Week 25 Hays

Olá Y'all!

This weekend was pretty great! I got to see some members out on smaller towns in our area which is nice. I also gave a talk on Sunday which was a great thing for me to introduce myself to the whole ward on Sunday! Besides that there is not a lot of new things going on. I hope to have a longer and better email next week! 

I am unfortunately out of time, so it is time for pictures! Yay! 

 

1. A sweet statue outside of Hays with some soldiers behind it! 

 

2. We got to tour a beef jerky plant that a member here runs! And we got some free jerky! 

 

3. The boys and I in our ugly sweaters! We are ready for the competition at zone Conference in two weeks! 

4. We got on an only sisters zoom call.Whoops! 

This is all for now! Feel free to email me if you would like or if you have any questions! Hope y'all have a great week! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder Sant 

Acreditar. Amar. Fazer.

Week 24 Colly Creek to Hays

 

Olá Y'all!

This week was an exciting week! To start off, we found out Friday night that monday will not be our p-day, but Thanksgiving will be. So that is why my email is coming out today and not monday. 

This week was also transfers! I am being transferred to Hays, KS! It is basically west central Kansas. It has a lot more farm land than my last area so that is exciting!  And my new companion is Elder Belnap! He is from Idaho and was also reassigned from Brazil! We got to go through the temple together way back in September, so it's pretty sweet to get to serve together! 

I was reading this week in Psalm 82, and it is one of my favorite scriptures! The Lord is speaking and he says "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." I think it is easy to forget that we are children of the most High! He made us after His image! He will help us succeed because we are His children and I know that if you turn to him you will receive help in your trials! 

I am unfortunately out of time, so it is time for pictures! Yay! 

1. My Turkey hat! I love it! 

 

2. Day in the life of a missionary, Covid edition 

 

3. Another day in the life of a missionary 

 

4. The Last pic with Elder Hathaway! 

 

 

 

 

 5-9 some pics of my new district out here in Hays! We had a great thanksgiving! 

This is all for now! Feel free to email me if you would like or if you have any questions! Hope y'all have a great week! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder Sant 

Acreditar. Amar. Fazer.

MIssion Email

 

Dear Parents,

 

Through the miracle of technology, we had a 3-day virtual mission tour with Elder and Sister Valenzuela. He is currently a member of our Area Presidency who resides in Mexico City until Covid restrictions allow them to relocate to Salt Lake City.

 

Following the invitation of President Nelson to be grateful, can we express to you some of the blessings we are grateful for.

 

Today we are grateful for the following missionaries who are completing their missions and returning home. Sister Natalie George, Sister Samantha Bates, Sister Heidi Buhler, Sister Emma Harrington, Sister Geraldine Lara, Sister Anna Lynn Royce, Sister Kylie Slade, Elder Caleb Cardon, Elder Brian Gonda, Elder Gailon Hunt, Elder Caleb Jensen, Elder Quinn Hedman, Elder Garret Miskin, Elder Zachari Perri. They have been remarkable in their service. We will miss them.

 

We are grateful for the 24 Elders and Sisters that will arrive tomorrow!

 

We are grateful for the miracles in this work. People that are found through service, Facebook, referrals, and members. These wonderful people are changing their lives and making their first covenant with God.

 

Elder Valenzuela described our missionaries as radiant. They are! We are so grateful for the goodness and diligence of their lives.

 

We are grateful for your sacrifice so that they can be here. It is a privilege to serve with them.

 

We are grateful for your efforts to gather Israel as you interact on our Facebook pages and participate in our weekly Blitz. Here is the link to a member made video. Thank you for sharing it to your Facebook profiles.

https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofJesusChristinTopeka/videos/845666629578807

 

If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to watch the “Come and Meet” live event with Brother Xidis and his chocolate shop in Topeka, we hope you will. Sister Moore filmed and edited it and it is incredible. You will learn the correct way to eat chocolate!

 

We are grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ that makes missionary work possible and necessary.

 

We love your missionary.

 

President and Sister Ernst

 

Thanksgiving news:

We are allowing districts to gather at the church building on Thanksgiving for lunch and time together. Districts are coordinating the meal and the mission is helping with the cost.

Today, Monday, is a regular working day. Your missionary can call for 30 minutes.

Thursday will be p-day. They will be able to make their usual p-day call then.

 

Remind them of our mission covid policies. Masks, social distancing, and sanitizing their hands. They tend to forget these guidelines from time to time and we find missionaries in a 2-week quarantine.

Week 23 Colley Creek

Olá Y'all!

This week was pretty great! We did so much service! It is mostly raking leaves, because Topeka is currently under about a foot of leaves. 

We also had the chance to do some service at a wedding this week! It was a little wierd though because the two people getting married are younger than me! It's so wierd! But I am happy that I was able to help and serve them! 

And today we got to go see the Kansas state Capitol building! It was super awesome! It brought back some good memories from youth leg! 

And we are continuing to reach many friends! I love seeing the change that the Book of Mormon brings into people's lives! It is so powerful! 

This week a scripture from John stood out to me. It says "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." This scripture is so powerful! There is a lot going on in the world right now, but that is no need to fear! He, our Savior, exemplar, and Redeemer, has overcome the world! He has overcome our fears and trials! And so if we turn to Him then He will help us to get through it all. We can find peace and comfort knowing that Jesus Christ will help and support us in every aspect of our lives! 

Now it is time for pictures! Yay! 

American flag when Kansas became a state! 'Merica!

Some old fossil in the basement of the state Capitol

The official Kansan boots

From the first floor all the way to the top of the dome!

I got to sit in the chair for the leader of the Senate

Elder Cherrington and I all the way on the other side of the 5th floor opening

Super cool view from the 5 floor all the way to floor one!

The district at the bottom of the dome

The state house

The rest are just some random photos from the day 

This is all for now! Feel free to email me if you would like or if you have any questions! Hope y'all have a great week! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder Sant 

Acreditar. Amar. Fazer. 

Mission email

 

Dear Parents,

 

We finished Zone Conferences last week in Garden City. President Ernst and I are so proud of your missionary and their companion. They are resilient, resourceful, and remarkable, just like President Nelson said in General Conference.

 

This week we have the opportunity to have a three-day Virtual Mission Conference with a member of our Area Presidency - Elder Valenzuela and his wife. That Conference will run from Wednesday through Friday.

 

We’ve seen a rise in overall cases of Covid in Kansas. Sacrament meetings are again restricted to 45 people throughout the mission. The policy continues that missionaries are not allowed into people’s homes. It appears this policy will continue through Thanksgiving week.

We are working on plans for Districts to be able to gather at the church for a potluck lunch.

We continue to restrict the numbers of missionaries who gather together outside of Zone Conferences to limit the number of missionaries who might have to undergo quarantining because of exposure to someone who themselves has been exposed.

 

Transfers happen next week. Hold off on mailing packages until you know if your missionary will be transferred. Fortunately, this is the last transfer of the year, so your Christmas packages can be mailed directly to your missionary’s new or current apartment address.

 

Thank you for the letters you are sending. (Christmas in Kansas) There are lots of smiles when the missionaries get letters from family and friends!!

 

Here is the link to this week’s Facebook video blitz. It may seem like such a small thing to share this to your profile, but it helps our pages so much.

https://www.facebook.com/ChurchofJesusChristinDerby/videos/1305339063191684

 

In this month of Thanksgiving, we want you to know how grateful we are for the privilege of serving with your missionary. They are a mighty force for good. We are grateful for your sacrifice so that they can serve.

 

Have a blessed day,

Sister Ernst

Colley Creek Week 22

 

Olá Y'all!

This was a pretty basic week! But 3 of the friends that we are teaching are moving to other areas, but that's alright because they still want to learn more. And the two people I mentioned last time will be baptized this upcoming weekend! Woo hoo! 

This week we did a lot of service! I have never seen so many leaves in my life! We had like 7 piles that were just enormous! And they were all different colors! My favorite trees are the red and purple ones. They stand out so much and always catch me by surprise! 

I also have to say that Elder Hathway has done a great job of keeping me on my portuguese study! Sometimes I don't like it but I am grateful to him for the progress he has helped me to make. 

This week a scripture that seemed to be coming back to mind time and again is 1 Nephi 3:7. It says "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." This scripture has taught and inspired me to do so much more. I know that when God tells us to do something he will provide a way! Even when we dont know how it could possibly happen or be achieved, He does and He will help you get there. 

This is all for now! 

Now it is time for pictures! Yay! 

1. This may not look like a lot of leaves, but this is maybe 1/10 of the leaves in this yard. Maybe. But it was so great! 

 

2. A picture of Elder Hathway and I studying. We took the picture for a story that will come up on the church of Jesus Christ in Topeka page! You should like the page so that you can catch the story which will come up soon! The link is: https://www.comeuntochrist.org/belong?y_source=1_MTQ1MTIxMzAtNDQwLWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU=

3. Some language study. One of the elders was called to serve in South Africa so he is focusing on learning Zulu for now. We are adding spanish the next time we write the words up there. 

This is all for now! Feel free to email me if you would like or if you have any questions! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder Sant 

Acreditar. Amar. Fazer.

Week 21 - Colly Creek

Olá Y'all!

This week was pretty good! The biggest news is that they adjusted our phase 2 guidelines. We are not not allowed to meet with anyone in person for any reason. Everything is back to where it was before I got here, so even though we are in phase 2, it is more like phase 0 to me. 

We also went on a district hike to an abandoned insane asylum on Halloween. It was a pretty great way to celebrate Halloween for us. And when they switched up the congregations here in Topeka we were given the opportunity to teach some new people! And two of them have expressed desires to get Baptized and they have decided to do it on the 14th of November. We are so excited for them and the progress they have made! The work of the Lord continues to move forward, despite what is going on in the world today! Please keep them in your prayers! 

The rest was the usual. We taught lessons and did some service.  We were able to take someone yard before the new guidelines.

I am so grateful to have a portuguese speaker as a companion! My cousin, elder Hathaway, has been doing a good job at helping me to learn portuguese! It so good! And kinda sucks sometimes, haha

This week I read a scripture in Mark 3 that I really loved. It says "No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." I love this because when we are obeying the commandments and following the laws of God to the best of our abilities we are "in Gods house" and we are therefore protected. Just like the scripture says  no one can ruin or hurt anything, or anyone in a strong man's house. Satan cannot touch us when we follow Gods commandments because God will be our "strong man." 

This is all for now! 

Now it is time for pictures! Yay! 

1. Our fun district hike to the insane asylum! 

 

2-3. Some of the service we did this week! 

 

 

4-5. A cool, and old, harvesting tool-thingy we found

This is all for now! Feel free to email me if you would like or if you have any questions! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder Sant 

Acreditar. Amar. Fazer. 

And from Nate:

Hello everyone!

This week was a bit of a roller coaster for us! The past weekend we opened up to phase 2 of covid guidelines where we could go into people's houses with masks and social distancing. But, even though we were careful, covid has been getting worse and 40 missionaries in my mission are now in quarantine. Luckily, no one I have been serving with has been affected, but I hope you will join me in prayer for those missionaries in quarantine.

Happy Halloween to y'all! It was a fun Halloween for me albeit a bit sad bc we basically were back to studying and making phone calls in our apartment. That wasn't very fun but it is what it is. We made cookies for Halloween and they are super duper good.

A fun thing we did on Halloween is we did a district activity where we walked a trail to an abandoned insane asylum! It was pretty cool! The building was super old and overgrown and really just in the middle of nowhere. It was a great way to start our Halloween haha!

My spiritual message this week comes from the talk by President Nelson titled "Embrace the Future with Faith." In it he says: The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults."

This is super profound. Satan will never stop attacking us, in fact he is attacking us harder now than he ever has before. That is why we need to always prepare, like Captain Moroni did against the Lamanites. Prepare for all of Satan's attacks and God will make up the difference.

That's all from me not a lot else happened, hope y'all have a great week, and stay safe!

Tchau,

Elder Hathaway

MIssion Email

 

Dear Parents,

We wanted to make you aware of our current Covid circumstances. In last week’s email you read the new guidelines that were given to the missionaries. The big changes were 1) no more meals with members in their homes, or in restaurants.

2) missionaries were allowed to teach lessons in members and non-members homes following the three rules of social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing their hands when leaving the home.

 

Within six days we had 40 missionaries who were placed under Covid quarantining due to contact with infected people. Inasmuch as your missionary’s health and welfare is first and foremost on our minds, please read the email with the attached guidelines that we are currently practicing.

 

Although the missionaries were disappointed that they are not able to be in teaching in-person lessons, they are amazingly resilient and resourceful.

They support and love each other. They continue to work using the tools that they’ve been given.

 

We currently have one Elder with the virus. Please keep him and all the rest of the quarantined missionaries in your prayers.

 

A reminder to get your “Christmas in Kansas” letters sent to the mission office, or emailed to us.

 

Here is our Blitz video of the week. It is from the missionaries in Garden City.

Thank you for joining us in our weekly blitz. Last week’s activity on the Facebook page increased by 394%.

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=165649158436454&id=110435487291155&sfnsn=mo

 

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Sister Ernst

316-308-7245

 

 

Dear Sisters and Elders,

 

Attached please find an updated version of the KWM COVID-19 Phase 2 Guidelines (dated 2020-10-30).  It is important that you read and understand these updates as they are in effect immediately (Friday, October 30, 2020).  Young Mission Leaders are particularly responsible to ensure that all missionaries are aware of and following these guidelines.

 

We are experiencing a rash of COVID-19 contacts – primarily from meeting or having meals with members and non-members at or in their homes.  These contacts are then spread to other missionaries through DCM, Exchanges and other missionary activities.  The result has been quarantining and other restrictions even when the missionaries have generally (but not always) followed our standards and safeguards.

 

We are also going to temporarily suspend some other activities in selected areas to allow time for these situations to subside, and these will be communicated by zone leadership.  We will still have Zone Conferences in Garden City, Salina and Topeka but the schedule will need to change.  We will send an update tomorrow (Saturday).

 

 

Despite this temporary situation we are so excited and grateful for the incredible missionary work that has been done in October!  And November is shaping up to be even better!  The Assistants will be sending baptismal goals and names soon.

 

We will be fasting on Fast Sunday, November 1 for all these precious souls, and all missionaries affected by COVID illness or restrictions.  Remember the great promise in Isaiah 58:8, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily”.

 

Our highest priority is your health and safety.  Please, “O be wise; what can I say more?”—Jacob 6:12

 

We love you all! 

 

President and Sister Ernst

Kansas Wichita Mission

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints