Week 41: We crashed a funeral in the hood (**not click bait**)

This week has been insane! As far as we know, sister Craddock and I are happy and healthy!  It's been crazy seeing the world around us freak out! We are just chilling over here in Madison! Other than the coronavirus madness, this week has been flat out hilarious. Sooooo much fun! 

We sent to Baton Rouge for MLC (mission leadership council) with all the STLs and zone leaders and it was so awesome! The Spirit was so strong as we were counciling about the missionaries and their needs, I felt God's love for us and it was awesome. But the best part about being in Baton Rouge (other than seeing my mission friends and the spiritual upliftment that comes from a meeting like that) was living my mission dream of going to the ORIGINAL, FIRST EVER, Raising Cane's!!! It was founded in BATON Rouge off of LSU campus and it was the best canes I've ever had. Dreams really so come true on the mission, friends.

Okay yall. Do I have a story to tell. So Sister Craddock and I were in Canton, MS this week which is a dinky, sketchy, town. There are some neighborhoods that are definitely the hood. Well, we were in one of those neighborhoods to try someone and we pass this house on the corner of a street with easily 50 people there all in matching white shirts. 90s Rap was blasting (those of you who know me well know thats my JAM), and everyone was having a grand ol time. Basically, once I heard the jams, I knew they were my kind of people. So we decided to go and talk to them and see what they were celebrating and maybe have some conversations about who we were. We park up the street and walk down to the house. Well, we walk down the street and up to a group at the party, and I swear all eyes were on these 2 dressed up white girls in the hood. We stuck out worse than a sore thumb haha. We ask this group what they're celebrating and this one lady goes "this is a funeral. We arent celebrating today...oh I guess we are! We are celebrating LIFE!" Our jaws were on the FLOOR. We walked up and crashed a FUNERAL!!! It was crazy! They inisted we joined and grabbed a plate of the best southern food I've ever had and my goodness it was just hilarious. We offered our condolences, told them their friend was in a better place, mingled for a sec, got plates and it was just too funny. They were so kind and accepting of us it was amazing and now we have some friends in that part of the hood! 

With all the craziness that's going on in the world right now, the peace that comes from the Gospel, from living the way God and Jesus Christ have commanded us, and from having faith has been reiterated over and over to me. The last line of Alma 12:37 says "...but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word." There is a peaceful rest that comes when we continue to have faith in Heavenly Father and His plan and as we try to live the best we can. Peace can be kind of hard to find in times like these, but turn to Christ! Trust God's will! You will find peace and be able to enter into that rest which has been prepared for you.

I love my mission and the people I get to serve! I love that there is peace that comes with following God and Jesus Christ. I love them so much and I love yall! Have a great week, keep having faith and stay healthy! 

Love Sister Crouch 

1. A good wholesome covid19 meme

2. MLC in Baton Rouge!

3. The OG Canes!!!!

4. Another pregnant mama at the animal shelter we serve at. 

5. We got to see some of our fav missionaries on our way home from MLC!

6. Sister Craddock is still teaching me ballet lol.

7. KATHY! 

Week 40: Hump Daaayyy!!

Hey yall! We had a crazy busy week her in Madison! We started my 7th transfer of my mission this week (how have I been out that long?!), hit my HALFWAY mark (ahhhh!!!), and have been working our way hard out here in Madison! It's been a fun time. My love for this place and these people grow more and more with every passing week! 

So something you should know the people here is they are very open, especially when it comes to God. Because of that, we had a downright hilarious interaction yesterday that made me laugh so hard! We were trying one of our friends in an apartment complex and we saw some ladies working on their car in the parking lot, so us being missionaries and all bolt over to see if we can help in any way. They said no but asked what church we went to. We told them and talked to them a little about church and this woman named Laura was talking about how you need to choose to follow God right now. And us being missionaries, obviously pull out the Book of Mormon to share a scripture that applies to the conversation and Sister craddock asks if she can share a scripture to Laura. She stops here and says "I dont need you reading nothing to me right now, honey. I dont need to hear the word now because we are finna gamble! I ain't gonna lie to you but we finna gamble!" I was CRYING I was laughing so hard! At least she was honest, ya know? Haha. These people just are always cracking me up. 

I had a really cool insight this week during my studies this whole week that I wanted to share! In our 90 day challenge for the Book of Mormon,  we were in Mosiah all week and I just noticed how Mormon chose interesting language to talk about faith. He said over and over how Alma went about preaching "repentance and faith ON the Lord." Well I thought it was interesting he used the word on instead of in. Well, by the end of the week I came to a conclusion that faith on the Lord must be different than faith in Him. I think faith on Christ means relying wholly on Him. It's more than just believing that He is our Savior but believing in His promises, in His enabling power and the way He can help us through anything and everything. This week I've tried to have more faith ON Christ and trust Him more in the day to day. I've seen miracles. I've done things that are hard for me as a missionary this week that I normally NEVER do because I just trusted! I've made it my goal to have more faith on Christ, to rely more on Him, to be a better disciple of Him.

I've been thinking back on the past 9 months and I'm honestly shook. Shook that it's gone by so quick, shook by how much I've changed and by how much I've seen God's hand in my mission. I'm so blessed to be here. I love my Savior, I know He lives and because He lives, I can have hope and peace in this life. 9 months seems like a long time and 18 months seem even longer (sorry elders, 2 years is long too). But it's the most worth it thing I've ever done! I'm so pumped to see what the next 9 months bring!

I love this gospel, I love Jesus Christ!!!!! I love my Father in Heaven and I am grateful to know I can make it back to Him one day because of Christ. Life is hard on the mission, but man it's too good everyday. I love being here. Thanks for all the messages and emails this week, it means the world! Love yall!!

Love 

Sister Crouch

1. Hump day celebration calls for some froyo. Sister Craddock came out with me so we got to party it up together!

2. Apparently that finger thing is a heart? We tried to teach Kathy last time we were over because we just love her haha.

3. Its SPRING!! 

4. Weekly tanning pt 2.

5. We played an iron rod game with all our mini peeps this week and it definitely involved some blindfolds haha. It was hilarious! Kids are our favorite!

6. I love the people here! 

Week 39: What the leak?!

Howdy howdy yall! Transfer news came and Sister Craddock and I are staying another transfer in Madison together! I'm super stoked and excited! We are FINALLY starting to figure out the area, finally finding more people to teach and finally getting into our groove! So I'm excited to be able to keep it up this next transfer! 

This week has been so much fun! The sun's been out, the weather has been perfect, and we totally got out than on...walking 15 miles the last few days of February because we were sooooo out of miles haha. Every month, we get a mile allotment and every month we are barely under! Safe to say we got our steps on this week!

Another funny thing! We volunteer at the animal shelter in Madison and there are so many mamas there! This one pitbull Miss Hershey had a litter of puppies last friday and we got to see them again! Last week, her puppies were 4 days old and oh my gosh they were so cute! I learned something new too. Fun fact for yall: mama dogs leak too when they hear their babies cries...all over the person in whose lap they're sitting in. Beware of the nursing dogs people! 

For real though, this was such a good week. I keep finding myself relying on Christ more and more as I go throughout my mission. I've been thinking a lot about trials because I feel like I've been having so many of them! Then I read Mosiah 14! It is so comforting to know we can be healed and strengthened through Christ. He truly was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. And because of that, we can be strengthened through all we go through. Life is hard for everyone. All our trials are valid to God and Christ. They help us through them all. I love that I don't have to walk through this life alone.

I love my mission even though its hard. I love the people here, I love Madison and I love Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. Rely on your Savior this week like that's the only thing you can do and I promise miracles will come. I love yall!

Love, Sister Crouch

1. Ms. Hershey!

2. Mile 10

3. A mural we found in an apartment complex in this town Canton that we also cover! Small towns are so cute.

4&5. More butterflies!