coons and boils and families‏

Okay yall. 

 

This has been another best, monumental, fabulous weekend. 

Like wow. 

So to overview:

1. almost had a pet baby coon

2. met Brandi aka mother of the golden family

3. had our first pre boil crawfish get-together

4. had 6 investigators at church

3 out of the 4 are all related and but one of them just makes be plain happy.

Can you guess.. ;)

FIRST: 

*just in case you thought I was heartless after the crawfish

 

On Friday morning after our 30 minute workout time, I was making breakfast. (a very healthy one might I add ;) and the trash is full so I go to take out the trash of course! Its probably like 7:15 ish.

So I'm walking down our gravel driveway and throw away the trash in the garbage. 

I hear this weird crying animal and it pierces my soul. 

I go find it. 

I don't have to look that hard yall. 

On the side of our little driveway..

I find this!

 

Probably only a day old baby racoon! just screaming away. It was so so tragic. 

Of course I have to do something about it. 

 

So I sprint into the house and grab a handful of napkins and the phone and sprint back outside and start to care for it. Its probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

 

 

 

Pretty much the gist of the story is that I called 2 members of our ward Brother Amoroso, who tells me that it probably doesn't have diseases so I can hold it YAY

and the Nolans, who might sound familiar because they are pretty much our favorite people ever. They feed us every Wednesday and they have so many animals that they just seem to find and take care of!

So the daughter, Theresa, works for the St Tammany Parish government for the Animal Protection Services or something, so she has a license to rehabilitate wild animals and release them again. And they said that she agreed to take it! Aaaaand they all just happen to be over there to get her son off to school. like wow. #miracle #blessed

YAY. So little coon has a home now. 

But we dropped him off at like 8:15 so for that hour I was trying to figure out what to do we just had a nice cuddle sesh and it was precious. I kept him warm and made sure he was still alive. :') #coon&mishbonding

It was really sad to be a missionary for that hour because I just wanted to keep him for a pet FOREVER.  but its okay. I can go visit. :) 

 

 

SECOND:

*just in case you forgot I was a missionary

So Sister Steve and I were out doing missionary work on Friday. I know. Surprise. 

We went over to this less actives house and was visiting with her when her neighbor, Brandi, came over! 

So we start chatting it up with the neighbor about her and us and missionaries and church and God and also the Word of Wisdom and it was just really solid. She had a hard question about why we can't drink coffee but we can drink coke and heavily caffeinated sodas. Good question huh.  

And all week we have been inviting everybody to our ward Crawfish Boil we were having on Saturday morning. 

So we're like, "Hey Brandi, we're having a rad crawfish boil. Why don't you come on over with our whole family. It will be fun!" 

And she's like, "okay. If you can find the answer to my question, I will be there."

DEAL.

 

So of course we go find the answer and text her later that night and say "Hey Miss Brandi! We found the answer to your question! See you at the boil tomorrow?"

Brandi: "Definitely"

WOOHOOO. Yall. Its that easy. You can do it too. Even though you don't have rad crawfish boils you can still do it. ;)

THIRD:

*just in case you were still in suspense about previous story and about how crawfish are cooked

Saturday morning! 

Crawfish boil day! 

The activity was actually a ward activity where we deep clean the inside of the church and then we get to have a crawfish boil after. (we just invited everyone for a church tour and the boil)

The prep

Those are buckets of live crawfish

I am holding a live crawfish

Those are buckets of live crawfish

and thats a pot of unbelievably delicious seasoning and juice and such

This is Ryan stirring the crawfish with the juices



Now these are dead crawfish. ready to eat in like... 20 minutes.

#fam

#ilikeyall

How we all feel about crawfish. 





this is why cooking is a big deal. everyone hangs out and talks :) I love it



 

So we go early to help set up and help do whatever needs to be done like always and then we are so anxious about Brandi coming and the others arriving that we are literally no help for the clean the church part. #srry

 

But everything worked out of course!!

We had 3 investigators there and Brandi came and she brought 2 of her kids!!

 

We were so so so happy when Brandi showed up and we took her and her 2 kids on a church tour and explained everything, the relief society room, the Young Womens/Mens program, and we had the Primary President explain what Primary was and it was just perfect.

Then we took them in the Chapel. 

And wow. 

We could just feel the Spirit as soon as we walk in. 

And we know Brandi felt it too.

She was so happy and just told us that she felt so comfortable here unlike any other church that she has ever attended. 

:')

 

Then they stayed for a bit of the crawfish boil and both of her kids found friends that they really loved being around and hanging out with. And some ladies in our ward really reached out to Brandi and everyone made them feel so welcome and loved.

It was such a tender mercy. 

 

That evening, we get a call from Brandi. 

She had such a wonderful day. And she just loved everyone she met. And she was just overflowing with joy. 

So like all people in the south she starts talking about her fabulous day with her friends.

And she starts getting torn apart. 

Her friends start telling her all kinds of awful things and really just tearing her down. And giving her false information.

 

She calls us very distraught because she is now so confused about what is right and how to feel. She had such good feelings at the boil and met such great, genuine people but now her closest friends are tearing it up and ruining her happiness and spirit that she felt.

We helped her focus on the good, answer some questions and told her not to give up yet, come to church, remember the good that you felt. 

Literally heartbreaking. 

They are so special and Satan is trying so hard to make sure they don't come closer to Christ.

FOURTH:
*just in case you think missionary work is just about us. its not. its about yall too.

WE HAD 6 INVESTIGATORS COME TO CHURCH

yall this is a big deal.

We had 10 committed to coming for sure on Saturday night but of course as all know that doesn't always happen. 

But thats okay! 

BECAUSE WE HAD 6 AT CHURCH.

It was a crazy, miracle, blessed, incredibly stressful day. 

Wow. So scared and nervous. 

 

But most importantly. 

BRANDI AND HER ENTIRE FAMILY CAME TO CHURCH.

Brandi, her husband Brian, and her 3 kids, - Joe (15), Miracle (11), and Ayden (5)

They stayed all three hours.

They felt the Spirit again. 

The good feelings were back.

But now so were a BILLION questions and probably over stimulation since they have no idea what was going on. 

But they are literally gems.

Brandi had a notepad and was writing down all these questions and scriptures. 

And Brian was just silently engrossed. 

 

Can I brag about my ward real quick?

Right after sacrament meeting a young man, Joe's age, never met Joe before, comes up and introduces himself and takes him to class.

Right after sacrament meeting, Miracles friends from the day before come up and happily whisk her to class.

Right after sacrament meeting, we take Ayden to Primary and his teachers were inspired to teach the lesson about prayer instead of the original lesson on baptism. Ayden had a wonderful time. 

Right after sacrament meeting, all the ladies that had befriended Brandi the day before all came to greet her and came to the Gospel Principles class with her and Brian. 

The counselor in the bishopric that was announcing, the speakers, the members in the gospel principles class, and the relief society teacher all catered their speech and lessons to these new investigators who had never been to church before.

 

WHAT A RAD WARD. 

This is what yall can do! 

Notice the missionaries investigators and take care of them without asking. 

Brandi and her family were invited to dinner on some night this week.

Joe is going to Mutual on Wednesday night.

Miracle is going to Activity Days on Wednesday. 

And it was a wonderful experience.

 

We are so so so happy to find this amazingly prepared family and have such a great experience with this out pouring of love from our ward to our new investigators.

 

I hope I can be like this someday. 

#missionary4ever

I love yall so much. 

I like yall.

(also I got to wear jeans and a tshirt to the boil and I got a BILLION complements on my "I like yall" shirt. #thankskort #ilikeyall)

LOVES FAM

sister sades

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm 5 :)‏

 

Okay yall. 

This week was really rad. 

We planned really well and we got down to business. Like harder than Mulan business. 

Wednesday was my favorite day. 

We received a referral from HQ on Tuesday and we are supposed to ALWAYS contact them within 24 hours of receiving them because that gives us the best chance of getting them in the best mood and willing to accept more than what they initially asked for. (because about 90% of the time they request a free bible to be delivered to their home so that means we can explain about the Book of Mormon!) 

So we got the referral on Tuesday so we had to go contact her on Wednesday! 

We start heading out there and its quite a ways away but the referral lives in a place in Covington I have never been before! So that was cool because that doesn't come up too often. 

BUT this was even more cool because when we were driving out there.. WE DROVE ON A HILL. A BIG ONE. 

Okay it actually wasn't that big but it felt really really big because I haven't seen a hill in like... 5 months. 

Oh yea.

ps. Happy 5 months to me todayy! woohoo! I still feel like a baby but thats okay. :)

anyways. 

We go out to the country and find this referral. Her name is Miss Jeannette. 

We are following our gps and we go from the big fast road and turn onto a medium country road. Then on to her skinnier road then we try to find house. We found the mailbox but it was confusing to find who's house the mailbox belonged to. So of course we pick the wrong house. #whoops. 

So we go back and turn onto the very skinny dirt lane that leads to the house and all the dogs (4-7 dogs) come running and sprinting and barking out to meet us. We go very slow to not kill them. #smh 

Finally we make it up to the house and everyone (3-6 people) is sitting on the porch. 

Most of them get up and disappear in the house. 

Now what this just described is an average meeting in Louisiana. 

Skinny roads.

A billion dogs. #missionariesworstnightmare

Everyone disappears. 

But what happens next is definitely not average.

We get out of the car and yell out "Heelllooooo!! We are looking for Miss Jeannette!"

And luckily the only person who did not disappear in the house was Miss Jeannette! Woohoo!

So we introduce ourselves and she invites us to come sit on the porch and if we want something to drink, etc. 

Then we start talking. 

She has a cousin who came by and visited her who is Mormon. Miss Jeannette has had alot of changes in her life recently, deaths and an upcoming heart surgery, so she is definitely in the mood for some enlightenment. The cousin called our mission and sent us over there!

We asked her if she had any questions and her very first question was about prophets and Jesus Christ. It was crazy. Because our first lesson is on prophets and Jesus Christ. 

This doesn't seem like a huge deal but its a very big deal that someone brings up our first lesson all by themselves! 

So that was an easy transition for us! We start right into our lesson and teach her about our Heavenly Father, prophets, Jesus Christ, apostasy, and Joseph Smith. It was an amazing very spiritual lesson and she is so prepared to talk to us. 

Jeannette is such a tender mercy and so is my awesome companion! 

That lesson was great because of Jeannette being prepared and so kind and sweet to us but also because of the progress in Sister Steve and my companionship!

We went to the beach! just a tiny beach by a giant oak tree that we went to go see

dang. I miss the beach

my cutie pants aka skirt comp

 

We have been practicing our teaching and contacting and everything since day one and now we can really see the fruits of our labors! 

We can transition from person to person in our lessons and we can just focus on the Spirit and what our investigators need. 

We can laugh really hard daily. 

We can give an honest and equal opinion in what each investigator and less-active needs.

We can read each other and what we can do for each other not perfectly but its getting there!

 

Still hanging with bff em :)

 

I love being in Covington, right now, with Sister Steve and my district and our investigators!

I love being on a mission!

And I especially love yall. my super awesome supportive familia <3

I'm so so so happy that yall are so so so happy :)

Good luck with all the endevors that this week takes you too. 

I love yall lots and lots and more everyday :)

<3 covy

I hope yall are livin life and seein good days!

Get along with your companions ;)

Dont forget I lava yall :)

xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Sister Sades

 

 

our #basic lakefront end of transfer pictures with the old district. <3

 

fam :)

 

 

we're goobers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GC & temples & crawfish‏

Heelloooo familia! 

So obvi its transfer week. 

Woohooo! Get to stay training Sister Steve and in Covington! 

I guess we have alot more people to see and get baptized before we leave just yet :)

Anywhooozles. 

What even happened this week. It feels like it was forever long! 

We finished up the finality of the flood service!! So that was monumental.

We did one last trip to Robert and finished up cleaning up every single property that requested help!! So that is really really accomplishing. 

Last day doing service in Robert. :) sweetest lady ever. We showed her the #hallelujah video and bore testimony. It was a sweet experience!

Family picture. Sister Stevenson is the daughter (greenie), I'm the Mom (trainer), and Elder Ross is the Dad (District leader). (elder Decker is actually the Grandpa. He's my dad!)

 

There was a cockroach in our room. We tore our room apart in about 2 minutes flat. 

Exchanges in Zachary with these outstanding sisterss!! yay yay yay

 

 

Something really really fun this week was crawfish dayyy!!! 

I have been waiting for this day for a long tiiiiime. I had a taste of crawfish and the very early start of crawfish season when the crawfish were just little babies! They were so. so. good. I couldn't wait to get them again. 

FINALLY its crawfish day. 

Crawfish is alot of work for a tiiiiiny bit of meat! But its worth it and really yummmm. 

Peeling the crawfish is a true art (or so we get told a billion times) and its true. I had like 2 and a half trays of crawfish and it was totally worth it. mmmmhmm. Thats something unique that I will miss! It was so fun to hang out with all the old people and hear their stories and everything too. 

Crawfish day at the Windsor :))

Crawfish cookie cake = cute happiness

 

 

 

 

And of course. wow. General Conference was amazing. 

It was broadcasted at the church but we have bff member friends who invited us over! It was just like being with a family. And we got to sit on a couch :))))

I absolutely adored the emphasis on temples!! 

The temple is such a huge emphasis in my life and I just love love love that it was talked about in conference with 4 new temples on the way and when they're all dedicated 177 temples!! Incredible. 

I haven't been able to go to the temple since I have been in Louisiana! Its been the longest I haven't been to the temple in about... what 2 and a half years? dang. Its strange and I miss it alot. 

The temple has truly changed my life and it seems like we have actually been talking about it alot in the past week or two! It has been brought up about working in the temple and going to the temple. I love having that strong and firm testimony of the temple that is able to be shared with others. 

I loved the talk on refugees and President Uchtdorf's sweet sweet presence afterward. That was a little heart wrenching. That really brings up my desire again to do humanitarian work!! I don't have to think about it now but thats something I really would love to get involved in.

My heart strings were pulled when we saw President Monson, our wonderful prophet, in such a skinny state! But the faithful and heartfelt prayers were so tender and helps me to remember that universal aspect and love that everyone has for these leaders. 

Also that President Monson is a true prophet of God and that he still gives the best one liners that strike us all! 

"Choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong."

 

Also!! We got water from the Abita Spring today. Natural fresh water straight from a spring

tbh I'm pretty sure its the chamber of secrets

 

It was really cool and we feel pretty hipster.

 

I love the gospel and I love the leaders that guide us to do what the Lord would have us do!

I also love crawfish :)

I also love yalllll!!! Seems like a very easy going time right now.. laid back. thats the best kind of family time and I love it and yall!

But anywho. I'm sorry I've been so scattered and weird letters lately! What else would yall like to know about me or missionary life or what...? haha What should I write about?

I love you and you letters and packages more than you even know!

I LOVED IT. I should have videoed my reaction to the SUNSHINE that your package gave to my heart and my face! I love the sobes. I love the pictures. I love the letters. I love yall!

Live life and see good days!!

xoxoxoxo

Sister Sades

 

We thought we were flippin hilarious and found this on the side of the road and gave it to our Buddhist investigator. 

It was hilarious. I died laughing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23 feet of love‏

This weekend we had a very unique opportunity to go to our neighboring area, Robert!

So to clear up something kind of confusing right at the beginning....

The Covington mission area is the Covington Ward Boundries. Okay?

The Covington mission area is in the Denham Springs Missionary ZONE. okay? 

So when we go to zone meetings with missionaries and have zone specific instructions, we look at the Denham zone. 

The Covington ward is in the NOLA stake. (New Orleans, LouisiAna) Okay? So when we go to Stake Conference we go to New Orleans and we know all the NOLA stake members and presidency.  

So. Recap. 

We know all the Denham Springs missionaries and we know all the NOLA members. Cool. 

The town of Robert got hit even worse than Covington did. 

So a bunch of people from our ward and from both the Denham stake and NOLA stake came and helped mucking out house and working together with a Christian program that helps with natural disasters called Operation Blessings. We were able to go because Robert is very close to Covington and some of the Denham missionaries were called in to help and the NOLA stake was called to help! It was an amazing experience and it was really fun to get to know some of the Denham members and serve with the NOLA members more. 

Our experience with the Robert service day:

Everyone helping for the day gathered together early Saturday morning. We split into groups to go conquer some devastation. 

Sister Stevenson and I were in a group with one of the best families the Conlins, who gave us a ride, and then some members from the NOLA stake. 

We went to a home with a TON of work to do. 

The home we went to was up a tiny hill from a creek. far enough away that I didn't see it. 

But this creek flooded 23 feet. 

yes. 23 FEET. 

This home was underwater all the way up to the attic. 

This is crazy serious business.

So this home had already been cleaned out in the way that everything in the home was out. By any means necessary. 

That means that everything that was inside was shoved out of the broken windows and our job was to bag it in trash bags and throw it in a big truck and then when the truck got full we go ride down a half mile dirt road to go unload it on the side of the road so the bigger trucks can come pick it up then we ride back and continue. 

It was a lot of hard work. Emotionally and physically. 

The owner of the home was a lady named Theresa. 

She is a religion that doesn't believe in wearing pants. 

Same fam. 

Jokes. 

Anyway. 

We probably went through a billion black trash bags, no exaggeration. 

We tossed and bagged window frames, Christmas decorations, sheet rock, clothes, couches, insulation, mattresses, bed frames, books, photo albums, letters, dressers, bureaus, mirrors, bibles, planners, calendars, pictures, picture frames, stuffed animals, and so much stuff that I cant even remember. So. Much. Stuff. 

It was a hard business but we whistled while we worked and talked and laughed and talked about the gospel and talked with Theresa about life. 

There was an extremely tender moment where we had been on the look out for a unicorn chest on an assignment from Theresa because it was her wedding box. We found it in the center of the debris upside down. 

As we excavated out the box it became a holy place as everyone went silent as we pulled it out and she assessed the damage. We didn't know how she would react but with our previous relationship formed with her, there was the spirit of love and unconditional support ready to lift her up.

 

Our pile of bads and trash. it doesn't looklike too much but lemme tell you. it was 8 hours of work with 3 couches and a couple mattresses and dressers in there.

I have a testimony about serving happily. 

This is how we support others in their trials. 

Sharing our happiness and our light with others. 

Understanding the seriousness and the gravity of the situation but making it a positive, happy experience. 

Having compassion and comfort but also helping lift the heart with love and laughter. 

"The best compliment you can give someone is listening." - Raymond from Operation Blessings

I love my mission and I am so grateful for this area right now that I am able to serve people on a level I have never reached before. 

Women's Conference was inspired to teach me how to serve with more love and heart.

I can wait for conference this week to help me to make goals to be an even better missionary!

I loved hearing about yalls coming home experiences. so fun. 

Missed yall extra this week but know that the work is true. 

I lava yall!!

xoxoxoxox

Sister Sades

 

 

We wore jeans all week‏

I would just like to throw something out here right at the beginning.

Sister Stevenson and I have done zero real missionary work this week. 

none. 

We wore jeans all week. 

We did alot of math for this week. This is what we figured out. 

Your average LBR training missionary (aka us) in a single week has a total of 

56 sleeping hours

112 awake hours

20 hours of studying

7 hours of planning

14 hours of lunch and dinner breaks (minimum) - we try really really hard to make it an hour but, lets be honest, in the south where we eat and talk ALOT, no matter how hard you try, most of them go over

42 working hours (aka going out having appointments, finding, teaching, traveling time... everything a missionary has to do)

So if you take in the lost minutes (repentance is real), the travel time (especially in our area - lots of traffic and far away places. It takes 30 minutes to drive to Mandeville), meetings with missionaries and the ward, and the accidental extra time on dinners with members... I would say our total working hours would be about... 34 hours. give or take. 

So that's a lot of math. 

But all of those things are extremely important to a missionary.

Sleeping hours: of course is important because you are so done every day at 10:30 you just pass out. Need that 8 hours.

Awake hours: When we should be constantly doing something with the Lords time, every second of everyday. (I'm still working on this one. Its the hardest.)

Studying hours: personal study- where we study and make plans for our investigators. Companion study- where we sing, read from the handbook and PMG and recite scriptures, then make lesson plans together for our investigators or do an activity from PMG. 

& for Training missionaries we have 12 Week! - Additional Comp study where we watch The District and have more mission training and role playing to be better missionaries faster.

Planning hours: half hour at the end of each day where we prayerfully plan for the next day. What we will do, who we will see, what we will teach, as well as update our records for the people we saw and taught today. Also we Weekly Plan on Thursdays for several hours and plan what we will do for the next week. 

Eating hours: OH GOSH SO GOOD. Where we will for lunch make something quick and take a nap or talk or literally chill out or we go out to eat if its a Mandville day. and for dinner hopefully someone signed up to feed us and we will have a huge, delicious, giant, good conversating, largest meal ever. Then before we leave we share a too-short message because we took too long on dinner and we are over an hour. 

Working hours: the 34 hours of pure missionary-ness. 

Talking to people, tracting, doing service in thrift stores or food banks, calling, teaching the lessons you planned and prepared for, getting cancelled on, using back up plans, having the funny moments and stressful moments, disappointing and exciting moments.

the essence of a missionary.

How does this relate to us this week?

Sleeping hours: normal we have about 45 minutes to ourselves from 9:45-10:30 to do what we want... We would usually talk, write letters, play ukulele, write in journal, etc.. 

This week we were in bed an asleep by 10. every. day. We were so exhausted. (doesn't seem like a big deal. but its a big deal when you have no free time and you spend it sleeping)

Awake hours: we were busy every second of the day serving others.

Studying hours: We were able to study for a message that would bring one of hope and peace and comfort to those we met and #hallelujah Easter initiative works great. Also since we weren't teaching lessons we were actually able to study for ourselves. 

Planning hours: Our plans were almost the same everyday. wake up. study. service. eat. find people. service. eat. study. sleep. 

And it hasn't gotten boring.

Eating hours: I think I ate so much this week and was still always hungry because we worked so much this week.

Working hours: We had 23 hours of service this week. 

The other 10 hours we spent knocking on doors of the neighborhoods that were devastatingly affected by the floods. We wore our yellow shirts and jeans and were representatives of Jesus Christ and the Mormon Helping Hands. It was a great responsibility. 

Setting up for the crews.

the necessities:

gloves

crowbars

hammers

shovels

brooms

wheelbarrows

sleds

box cutter/razor things

Cleaning supply buckets

waters

food boxes

and........

LOTS OF HELPING HANDS!!

Proud to Wear Yellow

23 hours of tossing furniture/carpet/belongings onto an ever growing pile of trash accumulating on the sides of the road, hammering apart sheet rock and drywall, taking out doors and cabinets, taking a crowbar to lament and wood floors, helping pack away decorations and belongings, helping go through things to decide what was salvageable or trash, comforting those without flood insurance and praising God with those who did, crying with people, praying with people, and being a support to those who lost so much.

This flood was pretty devastating and traumatizing for people not because of the damage but because it was unheard of in this area. It is a straight flashback to Katrina! Many were not in a flood zone and didn't have insurance. One lady is sleeping in her shed in her backyard. Another just finished her first round of chemotherapy for breast cancer and cant even cook for herself right now. The devastation is real.

But our message, especially an Easter message of #hallelujah and the Atonement is also very real. 

He knows what we are going through! He's done it. 

He knows what this feels like! He's felt it.

He can help us! He can lift us!

If we let Him. If we love Him.

I'm so grateful to wear the yellow shirt this week and to just straight up serve.

I'm so grateful to have the blessings that I have.

I'm so grateful for the protection and missionary promises.

I'm so grateful to be able to help others in a way I never have before. both physically and spiritually. 

I'm eternally grateful for my Savior and for how He can lift the hurt that we feel if we give it up to Him. #hallelujah 

Live life and see good days :)

Happy Easter. #hallelujah

xoxoxoxoxox

Sister Sades

hitting close to home‏

So yet again our missionary promise and blessings are even more evident this week.

This week has been extreeeemely long. It has been a long waiting game of anticipation. 

It all started last Sunday when we were tracting in Tallow Creek and on our favorite less active friends who lets us park our car by her house was weeding when we were getting ready to leave. She was telling us that she was getting stuff done today to prepare for this week because the news says its going to rain Wednesday-Saturday so we were in for a big storm. 

Greeeaaaaaaat. Now remember that we are just coming off of the tornado experience so we were ready for a couple weeks break before we gear up again.

So the waiting game started. 

For the next 3 days, (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) every. single. person. we talked to told us to be careful in the upcoming days because the weather was going to get really bad. 

Can I pause for a second and tell you about the Southern people for a second?

So young adult girls are protected more than life itself sometimes. If we are knocking doors at dark or even dusk even if its only 6:30 in the evening, we will get... I don't want to say chastised or scolded but definitely a concerned talking to that goes something like this. "Now what on earth are two pretty young ladies like yourselves doing out this late at night, coming up to strange people's doors. (not even a question) Now yall should not be out this late especially in the dark. (its only 6:00pm) Have you seen the state the world is in these days. (still not a question, sometimes they will continue on this for a while) Now you gals are about the age of my daughters. Yall better get home and watch out in the next couple days. Weathers gonna get real bad. Rain and thunderstorms. Now you get home now. Yall shouldn't be out here!"

Its wonderful to be cared about so. so. so. much. 

No but really. Its awesome. :) they're sweet and sometimes its a good conversation starter of why we are out here. 

ANYWAYS. 

Monday- Wednesday were really awful, extremely gloomy and windy days. like blow your skirt away windy. That was funny some days. But very overcast, grey, never see the sun, so humid that its just clammy and warm. You knew there was a storm coming.

Finally the long awaited days of the storm arrived.

We were expecting something very similar to last time with extremely heavy rain, pounding our roof in and being locked in for days at a time since is was going to be several days. 

Thursday comes and its a gross day, overcast, grey, just sprinkling all day. Quite disappointing.

Then finally around 3ish it starts raining real hard and we get put on lockdown. It only lasts until 5pm. Alot of rain but really not as much as we were thinking... Life goes on.

That night it still lightning and thundered so loud and so bright all night. I slept well but poor Sis S didn't get a wink :( rough night

Friday is also not very exciting. We never know the weather so we just plan our day like normal and go about our duties. Service, tracting, popping in on people, visiting less actives and investigators. 

We have a lesson Friday night that we were excited about. It was with Rob, a very awesome investigator, and Caelan, a 1 year convert,18 years old, and has the missionary fire. We are teaching one of her friends that we are SO excited about! 

We show up to Caelan's house ready to pick her up and her mom comes and talks to us saying all this weather lingo that goes over our head but we did hear, "...voluntary evacuation...surge coming... 20-30ft wave... 10pm tonight.."

what. 

Alls well though we go to our appointment promising to keep her safe and that we will be back within the hour. The lesson goes alright, not as planned but its good. 

Then when we come back we see and hear the real story. 

We saw many police lights blocking roads with signs and detours. The local McDonalds only has the drive through open because they are so close to the water that has flooded Boston Rd. 

Local officials are closing down roads that are flooded already. Northern Louisiana has gotten so much rain and storms that their rain fall will be coming down the rivers that usually flows into the lake but Lake Pontchartrain is very full to start with. There is nowhere for the water to go! There is expected to be a 20-30ft surge(wave) of water coming in around 10-11pm that night that will flood most of Covington. 

Awesome. Lets go home, shall we?

Needless to say we are a bit freaked. 

We call Sister Hansen, our mission presidents wife and stress relief person and tell her what we know. Her and President Hansen reads off a list of streets that are under a voluntary evacuation list. 

The list included 8th Ave.

We live on 9th Ave.  

We live pretty close to the Bogue Falaya River. Only pretty close though. Like its on 1st Ave and we're on 9th.

But we made the executive decision to stay and park our car on a bit higher ground and pray. 

Alot.

We go to bed that night not knowing anything about what was to come in the next few hours but it was quite a stress ridden night. 

We wake up the next day and blissfully enough nothing happened! Not even a lightning! Not even rain! We have trees blocking our view to the left but no water in our front yard or neighbors to the right!

It was quite anticlimactic let me tell you. 

So we do our morning routine and finish our studies and lunch and finally its time to go out around noon. We leave our apartment in our car and the moment we past those trees we see water. Everywhere. 

We live on 9th and Monroe and this is 10th and Madison. 2 blocks away

Our neighbors to the right and all the houses on the next several blocks over have water all in their yard. not in the house yet but flooded yards. We continue to where we are going to service but its closed because it is in a flooded area as well. 

Trying to get into our neighborhood. This is 8th Ave and Tyler. If you look where the water stops and turn left and go down the street just a little bit... thats our apartment. 

Just past that stop sign is Robs house. The stop sign is 8th and Jefferson

Our first thought is Rob. He lives down the road closer to the Bogue Falaya. We hurry back home and get on our bikes to hurry over to Rob check out more damage in our immediate neighborhood, see what we can do to help and talk to people. 

Standing outside Robs house looking at the road

As the day went on, as we kept talking and making the rounds the water kept rising and rising. it rose probably over a foot maybe 2 while we were out. The road to our apartment flooded.

Sections of roads are completely flooded, the dips in the road. The Bogue Falaya is overflowing. People homes have sandbags trying to keep the water out. All of this destruction within less than a mile of our own apartment. The damage is endless. 

Anyone who lived by the Bogue Falaya river, Abita river, and the Tchefuncte river were flooded.

Trying to get to something....not us!

(gross don't ever do this. the sewer is backed up in this water. and snakes. and disease.)

We keep getting 'Are yall okay?' texts and hearing about homes and neighborhoods that have feet of water in them, and members of our ward that got flooded. 

Seeing good days biking around the floods!!

The road to the church was completely washed out! There is a 6 foot drop of the asphalt gone from the road! The Church was fine but the neighborhood it is in was flooded baaaad. With all the damage to the church neighborhood, church was cancelled on Sunday! First time in my life!

Sunday was spent visiting others and doing service for our favorite less active family, the Nolans, where we eat at every Wednesday night. They got a foot of water and our ward joined together to help out. I'm so grateful for the relationship we have with them to make this hard time easier. 

Cleaning up the Nolans on Sunday

These next couple days will be filled with clean up and service with our classic yellow Mormon Helping Hands shirts on. 

This flood really hit close to home and was shocking to hear everyone talk about it. This bad of a flood is historic for Covington and no one can remember the last time a flood this bad has hit Covington. That means this was real bad. 60, 70, 80 years+ bad.

But I am again reminded of the promise of safety missionaries have. 

The love our Heavenly Father has for us is so real!

I know that we were protected because we should have had damage or at least more water than we should have. The floods did not even touch our yard.Our ditches were full, yes but our yard was very dry. We didn't even loose power once. We were protected as well as the Elders in our area.

I'm grateful to be here so I can help the best I can!

Satan is so real and tries to bring us down (as Sister Stevenson likes to say "Satan controls the weather!") but with God all things are possible. Through Christ all things can heal and be made alive! I'm so grateful for this time to be the Lord's servant and to serve with all my might right now! I know people have been prepared for us this moment to go and talk to them and just help and love them. 

I'm so excited to go to work this week and do all the Heavenly Father has planned for us! 

I love yall so much and I'm grateful for all the prayers!

My mind was in two places this week with all the floods and work but also at home with yall this week with the special occasion :) I wouldn't have it another way though!

I'm so happy happy happyyyyy for the new baby in the fam and all the pictures. Welcome Lukeypoooo and I can't wait to meet him :) 

yay yay yay! I love yall so so much! Yall are the best!

Miss ya bunches. 

Live life and see good days :)

xoxoxoxo

Safe Sister Sades

So crazy story. One of the majorly flooded areas is a neighborhood called Tallow Creek. Its a couple miles from our apartment and my favorite place to go tracting because its where the closest members to us live and its so safe and a great community feel to it. The last couple weeks Sister Stevenson and I have tracted this neighborhood so so much and its been great! We love it! Houses close together, nice people, everybodys outside, best place for a missionary ever.

As I was researching the damage and going through pictures of the bad flooding I found this. 

This is the Tallow Creek neighborhood and this is a family that we tracted into that was so kind and adorable. This crying little boy was the cutest little kid we ever met and he loved to talk to us and ask us a billion questions about our name tags and scriptures we were holding and just so friendly with the cutest, heartmelting smile. We made plans to come back. 

Its so crazy how close this flood was to home. The National Guard was in our neighborhood. In homes only minutes away from ours. People that we talked to last week now have their lives flipped upside down and trying to put things back together. Its never been so close before.

http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/03/historic_flood_swamps_downtown.html

http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/03/north_shore_flooding_what_we_know_sunday_morning.html

http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2016/03/watch_more_aerial_footage_of_s.html

Its been a poopy week‏

**Readers disgression advised**

Yep. 

Thats about it. 

Its been a very poopy week. 

Just like it says.

I didn't take any pictures this week because it wasn't very eventful and the events that are worth writing about..........

Yall don't want pictures. 

You're welcome.

I will try to sensor it as best I can.

So we did a lot of finding this week, aka braving the awkward barrier and contacting alot of people who don't really want to talk to us and also knocking doors. Many empty ones that got lots of pictures of the Jesus and SLC and Laie temple stuck in them. 

But we have a really good time tracting :)

This week was fun because I got my most creative rejection to date from knocking house!

So we tracting down this BEAUTIFUL street next to the lakefront. (who says you can't tract and walk next to the lake at the same time?) Its my favorite place. 

Anyways. We were knocking doors and a quite elderly woman with a walker answers the door. We say some quick pleasantries and start in on our attention-getter spiel. 

But she stops us with this line. 

US: "...local sister missionaries and we-"

Her: "Uh oh. I have a problem."

Us: "-oh. okay. Whats that?"

Her: "I have diarrhea and I really have to go. Right now."

Us: "Um. Wow. yes please go. Mmkay bye."

Can I get a trophy for the quickest way to get someone off your front porch award? 

No but really. I believe her. And I really appreciated that shut down.

But we just laughed and laughed about it and kept going. 

--2 days later--

We go to a members house that is very sick with migraines and head issues and also takes care of her extremely elderly mother with Alzheimer's. She was feeling especially bad this week and called and asked us to do some housework for her that she just hasn't gotten to because she doesn't feel good.

OF course we can do that!! We go over there and knock.. 

She opens the door and says "Hold on a minute! I gotta run!"

So we step in as she moves as fast as she can to the back of the house. 

And wow. It smells.... real bad. Can't breathe. 

We look into the house and see there has been an 'accident' on the floor. 

ANYWAY moral of the story, the mother is going downhill and needs to go in a nursing home soon because she is becoming to much to handle. 

And we just happen to walk in on a VERY unfortunate situation that was only talked about 2 days earlier.

It was so gross and awkward we couldn't do much but laugh and have a better appreciation for the lady earlier in the week who turned us away before it got bad. 

Then later in that day, we were driving with our windows down because its always so beautiful here! We are having a good time driving through a neighborhood and the worst, strongest, most putrid smell assaults the inside of our car like a wall. 

We couldn't breathe. We were dying. And laughing so much didn't help having to take big gulps of nasty air. 

We don't know whats going on but we sure hope that Heavenly Father isn't preparing us for something way way wayyyy worse. 

We got the words

and the sight..

and the smell.....

Can we just stop it right there? 

Tune in next week for hopefully nothing more!!

Dang. good times though.

Sister Stevenson and I have good times together :)

But other than that nothing much happened this week! Just normal missionary work with a ton, a ton of tracting and finding. trying not to take things personally and trying not to get too creepy excited when they give us a half yes or a return appointment. Making the best of everyday and loving and learning how to be the missionaries we want to be!

Its a great life :)

God is really good to us. 

I love yall so much and I can barely think straight because I'm so excited for Kort and Dastan!

Good luck with the new baby that will be here SOON! 

I'm so happy for yalllll :)))))))

I love you so much!

xoxoxoxo

Sister sades