at that Schlotzsky's so we could talk with Sister Mary at the register and get her back in contact with missionaries. Because of that, God prepared a way. I don't think John being late and asking us to go pick up the food was a coincidence and I sure don't believe that the money Brother LaCaze made us take was a coincidence either.

God is aware of each of us. He is not just aware of our struggles and feelings, but He is simply aware of our lives and who we are as His beloved children. He is aware of and cares about each of our needs and concerns, even if we aren't fully aware of them ourselves. Remember King Benjamin's cousel, "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend" (Mosiah 4:9).

We can't understand everything God does, but we can still trust Him

-Elder Cummings

1. Weird looking grasshopper

2. Some pretty faces and some pretty flowers

3. Another Tank picture

S6 E6: Bible Booths and Buffalo Wild Wings

 (Elder Cummings)

Good morning y'all!!

This week started with an amazing lesson with Jeremy. He reached out to us a couple weeks back but then he switched phones and we could never get a hold of him. But we finally get his number from a sister in the ward that knows him and head over to his place this week. It was one of the best lessons I've ever been a part of. Not because of anything we said or did, we said nothing super special and powerful but we all felt something super special and powerful. It was Jeremy's humility and desire for change that allowed the Spirit to be there so strongly. He held a Book of Mormon in his hands as we testified of eternal families and he whispered through tears, "this is was I need, this is what I need". I love Jeremy!

Then we topped off the whole thing when Elder Richards and I stopped by the only(and brand new) Whataburger in Alexandria and all of Central Louisiana for that matter. That Honey Buttter Chicken Strip Sandwich on Texas Toast hit the spot.

On Saturday we did a booth with the sisters at the mall. We had Bibles, Book of Mormons, Jesus pictures, pamphlets etc. We stood and sat there for 4 hours talking to people about Jesus, we gave away so much stuff(all with our number on it hehe). The best part wasn't even the booth it was the two people we met on the way to the bathroom. I just needed to go and we were stopped by two different guys that want to meet with us! We love Fred and Michael!

Then that night Elder Richards' dad, the wonderful Gary Richards wanted to sponsor us and pay for our meal. So we go to Buffalo Wild Wings. Miracles happen when you carry a Book of Mormon in hand fellas. We walk in there and our waitress was like "I was fixin to grab the drink menu but then I saw y'alls Book of Mormon, right this way boys" then we chat about the gospel for a good but with her. Then later another guy comes up and thanks us, he served a mission long ago and said he has tons of respect for us. He didn't give his name because he didn't want nothing to do with the Church no more, but came and expressed his love and respect for missionaries. We go ask for the check a while later and turns out that this man paid for all our wings! We love that guy! I just pray for him and hope that we and the Spirit reminded him of what his mission was like.

That's all folks! Have a blessed week!

Elder Cummings

Photos:

Whataburger and exchange pics!

Another awesome week!

 (Elder Slade)

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

Another great week! We found a new family to teach this week,  named the Kirby family! We had a lesson on Friday that was super powerful! They were all so excited to be taught and they committed to come to church. Low and behold, they showed up to church, and had a great time! Rarely does someone you start teaching come to church the first week, so we are super excited!

We are also excited this week for a mission tour from a general seventy, Elder Jaggi will come and visit the mission and give us several trainings. It should be a great experience! Elder Jaggi used to be Elder Snow's bishop, so you could basically call them homies. More updates on that next week!

Today I'm filled with gratitude for the tender mercies and miracles of the Lord. He is active in our lives. It just takes an eye single to His glory to see it. The Lord loves us. He cares about us. I'd advise you to look for examples in your life.

Love you all!

1. Elder Haskett, Elder Snow, and I in a lesson

2. Us driving home from a service. We were just taking a furnace out of a burned down trailer. It was one of the worst services ever. Incredibly hard to breath and gross.

*rips off mask*

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey everyone!!

So this week we had zone conference and we talked about faith and then afterwards we had a doctors appointment.  While we were waiting, Sister Israelsen started making conversation with other people in the waiting room, and I realized that I'd forgotten I could do that. So when she went to her appointment and I stayed in the waiting room, I followed her example and started talking to some of the people near me.  It was cool to see how much we could get to know others. One lady named Atisa shared something very personal with me and she said, "I dont normally share this with people, but I feel like this is different." And I thought that was fascinating to see evidence that others do sense the peaceful safe feeling of the Holy Ghost around us.

On Thursday we had a lesson with an older couple in our ward, the Frumps, and they wanted to introduce us to some friends of theirs, so we walked over to their house and knocked on the door, and Sister Frump said she knew they were home, but they never came to the door.

On Friday they announced on the mission devotional that now, according to Washington state guidelines, if we are fully vaccinated then we dont have to wear masks outside, and we can take them off if we're somewhere like a store that says we dont have to wear them so that's pretty hype!

Okay love you all!!

Sister Alyssa Putnam