S11 E4: Chunky River

 (Elder Cummings)

Howdy y'all!

This week was all over the place I don't know what actually to talk about. I spent the weekend up in Meridian, Mississippi with my boy Elder Smith. We taught some crazy lessons, including putting an sweet ol lady on date!

We had a Trizone Christmas Conference and that was tons of fun seeing a lot of other missionaries I served around.

Thank y'all for your prayers for Katie, Lisa, and Chris, there have been some miracles.

We had an awesome Restoration lesson with Katie and the Ginn family and she was able to make it to church this week!

We did a church tour with our boy Chris and he ate it all up. The Spirit was so strong you could cut it with a knife as we testified of the sweet blessing of baptism by Christ's authority. He was like "I don't know what to say, I want to be baptized though". It was wonderful

Please continue to keep them in your prayers! Love yall and Merry Christmas!!

Elder Cummings

Some photos:

1. Some Dawgs

2. Only in Mississippi is LSU trash

3. Reuniting of the Covington boys selfies

4. Our boy Chris

A Christmas Miracle!

 (Elder Slade)

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

It's been an awesome crazy week! Transfers happened Thursday, but two days before that, I got super sick, throwing up quite a bit. It was one of the most inconvenient times to get sick, right before transfers. My wonderful companions offered me a priesthood blessing though, and that afternoon I started feeling way better and the day after I was completely fine! It was a Christmas Miracle! 🎅🌌 It was a testimony to me, that God is very aware of us. If we turn to him, he will bless us!

The rest of the week has been great! I moved to my new area with my companion, Elder Auelua from Hawaii. It's been pretty great!  We've been walking a lot in the snow, and it's been so fun! We are looking forward to this week with Christmas. Christmas as a missionary is the best! 🎅🎉

Merry Christmas to you all! I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

1-3. Different pictures together. We were in a trio for a little bit with Elder Stichart (he's a beast!) He is no longer with us, but it was awesome having him!

S11 E3: Deerburgers

 (Elder Cummings)

Hey y'all!

This one's gonna be pretty short. Afterall, I emailed just a couple days ago. We have had some fire lessons and the people we are teaching are progressing in a miraculous way. The ward is amazing and loves to work with us. Life is G O O D.

Our friend Lisa is on date for baptism!! We got a hold of her 2 weeks ago, she lives in the boonies so we have never been able to meet with her in person. But she joins sacrament via zoom and reads the Book of Mormon every day. We're just on the phone and she told she believes it's all true and wants to be a part of His Church. Miracles.

Our boy Chris. Chris is a legend. We met him last week, had some awesome lessons with a young man in our ward. He came to church, and said that he wants to be baptized just like that! There's a couple obstacles in the road for that but i have never met someone have so much desire to be close to God. Please please please be praying for Lisa, Chris, and Katie

Lastly, we got some ground deer meat from someone we're teaching. Unfortunately it is not the same deer from the picture last week but it was just as good. We made us some deer patty melts. Whataburger style. Very very good.

Again. Please pray for Lisa, Chris, and Katie. We need y'alls faith and prayers! All of them have very unique and hard situations, but any worthy desire they have can come about.

One last time. Pray for our people: Lisa, Chris, and Katie. They need it.

Love y'all have a blessed one

Elder Cummings

Christmas sweaters and transfer news

 (Elder Slade)

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

This week was sweet! We had some ward Christmas parties we went to and we got to wear our Christmas sweaters!! 🎄 I had been lugging that sweater across my mission for the past year (I don't know why 🤦‍♂️) but I only get to wear it once or twice a year, so I got pretty excited! We also got some aloe-infused Christmas socks. It's pretty epic!

The Rick family has slowly started coming to church. First only Wally came, and then his mom came as well, and then his little sister McKenzie came for the first time this last week. It's amazing to see how the entire family is feeling the spirit drawing them closer to Christ one by one. And that's the way Christ did it, one by one.

Transfer news this week, and I'm getting transferred. For my last transfer I will be going to Shelley with Elder Auelua and Elder Fletcher. I only have 6 weeks left!! It's crazy!! I've loved every second of it! This last transfer I'm going to devote and consecrate to the savior and give it everything. Not one ounce of energy not given to Him!

Last thought: One of the talks in church asked an interesting question that I've been pondering. The question he asked: If the next gift you gave to your family would be your last, what gift would you give them? It made me think. What gift would I give? If you have any thoughts, let me know!

Love you all!

Pictures:

1. Wearing our Christmas Sweaters.

2. My mom sent me a 12 days of Christmas package, and today was day number 1! Thanks mom! You're the best!

3. We spent a night with Elder Romig, what a beast!

Christmas Christmas Christmas

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, Everyone!!

Haha I forgot to write last week

Well, this week has been awesome! Kathy and Eric came to church last week and this week they brought the kids! It was a huge miracle because they've been inactive for the last few years!

Ben chose a Baptismal date for February!! We are super excited for him but really sad that we probably won't be there since transfers are coming up in a week :(

Denise texted us today saying she found an apartment! We are so happy because now she shouldn't be so busy and we will be able to meet with her!!

Please pray for Kathy and Eric to keep wanting to come to church, and for Ben to keep progressing, and for Denise to the able to meet with us, and pray for me too because I am sick!!

Love you all!!

Sister Alyssa Putnam

S11 E2: Elder Stanfill and a Skinned deer

 (Elder Cummings)

Howdy y'all!

Yes, today is my pday. This week we had the Area President tour the mission and so the whole mission's pday was moved to today. These last almost two weeks have been a blur, but I'll start with the skinned deer:

Here we are, it's already dark out, and we're knocking on this families' door that we've trying to get in contact with. No one ends up answering the door but we look over to our right and there is this man tying up a dead deer to a hanger that connects on the hitch of his truck. As we walk up, he's like "Hey Elders!" as he pulls out a knife and just starts slicing away. In the matter of about 5 minutes he has almost completely skinned it and we talk to him. He knows the missionaries, and is best friends with a member in our ward, and invited us to try some venison with him once he makes some this coming weekend. We asked him where he got it and he was like "about 15 minutes ago in my backyard". That's Mississippi for you. Best part is: his name is Dan. Picture included below.

We had to drive up to Jackson for the devotional with Elder Stanfill and there ended up being 14 missionaries in one apartment just sleeping on the ground. It was so awesome. Slept so bad, but it was awesome.

The best part was the devotional though. I wish I could convey the Spirit that was in the chapel as we listened to Elder Stanfill declare pure and powerful doctrine. The one thing that really hit me is "the more you become a disciple of Jesus Christ, the less it becomes about you" When we take ourselves out of the picture, our decisions become easier. The hardest decision is taking ourselves out of the picture. In the end, we just gotta let God prevail.

Elder Cummings

Christmastime is the best!

 (Elder Slade)

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

Another great week! The first week of December has brought the excitement of Christmas and I am so excited! Christmas music has been playing, Christmas lights are up and spirits are high! Christmas time as a missionary is literally the best because everything fits with your purpose: service, love, the focus on Christ. It's awesome!! 🎅🎁😄

We have been using SO many miracles across the mission. The Lord has really blessed us. We have 100 less missionaries than we did last year, but we are seeing more success than we were then. It's nothing we are doing, it's all the Lord and the wonderful members working here. It's fitting to be a miracle filled Christmas.

This week we committed our friend Ezra to be baptized. He is praying about it this week, so please keep that in your prayers that he may have that desire. We love him so much, and have really seen him grow these past several weeks we've been teaching him.

Pictures"

1-2. We set some Christmas lights up for Christmas. They spell out 500! That is our goal for baptisms as a mission for this year and we are SO close! One or the pictures I'm with Elder Carillo, one I'm with Elder Quigley.

3. Saying goodbye to Elder Bird.

4. Elder Clark and I in Rigby.

5. Beautiful Sunset one evening.