Words from Elder Garrett Hollembeak in West Virginia

The work here is going tremendously well, Whitney was baptized this Saturday and she, Maxine and Hunter were confirmed on Sunday. Dave is doing well and is
regaining strength in his hand. The bishop here is great and both
Maxine and Whitney were interviewed for temple recommends yesterday. I
feel very blessed and am really grateful that God has allowed to me
serve a mission. Thank you for everything that you guys do for me, I
really appreciate you. Have a good week, I love you.

Elder Hollembeak

Words from Elder Kyle James in Germany

 Liebe familie,

Hallo! I have a lot to tell today and I hope I have enough time. Me,
being slightly crazy as I am, had the wonderful idea of riding to
Marburg on our bikes.... From Giessen. That a 34 kilometer trip!
Everyone loves the idea, but it will be interesting. It is supposed to
rain and thunder today haha. The trip will take us through 3 castles
and a cool old water mill, made out of an old German house. We are
going to be legends. So yeah... That is what we are doing today.

On Monday, we visited Thomas and other things. It was fun. Thomas told
us that his wife gave someone our number. I didn't think much of it...
But it ended up awesome.

Tuesday we went to the temple. It was great. My last time in the
temple probably. I did it in German again. I ran into a couple from
Solingen. It was good to speak with them. I actually got my pant size
right for once too!! Be proud. We then went and ate dinner.

Wednesday... We had a fallen out appt with Marco, too bad. But it's
ok. We also tried our hands at contacting by a castle. That is where
we found the bike trail to Marburg. That day was pretty slow... But
then it got great!

Thursday we got super lost in Biebertal, so we walked through
kilometers of fields until we had to turn around. After that, we had
an appointment with Marco in the mall. It was so great! So great, that
we set a baptismal date for the 30th of August. He is super excited.
So am I. Sad that I won't be there for it:( He is super cool and nice. Right after
that, we went down to Hanau and started our split. I was with Elder
Cocker. We made it home and talked for a while on my balcony. It was a
good talk. There are a few problems going on in Hanau and I am glad to
help them out.

Friday was also great. Until the end. We went contacting to a bus stop
far away. I gave a bom to a Jehovah's Witness guy. He said he would

read and pray! We then went
to our appointment in Staufenberg. It was good, we shared a Mormon
message to a member who lives in an old folks home. On our way
home, I talked to a lady at the bus stop. She is from Spain and was
trying to learn German. I gave her a lot of advice. She sat next to us
on the bus, and she asked me to speak in German with her, so she could
learn. I did. She was very thankful.  
I love helping people! We then played basketball
with our Giessen homies. We found two new people and got their
numbers. It was way fun! Melvin calls me James and loves playing ball with
me haha. After that we went and changed and began to split back. I
called them, and told them exactly what time I would be in Hanau. I
made it painfully clear, that they had to be at the train station at
8:45 exactly! It was extremely important. If we missed our train going
home... It would have been killer. And... We missed it. I get to
bahnhof and no one is there. I call them. They answer, and all three
Hanau Elders and Elder Domine were just then getting in the car
laughing and having a great time. They lost track of time... PLAYING
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS WITH THEIR WARD MISSION LEADER!!! I was so mad!
They got there 20 minutes late! We had to wait in Hanau
for an hour, go through Frankfurt, and then take a train to Giessen.
And then walk home. We got home at 12... Instead of 9:30. Because of a
dumb game. And I'm already tired enough from everything we do haha
Saturday was good. A day full of miracles.

We sacrificed our whole Saturday to help Hanau out with some lessons
in Fulda. We were going to split to do them all. There was a train
from Hanau at exactly 11:48 that we had to make, or it would ruin the
whole day. The train from Giessen... Arrived at 11.49. One minute too
late. I called Hanau and they were rushing to find a solution. We
decided as a last resort, that we would pray... That somehow, someway,
the important train would be 5 minutes delayed. I tied my shoes, and
prayed for a 5 min the delay. As we were pulling into Hanau, while
having an intense phone call with Hanau about how we were going to do
this... Elder Bentley checked the train times... And sure enough...
The main train was delayed 5 minutes. Randomly. Without cause. It was
just delayed. What a miracle. Literally. That is incredible. I thank
the Lord for such wonderful things! Das Wunder der fünf Minuten
Verspätung.
We barely made the train and split right then. Wonderful! But that's not
all. In Fulda, Hales and I took a train that went dorf to dorf. We
missed the stop for the appointment, so we got off like 8 kilometers
away from the place. We talked to the bus driver a little about how we
get there. We started walking through corn fields and then we had to
walk on the shoulder of the motorway. It was pretty dangerous haha.
But... Another miracle happened. A car pulls up to us and says... Get
in. Hales looked at me to see if it was ok. I was like... Heck yeah!
So we got in. It was the bus driver driving home from work!  He picked
us up and drove us to our appointment. Wow! So cool!
The appt was good. It was some old farmer dude that was a little
crazy. He is adding me on Facebook.  We then split back and made it
home.

Sunday! Thomas's friend was there... And she brought 3 kids. I had the
feeling to bring an English Book of Mormon for a good reason. We had 3
investigators at church! The sisters had one too. Our ward nearly
passed out. They couldn't believe it. We had Marco, Stelle, and
Hoffman. I had to translate for the Sisters investigator. Church was
so crazy. I was so, so tried afterwards. Lots of people to help,
questions to answer, classes to teach, rides to find. Afterwards in ward council, they were freaking out about how much we were doing. I am glad haha.
No one wants Sister Jeppesen and I to be transferred. They are all
scared. I am too!
Sunday night, Wetterau came over and helped me map out the route for todays bike ride. I am pumped! I cannot wait!

Naja. This week was stressful, but very rewarding. I am thankful for
all of my many blessing, and the wonderful miracles I have seen. I
need them. They mold me into a strong member. I am just thankful.

Thank you for everything! I love you guys very much and I can't wait
for Christmas for Skype!!

Have a great week and know that you're in my prayers!

Look for miracles!
Send me more chicken videos!! I love those!!

Love,
Elder James
Kyle

Von meinem iPad gesendet

Words from Elder Chandon Herring in Washington DC

Well hello my dear family and friends. Not sure how many even read this anymore because I have passed a year and that is when you begin to be forgotten. Haha it is true. Not on purpose of course though.
Well this week was interesting for sure. We got a lot done and were able to help out a lot of missionaries.

Tuesday... Tuesday was again another exchange. We are doing a lot this
transfer and we have one every Tuesday and Thursday for most of it. Today I was with a green elder from... Guess where.... Utah! I know right? Who would have thought missionaries came out of Utah. He is shy but a very smart kid. We had a really good day. We started with service for Sis. Guy. She is a goof, but fun. She gave us Subway for doing her yard.  And no Mosquitos like last time! We ran home and cleaned up before going to teach Latisha and Marquay. They are good people. Latisha just needs to stop smoking. She always just says, " this is my last pack" and it never is. We checked on a lot of people which it is good for him because he is down in Calvert county where there are no people. We have  a lot here in Anacostia. We ended the night with a really good FHE with Aminata and Zendaya. It had been
a while since we saw them and we had a fun time. For the first time ever I won Farkle! I was so pumped! Normally I don't even get on the board.

Wednesday... Today was most likely the best day of the week fun wise.  Haha well... My fun wise. We went to the mission office as normal and back with really good traffic so we could do a little more. We visited Sis.
Jackson who was watching her neighbors kids. They were 3 and 8. Honestly some of the most adorable kids ever. We talked about Jesus and they just could not believe that he would help them. It was good
and they promised to say their prayers. We again checked on a lot of referrals. We have a lot to do because when they combined the three areas we got them all and that is currently after this week at 237
remaining. On a good day we contact 8-10. We then drove out to the Biolos home. There we ended the night playing Risk. Haha we played with a blind member who lives out there and she is so lonely. She was talking to the Biolos and found out we played it sometimes and she loves it. She can remember the board and she actually ended up winning. We started out going easy on her but she was brutal. Haha I
did really well as always (yes I am still prideful) we had to go before the game ended so we were not there forever. But it really was a good night, I have always loved being with older people. It is fun.

Thursday... I am going to be honest today was not a good day at all. But the morning went great. At zone district meeting we had an amazing workshop by the Home Teachers and sister Cooke. The HT taught
on the process of purification and the power of the atonement. They had us write down our list of things we are working on then we carried a big weight (literally weights) around the building ending eventually in the gym where there was a massive cutout of Christ. We put the weight at his feet and that was where we left our problems. It was really well done. Then sister Cooke talked about our mindset and getting out of life or anything else what we put into it. I loved it. She talked about practicing the piano and related it to that, she is a good musician. Then all heck broke loose and the day ended.

Friday... I woke up feeling sick but I went to the gym anyway and just ran. I know you are all shocked. Yes elder herring ran of his own free will and choice. It was needed. I then went to the car and talked to elder Thornton for a long time. He is such a good example to me. I love the guy. We then went to the stake center to help out with a youth conference. The youth are doing a three day thing. A whole day in the temple then a two day conference. Some great things happened. We did an exchange with them for like 4 hours and it was a lot of fun. I then went on an Exchnage down to Bayside. It is quiet out there. I went with elder Blackner one of our district leaders. He is a good missionary and we talked a lot. We really talked about obedience and the difference between the letter and spirit of the law. It was a good time to evaluate the things I do and how to improve. How
am I fulfilling my purpose? It was a good day. Most of our appointments canceled but we ended the night with a great family. It was one of the best dinner appointments I have ever had. The food was just ok but the conversation was great. We talked with Bro. And Sis Dahl for a long time. They are very smart and such good people. His
favorite quote is, "the Apostacy runs deep" and it does. But we are working on that. Calvert county is good. Haha

Saturday... Today was not a very good day for proselyting. But it was very productive. We spent all day planning and reporting a lot of stuff to the APs and stake presidency. One of the reports is Stake Coordination that we present tomorrow and missionaries do not know how to fill it out. But despite all the opposition we did it before 9:30.
Haha we did do some service and teach a lesson or two just no time for contacting or referrals. It was really good.

Sunday... Today was good we started the morning at Stake Coordination with the stake president and the mission president. It was good presenting all the different things the zone is doing. This stake
presidency is incredible. We went through each of the 10 wards and talked about individuals. Not just numbers and statistics but individuals and how to help. It was amazing they knew each person, almost. We then had church and the lesson in gospel principles was on service. I wanted to share one of my favorite poems that President Monson shared one time. It is:

I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody's need made me blind
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.

I love that Poem and that is so true! We just had a good day and lot of less actives we were working with came to church. All the ones we are helping prepare to be endowed were there as well. Love it! I am so excited! So that was my week. This coming Saturday we get to go do baptisms again and the following week we get to be in the temple for a session, baptisms, and a meeting on the 7th floor assembly room. Good times! Go to the temple! I love you all have a good week

Elder Herring

Words from Sister Hannah Platt in Hondras

My dear family and friends,

My heart is very full as i write this email. This week, i found out that my dearest grandmother, Della Gibbons, passed away. I wish i could write all that i feel, but as always, i don´t have much time to email. With her passing, i have thought soo much about many things. And i just want to testify to you all that i know that families are forever. Our Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for us. The central part to that plan is our Savior Jesus Christ. He came to earth and He made a great and eternal sacrifice for us. He suffered our pains and afflictions, and He overcame death. We will all live again. We will all be resurrected. And i know that with my whole heart. My dearest grandmother, my Gigi, will live again. I have now doubts about that. She has changed me in soo many ways. She was always so exctied about my mission. And i know that this is the place she would want me to be at this time. Its been rough to be away from her and my family, but i know that this gospel is the most important thing we have and that i need to be here to share it with others. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. And i love my grandma. She was an example of faith and of beauty and of love. I will forever remember her and what she has done for me. Her funeral will be this Saturday in St. Johns and i would just ask that your prayers can please me with my family at this time. I am sorry this is so short. There is soo much in my heart. But please know that our families are forever!! That simple yet powerful phrase means more to me than i could possibly describe. Christ lives. He loves us.

I love you all! Please have such a wonderufl week.

Love,

Hermana Platt

Words from Sister Brittany Platt in Colorado

My dear family and friends,

 

As most of you know, my dear sweet grandmother passed away last Thursday night. I received several e-mails from people today and I want to thank you all for your wonderful, sweet words! They touched me so much and I wish I had time to personally respond to all of them. I feel so much love from all of you. Thank you!

 

My mission president called me Friday during our weekly planning to tell me the news. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My grandma (Gigi as we all called her) had promised me she would be there when I got home. It just didn't seem real. My mission president gave me permission to call home, and so I got to talk to my mom and dad and what a blessing it was! We laughed and cried and reminisced about grandma. Oh what a wonderful woman she was! My mom told me that she and my grandpa had been asked to be the Grand Marshalls at the 24th of July parade and that Gigi was planning on buying a new pair of boots, wranglers, hat, shirt - the whole outfit for the occasion! I thought that was so cute. I'm positive that she's wearing that outfit right now! I'll admit, it's been really difficult these last several days trying to stay busy, trying to put on a happy face, trying not to think about the fact that I didn't get to say goodbye. But underneath all the sadness, there's an underlying feeling of peace. Peace that only the Savior can give. I miss Gigi terribly - sometimes it still hits me that she's actually gone. But at the same time I can feel her here with me. And when I don't feel her I know she's with my sister in Honduras or with my grandpa or with her children. I also got to talk with my grandpa and with my sister Hannah! Truly tender mercies from the Lord. As I spoke with all of these wonderful people I realized how blessed we are to know that families are eternal. That death has no sting, the grave no victory. What a glorious blessing this restored gospel is! I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that God loves us. I've always known families are eternal but now it's more real to me than ever before. How I love this gospel with my whole heart! And now I have a permanent companion - an angel on the other side who is testifying and preaching and teaching with me. God is good!

Please keep my family in your prayers. I know all of them - the whole family - is grieving. The funeral is this Saturday in St. Johns. Thank you all for your prayers already! Thank you for praying for me - a mission is hard, but it is by far the best decision I've ever made! I wish I could go to the funeral, but I know Gigi would want me to stay here. We never know when life will end, so please remember our purpose here. Please don't waste a moment! Please prepare for the day you will meet God - for that is why we are here. Don't lose sight of that purpose! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.

 

God bless you all!

Love, Sister Platt

Words from Sister Abbi Waite in Texas

Dear All,

This wonderful Merrilltown/Heritage Trail area is wonderful, but I feel as though "Miracletown/Heaven's Trail" would be a more accurate description! The blessings and miracles just keep pouring down upon us!

The Lord continues to place prepared people in our path. I've prayed my entire mission to have eyes to see who is ready, and I'm finally seeing them! So many people just fall right into our laps! Placed there by the Lord! So many little miracles happen every day and I'm grateful to have the eyes to see them! 

I can't tell you how excited I am that Geoff Murphy is finally going to be baptized and confirmed! I'll say that once again: 

Geoff Murphy is finally going to be baptized! 

He has permission and it's happening! :) 

We have a baptism this Saturday as well, and for a little while, we didn't think we would make it to Zilker for Geoff's baptism. I was a little upset, but I also knew that whatever happened would be what the Lord intended. I have been praying and fasting to be able to attend Geoff's baptism since we first found out it needed to be postponed (in March!)... and we're going to be able to be there! Heavenly Father is so good and I'm so glad! 

But yeah... we also have a baptism this Saturday! Lupe's story is really great! He's basically another Cesario! His friend, Kemish, invited him over for dinner with the missionaries and now he's being baptized! The greatest miracle with him is that he was able to join this stake's youth on their temple trip to Nauvoo, and that was the most incredible experience for him! He says he just feels happier. We gave him a copy of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and he read it all right after we left. He's so great! 

We have a lot of investigators and baptisms scheduled in the Merrilltown ward, but not too many in Heritage Trail. And by not too many, I mean that we had no really progressing investigators (but 3 really wonderful people we've been teaching for a really long time who all have really long stories...) an no baptisms to help lift the ward's morale in sight. But we started praying specifically to find a family in Heritage Trail... and we did! We are going to be teaching them tonight and it's so exciting. I haven't ever taught a stable, together family. I pray that we will be able to speak in the language of the Spirit and see them sealed together in a year! 

We started praying to find a family because we know that the gospel blesses families. The family is ordained of God. We are all a part of Heavenly Father's family. He sent us here in families to bring us joy, help us learn the gospel, and prepare us for eternal life! 

Preach My Gospel says: 

"A home established on gospel principles will be a place of refuge and safety. It will be a place where the Spirit of the Lord can abide, blessing family members with peace, joy, and happiness."

I testify that that is true! I grew up with family scripture study and prayer, regular temple trips, family home evening, family church attendance, and so much more! The gospel has blessed my home and family so much! 

My parents are amazing examples. I've been going through the scriptures that I've had since I was 8 years old and finding verses marked in green colored pencil. I remember marking those when I first received the set of scriptures and asked my dad what his favorite scriptures were and for a way to mark them and make my scriptures pretty. He chose some really good ones! More recently, I've started marking some passages with pen, which reminds me of how my mom marked Christ's visit to the Americas in her own Book of Mormon. They love the scriptures so much! This is only a tiny sample of what I've learned from my parents' wonderful gospel example! 

The gospel has truly blessed my family SO MUCH, and I will be eternally grateful for that! Because of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, my present family has been sealed together by the priesthood in a Holy Temple of the Lord! And my future family will be as well! To me, this is one of the greatest evidences of God's love for all of His children: Families are Forever! 

I am excited to continue learning and growing and witnessing miracles as I strive to do the Lord's work in His way and by His power! I love being an instrument in the hands of the Lord! 

Love, 

Sister Waite

Words from Elder Levi Crosby in Kentucky

Hello everyone! How was everybody's pioneer days?? I bet they were awesome! That's my favorite time of year because it's a great opportunity for family and friends to get together. Nothing beats that. Over here in Kentucky the only people who remembered pioneer days were some families in my ward who grew up in Utah. How funny. Anyways I can just sum up last week in one word. Service. On Tuesday we had a meeting for all of the new missionaries. It's called trainer/trainee. President Anderson was there and he just makes everything so fun. We played preach my gospel jeopardy and it was the trainers vs. the trainees. We lost by one point. I was pretty ticked. Anyways it was good and I learned a lot. On Wednesday we helped a lady in our wars move some stuff and for lunch we had a bbq. I was grilling the burgers so I made sure they were gonna taste good. On Thursday we helped another lady move because she has a hard time walking. I was glad to help her out because she was struggling with some stuff and I think it's good to find people like that and help them out the best you can. So if you guys have the opportunity to do so. Do it. You will be blessed. Anyways the coolest thing that happened this week was on Friday. We got to wrangle alpacas. Who is he world would think that on a mission you would be able to wrangle alpacas? I didn't! It was super fun! They would spit at us as we tried to catch them and my one companion just got covered! It was too funny. But on Saturday was the day we got transfer calls because it has already been 6 weeks.... Wow. But I am staying in bowling green for another transfer! Woohoo! But the trio is breaking up. One of my comps is going somewhere and all I know is me and my other comp who is going home in September are staying here so that's cool. He is a pretty legit trainer. Also on Saturday so got another investigator with a baptismal date! That's 4 for us!! Man I am so blessed. The work is going smoothly and I couldn't ask for anything better. I hope everyone is enjoying their last bit of summer before school starts up. Have a great week. Love you guys!!

Elder Crosby

Words from Elder Dayton Waite in Georgia

Hello everyone!

This week was great!! We had a baptism this last Saturday! Brother Roosevelt Kates! He was a man that went and visited churches looking for the right one for almost 16 years! He studied the Bible and knew what the true church needed to do! So when we got his referral and he came to church he knew that he had found the church! very and exciting and we think he can add a lot to the church! He is excited to go out and teach in other churches "about the true church, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" Were the exact words out of his mouth!

Thanks for all the prayers and support everyone shows me! I hope all have a good week! Be safe and ill continue to pray for yall!

Love,

Elder Waite

Words from Elder Eli Frazier in Peru

Crazy awesome week! I got an unxpected transfer. After leaving chorrillos, going an hour to san juan, then 6 hours to Ica then 3 Hours to Nasca and another Hhour to my area in marcona i got here! After 11 hours of buses taxis and little vans i got here. With my luggage on top of the little van it luckily got here wqith me too:) My new companion is elder Velos and is from Ecuador, he has about 7 months in the mission and is just so awesome and chill. I also live with another companionship. And it is Elder Garajes and Elder Wahl.. Eldr  Wahl is from Show Low! He also wrestled for show low. What a small world right! My area is in he desert and right next to the beach. Its a litle town on a peninsula and is pretty cold but its way awesome. My house is on the third floor and is just one giant room. Just an awesme experience. Waking up at 430am and geting here at 630pm Then proseltying until 9pm and hen fianlly getting to bed at 11 after i finished unpacking. Im way excited to be hre. Its rare for missionaries to have the chance to come to this zone so im way excited. It is also the smallest zone consisting of only 10 missionaries. 8 elders and 2 sisters. So heres the update for whats happend most recenly! Love you all!

Love Elder FRazier

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

SAMUT PRAKAN

monday we went and visited some other places with a member in the ward over here it was his last pday so he took us some place he is now a missionary! we went and visited zoos and aquariums and i got to see some pretty sweet animails pretty good time! tuesday we meetings and invited and had the chance to teach some investigators and also some new investigators one of the investigators we are teaching is so ready to be baptized but she has to go out of town every saturday and sunday to watch her mom she is comign along and wednesday we had a english day we helped people learn english and then we invited after wards usual day  thursday was a busy day we went and visited some houses of our rcs and she is another grandma and she loves to talk and reads she is awesome! and remembers things very well its amazing:) and friday we went to the hospital and got things taken care of then we came back and invited and long planned saturday we had a lot of canceled lessons and inviting there was also a fire which by the place we invited at and it was interesting to watch how they worked things over here haha lets just say there we random people helping the fire fighters and lots of people watching sunday we great we had a baptism and it was excellent and new investigators:)

this is a good friend in the ward who is going to Australia for his mission! there is a possibility sam or riley will run into him at the mtc look for him and give him a hug for me! also this is our investigator with us and the other missionary who is a good friend of mine!

Words from Sister Hailey Overson in Brazil

HEy Everyone!! HAd a greaqt week this week. I know I say it every week but I just LOVE being a missionary. Sister Sena and I are doing great. Had some really great experiences this week with the spirit. We have a family that is struggling and we had planned to drop them bc they didnt want to progress. But we watched the Restoration film about Joseph Smith and the spirit was so strong. I dont remember exactly what I said but I didnt drop them. I just bore tesimmony that this church is the true church that CHrist really established when he was here. I know it! I felt the spirit working in me stonger than I ever have.  And I didnt think one second about Portugues!!!! Whooo hooo!!!!  The whole room was quiet and for the first time, the mom said she would really pray to find out if this was true. I know it is. I love this gospel and the happiness that it gives me. I love my Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I hope you all have a great week at the 24th!!!!

Love,

Sister Overson

Words from Sister Hailey Overson in Brazil

Hey everyone!! THis week was AWESOME! The sun is shining again and I´m LOVING my new companion Sister Sena and our new leaders and missionaries in the zone. We´ve already seen the difference it´s made. Presidente Brum is so inspired! We had a training this week that really hit on the fact that this work is not about numbers. Not about quantity, but about quality. And I realized that sometimes I really was getting too wrapped up in things that are not that important. Our work has changed tremendously. LOVE IT! And to top it off our ward has really started getting involved this week! The members of the ward are the key to everything! We as missionaries wont stay here and be friends with the people who join the church forever. But the members will stay! I love this ward. I love Birigui! I love Brasil! ANd I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! I hope you all have a great week and help out the missionaries there in Sj with whatever it is that they need! Because this is all of our work! We have to do it together:) 

Love,

SIster Overson

Pics: My new (and tiny) zone.... also I CUT MY HAIR!:)

And y compandion Sister Sena! LOVe her!!

Words from Sister Hailey Overson in Brazil

Hey Everyone! This week was awesome. My new companion is SUPER CHIQUE. Her name is Sister Sena and she´s super hilarious and has such an awesome desire to work hard. I´m wayyy excited about this transfer together. It´s cold and rainy here in Birigui, but it´s going good! Rain or sun, we work and whether we have tons of lessons or only a few, we feel good about our day becasue we didn´t quit:) I love missionary work .The most gratifying thing I´ve ever done. I love being a missionary. We are working with lots of people, trying to help them progess,... That´s the problem here. The people love when we come to their houses but dont want to do anything on their own. But I know there are tons of people just waiting for this wonderful gospel to enter their lives. That´s why we do this work. Because we love God and we love these people. We want that they can have what we have. I love being a missionary. 

And HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! Another American is living with us now and we had a little party with hot chocolate to celebrate!! 

Love,

Sister Overson

Words

*****ADDRESSES******

Elder Kevin & Sister Paula Long
PO Box 742
Cave Junction, OR 97523-0742

Elder Kevin Long
kalong71@gmail.com
928-245-0482

Elder Garrett Hollembeak
West Virginia Charleston Mission
888 Oakwood Rd. Ste. 310
Charleston WV
25314-2071
United States

Elder Rick Bloomfield
Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission
7951 S W 6th St, Suite 110
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33324-3211

Elder Chandon Herring
Washington DC North Mission
11700 Falls Road
Potamac, MD 20854-2823
United States


Elder Kyle Byron James
Germany Frankfurt Mission
Kirche Jesu Christi
Corneliusstrasse 18
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Elder Ty Blank
3250 Strawberry Rd
Anchorage, AK 99502

Elder Garrett Davis
Thailand Bangkok Mission
1645/6 New Phetchburi Road
Makkasan, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400
Thailand

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (pouch)
Peru Lima South Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0150

Elder Eli Stephen Frazier (packages)
Av. Jorge Chavez
1272
Santiago de Surco
Lima, Peru

Elder Jake Zieler
Canada Vancouver Mission
8440 Williams Rd.
Richmond, BC V7A1G6
Canada

Sister Brittany Platt
Colorado Denver North Mission
1250 Main Street
Broomfield, CO 80020

Elder Adam Otto
135 South 7th Ave
Pocatello, ID 83201

Elder Brandon Day
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Mission
416 SW 79th St. Ste. 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73139-8121

or currently living at:

Elder Brandon Day

3101 NW 150th ST

Apt. 35G

Oklahoma City, OK

74134

Sister Abbie Waite (after Jan. 21)
Texas San Antonio Mission
404 E. Ramsey Rd. Ste. 105
San Antonio, TX 78216-4665

Hermana Annie Johannah Gibbons Platt
Honduras Comayaguela Mission
Edisicio Plaza America Contaguoa a Sears
una cuadra del Mall Multi Plaza 3 Nivel
Teguicigalpa, Francisco Morazán
HONDURAS
annie.platt@myldsmail.net

Elder Dayton Heath Waite
Georgia Atlanta Mission
112 Governors Square Ste A
Peach Tree City, GA 30269
United States
dayton.waite@myldsmail.net

Sister Hailey Overson
Rua Sao Sebastiao 1003-Centre
Ribeirao Preto-SP Brazil
14015-040
F. 016-3610-0992


Elder Derek William Holden
Canada Edmonton Mission
305-8925  51 Ave. NW
Edmonton AB T6E 5J3
Canada


Elder Levi Brandon Crosby
Tennessee Nashville Mission
105 Westpark Dr Ste 190
Brentwood TN 37027
United States

Elder Sam Isaacson
Argentina Resistencia Mission
Cassilla De Correo
3500 Resistencia
Chaco
Argentina

Elder Riley Raban
El Salvador Santa Ana Mission
Apartado Postal 142
CP Santa Ana, Santa Ana
El Salvador

Elder Porter Richins
North Carolina Charlotte Mission
3020 Hilliard Drive
Charlotte, NC 28205


Elder Karston Heap
Chile Rancagua Mission
Alcalde Eduardo Melero 883
Casilla 2-C
Roncagua
Chile

Elder Clayton Overson
South Carolina Columbia Mission
110 Oak Park Dr Ste B
Irmo, SC 29063


Elder McKell Bradshaw
Scotland/Ireland Mission
51 Spylaw Road
Edinburgh
Scotland EH10 5BP
United Kingdom

Words from Elder Brandon Day in Oklahoma

Hey Everyone!!

So its been a really strange week for me. I found out a week early that I was getting transferred because my companion will be training a new missionary! So it was a really slow and hard week to try and get stuff done! I found out last night where my new area is, and its only 20 miles south of where I am now, in Moore Oklahoma, tornado alley!! Good thing tornado season has passed though, so it shouldn't be bad at all. I'm really excited for the new area though!!

This weekend we had Stake Conference and we had an area 70 preside at the meetings. It was probably one of the best conferences I have been too!! Elder Hansen was really funny and was such a great guy, and so many wonderful things were said! There was a recent convert that was asked to get up and say a few words, and she talked about how grateful she was that so many men in the ward were so willing to help her with fixing her house. Elder Hansen reminded her and all of us to not dwell on the things that maybe offends us or if we say something wrong. He said "We are not a museum of perfect saints, we are a laboratory of learning saints." I thought that was so true! So many members of the church leave because someone treated them wrong or they didn't like how someone took care of a situation. We're all human, and we all mess up. We aren't perfect. We need to remember that this is the true church, and we're all here because we have received that witness. We're not perfect, but we are trying our best and learning from our mistakes and mistakes of others. I just ask you all the remember the relationship you have with our Savior and our Heavenly Father, and remember why you are a part of this church.

After the Saturday evening session of conference, a few of us missionaries went up to meet Elder Hansen and to thank him for the great words he said. I kind of got put on the spot, but I handed him a Book of Mormon and invited him to give it to someone before he left Oklahoma! He accepted and said "well I guess I better do that then!" I got to promise him blessings and happiness as he does it. It was a pretty cool experience invited a general authority to hand out a Book of Mormon, definitely one to remember!

Well I'm excited for my new area and to learn a whole lot more names! I'm definitely grateful for this experience and how much it has impacted my life!

I also want to say happy Father's Day to all out there and hope you enjoyed it! And a late Happy Birthday to my little sister Marissa!!

Love you all so much!

Elder Day

Words from Elder Dayton Waite in Georgia

Hello Everyone!

this week was... crazy! it started off good then went a little nuts by Thursday. I woke up with a bug on my hand and killed it and realized it was a bed bug. so I decided to do a little digging and found all four mattresses in our apt was infested! so we called our housing boss and she told us to throw all away tell the apt office and they will be exterminating but we couldn't stay there so we moved in with the senior couple the terry's. Man that was fun! Felt like home away from home! they took really good care of us for 4 nights!

On Saturday I was able to perform the a baptism for Nancy Blackmon. A sweet lady who the Sisters have been teaching who I gave a blessing to last transfer. what a wonderful Spirit she carried with her afterwards. You could tell she was very happy and pleased with her decision. She had to give up smoking and she said it was her best decision yet! After her confirmation Sunday ive never seen someone smile as much as she did! I was very thankful I was able to participate in both.

Everything is going good here and im thankful for my mission everyday! Don't worry the bed bug problem has now been taken care of and unfortunately we have to move in tonight :( Ill miss the terrys!

Hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe!

Love,

Elder Waite

Words from Elder Adam Otto in Idaho

Well, well, well! Another month is just about over, and I am not getting any younger! I do not want this to end, not EVER! I can't believe I have just over a year left of being a missionary. I am loving this with all of my heart, and I can't deny it! :)

This week was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life!! But that's ok! Because I love trials so much, because they make me recognize my Heavenly Father's hand in all things, and help me to become who I am meant to be. I have gained a true testimony these past few months, that when we work our hardest, and are obedient, and let the Lord guide us in His work, miracles do happen!!! It is so beautiful. 

We have faced a lot of rejection this week. So many people are not interested in our message, and they think they know all that they need to know about our church. Obviously the don't, because if they did they would be jumping for joy and eagerly rushing to the baptism font. But that's fine, because we are softening their hearts for a later time in their life when they will be prepared.

We had such a spectacular miracle this week! The miracle every missionary wants on their mission. One of our members called us, and told us this story! Their neighbor knocked on their door, said she really wanted to meet with us and get baptized, and has been going to church for about a month! When they called us and told us this, my heart lept with joy, it was soooo awesome! The spirit hit me like a brick, and I realized (or was rather reminded again) that Heavenly Father never leaves us. He is SO aware of our situations and our trials. And he provided for us when we were faithful. 

Her name is Melanie, and we had a lesson with her yesterday at the members home. She is sooo golden. She is from the Philippines, and her mom still lives there. Her mom just got baptized a few weeks ago, and called her and told her how wonderful this gospel was. So ever since then, Melanie has had a sincere interest in learning more. She is pretty shy, and she was shocked she even had the courage to knock on the neighbors door and ask them about us. She just knew it was right and wanted to change. We taught her about the Book of Mormon, and she was so eager to pray about it. She was amazed that you could get an answer from just praying! We taught her about the Holy Ghost, and she said in her broken english "I feeling the good spirit here right now." It was so awesome. This gospel is the absolute best.

I am so happy to live this gospel so fully on my mission! I have learned so much, and am so grateful for this opportunity to bring others the gospel. I love you all, and hope you have an amazing week! 

Love,

Elder Otto

Words from Elder Chandon Herring in Washington DC

This week was a very good one. I am not going to lie about that. We are going to have a busy transfer with a lot of exchanges and we started off with 2 1/2 this week. It was just fun and on one of them I had one of the best experiences so far on my mission! So let's get started.

Tuesday... Today was the first exchange. I was in my area with elder Huber from Colorado. He is a very quiet yet extremely funny kid. He is a lot of fun and works super hard. We had a really good day together.  He told me a joke :) don't judge ok? What does a clock do when it is
hungry? It goes back 4 seconds :) haha. We had a good day. We cleaned out the baptismal font, checked on a lot of people, and had two great lessons. The first good one was with Melvin, a member. He is such a sweet guy who has a mental disability but it is not bad. He can live on his own and functions well. He really is the most Christlike person I have met. He is the first person to greet every single investigator
we bring each week. We talked about his baptismal covenant and it meant a lot to him. Next was a crazy time with sister Grant and Scippio. They are always a lot of fun. I am excited for you all to meet them. Sis Scippio is always trying to "break" me. She finds something that I say or do and nags me about it trying to get into my head. It is a lot of fun.

Wednesday... The exchange ended today and we had a normal day. For the
evening we had a super fun activity. Our Ward does not do too many events so we planned a Ward mission one and we are excited for the next. We had a movie night with food and showed meet the Mormons. It was a really good turnout. We had just enough food for us to take some home as well. It was all fun. The investigators that came are doing very well. It is always a plus to see them with members and in a more casual setting. Just a good day. We also had our normal mission office trip.

Thursday... Meetings! Woo Hoo! We had our normal meeting but it was a lot of fun. We had an activity at first to come up with a zone motto or quote. There were some very interesting ones. We had good meetings and the district leaders did a good job. One of them made some salted
Carmel brownies that I have to say were quite delicious, yum. It beats dads and madi s for sure, Haha. We had Cafe Rio yet again making this a 14 or so week tradition. It has been really good and I like it a lot. Hint hint haha. One of the senior couples offered to pay for us as well. The senior couples we have are just amazing and help us so much especially in teaching. We also had to push Christopher's baptism back a week and it looks like it might be one more because so many things are getting in the way with meeting with him. Satan is good at what he does but we are going to beat him !

Friday... Exchanges again! Today I was in the Capitol Hill area with elder Zollinger. He is a goof ball and a really fun missionary. He does a lot of good work and I had a great time with him. We had a few lessons set up but a lot fell through.  we had a lot of success finding less actives and referrals. We taught a new member lesson and to end the night we had a lesson with Wagner and Doretta. They are two investigators that are being baptized this Sunday (so they are now baptized) I was there to interview them and it was one of the most
spiritual experiences of my mission. Wagner was a perfect match to D&C
20:37 and I have never heard a more sincere and heartfelt prayer or testimony in my life. It literally would have knocked me off my feet but I was sitting. I can't relay the spirit that was there. I was just so excited to see him so ready. That is what this work is about. I hope I get to find and teach someone who is as truly converted as he
was. Then to celebrate on the way home we walked by Union Market where
there is a creamery that has the best tasting ice cream I have ever had. So mom we will go on a date there when we come back :)

Saturday... Great teaching day! We started out with missionary coordination with the Biolos and they took us to Ledo pizza for lunch. It was superb. We had a great lesson with them and Aziz on family history. We are getting him ready to go to the temple on Aug 1st. He is amazing and his memory is also great. He knew all of the people, places of birth and death, roughly the year, etc for three generations. His will be hard because he is from Africa but he is
working at it. We then had a good lesson with Latisha. She always says one more. We are trying to get her to quit smoking.
One more pack... It drives us nuts. She needs a new kidney, she is dying, etc, etc and she still does not do it. Wow... But she is starting to try more. We are excited to see where it goes. We ended the night at a cool grocery store called Wegmans. We met a new investigator there named Andrea. It was a really good lesson and as we were helping answer her questions she said, "I just don't want your beliefs to get into your way of getting into heaven." She then began to try to convert us, in a sense, and that lesson ended. It went very well up to that point but yea... It was good as well afterwards because E. Humphrey told me that my teaching was 4 Xs better than it
was when we were in DC 3rd. It was a nice compliment but now I am like, was I a bad teacher then? I am self conscious about my teaching sometimes. But hey all I can do is learn.

Sunday... Today was a good end to the week. We had really good study time and then we had Ward council. They are improving haha. We had a good turn out for church which is good because Presidnent and sister Cooke were there. They are great. They are visiting every Ward before
they go home. After church was a baptism for three people in the Capitol Hill Ward including Wagner and Doretta. It was a beautiful service and the brownies after were splendid. I ate 1 or 12 :) we ran
home for dinner then off to Why I Believe at the VC. It was the temple President and his wife. They were amazing speakers.

Today... We got up and lifted. Leg day was really good. I believe the word Jello describes my legs. Then we went to the National Gallery of Art. It was ok. Did not see any of the paintings I wanted to but it
worked out. Saw some really weird stuff though haha. The art from the apostasy is bad. Then shopping and now out to teach. Life is going very well. I have an amazing companion and we are doing very well here in Anacostia. I love my mission and I am excited for those of you who have not gone
yet to go! Have a great week!

Elder Herring

Words from Elder Levi Crosby in Kentucky

Hey! My week was pretty good. We didn't really find any new investigators but we had some good lessons. We have 3 people who have a baptism date and that's super exiting. They are all one week after the next so I hope everything works out. Well this is my last week of my first transfer! Holy cow! I hope I stay here in bowling green. I love the people and my ward is just cool. We did a few service projects and wow. I was just drenched. It was like 98 degrees plus humidity. But we pushed through and we got a lot done. Anyways yesterday I also gave a talk in church.. How funny is that I got to speak as Tyler and Riley and Sam. I'm sure proud of one guys. But I got to speak on living righteously. I spoke for like 10 minutes too. That's a record. I didn't even get nervous for some reason. I know that the lord helped me and the spirt guided me on what to say and do and that's what I am truly grateful for. But the way we live effects our decisions. And president monson said decisions determine destiny and I think it all starts off on how we live. Whether it to be righteously or not. So I know that if we do live righteously the decisions we make will have a positive outcome. So live righteously and "let the chips fall" as dad would say. Anyways that's what I spoke on. So when did you guys fly in? I'm glad everything worked out. You were all in my prayers for sure. But yeah get Ty to work because he is probably soft.. Just kidding but tell him to not hot rod my truck to much.. Because I know he will. Haha anyways I hope I get to email you guys today. And my companions might give me a haircut so wish me luck! Love you guys!

Elder Crosby

Words from Sister Abbi Waite in Texas

Hello all! 

Yes... I'm in Pflugerville, Texas, where they spell everything with a Pf. Because it makes total English sense! Haha! 

I am beyond blessed to be in this area. I can't even really express it. The people are amazing. The members love missionary work. The people we are teaching are incredibly sincere and kind. My companion is incredibly compassionate and puts up with me. (Okay, for real, I've never seen her even furrow her brow at anyone. She's incredible.) It's been incredible for me to see the blessings hard work and dedication. These two wards are EXPLODING with work. It's almost overwhelming sometimes. But I love it so much! 

We had 6 investigators at church yesterday... which was incredible! 3 in each ward! I've never had that many my entire mission! We prepared and invited and were blessed for it! We even personally texted  Bishop Townsend and Bishop Aldridge the names of investigators we were expecting at church... and it was amazing! Bishop Aldridge was conducting the Merrilltown sacrament meeting and he made it a point to explain the sacrament in a very sacred way so that everyone would understand what was going to be happening. These two bishops are outstanding, and I'm excited to be able to continue working with them. The members reached out... Holy cow. I can't even describe how blessed we are. It makes me so happy to see the work of salvation being embraced so well! 

I also got to go home this week. No, not home home. To Zilker Park! To see Dianna's baptism! It was incredible. She got everyone their own little forget me nots and I'm still in awe of how much she has allowed the gospel to change her life. She even invited her family and it was incredible. She's so great! And I love her so much!  (I also got to see a lot of the members who I grew to love and admire and that was such a blessing! My goodness... They're just amazing.)(ALSO... totally got to be companions with Sister Montclair for a few hours again. Incredible. Oh how I miss her.)

There are so many miracles that I wish I could write about, but there are too many and I simply don't have the time (as I'm sure that you don't either, haha!). One of the most incredible came as we met with a potential investigator. She had ordered a Bible from the mormon.org website, and we had the pleasure to deliver it to her. And, of course, a Book of Mormon. We showed her the footnotes and explained a little of the Book of Mormon to her, and she exclaimed "I had no idea!" She was so excited at the concept of additional scripture. I cannot comprehend how anyone would NOT rejoice at that! Heavenly Father loves all of His children so much! It's so exciting! We then had the opportunity to testify of how our own families had been blessed by the Book of Mormon, and even previewed a little of the Plan of Salvation. I know that tears are not always direct evidence of the Spirit, but there wasn't a dry eye in the room. She felt the truth so strongly and she was so prepared for it. It was incredible! 

This week I did a lot of thinking about how Heavenly Father loves all of His children. 

"For God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) 

"And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross ; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross , that I might draw all men unto me..." (3 Nephi 27:14)

God sent His Son that we may be drawn again unto Him. 

"For behold, this is my work and my glory —to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

God's very purpose is to bring all of His children back to Him! 

I testify that Heavenly Father loves you. Because He loves you, He sent His Son. Because He sent His Son, we are able to return to live with Him. Heavenly Father does all that He can to help His children choose righteousness. He called prophets in ancient Jerusalem to teach the people. He called prophets in the ancient Americas to teach the people. We have their records to help us understand who Christ is for us. The Book of Mormon also contains the fulness of His gospel and we can draw closer to our Father by following its pure teachings than by following the teachings of any other book. The Book of Mormon answers the questions of our soul, I promise that it will. Heavenly Father has provided those answers. Because He loves us. 

I love you all! 

Love, 

Sister Waite

Words from Sister Hannah Platt in Honduras

Dear Family and Friends,

I don´t have a lot of time to write. So i am sorry if this is super short. We got to meet our new presdient this week and he is so amazing! I love him and he is changing out mission. He has talked to us a lot about the importance of retaining those we teach and not just baptizing them. I have loved the changes we have seen! A mission is not about how many baptisms you have. Success is measured by the good you do! this is somthing i am learning more and more each day. I am so grateful for inspired men like my mission president! We are so blessed to be led my him here in Honduras. 

I just need to ask you all for your prayers at this time. My companion and i have been very sick this week with a sickness called Chikunguna. It a sickness that mosquitos carry and its been hitting Honduras. I know we will be fine. But please pray we can be fine quickly to be able to continue working. Other than that, not much has happened this week. We have had to stay inside for many days. But i know we will be fine soon. Thanks for your prayers! They make all the difference in my misison. 

Well, i need to go, but i love you all so much. I know this church is true. Its been a rough week for me, but i am learning that sometimes, God sends us hard trials so we can grow even more. Its hard to see while we are in them, but we grow and learn the most when we are struggling the most. I don´t understand a lot of things, but i do know that God loves us. He has a plan for us. We just have to trust Him. I love you all a ton! Have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Hermana Platt

Words from Eli Frazier in Peru

This work is awesome, im lovin the people and the doctrine of Christ more and more every day. I wish i could explain evyerhting that is happening and everything im learning but you just cant do it on a computer hahaha. But really everything here in Peru just great, I was able to see so many miracles as welll trials this past week. Everything we exxperienceand recieve is trule a blessing from our heavenly father. Every trial miracle or hard thing face is just a blessing from the lord trying mold us and help become more like his son Jesus Christ. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Never forget to always put the Lord first in your lives and everything else will fall into its place 3 nephi 13 verses 32 and 33 i think:) Love you all take care!!

Elder FRazier

Words from Elder Levi Crosby in Kentucky

Hey! My week was pretty good. We didn't really find any new investigators but we had some good lessons. We have 3 people who have a baptism date and that's super exiting. They are all one week after the next so I hope everything works out. Well this is my last week of my first transfer! Holy cow! I hope I stay here in bowling green. I love the people and my ward is just cool. We did a few service projects and wow. I was just drenched. It was like 98 degrees plus humidity. But we pushed through and we got a lot done. Anyways yesterday I also gave a talk in church.. How funny is that I got to speak as Tyler and Riley and Sam. I'm sure proud of one guys. But I got to speak on living righteously. I spoke for like 10 minutes too. That's a record. I didn't even get nervous for some reason. I know that the lord helped me and the spirt guided me on what to say and do and that's what I am truly grateful for. But the way we live effects our decisions. And president monson said decisions determine destiny and I think it all starts off on how we live. Whether it to be righteously or not. So I know that if we do live righteously the decisions we make will have a positive outcome. So live righteously and "let the chips fall" as dad would say. Anyways that's what I spoke on. So when did you guys fly in? I'm glad everything worked out. You were all in my prayers for sure. But yeah get Ty to work because he is probably soft.. Just kidding but tell him to not hot rod my truck to much.. Because I know he will. Haha anyways I hope I get to email you guys today. And my companions might give me a haircut so wish me luck! Love you guys!

Elder Crosby

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

Samut Prakan

well its been a good week we decided to change things up a little and switch a few missionaries around:) but monday was pday and you can never have a bad pday its impossible so we got transfer calls and only one elder was moving out of the area and so that was a shock we were guessing some people were going to be moving around but i am glad to stay here for the next six weeks! and i am still with elder collings he is a stud! tuesday we had the chance to eat lunch with some members and teach some rcs as well as have meetings and to teach english class which you know me is always a good time:) wednesday we have the chance to go visit and teach some investigators and we met this random guy on the street who wanted to return a book of mormon so we talked to him said he didnt have time to read it and he was nice guy about it so that was an interesting experience but the day goes on and we invited thursday transfers day we didnt do much we planned on going to transfer but was told not to go so we just invited and visited people at their houses pretty good day also tried papaya salad fried it was surprising friday we taught a couple of investigators trying to help them read in the book of mormon so we sat down with them and taught them and read with them it was great then we met wiht the bishop and talked and then he took us to dinner i love it:) we had steak haha thailand steak but i'll take it:) saturday we invited and did somethings that needed to be done like some paper work and sunday we had church went and visited pietune guy is a good guy and then invitied over at the harbor and in baagnam but all is well and is going well ! i pray that as missionaries come home this week i hope they travel safely i love you guy and i will amen what Elder Frazier has to say read the book of mormon and going to church:) but all in all love you guys take care!

Love Elder Davis:)

Words from Elder Garrett Davis in Thailand

Samut Prakan

well my friend and family its been another week already but there is something different then usually this week is my cousins last week as missionary, Elder Tyler Crosby has served in Tonga for the past 2 years and every email i have received from him always showed his love he had for the people of Tonga, hes a stud:) the last week was kinda busy for me monday we had pday and we relaxed at the house and then went and invited later that night tuesday we went had meetings and i received a phone call i was going to go to kalasin for the rest of the transfer and so i head home and packed my bags and then they called again and canceled and told me i was staying so then we taught english which was great i love speaking thai-english with them:) wednesday was different because we had a meeting with the new mission president and he came and talked to us and i believe there will be a little change over here i am excited to see how is goes:) thursday we went about a normal day inviting and meeting with investigators and visiting with people and also had book of mormon class:) friday we had a companion switch off with elder hartung and i and then we switch again because some cambodian elders came down to help us so that was a fun day i felt like a greene again trying to understand a language i dont understand:) they we went and ate together and sent them back to ausok:) saturday was a fun one we invited all day but we ended the night with a lesson and eating with members then sunday we had church and we taught investigators and rcs after that then we head home and elder t made us dinner i love thai people and their ability to make thai food:) i love ya guy and i hope you enjoy this week i hope all is well:) i wish you guys the best:)

Love you guys

Elder Davis:)

Words from Elder Eli Frazier in Peru

Another great week of week! Crazy that a year has already passed but just means i have a lot more work ahead of me. Had a cool experience of helping a recent convert find her the names of her ancestors so that she could go to the temple and do the vicarious work. She called her Dad that she had only seen once in her life. She was way happy to be able to talk to him and talk about who her family was and just talk with her Dad. Family history is an amazing work and is what helps us connect to the other side of the vale. Im truly grateful for temples. Have a great week all! Love and miss youª!

Words from Sister Hannah Platt in Honduras

Dearest Fam and Friends,

Well another short email cuz i am out of time. I am so sorry! how i wish i had more time to tell you all of the wonderful things i am expereincing, but i know we have rules for a reason so i won`t complain! ;) First off, just wanted to wish a happy birthday to my best friend, Elder Otto this week on the 17! Hope its the best like ever!! :) And guess what? THis week i will complete 9 months in the misison... thats half way through! I can`t believe how fast the time has gone. And i am soo sad. There is sooo much i need to do and i am not sure that 9 more months will be enough time. I can honestly say that these last 9 months have been the best and hardest of my whole life. I have experienced a lot and learned soo much. I am so grateful for this mission and for the chance to serve here in Honduras. Its been tough, but i know that my Savior has carried me through and has allowed me to be an instrument in His hands. I love missionary work! And i would please encourage all of you to do it! This work is for all, especially the members! The difference that a member can make in the lives of our investigators is huge! This is the work of salvation and is for everyone. With the Lords help, we will experience miracles. I am experiencing that right now. I lvoe this gospel more tahn i can say, Nothing is more important than the Savior, our families, and this work. I know this is the true church. I know it with my whole heart. I testify that the Savior lives. I know that when we put our trust in Him, everything will be for our good and everything will be alright. It is hard at times, i know, but if we can just keep our view focused on the eternities, we will see blessings. In this time, we celebrate the arrival of the saints in Salt Lake City. I have been reading a ton about them and came across a talk by Pres. Uchtdorf in the Liahona de Julio. I loved what He said. The talk is entitled, ``All is Well``. If you get the chance, please read it. These saints are such examples to us and showed us how we can endure our trials with a happy attitude and with faith. I know that we can do all things through Christ. I know that families are forever! I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It CHANGES lives! I love you all to death. I love this work. ANd i lvoe my Savior. His atonement works. If He could change me, He can change anyone! Look to Him at all times. I love you all! I can`t describe how grateful I am for all you do. Thanks for your prayers for my leg and for me! my leg is so much better and i am doing well. I lvoe you all!!

Love,

Hermana Platt

Words from Ty Blank in Alaska

Hey you guys!
So in my last email I had said that in my transfer call I was being
called to train a new missionary again and may I say it is quite
awesome to be blessed with such a privilege! So my week was well kinda
crazy! We met a whole lot of people and kinda made it our mission to
work so hard we come in at night and are so exhausted that it is hard
to plan and can I say that we are achieving that goal!

Monday- So Monday was my last day in the Beach lake ward because I had
been called to serve in sandier places😉 so we spent most of the day
saying goodbye to people we had been teaching and members that we
really liked as well! It is always kinda bitter sweet to leave a ward,
but it is good to see what lies ahead.

Tuesday- Man what a day Tuesday was! So we woke up and I finished
packing, we then drove to anchorage because I had a meeting that
started at 9:30, so we arrive and there were 14 other trainers there
and you could feel the excitement in the room! We then had a meeting
with president and then we walk into another room and we see all the
brand new fresh missionaries straight from the MTC. We then meet our
trainees! My new companions name is Elder Fisher from Virginia! He is
excited about missionary work and that was awesome! We then had
transfer meeting and that was a good one! There were some great
testimonies from departing missionaries! It is always good to hear the
testimonies from them! We then headed to our area and we found a
really poorly kept area book and illegible notes. Along with an
apartment that looks like hurricane sandy came through before it hit
New York.  So we did the natural thing and went to a service project
for people in our ward. Afterwards we went and tried to meet people in
the ward!

Wednesday- so we went to the office on Wednesday to pick up some
supplies from the office so we could proselyte effectively. We then
leave and realize that we forgot something! So we heade back and one
of the office couples then said "elder blank you forgot your book" I'm
like "what book" they then proceed to point to a binder that say
district leader on it attached was a stick not with my name! So it
turns out I am the district leader as well as trainer! Surprise! So I
am district trainer! So after all that hubbub we went out and
proceeded to meet the members of the ward! Most inviting us in with a
little bit of a hesitant nature. Understandable though. That night we
had a dinner with a ward missionary and then a meeting with our ward
mission leader brother Hamm! He is a nice older man and he is excited
about missionary work! After wards we went out and did some visits
with the ward missionaries! So that was good!

Thursday-Friday not a whole lot happened that is super note worthy we
tracted a lot and tried to talk with everyone! It really pays off in
the end even though we don't see the imitate results. Also I had a
meeting with the zone leaders and we also had zone meeting which was
good!

Saturday- we really are able to have a lot of blessing through
tracting and have really good conversations with everyone! It really
is a blast! We meet so many people every day! And we are already
seeing the blessings! It's incredible! I guess the other thing that
happened was the Layhew from Fairbanks and took us out to dinner! They
are awesome! And have been a huge blessing in my mission!

Sunday- So it was our first Sunday in the ward and we were welcomed
warmly! So that is good we also got 2 referrals! Ahhhh ya! The work is
moving forward! We spent a lot of time meet no people and we even
taught gospel principles! It was fun! Other then that we had a few
visits with members some other members who have lost the gospel fire!
But we are working on it!

So I can already tell that these next few months are going to try my
patience more then ever, but I can also tell if I look at all this
with the right attitude I will draw closer to Christ then ever before!
I have a testimony of this work and that it is what i am supposed to
be doing! I love it out here and know this is where the lord wants me!

With love
Elder Ty Nolan Blank

Words from Sister Brittany Platt

I totally forgot our other miracle!!! It was amazing!

So, Sister Wilde and I sang in church on Sunday and we asked a former investigator, Jeanie, to play for us and she said yes!!!! It happened to be a home-coming of an elder from that ward and as he was speaking she turned to me and said: "That's what you guys do to! How grateful I am for missionaries." I willed myself not to cry after she said that. She loved the meeting and afterwards she was greeted by tons of members who knew her and ones who didn't. It was so lovely! We're hoping we can teach her soon....she's a bit stubborn! :) MIRACLES!!!

Words from Sister Abbi Waite in Texas

Well folks! I made it! I survived doubling out of Zilker! Amidst the explosion and stress, we pulled it off!

It was definitely odd to leave my first area. I loved Zilker Park, but Merrilltown and Heritage Trail are certainly right up there with it! Change is inevitable, and I'm so glad that I've grown so much and I was able to adjust quickly to leaving people and places that I love! But the growth that I've noticed in myself isn't even close to the growth that I've seen in others! I was able to watch Geoff change in ways that I can't even really describe, including him letting himself become more loving to those around him. I watched Dianna allow the gospel to make her happier than she has been in a long time, and allow it to stay that way and stop trying to push it away. I watched light grow in Cesario's eyes as he learned more and more about the plan Heavenly Father has for him. I made friendships that will last forever! I watched so many people change and grow, all thanks to the Spirit of the God! This gospel is a gospel of change and happiness and it's amazing to see people let it into their lives! 

I like to call this new area "Miracletown". We're double covering the Merrilltown and Heritage Trail wards, and that name applies to both! I'm still working on getting to know the area and the people, but from what I do know... WOW! So many miracles! People are just falling into our path! We've taught many people about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it's been interesting to continue learning how the Spirit works through me. We've got so much work to do here! I'm excited for this transfer!

I definitely miss Sister Montclair, just as I missed Sister Gagon before her. But Heavenly Father is good and continues to bless me with wonderful companions! Sister Risenmay is wonderful! We've already found so much that we have in common and I love her to pieces! Her cheerfulness and enthusiasm for the work is contagious! She's also a sister training leader, which means I get to share her a little bit more than I've shared companions in the past. Which is great! I get to work with so many people this transfer! It's exciting! 

I'm not going to lie, leaving my first area was tough! It had truly become home and I'm excited to visit it again! But in His infinite mercy and love, Heavenly Father led me to the perfect scripture to comfort me: 

"And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted (Alma 12:10)."

Isn't amazing how direct and comforting the scripture can be? It wasn't only this verse that helped, but the story in the entire chapter. The sons of Mosiah are preparing to leave for their missions, and the entire chapter is incredible! My favorite verse is 13: 

"...they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken."

I trust that I will meet those who I worked with in Zilker again. How great is the work that I have undertaken? Then Ammon speaks the best words of all: 

"...be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks..." 

Let us all be of good cheer and go in search of the flocks! You don't have to wear a tag to be a missionary! Find comfort in the scriptures! Apply them to your life! I promise that Heavenly Father will speak to you just as he has spoken to me! 

I love you all! 

Sister Waite

P.S. In all the craziness last week, I forgot to mention that I got to work with Sister Harrision, one of my MTC companions, for a day last week! It was so incredible! We've both grown so much and I just love her to death! :)