Week 25: Lake Stevens

Jumping in puddles is one of my most favorite pass times.

Mom I hope you are feeling better and I am so happy that your talk went so well at Stake Conference! Honestly Heavenly Father, I am convinced as we study and do our part He really does "write" our talks for us! I would agree. I am also so excited for Elder Munn and the new adventures he is going to be going on! Everyone in the world should serve a mission! There are so many things you learn and experience that you couldn't experience anywhere else. Also you all keep complaining about the snow, suck it up! I haven't seen one little snowflake in Washington! I can honestly say that I miss the cold and the snow. 

I love Lake Stevens and I am sad I am going to be getting transferred. There is so much work to be done and I am super excited for the missionary that is going to be able to get to work there with Sister Foster! I won't find out where I am going and who I will be serving with until tomorrow, so that will be a good-fun interesting time. Now all I have to do right now is pack all of my things. This last week has been so fun and amazing! But first I want to tell you about the house that is covered in Seahawks wrapping paper.

Community came together and made this house a super Seahawks house

When I got to Lake Stevens and I saw the house for the first time the thing I thought was these people are crazy obsessed. I mean you take my family and how much we love Utah and times it by 10, then you might be close to how the people of Washington feel about the Seahawks. I mean we can't even knock doors during the games or we will never be invited back. So when I saw this house I just though really? So I asked one of our members about the house and she said, "Oh that house has a really good story to it!" The first thing I thought was your kidding! But it is true! The family that lives in the house has a daughter with down syndrome. When she would go outside or go somewhere she would get really nervous if she couldn't see her home. So her family put up a flag with the number 12 on it for the Seahawks, so she would always be able to know what house was hers. One night some child of God stole the flag from the flagpole. When she realized this she started having panic attacks and would never go outside in fear of not being able to find her home. When the town found out about this they were not really happy that someone would feel as though taking her "Safe haven" away from her was an okay thing to do. So everyone on the “Buy Nothing Lake Stevens Facebook page” got together with all of their Seahawks things and went to the home and gave everything they could to this family. The first thing they did was put up a new flag and they wrapped the home in Seahawks wrapping paper. Now she is able to find her house whenever she steps away for a second. The town of Lake Stevens is very united, kind, and willing to help anyone who is in need. 

Sister Newman, She is a member of the church and
an artist in Lake Stevens. She painted Elle a picture
of the lake.

This last Sunday I was able to "watch" and experience this in Relief Society. The lesson was on Elder Nielson (A Plea to my Sisters) Click Here and Hollands talk (BeholdThy Mother) Click Here this last conference about being Daughters of our Heavenly Father and Sisters. It was fun to be able to learn about these two talks because they were a couple of my favorite conference talks. From Elder Nielson’s talk he talks about what attributes women of the church need to cultivate. We talked and went through this list and it was amazing to see the responsibility we as women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have. The reason I tell you this is that a Sister in the ward got up and talked about how we are all "Mothers to each other". Since her mom died whenever she needs help or is having a hard time with things she is able to turn to all the women of the ward. The things she would take to her mother she feels and knows she can turn to the ward for. The coolest part of the whole lesson is that the spirit was so strong! The love that theses Sisters have for each other is stronger than anything that I have ever seen. Actually that is a lie! They see each other's worth and value just as the Savior and our Father in Heaven see them. 

I have learned so much on my mission thus far from those in the Lake Stevens ward and those in the Lake Stevens community. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to serve here for as long as I have and would not have wanted to be any other place. I am excited to see where Heavenly Father needs and wants me to go! I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week! Until next time! 

P.s. Read Alma 26 (Click Here) it is one of my favorite chapters in the whole world. Also the Book of Mormon has really become my most favorite book in the world. I thought missionaries just said that because they had to. But the truth is it really is the best book anyone could ever read! It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, but you can understand the things that it is saying!! I LOVE IT!

Elle, Sister Foster, Sister Tennant, and Sister Deaver

Elle made Sister Tennant Musubi

Elle said, "I could have gotten rabies".