bou·din

fambam!

 

this week was forever, yea? 

but wow can I say that it was amazing???

BC IT WAS YALL. 

this weekend was just so RAD. 

 

so here's whats going on here in laffy town. 

there is a festival every. weekend. 

 

our party crew

this weekend was the boudin festival!!

boudin

bou·din

pronounced bo͞oˈdan   

aka a louisiana delicious thing to eat and have a festival for. 



festival fun 

check out these fun foods 

this is a boudin ball

you can get a ball or a link (like link sausage) boudin balls are yum



what a seafood boudin link looks like! boudin is meat (this is seafood),

 then dirty rice, and a lot of seasoning. (dirty rice is rice with onions, bell peppers, garlic,

 seasoning and who knows what else in it)

the original start of boudin is cased in pig intestine. 

thank goodness we aren't doing that anymore!!

snoballs save the day when its a million degrees 

SO WE ATE FRIED GATOR

the brave gators

sooo.. im just white? #brownpeopleoverwhitepeople

here's a cool story:

so we got there, we get there early enough we actually find a place to park! so we park in front of some businesses and we are genuinely happy, friendly, individuals and then you add that we are about to go to a fun festival and gearing up to talk to people aaaaand that means that the friendliness and outgoingness kind of... bubbles over!!

So here's us.. lalalalala.. carpooling with the New Iberia sisters, parking the car, getting out, just chatting, and I look over to the side of us and there is a couple still in their car with their windows rolled down. 

usually an awko-taco situation right??

lol NOT FOR MISSIONARIES. or me.. bc I'm kind of a weird individual now. 



the sista crew

so I see them and I am super pumped for life and I'm just like "well hey!! how are yall??"

and theyre like, "oh hello!" 

and then we start talking because its the south and everyone is so friendly and we are crazy missionaries and have no boundaries. 

and we start talking about how its our first time to the festival, that they are from Rayne (a neighboring town), which boudin is the best to get and just some random stuff as everyones getting out and ready to go into the festival. 

then the casual conversation is over, say see ya later, and literally dont think anything of it because little convos like these happen all. the. time. 

 

fast forward a lil bit to the end of our night..

we go to the main stage part and we see that same family so we go over and start talking again. 

moral of the story it ended up being the funnest night ever!!

 

Meet JaMyra, (the couple's grandkid) this little cutie just danced and danced and danced with us alllll night long! (aka we cheered him on as he JAMMED and rocked the dance floor)

 

 

 

 

and we became lil homies and he is a ROCKSTAR. 

but we talked to him and his grandparents about their fun life, JaMyra couldn't wait to show us the pictures of when they went fishing, and their new english bulldog puppy they got and just all sorts of things! and then on the good songs we would get up and DANCE!

it was the best. 

 

afterward, when we were about to leave, we were saying goodbye and ya know what. I really wanted to see them again. so explained what we were doing here and asked if we could come see them again. they agreed and we got their contact info and you know we will be going back to see them!!

 

look how cool it is to be a missionary. 

all throughout our night we were talking to people and had so many opportunities to explain what we were doing here because we were the funky white girls in skirts and nametags that say Jesus at a boudin festival. 

and everyone knows what we are about. 

(funny story is that when we were walking out of the festival a drunk couple looked at us and saw my camera and who we were and just yelled "JESUS PEOPLE!! WHATS UP JESUS PEOPLE?? CAN WE GET A PICTURE??") 

you know we got that pic. 



the drunk people who wanted a pic with the jesus people

#yeshellothisisus

and then the next day at the festival we got to volunteer!!

we were the people that gave you non-drinking or drinking bracelets :) #under21club

the arts and crafts in the daytime

myplace <3

but moral of the story. 

i love this badge. 

i love wearing a skirt.

i love looking different. 

i  l o v e  representing my savior. 

i love doing missionary work in every way that i live and everything that I do!!

this is the best life :)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

sister sades

 

found a new fave breakfast place <3

dreamy

 

<3

 

pony!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

living in the blessing

hopppyyyy easters yall!

This week has been so fast... Thats no bueno!!

 

the new crew. #watchoutworld #lafayettetakingover

Can I just tell yall about this amazing laffy taffy fun ward for a minute? 

I'm so so happy to be here in this ward. 

so its summer. basically. 

and that means summer sales are happening! that means people (aka RMs and all mormons) come from all over (aka come from the mormon belt of idaho, utah, and arizona) to come sell things (aka vivint and ADT and home security systems) 

and that means that our ward just doubled and our primary just quadrupled.

and that means that the husbands go out and work from noon-9pm. 

and that means that there are wives that are just home just hanging out! they just all hang out together! 

and that means that our meals just escalated to every night and most lunches. #holla #sisterbenefits

and that means that some of the wives are RMs and still excited about missionary work. 

and that means that 2TIMES this week members took us out to see less active members in our ward. 

wow. it was such a blessing. we appreciated that so so much. it means alot <3

but in other news it was EASTERS on sunday!! 

Easters is a wonderful wonderful time to be just grateful. 

grateful for the people around us that make living so great and fulfilling.

grateful for the world blooming around us that puts a smile on our faces.

grateful for the gift we have of our savior and that everything that we are and that we can be is because of him. 



#princeofpeace tracting

So yall know about the easter video #princeofpeace

but did yall go and watch the principles of peace?? 

wow. now let me tell ya. those are so good. 

did yall watch the principle of Gratitude?

that is a cool story about Jon Louis from new orleans! 

(which is awesome because jon louis is my mission bffs first convert and I have been hearing stories about him 5ever)

And now jon louis is mormon famous and on a easter video about gratitude. and its powerful. 

he says something that was interesting to me. he says he lives by the saying, 

[  l i v i n g   i n   t h e   b l e s s i n g  ]

now what does that really mean? 

are you living in your blessings? 

or are you living in the dont haves or wishes or if onlys?

are you looking at what you have and feeling gratitude?

or are you looking at what you dont have and feeling entitled?

are you happy where you are but continuing to push forward and seeking progression?

or are you never satisfied with what you have and who you are to an extent that you ' will be happy when...'?

hmmm things I have been thinking about. 

I am trying to do this myself and live in my blessings. 

I have so much given to me and so much that God has blessed me with and so much I have learned!

and i know that because of this... so much is required.

unflinching and unwavering in my testimony and love in sharing the gospel and sharing it to the people that I am around. 

and right here right now its in lafayette louisiana. and this is where I need to be to influence those that God has planned for me. 

look for blessings and live in them yall!!!!

from transfer p day: sister ferre literally shed a couple tears when we found out we were staying together <3

cowboy from slaughter came to visit me!!! <333

crawfish season!!! YUM

getting the crawfish ready

a lil mud bug. its alive

i <3 this picture bc it encompasses the unknown/hidden parts of louisiana that

no one but missionaries learn to love <3 #thecontrast #catsgalore #chainlinkfences 

a lil mud buddy 

LOVE YALL AND HOPPPY EASTERS

xoxoxoxoxoxo

sister sades

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet sweet louisiana.

Alrighty yall. business first since I know I've made yall wait...

 

T R A N S F E R   N E W S

Nothing!! we are defying all odds and STAYING TOGETHER WOOOHOOOOOO!! WE ARE SO PUMPED AND HAVE THE BEST TRANSFER PLANNED EVER!

so yay :) and we have a bomb district coming in so i am the happiest camper over here

 

so beyond grateful for this girl and that we are staying together!! #letthepartycommence

Sweet sweet louisiana.

so this week has been eventful but not so eventful.. sometimes a typical work week here on the mission. but lots of Louisiana specific things happened this week

 

come to find out we have mold investing our shower its totally casual. its regular here in the dampness of louisiana town. how do we fix it down here? 

we paint it apparently. lol what. #thxmanagement

But esta bien we have been working with our housing missionary couple about it and all so we got to benefit from a visit from my friends, the senior couple over housing, the Jones's!! they are great. they are assigned to slaughter branch aka my last area so it was fun to be with them for a lil bit. they came, talked to our manager and took us to lunch!

they have only been in louisiana for about.. 2 months so they haven't had any louisiana specific foods yet! of course yall know we broke them it. and we did it nicely with hipster po boys!

took them to Pop's Po Boys which was a hipster downtown lafayette cafe by the university here UL. it was so fun and they loved it <3

found a friend <3

 

next was a louisiana tender mercy..

one day was a long missionary day.. it was only maybe 6 or 6:30pm and we didn't have anything to do... we really really didn't want to do anything. but my insides really knew that we needed to go out, specifically we needed to go out and tract. my outsides were fighting it really hard, I really didn't want to. but I have been studying alot about diligence and obedience and doing things that we dont want to and motivation and specifically about the Savior. how He lived, died, and lived again and everything in between all for me and how hard that was... and I'm going to say that getting my lil missionary bum out the door is hard??? nonononono thats not hard. I can do that for Him. I will do that for Him. and I will continue to do all things for Him. 

 

so we went tracting yall. we walked behind our apartment complex and started knocking on doors. and no lie.. 3 houses later we were #blessed beyond all belief. 

we are going around sharing the easter initiative #princeofpeace, we are actually in an extremely nice area surprisingly.. real nice houses. so we knock and talk to this man and he lets us in to share the easter video!! like into his house! like inside. not outside on the porch on his phone. inside. his. mansion. and dang it was beautiful. 

so we share it with him and his son who was in an accident before and now has some physical and mental disabilities but its not bad! he still walks and talks just has physical deficiencies and forgets things (probably more those were just the visible ones)

things kept going, they are catholic but appreciate the message, we leave and go to the neighbors. 

this handicapped son comes and walks quite a ways away to the neighbors to invite us over for dinner. 

#TENDERMERCIESSTRAIGHTFROMHEAVEN 

so we ended up having a really really great meal with this new family that we had literally met maybe 15 minutes earlier. 

when we thanked them profusely when we were leaving, mr. danny's answer was simple, "its a louisiana thing"

no mr. danny. its also christlike thing <3

 

 

a lil louisiana funny.

we have some interesting chiren of God down here in my lil place of louisiana. i love them so much <3 

fast and testimony meeting is always a trip because you never know whats going to happen. we had a particularly great encounter this last fast and testimony meeting. 

we have this member here in laffy taffy town and his name is Kenny Breaux (pronounced bro) and he is a gem, one of a kind. he calls and texts all the missionaries in almost 2 zones everyday to tell them what the weather is going to be that day, sometimes more in bad weather! but the thing is.. he has some brain damage from an accident and he is incomprehensible. (woo-oo probe word) 

but he is stellar. we appreciate his effort even when we can decipher his texts and cant make out his voicemails most of the time. Much respect for this guy. 

But it was just a lil amusing when he got up to bear his testimony which was really good! about the priesthood, and then he starts busting out and serenading our bishop with a rap that he wrote for him. I don't remember all the words because sister ferre and I had to smother our faces to keep from getting the serious case of non stop giggles and from laughing out loud but it was something to the extent of..

"rock on sweet bishop, rock on.. some poetry... rock on sweet bishop, rock on" all while staring into bishops eyes literally serenading him from the pulpit. 

i <3 louisiana so much

but in all reality kenny is a seriously special individual. he can feeeel the spirit. he comes faithfully every single week, and not only comes but comes prepared. he has all the study materials and participates and is ready to learn. 

it was a small testimony to me that God loves all His children and He has truly place choice spirits on this earth for them to learn but also for us to learn.

this was for me to learn to become more humble and more child like in my life. more diligence in my actions, more passionate about the gospel and more compassion in my relationships, more savior focused and less self focused.

yet another southern sized slice of humble pie. (don't forget to take the seconds for later)

um so yea. some filipinos made us a Filipino dish and crab. it was an interesting combo.

I sure do love love love this louisiana place of mine and am so grateful for the past 12 transfers that i have had to learn from these incredible people here.

this very day April 11th 2017 marks 17 months that I left for that dear ole mtc and wowie wow wow what i have learned and how i have changed in the past 17 months.

and this very day marks the start of my 13th and final transfer as a missionary in the lbrm and wowie wow wow how much i have cared, felt and loved here in this state, mission, and life.

welcome to rayne LA the adventures

and a huge shout out to every. single. one. of yall for being the true rockstars in my life. for supporting and changing me and being apart of my mission history and life history.

the boo <3

 

ready to start this forever journey

stay tuned for the greatest transfer the world has seen

lets geaux

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

sister sades

 

 

cheryl and a choice rant

dear everyone. 

 



Went to Borden's ice cream with Yolanda and the girls! we <3 them.

we made scripture boxes with them and it was so fun :)

exchanges with the STLs!

wowie do we have inspired leaders or what??? 

​It was an amazing conference to hear from God through our leaders <3

we had a lil miracle as our favoritest person ever Ms. Cheryl came to Sunday morning session of conference!! and wow. she had a wonderful experience. 



 

backstory: 

Cheryl is going through a serious custody battle with her ex husband. 

She was the one who had gotten a new phone and number so that she could get away from all the drama and harassment. and we called her the same day she was about to turn off that phone. 

#GODSHAND

and we have had incredible lessons with her and her member fiance Tim. about the plan of salvation and about how the gospel can help her in her life. 

 

We weren't able to see her this week until Conference because she had a very big deal court case custody battle hearing on Friday and was diligently preparing for it. It was going to be a doozy. 

but her diligence and prayers were heard and her hearing went so well!! she killed it at the hearing!! and she was able to hang out with her daughter for 2 hours at the park on saturday for the first time in 2 years. 

So while sitting and listening to conference sunday morning all about family, and faith over fear, and of course all the other wonderful topics of sunday morning, Ms. cheryl just sweetly sat there and cried and cried and cried tears of  t r u t h. she felt the truth of it in her soul.

They invited us over to their house in between sessions and we sat around their table and cried into our fresh fruit (i know i would be crying bc of this too #happyhealthytears) 

no but really we cried as she opened up more to us about what was going on in her life and what her struggles have been. and we talked about the joy that she felt when she got to be with her daughter and how he daughter has changed and grown and just JOY. and then the truth that she felt as she listened to conference and how every talk she felt was directed right at her. 

and we testified to her that she was being so  b l e s s e d  for her faith that she has put forth in reading and meeting with us and coming to conference. it was amazing.

 

When individuals are ready.. they  f e e l  the spirit. and we dont have to do anything but be worthy to be an instrument and act. and its wonderful. 

I love this work.

I am so happy to be a missionary yall. its an amazing work and a wonder how God plans everything for our benefit. 

I don't know if I told yall but there is a D&C challenge where you read a section of D&C a day 138 days before you go home so I am reading D&C. and I was ready this week in section 78 and its just one simple verse.

"For if [ you will ] that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, [ you ] must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you."

 

God is the best communicator. He has set out exactly what He will do for exactly what we do. WE CHOOSE WHAT GOD GIVES US. 

you choose close to every single thing that happens in your life. not everything... but almost. 

what are you choosing? who did you choose to follow today? 

we cant just not think about it anymore. Did yall hear conference? we cant sit on the sidelines and let it play out in front of us. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ we need to play!! Actively choose every decision you make. what does that say to Heavenly Father? who did you follow from that choice? it really is that black and white sometimes. 

Sabbath day activities. Sure it may not be a bad activity but who are you following when you made that choice to do that? what did that choice say to Heavenly Father?

Just repent and do better next time. 

Missionary work. who did you choose when you felt to talk to that person but shied away because of fear or indifference or judgement or laziness or tiredness? 

Just repent and do better next time. 

just saying our whole life is based on every single choice you make! we cant sit idle anymore! BE ACTIVE IN THE GOSPEL YALL. 

anyways. woow. lil rant. 

my passion slipped out a lil there!



 

but yall I really am so passionate about this gospel and living and actively following. it is SO EASY to be lazy and not choose or not participate but we cant do that anymore. things are happening! We must MOVE! 



the homie district @ Fuzzy's in BR

GUESS WHO CAME TO VISIT <3333 bff p fleg

the most important missionary in the mission <3 my companion

 (what we learned in our zone meeting. that your companion is your most important investigator)

I love yall so much!

I love louisiana even when it tries to kill us sometimes. 



did yall hear about the storms this week?? it came out of no where!! (at least for the ones who cant check the weather lol) but yea bad tornados in my past area of Alexandria! :( prayers for them. they were supposed to hit lafayette and it got real bad for a while but thankfully just bad thunderstorms and no nados :)

love yall! 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

sister sades

[ coolest non missionary experience ever!! ]

when I was on exchanges I got to go help them do service at the BR old state capitol building (a great castle that obviously used to be the capitol building but is now a museum. A++++ museum!!)

anyways got to help them for a lil bit and we had a bit before we started so they got to show me around! not the regular museum around though... they took me to the secret places!!!!! 

I CLIMBED ON TOP OF THE CASTLE TOWER IN A PENCIL SKIRT AND LOOKED OVER BATON ROUGE. IT WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS IVE DONE. 

kinda felt like a secret spy (even though it was totally legal and okay!) but I was in my dress clothes and running on the roof and climbing sketchy ladders and it was awesome. A+++ exchange. #quality

 

and this is a picture from January (thats why everything is dead and wintery) that I took of the

 building and included so yall could see it better. 

but I was on that right tower thing!! it was so cool!

THATS WHAT I CLIMBED ON

the BR old state capitol!! its amazing​​​​​​​​​

the ceiling

a room

Sister Andrus climbing the sketchy ladder behind me

but then BOOM! YOURE ON TOP OF THE OLD STATE CAPITOL BUILDING

the shadow of the castle <3 im on that lil tower thing!

my city of BR looking at the mississippi river

how to get down. go back down the sketchy ladder

run over the slick, burning hot roof and back over to the catwalk

this is looking back at where we came from. right inside those windows is the stained glass ceiling of the building. the catwalk that connects to the building is the door we came out of (more on how to get up there later)

anyways... then we also went to a farmers market saturday morning with sister speed!

 it was fun :) reminded me of boise farmers market​

then in between saturday sessions there was another market with taste tests from a bunch of local people selling salsas, honey, sweets, seasonings, just anything! it was fun :) ft. the spanish elders