Monday we had two great lessons with members present! Productive Monday nights are the best!

Then we met our sister training leaders for exchanges! Tuesday Sister Johnson went to Thomas Lake with Sister Conner and I stayed in Arlington with Sister Wikstrom! She was here a year ago before the wards split, so part of my ward now was her old ward so it was super cool for her to be back and see some of the people again. And of course us getting to be together again was so great!

We have decided that we were friends in the premortal life which is why we get along so well! I love that we get to meet some of our best friends out here while serving the Lord!  We had a couple of incredible lessons, and we even got to share John 11:35, our favorite scripture that we shared with pretty much everyone in Everett together!

Then the exchange came to an end and we had a very tearful goodbye. It was really really sad but thank goodness we will see each other again someday! We have so many plans for post missions :)

Wednesday we worked on our new apartment again. You won't even recognize it when we're done with that thing!

 

Sunday was Mother's Day! I am so grateful for my mom, and not only her, but all the Mothers who have had such a great impact on my life! And I love that we get a whole day to celebrate mothers. Every day should be Mother's Day!

Skyping was perfect. It's such a blessing that we can see our families and talk to them! I am so thankful for eternal families and that we can be together forever! I hope all those missionaries out there and all the missionary families had a great day yesterday talking to loved ones!

Sister Tennant

 

Our last goodbye. Right before we both broke down and cried for a while

 

What a crazy week it has been!

On Tuesday, we were street contacting downtown, and we had 5 minutes left, and we thought of just leaving early, but we felt impressed to make one more half a lap around the square. We came up to this man sitting at the bus stop and we started talking to him, and we taught him the first lesson. At the end of it, we invited him to be baptized and he said yes! He came to church yesterday and we have a lesson with him tonight so great things are in store for Steven.

And what adds to that miracle is that while we were talking to him, another man came up and was just hovering around us smiling, and we couldn't tell if he was mocking us or listening in. Finally, he interrupted and said he just had to stop and tell us how inspirational we are. How great it is that there are such good people out there who teach about Christ. He even started crying because he was so touched! We got his number too so we're going to start teaching him soon!

Thursday was crazy because we have this part of our area which is a million miles away so it's hard to get to with limited miles. And it was the end of the month, so we really were running low. But we felt we needed to be there. We got part way down there, and there was a giant cement block just barely in the road, but too far to get by. So we had to go all the way out and around, using up more miles. We were pretty frustrated, and by the end of the night, we were walking since we couldn't use the car anymore. But Heavenly Father always provides a way and things worked out!

Friday was the food bank, then we taught Steven again!

We are also moving apartments, and the ones we are moving in to is owned by members of our ward, so we've been helping clean it up and get it ready for us. We're 4 packing with the Stillaguamish sisters so it will be a lot of fun! But the people who lived there before us were nasty. Layers of mold and hair covering the bathrooms, washing machine, fridge, stove, etc. Us 4, our district leader and companion, zone leaders, and other nearby missionaries have been helping clean it, so it will be great once it's already!

It has certainly been a week of adventures but I love being a missionary so much! There is no place I would rather be.

Sister Tennant

 

 

Trying to push this stumblingblock out of the road to our happiness

Working on the Apartment

Nasty Shower!

 

It was a great week and I am so grateful for all the members who are helping us with the work!

We have some non member friends that we tracked into when I very first got to Arlington, and they fed us dinner Monday night! It was a lot of fun! We're moving slow with them, but hopefully they will be touched by the spirit and come around eventually!

On Wednesday, our Sister Training Leaders came and studied with us! They always come for a study session with new missionaries, and since it was Wednesday, they came with us to district meeting too. That was so much fun! I love having my trainer as my sister training leader now and getting to see her so much. Sister Ludvigson was also trained by Sister Wikstrom, and we're in the same district, so we were a big happy family with all of us Mommas and Babies! (trainers and trainees)

Thursday was such a good day! We have a goal of getting 1s in all our key indicators every day so at the end of the week, we have 7s in everything. It's been hard and we've had to work super hard to make it happen, but Thursday, we got all 1s and a 2! Never has that happened on my mission. I've had super high numbers before, but never something of everything so that was super cool! And we had 5 different members come with us that day. Thank you for all the members helping us spread the gospel!

Friday we volunteered at the food bank again! Then we weekly planned, then went to work! And we had another great day teaching and finding!

Saturday we found a new investigator, Tony, and he accepted a baptism date after our first lesson! Then Sunday, he came to church! He has several addictions we're going to have to help him overcome, but great things are in store for Tony and we are excited for him!

Sunday we went up to Bellingham with our bishop and one of our investigators for a Fireside! That was the farthest north in the mission I've been, and it is so beautiful! Firesides are the best! Missions are the best. This gospel is the best!

Love, Sister Tennant

 

 

Happy family!

April 25th was a big day for the both of us

 

 

 

Sister Wikstrom is my Sister Training Leader, and we got to go on exchanges together this week! I went to her area in Everett, and driving south, we drove right down the middle of Port Gardner, the area we served together in! It was so much fun getting to be companions again, even if only for a day. I truly have met some of my very best friends on my mission.

Wednesday was Zone Conference! Meetings with other missionaries and President and Sister Bonham are always the best and I always leave so spiritually uplifted! One of my favorite quotes with regard to being obedient: "'Why' is not a question, but a lesson learned over time." Amen to that.

And Friday was new missionary orientation! Getting to meet with all the new missionaries and trainers! What a blessing it is to get to serve with such incredible missionaries as we preach the gospel!

We had stake conference this weekend, and our Stake President talked about how If we let Satan into our homes, he will destroy our families and lives. The keyword being "If". We must protect ourselves and our families from his evil influences, and we do this by keeping the commandments. It doesn't matter what the world or even other members of the church do, in our family, we keep the commandments. It was really powerful and I invite everyone to stand up again Satan and decide now to be on Heavenly Father's side. With Heavenly Father with us, who could ever be against us?

Sister Tennant

 

 

I park where I wanna park

Sis. Hudson

 

 

 

 

What a week!

On Sunday, I said goodbye to Sister Lifferth as she headed off to Brazil, and I was with Hermana Gonzalez until transfers on Tuesday. She lives in my old apartment in Marysville, so it was fun going back there and seeing the place again! We also had an amazing lesson with one of their investigators, Tomas. I didn't understand a single word of it, but the spirit was SO strong. And he prayed in Spanish, sincerely wanting to know if it's true. Good things are in store for Tomas and I'm excited to hear about him later.

TRANSFER TUESDAY

We went down to the mission office, and Hermana Gonzalez and I are both training so we just hung out through all of transfers, saying hi to our missionary friends. Then everyone left and we met the new missionaries and were eventually assigned! I am with Sister Johnson from Utah! We got back late so we didn't get to do much besides eat dinner and meet the ward mission leader.

Wednesday was Zone Meeting! I love meetings with other missionaries because the spirit is always so strong! Zone meetings are the best. Missionaries are the best. Missions are the best!

Friday at the Food Bank! I invite everyone to go volunteer at the local food bank. It's so much fun!

Charles got baptized on Saturday! We spent the morning filling the font, and the program went really well! I was pleasantly surprised with the speakers and was worried about making sure everything went according to plan, and it did! And now Charles is baptized! He's 9 and his family is completely active, so no one is sure how he turned 9 without being baptized, but we got to work with him and now we're happy for him and his family

Hope all is well! Thank you for your love and support!

Sister Tennant

Some of us trainers and our new babies! Me, Sister Johnson, Sister De Arman, Sister Rodda, Sister Perkinson, Sister Barletta

Charles' baptism!

 Tulip Festival and Conference

 

Last Monday the Sisters and us went to the Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon! Tulips for as far as you can see! It is so beautiful, especially with the bright colors contrasting with the grey sky. Heavenly Father's creations are so wonderful and I'm so grateful we got to go see them!

Allergies hit me hard this week with a sore throat and I'm super congested, so it was hard to talk for a couple days, but we made it work! Silly allergies can't slow me down!

On Thursday, we had another sister with us for the day. Sister Rodda's companion went home so she's 3 packing with the Sister Training Leaders, and they had MLC so she came with us for the day. It was so fun! I love her so it was great having her as our third companion for the day :)

We also had a super powerful and spiritual lesson with a less active man. The rest of his family is active, and he finally agreed to meet with us. Now he's on his way back to activity! I love getting to help bring people back into the gospel and remember the testimonies they have.

Thursday night was leadership calls, and guess what. I'm training! Again. My first baby is now on her way to Brazil, and I will get a brand new missionary tomorrow!

So Friday we had trainer's training at the mission office. Sister Wikstrom is a Sister Training Leader again so she was there, along with her other trainee, Sister Ludvigson. So that was fun having all of us there together.

The highlight of the week though was General Conference!! I love hearing the words of the living prophet and apostles and other leaders of His Church. What a blessing it is to get to hear from them. I invite everyone to listen and watch on lds.org!

And Sunday after Conference, I had to say goodbye to Sister Lifferth. Her visa came and she is now on her way to preach the gospel in Brazil. She will do great things there and I am so thankful for the time I had to serve with her.

Goodbyes are hard, so thank goodness these relationships can continue on after our missions and we will see each other again someday!

I will still be in Arlington, and I am excited to meet my new companion tomorrow!

Love, Sister Tennant

 

Some of our Zone in between sessions of conference!

This mission is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am the most stressed I have ever been. But I am SO HAPPY all the time

Sister Ludvigson, me, Sister Lifferth, Sister Solosko

Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon!

P Day last week

Sister Ludvigson and I are training! And Sister Wikstrom is a Sister Training Leader so we all got to be at the trainer's training on Friday! Sister Wikstrom trained both of us, so it was a Momma and her two babies!

 

Another great week!

On Tuesday we were street contacting downtown and this guy stopped and asked if we were sisters. We both turned and said "Yeah!" and he said, "Twins?" Haha wrong kind of sisters, but Sister Lifferth and I do look a lot alike!

Wednesday we were on exchanges! It was Sister Lifferth's first exchanges, so she was super nervous, but she did great! Our sister training leaders are on Whidbey Island so Sister Lifferth got to go be an islander for the day :) And I was with Sister Perkinson. I replaced her in Port Gardner and we've always been friends, so it was fun getting to serve with her! While exchanges used to be scary, they are a lot of fun now that I've done them so many times!

Friday, we got to go to a baptism! John in Armar got baptized. SIs Lawson and I taught him the first lesson one of our last days there, and the spirit was so strong so we knew great things were in store for him. The elders taught him after we left, and now he's baptized! Since I taught him last transfer, I had permission to go to his baptism, and we had an investigator there too who is now super excited for his baptism in a couple weeks. It was great to see some old friends from Armar!

And Saturday was the Women's Broadcast! Can I just say how excited I am for General Conference? Conference is the most exciting thing and I love it so much! I loved the messages all about families and how we can strengthen our families. I invite everyone to read or reread The Family: A Proclamation to the World!

Also, this week a new video called Because He Lives was released. Everyone should go watch it right now! It is super powerful and amazing!

Love, Sister Tennant

 

The Buttars, a cute senior couple serving here, just left for home, and it was Sister Buttars' signature to give out loaves of banana bread. Over their 18 months, she made over 3,300 loaves and gave them to everyone. This is the last bit of my last Sister Buttars bread! Thank you Sister Buttars!

Courtney

John

Matthew

Reunion with Armar! John, a guy we found one of our last nights there, got baptized this week so we got to go!

 

Jesse and Sister Bartsch at the Elder Oaks fireside last Saturday