Week 29: Merry Christmas Y'all

Merry Christmas everyone!!! Its so inane that tomorrow is December 25th...I swear it still feels like November sometimes! But this week was seriously so much fun! We are teaching some new people (a HUGE miracle!) and we have had such a fun time getting to know some more inactive members and just enjoying the Christmas season with everyone here! It's been a blast getting to know some more country folk! One of them even fed us DEER! It was my very first time having that and now I can cross it off my mission bucket list haha. Now I just need someone to feed me squirrel and gator and I'll be set.  I love the people here! 

So, yes it was my birthday this week and it was the best. Nothing like serving others and focusing on the Savior to make for an amazing birthday! But one thing I had asked my family for was a wave ring because I lost mine a month ago. So my amazing people got me a wave ring for my birthday. Well little did I know an Amazon package from Sister Johnson had the same exact wave ring in it! I guess she remembered me asking for it or something and she got me one for my birthday too! I told her to keep the one she got for me and we could just twin with our rings! I wear mine on my pointer finger and she wears it on her middle finger (an important tidbit of information). Well, we are at a lesson later that night and I was fiddling with my ring then Sister Johnson, to show me we're still twinning flashes me her MIDDLE FINGER! My companion flipped me off in the middle of our lesson! And as soon as she realized what she did, her jaw dropped and we just died laughing! It was hilarious! Good thing the couple we were teaching didn't see! 

We've had some legit miracles though this week. One was with our friend Cornelius. He ordered a Book of Mormon a few weeks back and so we went by to teach him a little bit about it and we've gone back a few more times after that. But this week, he asked his fiance to join us during our lesson and she did! As we were talking about Joseph Smith and the First Vision, the Spirit was so strong! He really could relate to Joseph and his pursuit of the truth. After we watched the video of the first vision Cornelius said "this is why I wanted her to come out and listen to yall. Everytime you guys come I feel something different. I wanted her to feel it too." That was the coolest thing EVER! They were recognizing the Spirit! Sister Johnson see so much potential for this couple. Everytime I'm over there, I just picture them dressed up in white jumpsuits haha. 

This Christmas season has seriously been the best I've ever had. As I've been focusing on my Savior and truly serving and loving others, I've had more joy than I have had any other holiday season. I've been so blessed and I'm so grateful for it. I just want to share something I learned as I watched the Christ Child video last night. The exact instant the start appears in the sky, we hear baby Jesus take his first breath. I dont know if any of yall know about stars, but it sometimes takes thousands of light years for a starts light to finally make it to Earth. God is so aware of the details. He created that star at exactly the right time thousands of years before the birth of His Son so at the precise moment he entered this world the star would appear. If that doesn't show how aware God is of us, I have no idea what will. He is in the details of our lives and is preparing our path and our life just as perfectly as He did the star. God is aware of our circumstances, aware of our hearts and is preparing the way back to Him. I love my Heavenly Father so so much and I love my Savior and I'm so grateful for His birth. Without it, then I wouldn't have the beautiful gift of the Atonement and the possibly to return to my Heavenly Home. What an amazing thing to be celebrating this season! 

I know our Savior was born to die for us, that He did suffer in the Garden and on the Cross to pay the price of our sins and allow us to overcome death and sorrow. I know He rose from the tomb that 3rd day and I know He loves each of us. I know God is aware of us, knows us by name and loves us. I hope yall have an amazing Christmas and remember our Savior this time of year! I love y'all! 

Love, Sister Crouch

1. Sister Johnson pulled out some mad baking skills and make me the cutest birthday cake ever! #bestcompever

2. Out cute lil Christmas set up

3. The aftermath of our cute lil Christmas set up haha. 

4. Our matching Christmas sweaters lol

5. Mississippi is just making me so happy! I love it here and I love the people so much!

Week 28: Santa Clause is coming to Zone Conference

This week has been so so crazy! I picked up my new comp Sister Johnson and shes the best! She's who Sister Rowe trained when she left the trigger trio! It's been so fun to get back to the grind and see some fun miracles happen! I cant wait to finish off the holidays with her! Speaking of, I swear I blinked December 1st and ended up a week from Christmas! It's been so fast, but so fun! 

Transfers are always such a blast in the mission because you get to see all your mission friends who are also switching things up! I was soooo pumped to see Sister Rowe there! We went to lunch with a bunch of Sisters and I kept thinking she was my companion again! Maybe before one is us leaves haha. After transfers, I drove to Mccomb to pick up Sis Johnson, we got back to Mendenhall and got back to work! 

There have been so many miracles this week I dont even know where to begin! We have a new person we are teaching! He ordered a copy of the Book of Mormon earlier last week, so we went over to teach him a little about the Book of Mormon and he loved it! He readily accepted it and wanted to read it and the Spirit was really there. I love being a missionary so so much. I love meeting people who, on the outside look the furthest thing from a member of the church, but have so much potential. They have tattoos all over their body and on their face, a cigarette in one hand and the Book of Mormon in the other and they feel something. Seeing their faces when they feel the love Heavenly Father has for them is the best! Seeing the truthfulness of the gospel give them direction is the best! We see so much potential for this man and Sister Johnson and I felt the Spirit with him. So many cool things are happening in Mendenhall! 

So we had car inspections this week and that meant that our good ol filthy malibu had to be washed (country roads really wreck white cars, FYI). So there are no drive through car washes within a 10 mile radius of us in town, so Sis Johnson and I went to a self-washing car wash. We pull up, it needed 4 quarters to start up and we had exactly 4 quarters. Johnson and I get into position to be as efficient as possible to get this beast clean and the wash starts, we rise it, start scrubbing and literally as we are about to rise all the soap off, OUR TIME RUNS OUT!!!!! So obviously we have no idea how to get our car de-sudded, so we had to call up Sam (our hero!) Who brought us 4 more quarters haha. Moral of the story, keep some spare change on you for emergencies haha.

We had Zone Conference yesterday and it was a freaking HOOT! I swear, every time I see President and Sister Varner, my love for them just grows! They tried really hard to make us feel at home with the holidays! We had cafe Rio salads for lunch (sooo many missionaries from Utah were pumped for that haha!), President Varner dressed up as SANTA!, we watched a church movie (like a real movie that isnt the restoration or meet the Mormons) and had so much fun with each other. I loved being able to talk about the true meaning of Christmas and learn how to be better missionaries through the Spirit. It was just the most fun and so spiritually uplifting and it made me fired up to keep on lighting the world!

Mosiah 16:9 has been on my mind a lot lately with light the world. It says "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." I think its so cool to be able to try to light the world the way that Christ did. He really is the light of the world! I love being able to get to know Him more this season and I try to serve others the way He did. I promis yall as you serve others they way He did, you'll learn more about Christ, you'll become more like Him, and you'll experience JOY this season!

I love yall, I'm so grateful for this gospel. This has been the best holiday season I've ever had because it's been completely focused on Christ. I'm grateful for Jesus's birth because of the Atonement that could be made because of it. The church is true, God and Christ are real and they love us! Love yall! 

Love Sister Crouch

1. Sister Rowe at transfers!

2. Merry Christmas from the Mendenhall sisters!

3. The squad at ZC

4. channeling our inner Clark Griswold

5. The district ft. Santa Varner. Feeling joyful! 

Week 27: RIP Sister Glenn! She's off to Brazil!!

Honestly, this week has been the WILDEST week of my mission! It's literally been the biggest blurr for us Mendenhall sisters. We had exchanges, Izzy and Rinasha got baptized, Sister Glenn got her VISA (!!!!), we drove to Baton Rouge, spent the night at the mission home, dropped Sister Glenn off at the airport, and I'm back in Denham Springs for a a few days before transfers! Literal craziness. But this week has also been jammed packed full of miracles. 

Exchanges were so fun! We were so so crazy busy switching between Madison, MS and Mendenhall and we just were go go go the whole time. But the craziest thing was that Sister Glenn got a call that her Visa came through while I was in Madison with another Sister! It was wild! We came back from exchanges, had like 1 day to finish up Izzy and Rinahsa's lessons, and get them baptized on Saturday...on top of sending off Sister Glenn! It was wild but I learned so much from the other sisters on exchanges. So pumped for the last 2 weeks before Christmas to get people pumped up for the true meaning of Christmas and the new Nativity video (so good btw. Legit cry each time I see it). It was so fun!

Izzy and Rinasha's baptism was an emotional roller coaster! It seemed like every time we tried to teach the last lesson, someone was sick, they had things come up, or we were on exchanges. It was so stressful! And the day before, we STILL couldn't teach them...I was so nervous we'd have to push their date back! But they came to the church early, we finished the lessons and this immediate peace came over me. I was so happy this family was progressing and I was so full or joy! They were so happy to finally be baptized! And it was one of the most spiritual baptisms I've had so far! We were so happy! After that, our night turned into a night of goodbyes to our favorite people, per usual for transfer weeks. Sister Glenn said goodbye to the Waldrops and the Jones's and that was rough for her...I can definitely wait for that goodbye haha. But the reality of her leaving hit us when we started saying goodbye! It was so weird! 

So Sister Glenn is officially in Brazil as of a few hours ago! And me, being her companion, got to tag along on the adventure of taking her to Baton Rouge and dropping her off! Sunday night, we drove to the mission home and got to spend the night there! It was so fun! We got time with the Varners all to ourselves which was really so cool! We had breakfast with the Varners monday morning, then drove to the airport and said goodbye. Honestly, it was really sad...itll be a solid 14 months before I see her next. But shes going to kill it in Brazil. So since yesterday, I've been with 3 other sisters in Baton Rouge waiting for transfers tomorrow morning! I'll be headed back to Mendenhall with Sister Johnson who is actually the missionary Sister Rowe trained! It's going to be fun with her! 

So with all the craziness this week, I've realized the peace that comes through Jesis Christ. He really does give us peace that's unlike anything the world can give us. A scripture in 1 Nephi 21 has been on my mind lately. It's in verses 15-16 and says "For can a woman forget her sucking child...yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, O house of Isreal. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands..." With all this stress, all this craziness, all the different emotions, Christ has walked there before and He is ready and willing to help us through and give us peace. 

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, I love this gospel and the joy it brings, I love my mission, I LOVE Mendenhall, and I love yall! Have a blessed week and remeber to keep on lighting the world!

1. Izzy and Rinasha at their baptism!

2. The exchanges squad! We got together with our temple open house squad for service while on exchanges and had a last hoorah for sis Glenn.

3. My girrrrlllls. I realized it's impossible to do a kissy face with Lana while you're laughing...

4. CANES.

5. A typical day in the life of the Waldrops haha. Lana really rules that family, sorry Cameron.

6. Getting ready to drop her off in BR

7. Just before she went through security haha. Sorry Sister Varner just gave us a lot of pictures and I just have to send them all.

Week 26: "Just look at the dang armadillo!!"

Hey yall! I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We had a blast this week! It's been crazy here in Mendenhall! We have 2 baptisms coming up this Friday so that's kept us busy getting Izzy and Rinasha ready for that! We are so. Dang. PUMPED. It's just a great time to be in Mendenhall folks.

So something hilariously NOT funny happened that I just have to tell yall about. Something to know about the south: there is so much darn roadkill! Theres always deer, armadillo, dogs :(, possums, etc. on the side of the road all the dang time. The dogs always get me a little teary eyed. It's pretty darn sad. Well, sister Glenn is coming up on 3 months down south and she still hasn't seen an armadillo up close dead or alive. Anyways, we're driving to someone's house at 6:30 so it's completely pitch black out in the Boonies where we are. I'm driving, I got the high beams on and I see a (dead) armadillo on the way to the house on my side of the road! Well I get all excited and tell Sister Glenn theres one coming up! We don't get a very good look. Well we pass it, go to the house, and no ones home. So we get back in the car and head down the road again and I see the armadillo coming up and I slow down and stop so it's literally right outside Sister Glenn's window, all she has to do is look down. I look at her and tell her to look at the armadillo. "I'm scared. I heard they jump!" I hand her my phone as a flashlight and tell her it's dead so just look at it! "No I dont want to." "Sister Glenn you havent seen one! Just look!" "I'm scared! What if its alive!" "Sister Glenn, just look at the dang armadillo!!" So finally she rolls down the window, shines her light outside, and looks down. Guys, her jaw just DROPS. Sister Glenn looks back at me and says "You dont want to know what that is." Well I knew exactly what it was when she said that. Sister Glenn goes "ITS A PUPPY! You made me look at a dead puppy!!" ...guys... I'm terrible. I'm horrible. I felt so bad that I just lost it I laughed so hard because it was soooo horrible that it was hilarious! I felt soooo bad and i kept looking at her and saying I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry in between bursts of laughter. Conclusion: I'm the worst person/trainer/companion EVER :) moral of the story, if your companion forces you to look at the dead armadillo outside of your window, be skeptical and assume they're as terrible of a person as I am. Big fat RIP to Sister Glenn.

Other than that! This week was really good! We spent Thanksgiving at a members house and they had a darn good southern spread! We had the works for Thanksgiving! There were 60 members of their family there so it was a party. We mingled and played cornhole with everyone (didn't have the chance to kick some Mississippi behind, but the elders in our district experienced a good beating from me and Sister Glenn), played card games, and just enjoyed the day! It felt like a home away from home. The day before we baked some pies to take to people who didn't have family to spend Thanksgiving with and I realized something. Rolling out pie crust is wayyyy harder without Grandma right there telling you if it's too thick or too thin. But! They didn't turn out too shabby and it was a really fun opportunity to serve and visit those who spent Thanksgiving by themselves. 

So I had the insanely cool opportunity to skype into my Great Grandma's baptism on Saturday this week and guys, it was a gamechanger for my mission. My Nana is 87 years old and has been around the gospel for years and years and has never shown interest. Then all the sudden, she felt the need to be baptized and she did! I got to talk to her before the service started and she looked at me and said "This is what missionaries can do and don't you ever forget it!" That hit me. I felt so much joy watching my Nana be baptized and I knew it would bless my family so much. Well, that's what missionary work does for other families and I think the reality of that hasn't been as prominent lately. But I couldn't help but think about Izzy and Rinasha and all the lives their baptism would affect in this life and beyond the veil. My greenie fire was starting to dim a LOT these past few weeks. But after watching my Nana be baptized and seeing the joy it brought her and me, it is BLAZING bright! I cant wait to find those ready for the gospel and bring them as much joy and this baptism has brought me! 

Alma 26:35 has been on my mind this week. Ammon says "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God..." We have so much to be rejoicing over! I love that its officially time to Light the World and celebrate the Savior's birth (even though our tree has been up for a month...) because I feel like Ammon this season. There never has been so great a reason to rejoice than the birth of Christ and all that brought to us! I love Jesus Christ with my whole soul and I know He lives. He loves us, He suffered for us, and because of Him we can return to our Heavenly home. 

I love yall and I hope yall have a good week! Go out and light the world this week, serve someone and remember Jesus Christ!

Love Sister Crouch

1. Couldn't have said it better myself 

2. My cute Nana and the family after her baptism! 

3. Pre Thanksgiving pie prep

4. Thanksgiving!

5. Now that its officially December we are ready to light the world! 

Week 25: "Sister Glenn sos what should my subject be?!"

What's good friends?! So my subject is something I say on a weekly basis and the creative juices just aren't flowing today, so figured it's time this subject got its spotlight! Things have been pretty slow here in Mendenhall. We have been struggling a little but trying to find people to teach, but we are still working hard and trying to be better! Izzy and Rinasha (the 2 amazing girls we have on date for baptism) are progressing so much! They're amazing and just soooo ready for baptism! We have had lots of fun spending more and more time with them getting them ready for baptism! It's been a party down here in Mendenhall for sure.

Alright friends I want to tell yall about some miracles that happened this week. I've been struggling a lot this week! I've missed my family a bit, I've felt inadequate, I've felt insecure and basically I've been in a funk! Well, Sister Glenn and I were listening to a talk by Hank Smith and it was awesome. He talked all about how the Savior does things one by one. He talked about how God sends us individual blessings when we really need them. That really hit me and stuck with me. So I decided to pray to God and I asked Him for an individual blessing. I didn't think much of it and I didn't see anything the next two days. But then sunday came around!

Yesterday was our Stake conference in Jackson and we got there about an hour and a half early. So we decided to walk around and chat with people, pass out programs and visit with other missionaries to keep is busy.  Well with 10 minutes to go before the meeting started, President and Sister Varner walked in to our complete surprise! We didn't read a program the whole time we passed them out. Turns out they came to speak! So they came over and talked to us for a minute and reassured me of the work we're doing in Mendenhall and made me feel so loved and so valued. It was exactly what I needed to get over the funk I'd been in. It was such a tender mercy! But it didn't stop there! We were walking around the building after conference trying to find our ride and we bump into someone from another Ward. We talk, then all the sudden she reads my tag and just pulls me into a BEAR hug and tells me how she took care of my brother when he served in her ward! My brother had served in her ward 4 years ago and she looked and my face and my tag and knew exactly who I was! It was so fun being able to talk about my family with someone who knew them! It was another tender mercy and I realized the Lord blessed me individually twice that day. God is good guys.

So the Holy Ghost taught me something new this week that I wanted to share with yall. So we talked A LOT about the Book of Mormon this week and what its taught us. I have a list of themes of the Book of Mormon that I find as I read and one of them is to Remember. Just remember. We just have to remember what God has done and what Christ has done. Then I had this thought. We have covenant at baptism to always remember Christ and we are reminded to remember Him everytime we read the Book of Mormon. I think that's because He remembered us. He remembered us and suffered individually for us in the Garden. I think He remembered us on the cross and who He was dying for. I think He was only able to get through the Atonement because He remembered us. Doesn't it make sense, then, that the only way we can get through this life is if we remember Him? I thought that was a cool thought and I figured I'd share! Try to do something this week to truly remember Christ, especially at this time of year with Turkey day coming up then Christmas!

Speaking of Turkey day, we are having a full blown southern feast this Thursday full of southern festivities. We are getting ready for some darn good dressing (apparently that's what they call stuffing?? Weirdos lol), deep fried Turkey and a "friendly" cornhole competition. Hopefully we live up to the competition and kick some Mississippi behind. 

I hope that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and make some time this week to remember Jesus Christ and what He means to you. I promise you it'll bring so much more meaning to this time of year! I love my Savior and I love this time of year where we celebrate Him! I love you all and I hope everyone has a good week! 

Love, Sister Crouch

1. Mission Conference with Elder Cook. Good picture for a game of "Where's Sister Crouch?" Lol. Such a cool experience!

2. When in Jackson. We went up to Jackson for a doctors appointment and hit up our fav place. The verdict: Canes > Chick fil a

3. Is it really a Mendenhall email without the Waldrop clan? Lana is officially my BFF and she wanted to pose for our picture haha

4. Sister Alhalteh, the woman who took care of my brother Elder Crouch 4 years ago! It's a small world in the church haha

Week 24: Elder Cook and the Temple!

Wow guys, where do I even start with this week?! We had the most amazing experiences ever! Elder Cook of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Louisiana to rededicate the Baton Rouge temple! And, while here, he spoke to our whole mission with 2 other general authorities! It was a spiritual party for sure. Then, yesterday we got to watch the rededication of the Baton Rouge temple which was so so cool. They broadcasted the rededication to all the stake centers in the temple's temple district, so the whole mission got to watch and participate in the rededication! It was such a memorable weekend and one that just strengthened my testimony soooo much. 

So Friday night, we got to ride down to Baton Rouge with our open house crew and it was so much fun! We got to spend the night with our mission grandparents again and when we got to Baton Rouge and walked into the senior couple's apartment that we were staying with there were easily 24 sister missionaries and 3 senior couples jammed into that tiny little apartment. It was crazy! We all had dinner together and just caught up with all our mission friends. It's been really cool to get together with so many other missionaries these past few weeks for the temple! We eventually made it to bed by 10:30 with 6 of us in the apartment and woke up ready to hear an Apostle of the Lord speak to us. We pulled up to the stake center and there were so many missionaries! I seriously didn't even know some of them existed this mission (I am still a little green lol), I had never seen them! So it was really cool to be able to get to know some more people in the mission too. So we spent about an hour situating almost 200 missionaries for the mission picture with Elder Cook. Fun fact: this was the first time in my whole life I was ever too tall to be in the back of a picture. Guess where they put me and all the other tall sisters of the mission? Front row! Never thought I'd make it there for a group picture. Anyways, after about an hour of anticipation, our scouts looking out for Elder Cook and his crew run in and say he's there. A few minutes later the entire atmosphere into the whole room changes as Elder Cook and 2 other general authorities walk into the gym. There was an insane feeling of power in that room. Everyone in there was set apart by someone holding priesthood key and had been called of God to their calling and boy you could feel it.

So we take our picture with Elder Cook and then everyone walks to the chapel and we each get the opportunity to shake his hand and the other general authorities' hands and man! When Elder Cook looked into your eyes with a smile on his face as he shook your hand, you just felt like you've known him your whole life and you just felt so loved! It was amazing! So once we all file in (and boy we were packed into that chapel like sardines) we got to hear these servants of the Lord speak to us. Their talks were incredible and so inspired. I loved each one. But of course, Elder Cook's was just absolutely incredible. He had the most powerful witness and testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and the Spirit testified to me that he truly was an apostle of Jesus Christ, called by Him to serve His people. It was incredible to have had that experience. 

But the fun didn't stop there! We drove back to our areas Saturday after our mission conference and got ready for the temple rededication. It was cool because any worthy baptized member could go to the rededication so we were able to go with our Waldrop clan! I'm not going to lie, I got a little teary eyed knowing that our boys and Sam were in an extension of the temple with us. That was the most special part of the whole thing for me. But we were able to be apart of the rededication through the broadcast and hearing Elder Cook say the dedicatory prayer was so powerful, the Spirit was insane! Our mission and more importantly the faithful members of this area are once again blessed with a dedicated temple!!! Its the biggest blessing ever. I can't even express how amazing it is to have been apart of this rededication. 

Guys, I know that this is Christ true, full, restored gospel on the earth. I know Christ is our living and real Savior and redeemer of the world. I know God loves us perfectly and I know that He has blessed us with temples on the earth so we can make those sacred Covenants to go back to Him one day! I love the temple and I love this work! I love Louisiana and Mississippi and I am ecstatic about the temple rededication! I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior and I love you all and I love hearing from y'all! Have a great week! 

Love, Sister Crouch

1. With all these trigger trios pictures you'd think President put us back together Haha. But I got to see my mission mamas at our Cook Conference! 

2. I love Mississippi!!

3. Road tripping it to Baton Rouge 

4. Flu shots 

5. Okay so we taught our girls about the Restoration and asked if they'd read the Book of Mormon everyday, and they soon as they all got a copy of the Book of Mormon, they immediately got together as a group and started reading it together! Made my missionary heart oh so happy.

Week 23: Fried Catfish...12/10

Well friends, it's been another week out here in the Boonies and not too much has happened. We have been spoiled this week by the Waldrop clan! We spent basically every night with the Waldrops. They fed us all the southern delicacies! Red beans and rice, cornbread, fried chicken, and they even took us to a local hole in the wall for fried catfish...I think my arteries are clogged but in the best possible way! Fried catfish is my new favorite southern food. I had about 6 fillets and a huge thing of hushpuppies. 12/10. Sooooo good. Definitely one of the highlights for this week! Literally who feeds the missionaries every day of the week?! Amazing people, that's who. Stay tuned folks, Will's baptism just may be coming up soon.

We have had some troubles finding people to teach this week and we haven't had very many lessons with people we really need to have lessons with. It's been tough trying to find those ready for the gospel. BUT! We had a really cool experience. Last night we were going to teach a lesson to the girls we have on date for baptism and we pulled up to their house to find no car. So either the whole family was gone or just their mom. Either way we couldn't teach the girls. So I was stuck. I had no clue who to see next to fill our time, no spiritual impressions, nothing. Sister Glenn being her amazing self suggests we pray to know who we need to see. Literally right as we close our prayer and open our eyes, their car PULLS INTO THE DRIVEWAY!!! I just look at Sister Glenn and we just knew we had to see them! It was such a tender mercy and was a testimony to me that there really is so much power in prayer. Heavenly Father really guides his servants to those who needs them!!

I came across one of my favorite scriptures this week in my personal study and I just wanted to share it with yall. 2 Nephi 1:15 says "But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." If this scripture doesn't make you feel loved I dont know what scripture will. Sometimes I felt like my trials in my life were like a personal hell I had to go through. The way I read this scripture is that our Savior redeems us from not only our sins but our sorrows, our trials, our heartache and he just encircles us with His love. I always picture the classic Christus statue when I read this scripture. If you haven't seen a Christus, please do me a favor and look up a picture and feel the love of our Savior. But I always picture it because it looks like Christ is reaching out to us for a big bear hug and it makes me feel this scripture. Like really feel it. Guys, our Savior loves you perfectly and infinitely. But it's not only Him! Our Heavenly Father loves us perfectly and infinitely too! If you're sitting there, reading this and wondering why you've never felt that kind of love or thinking how you need to feel that love or just need a reminder, get on your knees and pray to God, asking to feel His love for you. I promise you will feel it. God knows exactly how to speak to you and He'll show His love to you in a way that you'll recognize it. I've had to do this a lot this week. Sometimes a reminder that someone is encircling you about ETERNALLY in the arms of His love can make a big difference.

Next week I'll have lots to tell! We are having a mission conference with Elder Cook of the Quarum of the 12 on Saturday then on Sunday we get to watch the Baton Rouge temple rededication via broadcast! This next week will be insane! 

I love this work and I love Mendenhall! I am grateful for a Savior who sacrificed everything so I could have the chance to make it back to my Heavenly home. This work is real. The gospel is true! I love yall! Your Savior and Heavenly Father love yall! Have a good week friends!

Love, Sister Crouch 

1. Sister Glenn and I went to another area in our district for a baptism and we had Chick fil a for the first time in 2 months! S/o to Sister Strobes 

2. Unplanned matching lol. What happens when that comp unity is just too strong. 

3. We may be seeing the Beardshalls this week! So wheres a family picture I never sent from our week in BR

4. Okay y'all I've picked up a new hobby. Every night as my way of relaxing before bed I've been embroidering! So here's what I've been working on! Also I just ran out of pictures to send this week so here's my pocket lol

Week 22: Baptisms and the Invisible Coat

It's been a miracle week here in good ol' Mendenhall, MS. The Waldrop boys were baptized!!!! It was such a spiritual experience and such a miracle! After 2 years of nothing, no baptisms, no converts, the branch finally has grown! I'm so lucky to have been apart of it! But seriously the work is just going. The Temple definitely softened some hearts because we were able to put 2 more kids on date for baptism because of the temple! Their mom (who's a member) has been off and on with letting her girls be baptized, but after going to the temple, her her heart softened and their goal is to be at the temple for baptisms a year from now! That means their mom is finally letting them be baptized! The Lord is working so hard on this tiny branch in Mississippi and He is in the details. Sister Glenn and I are just here! He's the one making things happen for these faithful saints! 

So funny story, its finally really chilly here in Mississippi, something I really never thought would happen here. But it's been 50° with 60% humidity so its been hecka cold! I currently have a real light rain jacket that keeps me freezing Haha. Anyways, we go over to the Waldrop's house and their dad Will is home with the family and we are playing catch with the boys for a bit and it's FREEZING out! So Will asks where my coat is. I tell him I dont have one yet but I have my rain jacket! Then he asks if its insulated. It's not. At all. He shakes his head at me and goes inside for a second while we're still playing catch outside. A few minutes later he brings out the most Southern looking coat i think I've ever seen! We have a running joke that hes super short and so he hands it to me and goes "you know it may be short in the midsection, but I hate people being cold..." HE GAVE ME HIS COAT TO KEEP! Something to know about Will is that he tries to seem like a super macho man and hides the fact that he's really a softie. Another thing to know is that we have the running joke that he's a hick and we're Yankees, so it was hilarious that not only was he soft and gave me a coat to keep, but he gave me the most southern coat he could find! We joke with him that he gave me an invisible coat. Dont worry, pictures are included  

Halloween was awesome! We went to a neighboring ward's trunk or treat the day before and Ethan came as a future missionary! It was awesome. Halloweek day, we had a few things to teach Cameron and Ethan before their baptism the next day, so we went over and saw everyone get ready to go out! We couldn't dress up and their sister Lana wouldn't have it. So she decided to help us out and put some make up on for Sister Glenn and I. Safe to say, we still looked scary after a 3 year old did our makeup, so we fit right in for Halloween! The Waldrops we're getting ready to go out and trick or treat and we had to be in at 6:30 that night so we parted ways and we went home to have brownies and a Book of Mormon video marathon to celebrate the holiday! An hour later, we hear someone banging on our door and yelling Trick or treat! We aren't supposed to pass anything out so we ignored it Haha. Well he did that 3 times and we finally realized it was Cameron and the Waldeop clan! We gave them brownies and now we can say we had 5 trick or treaters! It was the best haha.

There have been so many things this week that have proved to me that the Lord is involved in the work and in our lives. I've been thinking about the temple a lot this month and I had this thought that I want to share with yall. When we are in the temple and doing a session, we all get to enter the Celestial room, back into God's presence one by one. It's not like the whole session gets up and and a mass of people come home to our Father in Heaven. We are individuals to God. We aren't a number or a name to him but a son or daughter. He loves us perfectly. He weeps with us, rejoices with us, He hopes with us and He  loves us perfectly and individually. If you dont feel that, pray to Him! Read His word in the scriptures! I promise each of you the Lord is in the details of our lives and He loves YOU. 

Today marks 5 months of the best/hardest/most rewarding time of my whole life. Theres no place I'd rather be than the boonies of Mississippi. I love this work and I love this gospel with my whole soul. I love yall and i hope everyone has an amazing week! 

Love Sister Crouch

1.Best day ever! 

2. Will ft. the invisible jacket 

3. The Mendenhall crew

4. Our pooky makeup artist showing off her work.

5. Love the temple and Sister Glenn! 

Week 21: A Week at Grandma's

This week was basically the best vacation I've ever had in my life! We were out of our area in Mendenhall for 7 WHOLE DAYS!!! It was the weirdest feeling ever! This whole week we were in Baton Rouge working the temple open house that I have been anxiously waiting for since opening my call! It was an absolute dream and I seriously couldn't have had more fun!

We started the week off with a mission wide training with all the sisters from the all over the whole mission! So the trigger trio had a little reunion! But it was so much fun to see all my friends in the mission from literally all over. We got to walk through the temple and guys its gorgeous. I forgot how much I just missed the temple, but walking through it was a much needed spiritual reboot. It was amazing. But after that training, the real fun started!

So we stayed with a senior missionary couple the whole week! The Beardshalls are actually the sweetest humans on this earth and it literally felt like a week at the grandparents. We had family dinner every night, family prayer around their bed every morning and night, we had a family day on sunday and had dinner with another senior couple and their missionaries! So like a 20 person family dinner in a tiny apartment and it was so much fun. I never wanted to leave! We had a lot of down time in between shifts at the temple so we did a ton of service at the mission office and got to just hang out with all the amazing senior couples! It was so much fun! 

While on "vacation", we realized you can take the sister out of her area and she's still going to be a missionary. During our downtime, we would go to neighborhoods the local missionaries said were good for finding and we would pass out temple invitations haha. We would even go to shopping centers and invite people all over the Baton Rouge area! It was so much fun and it made me feel a little bit better about being out of my area for a week!

The temple guys, the TEMPLE!! Its freaking AMAZING! We worked 4 days this week at the open house. We were working on VIP, invited guest only days and it was insane! We met congressmen, senators, the mayor, pastors, preachers, rabbis, and all sorts of people. But the best day we worked was Saturday by far, the first day the temple was open to the public. I think I take the knowledge of an eternal family for granted all the time. But it was such a spiritual experience to feel the Spirit with individuals as they watched the video about what the temple means. The sisters would either walk around the reception area and answer any questions or run a video room and say a little bit about the tour then turn on a video about the temple. There was this one Spanish speaking family that came into our room because Sister Glenn is fluent in spanish. She did most of the talking and I basically just had very simple conversation with them. This family was a part member family, so their dad wasnt a member. As the video was playing I wasnt paying much attention to the family, but when it ended, I grabbed the door and thanked the family for coming. The dad was the last one to come out and I said muchas gracias to him and he just stopped, looked at the ground then back up at me with tears in his eyes. He shook my hand silently and went to the temple with his family. That was the most powerful moment of my whole week. That's what the open house did and will do all week. It softened hearts and helped people feel hope and love. I'm so grateful I was able to be apart of it. How did our mission get so lucky?!

I love the temple so so much. I am so beyond grateful for the blessings received in the temple. I love this gospel and the hope it brings. I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven for loving us enough to send Him to earth. I love yall! Have a good week!

Love, Sister Crouch

1. The Trigger Trio!!!

2. When in Baton Rouge! 5 missionaries at one time in one shopping center, inviting people to come and see the temple! 

3. All the sisters we came down with and stayed with all week!!

4. Family dinner on sunday!

5. Stroopwaffles with my adoptive grandma Sister Beardshall!

6. I SAW MAWMAW KIRBY (and the whole Kirby clan)! Best day ever!

7. Family dinner at the Jackson's, another senior couple!

8. Favorite place on the whole earth

9. Random neighborhood by Baton Rouge where 6 missionaries were trying to invite as many people as possible to the temple! It was wild haha