March 8th, 2016

Oh my family, This week has been a fun one! It really is amazing how many tender mercies there are when you start looking for them. The members here are awesome! They feed us super good! We go to FHE on Monday nights with a family who's children are all grown up and last night we had biscuits and tomato gravy and some dutch oven breakfast casserole, it was amazing. Then every Thursday night we go to the Dollars and talk some smack with Brother Dollar and Sister Dollar lets us all take a turn on what she should make and she fixes it for us. This week it was fried pork chops and they were amazing. They also are some great missionaries. They really want to see our ward of about 60 grow so they work hard to invite and a couple have been bringing some kids to church with them so we are real excited. We also had a zone meeting this week in Alexandria and we got to drive back through Pineville and it was so much fun. It was like driving down memory lane. We are doing our best to work hard and have some fun doing it as well. It's not always pretty but it's always good. I'm excited to go and have a good week! I hope yall have a good week too! I'm glad that you survived your wild week and that you keep out of trouble and if you do happen to get in trouble.....tell grandma last ;) haha Love Mud

February 24th, 2016

Dear Parents, You probably have heard reports of the storm/tornadoes that went through our mission area yesterday. President and Sister Hansen have asked me to notify you that all of the missionaries are safe and accounted for. We are grateful for your continued support and prayers and are grateful for the opportunity to work with these fine young elders and sisters. Sincerely, Sister Lawes Mission Office

February 29th, 2016

Hey my family! Man it sounds like you have had a wild week. Thanks for all of the updates on how things are going and how people are doing. It really means a lot to get updated on things. All of the tornadoes missed us we just got a lot of rain and they locked us down for most of the day just to make sure we would be alright. Life in Mississippi is pretty good! One of the speakers didn't prepare a talk for sunday so right before sacrament meeting a member of the bishopric came and asked me and the other new missionary to speak and try to only leave the stake president about 20 minutes. We did the best we could...but he had a few more than 20. But that's alright he is one of the most Christlike guys I have ever met. He handled it like a champ. I told the story about when we were working at caralee carlsons "devil womans" and dad was teaching me to drive the tractor but sense it was a weighted seat it only worked when dad was pushing down on it and how that's like how the savior is with us, just standing there with his arm on the seat helping us do what we can't do alone. It turned out pretty good for a white trash Idahoan. We got fed real well this week! The people here are awesome! We also started serving at a soup kitchen that provides 1 meal 7 days a week for about 400 people, so that has been pretty cool. We also had interviews and it was a good time. President and Sister Hansen are awesome! I love yall and hope that you have an awesome week!!!! Some jam would be awesome sometime :) if you can. Love, Mud :)

February 22, 2016

Hey! Things here are going pretty good! I'm in Natchez Mississippi now! We went from the cajuns to the rednecks really quick! Thanks for taking such good care of Miss Gerrie it really means a lot to her. It sounds like you had a busy but productive week. It's been a little bit of a transition week but it's been good. Church was pretty exciting yesterday it was a little wild to see church pews again and a real sacrament table. It is still a pretty small ward only about 40 or 50 people but they sure are awesome. One of our recent converts has a little girl that's almost 1 and she kept honking my nose all during gospel principles class haha It made me smile and helped her mom be able to listen a little more so life was good. there also was a real cool tender mercy on sunday morning. I don't know why but it is always really scary for me to go to a new ward. I always worry that I'll get booed out of the place or something, but anyway we pulled up in the parking lot and the first guy I saw was one of the members from pineville that I had been to his house almost every sunday for 6 months! It was really cool. We also had a linger longer after church with some awesome food so that So Natchez is right on the Mississippi which divides Mississippi and Louisiana so me and Elder Mortenson are on the Mississippi side and Elder Stevenson and elder wise are on the louisiana side. We both live in Natchez and are the only ones in our district. The closest missionaries to us are an 1 1/2 hours away haha. I hope yall have an amazing week! I am so grateful for all of you! Thanks for all of your love and prayers! Love Mud

February 16th, 2016

yall are the best people I have ever met! I hope you know that I think all of you are the bomb.com! Thanks so much for the package! It has been a crazy but awesome week. Here are a few highlights. Elder Whitmarsh got another sweet armadillo kicking video, we taught a lot of people, got some good service done, survived Branch Conference with Bobby only trying to kiss Brittany once (hahaha), given a wild boar roast, having 2 investigators at sacrament meeting (yahoooooo), and just having a good time. They are canning me this week from Morgan City and I am really sad, but more importantly I am really grateful that I got to come to one of the best places on the earth! These people are so loving it really is crazy! "I wanted to pay a little tribute to my awesome friend Miss Gerrie Breaux. She is one of the best friends I have ever had. I have never met someone and so immediately felt the most pure Christlike love as I have with this sweet lady and her family. She knows the Savior, and she loves him. And I will forever be grateful for he willingness to share that love with a little Idaho boy that 6 months ago she didn't know. I will love her forever! There will always be that special place for her and for the good times we have shared and will share. God bless her and her family! Love her adopted grandson Justin Dye" I'm excited for the new adventure that this week will bring! I'm excited to find a new group of people that Heavenly Father has prepared to keep me in line until I get to party with my family again! It's going to be a good time. I hope yall have an awesome week! Thanks for all of your love and prayers and for loving me enough to teach me to be a good dude so I can help other people. I sure love yall! Love, Elder Dye :)

February 8th, 2016

Mercy mild! I can't believe that our hairy little Jessa is a driving chick now. I hope she keeps it under 100 going around the corners like James (working james) would always tell us to do. It sounds like you have had a busy week! I'm glad that you are keeping out of trouble for the most part :) Things here have been good this week! I hope that you like the pictures. I don't know if I've told you much about our homie Bobby Burgess but he is a great guy! He is like 28 and is one of the few truly active members of our branch. He has some special challenges, and a really hard home life but he is one of the finest men I have ever met. You can tell that he really has a strong testimony even though it's hard from him to express things. He also has a REALLY high pitched voice and when he blesses the sacrament every week it makes us all smile. :) So anyway we got to take him to a Madi Gras parade in Berwick and he was super pumped! He really enjoyed every second of it, he even got up in Testimony meeting yesterday and thanked us probably 15 times for taking him and being with him. It really made me stop and think how many things I take for granted. Church was pretty good this week but between Madi Gras and Super Bowl Sunday we were few in numbers, (17 including us 4 missionaries) but the spirit was still there. And it really brings a special spirit into a fast and testimony meeting when you end when everyone has borne their testimony not when you run out of time haha It really helps get you motivated to get up haha Gospel Doctrine turned out pretty good too. None of the primary kids made it this week so we got to have the 2 ladies that run the primary with us to. So it was 3 ladies, Bobby, Elder Stewart and me. It was a little intimidating cause most of the conversation was with the Relief Society and there is nothing more intimidating then the relief society. They are spiritual giants. If I have learned 1 thing on my mission it is that no matter how big or small the relief society is, stay on their good side and you are going to be alright. We have branch conference next week so that will be exciting, it is always fun to hear different perspectives and Testimony's. I love being here in Morgan City! Things are progressing really well. And we are having a good time too. Hope yall have an awesome week! I sure love ya! Love Mud

February 1st, 2016

Yall are the best people ever. It sounds like things were pretty good this week and that you've got a pretty good one planned. I can't believe that Jessa is almost a little driving chick...time goes to fast. Please party hard enough for me too and Grandpa's surprise party! This week was a good one! I got to go on exchanges this week with my district leader Elder Staley and it was a good time! He is one good dude. Sometimes it is hard for us to know what to do at night cause there are just so few people and they really don't like it when we tract after 6 so we went store contacting at Walmart (the hot spot of the tri-city area) haha Didn't meet anyone there but when we went to Dollar General we saw a less active we have been working with that really is going through some rough stuff. Just time after time Heavenly Father places people in our paths like that. It really is amazing! Elder Rasband came and that was pretty amazing! It was so fun to hear from him on a much more personal level then General Conference. You could tell he was a little nervous but he did great and the spirit there was amazing! We all got to shake his hand and then he got up and said, "today is Saturday and on Thursday I shook the prophets hand. That's how close you are to him." He told us to keep working hard and that when we complain about our area's or companions that we "are mocking God" so we are going to shape up about that. :) It was so fun to see all of the missionaries in our mission at 1 time. They are some of the best friends I have ever had. Church went good, we had an investigator there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was pumped out of my mind. I was helping another Elder Translate so when my companion got done speaking he went over and sat by him. I love going to church! We are few, about 26ish this week, but we are a happy few. And that is important. Had a Sunday headache like my papa but a little "dew from the mountains" fixed it real quick. I love yall! Time is flying fast. I hope we can all take a minute to enjoy where we are at cause it really is a gift. ....and the future can be intimidating sometimes, we had interviews this week and my mission president kept talking to me about eternal marriage and said "soon you are going to have a whole passel of children" and after I looked up what passel meant I was glad for my simple mission life right now haha Thanks for all of your love and prayers! I feel them every day. From your slug of a son in the dirty dirty south Mud