Punching at a wall

 (Sister Putnam)

This week was very challenging. We put Jose on date last week and this week we tried every single day to meet with him, and he couldn't. It seems like he's going to have to have his date pushed up. It was rather discouraging because he is so close to being ready, but we are going to meet with him tonight to see how we can help him. It was hard to not see anything actually happen. Most plans cancelled last minute, and we were trying our very hardest.

We were able to meet with a few of our recent converts. A less active member came to church, and we were able to get to know her better. We spent time with her and her family after church, and they were wonderful.  Usually I don't understand what this family is saying, but after awhile I was able to understand what they were saying, so the gift of tongues is real!!

We also celebrated Hermana Shupe's 9 months on the mission!

I love you all so much!!!

PS, get ready for my palindrome post tomorrow! (That's the right word, right?)

Hermana Alyssa Putnam

Baptismal Date

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, everyone!

This week we were able to put our friend Jose on date to be baptized for March 5th.  It's been wonderful to see how this desire to be baptized has empowered him. We hope he is able to meet his goals. He has shared his desire to change so many aspect of his life, and his humility is incredible to see! Please pray for Jose to have strength and for us to be able to teach him everything he needs to know before baptism!!

Also pray for Hermana Shupe and I, we have no idea how to organize a baptism haha.

Aside from that, most of our plans cancelled so pray that they'll actually go through!!

Also, I hit 15 months as a missionary on the 11th, so Hermana Shupe and I did a little photoshoot since she's got some photo skills, so there's a sample of that in the pictures!

It's been amazing to reflect on what the Lord has been able to work on with me the past 15 months and see just how much more I can do!

I love you all!!

Hermana Alyssa Putnam

S12 E6: Broken Bike Seats (Street Surfer)

 (Elder Cummings)

This might be a long one but it's a great one.

So I'm on exchanges with Elder Max Smith. Previous companion. Friend forever. Legend. Anyway, he goes home this Thursday and this was his last exchange ever so I was bound to make it the best one ever. And that always means ditch the car, ready the horses and jump on those bikes.

We bike to the east edge of our area along the levee talking to everyone that we passed by. We called it "Scriptures on the Levee" but we weren't having any success so we kept biking. First door we knock on a lady named Donna comes out. Today she is having neck surgery and will be in a medically induced coma for 2 weeks and then be recovering for 6 months. She was overjoyed to see us. She wanted all the strength she could get and had lost our number many years ago apparently. She promised us that as soon as she was physically able to after her surgery she would call us. Legend

Then we go knock on another lady's door. Ended up knocking 3x and about to walk away when a man in a towel came out and was like "Man I was just about to get in the shower but something told me to go check the door, I couldn't even hear yall knocking" Jay is also a legend and we will be teaching him this week.

This is where it gets even better. Elder Smith and I are zooming down the roads of Metairie as the seat of my bike(lovingly named "Old Reliable") gives out and falls off the bike. We're zooming so fast that I fall in sitting position and land on my feet and keep surfing on the ground for a couple feet until I fall back and catch myself. Elder Smith was right behind and somehow managed to only run over my foot and i didn't even feel it. My bike kept riding in a straight line for like 30 ft avoiding all parked cars on the curb and then turned right into the grass and missing a decked out Ford Mustang by about a foot. That was a miracle for sure.

After grabbing the seat and putting it in my bad we head onto the next house. As we're about to knock it some guy in an F150 pulls by and is like "Hey are yall the Mormons?". We're like "No actually. We're members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, that's just a nickname". We start having a super cool conversation and he was just super curious. Our man Carl would have totally missed us if my seat hadn't broken and we weren't delayed by a couple minutes.

Then we head to the next house. She wasn't interested but across the street there was a man walking his kid inside from the car. 10 second window he was outside. We say hi and turns out he is from China. I got to speak some Mandarin with him and turns out there is a Mandarin Christian congregation here in New Orleans and they have weekly Bible studies every Friday. Again, we would not have been there at that time if my seat hadn't broken and all those other things hadn't happened.

After that it was time to head back so I had to bike the 6 miles back standing on my bike pedals. And that was After the 3 miles of biking through the streets on them. My quads have never been so destroyed in my life. In the end though, I couldn't have planned the day better, because I didn't. It was all the Lord and His timing. Also Old Reliable is still reliable, I've learned she is gonna lead me to those who are willing to let God prevail, seat or no seat.

Have a blessed one!

Photos:

-Me and Old Reliable

-did and exchange in the first area I served in a year ago now. Got to see President and Sister Palmer. Absolutely amazing people

-got to see Regina just a couple days after the 1 year anniversary of her baptism back when I was in Westbank. She's headed to the temple next month!!

There are no accidents

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, everyone!

This week we taught several English classes. One was for a man named Evaristo. He had found our number on an advertisement, and sent us a message, expressing interest in English classes. So we set up an English class on Saturday. He is a very humble man and expressed interest in coming to church too!

We had a lesson Friday with some members! Their youngest son (middle school age) had two friends over, and we invited them to stay for the lesson, and we shared a scripture. One of the friends said he wasn't in any religion but he was searching for a faith.  We were able to testify to him, and the son of the member said he'd be willing to teach his friend how to pray. He seemed interested, open, and he's a really humble kid.

Afterwards the members said it was only a coincidence that the friend was over at the same time as us. So that was really inspired! There are no coincidences or accidents!!!

Jose came to church this week and we will be meeting with him tonight, so please pray that it'll go well, and that the spirit will guide us!!!

I love you all!!

Hermana Alyssa Putnam

S12 E5: Poboys and Baptisms

 (Elder Cummings)

This week was great.

We're helping out our main man Brother Rowand unload a shed and put everything into a barn. Why? I don't know. After Hurricane Ida his barn caved in and so we were loading all his stuff while snapped wooden beams just hung over us.

Anyway, from there we treat ourselves to some classic New Orleans PoBoys. So good.

Then from there we run over to a lesson with a wonderful woman named Lavette. We taught her once about a month ago and then her life turned upside down and we couldn't get anything done. Nevertheless she, and we, persevered. We have an amazing lesson where she promised us she would come to church the next day and pray everyday about the message of the Restoration until she feels she got an answer. She came to church yesterday, loved every bit of it, wants to keep coming and feels she has her answer.

After the awesome lesson we hop into our bishops car and drive the hour to Hammond to Debbie's baptism. We had taught Debbie throughout this transfer but she had moved to Hammond just last week. She had asked Elder Smith to baptize her so we make our way up there and it was an amazing service. Debbie is awesome and is headed to the temple this month!! It was also hype cause while Debbie changed they gave time for testimonies and a friend the Sisters were teaching stood up and said she wanted to be baptized too. So awesome.

Anyway, we get transfer news this week so next email we'll know what happens. I'm hoping to stay cause I've been in 6 different areas the last 6 transfers. We'll see.

Yall stay blessed

Elder Cummings

Food Bank Prank

 (Sister Putnam)

Hey, everyone!

We visited Delia this week, the woman we met at Walmart! She shared so much with us and we love her so much.  She told us to visit her whenever we like, so we will definitely be stopping by her house this week. That was definitely a prompting felt by Hermana Shupe when we talked to her last Monday!

On Wednesday we visited this woman named Yesenia, who invited us to come by again. We had dinner with a family in the ward who invited a returning family.  They are such amazing people!

On Thursday we were having car problems so we had to go down to Lynnwood and were stranded for 2 hours.   We then ended up doing a bunch of our zoom lessons at the church, so we were in Lynnwood for like 6 hours. We had the Hermanas there rescue us, haha.

On Friday we were working at a food bank and in order to get people to take more food we offered for them to take more food. It didn't always work but sometimes it did. (Like life!).  Well, they were encouraging us to take food too, cause the food had to go somewhere.  So I got some muffins and cake and I went over to get a box of yogurt and the guy was like "actually take two" and put a second one on my first box.  I was like, "great I fell for my own tricks lol" so that was fun and now we have a ridiculous amount of yogurt in our fridge.

On Sunday we taught the granddaughter of a family in our ward. The grandmother told us this was the first time in awhile that this girl wasn't shy around missionaries! It was the sweetest thing!!

Love you all!!!

Hermana Alyssa Putnam

S12 E4: Louiegang Louwop

 (Elder Cummings)

So we're biking through the streets of Chalmette and East New Orleans, finding the elect. I'm on exchanges with our main man Elder Dean. Legend.

We turn the corner and there's this guy in shorts and a t shirt just washing his car in 40 degree weather. He even had some ice on his wrist(a really nice watch). His names Nicholas. We stopped and asked if he needed a hand. We started talking and we learn that this man is a fairly successful rapper and has done some stuff with Lil Wayne, or so he says. He knows who we are, but has never studied with us. Like a decade ago, Nicholas was homeless and this other homeless guy that he was friends with gave him a Book of Mormon and told him it would change his life. Nicholas read parts of the book and has kept it for these last 10 years. What was even more crazy is he said said this homeless friend that gave him the copy died just a week after he gave it to Nicholas.

Nicholas is so cool. He's crazy, but also crazy for God. He invited us in and he performed one of his most popular songs for us. It was kind of fire. Then we were able to share some from the Book of Mormon with him and he ate it up. He was all over 2 Nephi 4 and Nephi's Psalm. He was like "That's me man! That's me!"

Oh. And Louiegang Louwop is his rapper name. Look him up on YouTube or Spotify at your own risk and interest.

I also had a fire exchange with Elder Leicht in our area. He served here almost 2 years ago and so in the 24 hours we were together, we got in contact with 4 different people he used to teach, 2 of which still want to be baptized. Straight miracles. The Lord provides!

Have a blessed one!

Elder Chummings