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

Week 20: We Out Here Dunkin'

Guys we seriously had the best week ever!!! So many miracles are just coming our way day after day and it was so crazy!! Mendenhall is just the place to be and I'm so blessed to be apart of the work down here!


We had a miracle lesson last monday after pday ended. But just for a little bit of background, let me tell yall about the Waldrops. The Waldrops have been worked with for the past 2 years when their mom, Sam, converted to the church. Her boys Ethan and Cameron have been interested in the church but have had their doubts and everything. When the sisters before us were telling us about them, they didn't seem to think they'd be getting baptized anytime soon. But man! We have seen MAJOR progression with these boys and I've been able to have a front row seat to the Spirit working on each of these boys testifying of truth and their readiness to be baptized. So we went over Monday with a plan to just ask them if they wanted to be baptized. Ethan and Cameron both said yes! So then we just asked what was holding them back and Cameron said "There's just so many churches how can you know which one is true. Everyone is telling you something different and I'm confused." Sounds a little bit like someone else, doesn't it? I felt prompted to read Jospeh Smith's account with him and explain how he is exactly like Joseph Smith, even in age! Man, the Spirit there was insane, and they both recognized it!! They both felt the warm feeling they get a church during their lesson! We all got on our knees after and prayed together to ask God if He wanted them to be baptized and they still felt like they didn't get a 100% answer, so we invited them to pray that night. Well, THEY WERE PUT ON DATE THE NEXT DAY!!!!!!!! November 1st both Cameron and Ethan are getting baptized!!! This will be Mendenhall's first convert baptism in 2 years...SUCH a miracle!!!!!! I normally dont really gush about anyone we teach or people from the mission, but gosh I've been gushing about the Waldrops! Sam even came up to us after we figured out a date and asked "So you're going to write about Cameron and Ethan in your email right??" Haha. They're incredible. The Lord has prepared them so much and things have been falling in place for the first!! The whole branch just cannot wait!!


Fun Stories from this week:
I had Canes for the first time in a month (:)) while on exchanges in Madison, shout out to Elder Crouch who served there. Crazy to be somewhere my brother served!


While setting up for our fall festival on Saturday, about 5 sherriff department cars and 2 fire trucks show up to the church because of a supposed gas leak! Made things pretty exciting! Also, turns out there wasnt a gas leak, so that was good to know!


I sang what I could remember of Old Town Road with a 3 and 4 year old after church on Sunday (Ethan says we are the hippest sisters they've ever had).


Okay so this story needs a little back story. For those of you who remember, back in Slidell we had a pet/returning visitor in the form of the lizard Jerry. He would run into the apartment at random times and would wait outside the door some mornings until we opened the door to run in. He's an OG, for sure. Well, turns out I just attract lizards to my living quarters because we have a friend here in Mendenhall too!! Our little green friend surprised us last night! Turns out I accidentally brought him in by bringing our mail in from the mailbox. Terry has safely been placed outside after running around our house trying to catch him for about 5 minutes. Feels like dejavu for a second. At least I'm getting better and better at catching lizards! Watch out Vegas lol.


In my reading for the Book of Mormon, I've been in Ether and Moroni, the very last 2 books. Over and over throughout these 2 books the idea of miracles not ceasing was emphasized over and over and over again. God IS a God of miracles, but He can only work them according to our faith. I've really seen that since starting my mission. Sometimes my faith is a little stronger than it is at other times, but I need to have that constant faith that the Lord will provide and support us and His work. I'm grateful to have that front row seat to the Lord's miracles, it's the biggest blessing I've ever had in my whole life and something I wouldn't trade for the world!


I love this gospel, I really love Mendenhall, I love my Heavenly Father and Savior, I LOVE THIS WORK!!! And I love yall! Have a great week everyone!

Love Sister Crouch


1. Our post Old Town Road pic! These girls are hype.
2. Had to document the Canes trip!
3. The Promised Land! ;)
4. Terry!

Week 19: Happy Fall Y'all

I'm seriously just loving Mississippi! I really wasn't sure if I'd be saying that my first few days here, but this place is really starting to feel like home. Someone we visited this week asked if we were liking Mendenhall and of course we both said yes and her response was "Really?! Seemed like all the other ones couldn't wait to get out of here!" It made me think about how much you really come to love a place when you just serve the people and get into the work. It's a really tiny and really interesting place but Mendenhall just has something special about it! It's even starting to feel like Fall here! It dropped from the 90s last week to the 80s and eventually it was all the way down to 54°! So happy fall from Mississippi!

We had a pretty mellow week this week. Saturday was so much fun, though! We were able to go to this Pumpkin in the Park activity that the city put on for all the kids in the community! We went and thought it'd be a good opportunity to meet some people in the area, and turns out a few kids who we are teaching were there! It was so much fun! It was 50 degrees out and we were painting pumpkins with all the kids we are teaching and it actually felt like fall! It was so much fun! Mendenhall is such a cute town, I've never been anywhere that does things like that in the community. We even met the "Queen" of Mendenhall there! This town is just full of hoots. 

Sister Glenn and I had an incredible miracle happen with prayer. So someone we were teaching was in the hospital and she needed a miracle for her family to happen. She turned to us for help and we had no clue how to help, but we knew Heavenly Father knew and was capable of helping. So Sister Glenn got on our knees right then and there and I think I said the most sincere, faithful, pleading prayer in my whole life. I told Heavenly Father that we knew He was a God of Miracles and that He is able to work them according to our faith. We just asked for a miracle according to our faith and the Spirit that filled the room was almost indescribable. It was so thick, it almost felt like I was in the temple. We knew that she was going to be taken care of, that Heavenly Father was watching out for her and that He loved her. It was the most powerful experience I have ever had with prayer and it was such a miracle, knowing without a doubt that she was going to be taken care of. Specific prayers really do get specific answers and we saw that this week. 

Mormon 9:27 really stood out to me this week. Theres a phrase in the very middle of the verse that says "...doubt not, but be believing..." and that hit me really hard. I have a solid testimony of this gospel, but I can doubt and lack faith in certain areas of life, especially in myself. I've been struggling with feelings of adequacy lately (like I'm sure every missionary does) but this scripture pricked my heart, for lack of a better phrase. God trusts me, He trusts each one of you. We may doubt ourselves, but He never does and never will. Doubt not but be believing in yourself, in Him, in Christ and everything will work out. I love the Book of Mormon so much, I'd be so lost with out it! 

I love this gospel, my Savior, my Father in Heaven, this weather (!!!),  and you all! Thanks for all the prayers and all the support!

Love, Sister Crouch

1. The Florence District!! They're the best, love our district 

2. My artist friend Jameson showing off his pumpkin from Saturday

3. Comps that do face masks together stay together lol

4. Its FALL!

5. Our cute lil town

6. A really cool Mississippi sunset

Week 18: Apparently 2 Isn't Multiplying

Wow, where do I even begin with this week?! We had Zone Conference on Friday, General Conference this weekend, miracles just about every day! This week was just another evidence to me that the Lord is in on this work. Man, I love being a missionary! We have slowly been getting to know members in the area and they're starting to get to know us too and I think we really starting to feel at home here in Mendenhall!


This week, we visited a lot of members, trying to spread the word about the open house! We stopped by this old couple's house (they're probably in their 80s) and gosh they're a hoot. Miss Ernestine and her husband Garrell love having the missionaries over for visits so we have been stopping by once a week! This time we had such a deep discussion about the Spirit World and some questions Garrell had asked. It was super deep doctrine and I seriously had no idea how to answer his question (but thanks President Oaks;), then suddenly his wife Ernestine takes this huge, deep breath sounding like shes about to say something wildly profound and goes, "So did you two leave boyfriends back at home?" And it took me sooooo off guard I started dying laughing!! Sister Glenn and I were just laughing the whole time while over. Last week I had told Miss Ernestine that I could be a missionary forever, and this week she said "I know you want to always be a missionary, but the Lord gave us 2 commandments. Love Him and multiply and replenish the earth. Now 2 is not multiplying. You need 3 or more children to multiply." General Conference clarified what the real two great commandments are, but Sister Glenn and I couldn't help but CRACK UP at her "advice" for us in the coming years. Southern ladies are just hilarious, especially when they get themselves on the topic of marriage and families.


Every Wednesday night, we go to the church for our youth activity with everyone in the Branch. 2 girls who aren't quite members yet go every week with their mom who's a member and poor Sister Glenn got a new nickname from those girls. So these kids never can remember our names, so they decided to give us names they think work better. So this girl Renasha comes up to me and says "So you're going to be...Sister Funny! And you are...(looking at Sister Glenn) Sister Serious!!" It took me so off guard I started dying at that too! Sister Glenn wasnt too fond of that name (I wonder why lol), so they changed it to Sister Happy instead. We have such a fun relationship with all the kids and youth in the ward because of Wednesday night's and it's just so much fun to serve them! Even if they think we can be pretty serious!


We had some miracles this week too. The Lord directs His servants and He leads and guides the missionaries too. We decided to tract a trailer park in town (I swear trailer parks are basically holy and sacred ground with all the miracles that go on in them) and we prayed to be guided to those ready for the gospel. Sister Glenn and I felt we should start at this on trailer on one side and no one answered. So we went next door and guys the 2ND DOOR IN we met a young woman who needed the gospel and let us in right away to hear about it. It was such a tender mercy and it just was another example of how involved the Lord is in the little details of our lives.


This weekend was just so full of the Spirit between zone and general conference. I seriously can't pick out a favorite talk or quote from either conference if you made me, but I felt the Spirit so strong that whole weekend. Saturday night, I just had an overwhelming feeling of love and gratitude to God for my mission and for the Restoration of this gospel all day long. I felt joy listening to the Prophet and Apostles. I just couldn't even handle all the incredible feelings I had that when Sister Glenn and I got back into the car to drive home, I just was overcome with emotions and started to just cry. I just told Sister Glenn how much I love my mission, how much it's already changed me and how I just can't even begin to thank my Father in Heaven for it. Guys, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are REAL. They are real Beings who love us so much our mortal minds can't even BEGIN to comprehend. If there's one thing I know, it's that Christ and His Atonement are real and accessible to all of God's children who let Him in. I just want all of you and everyone I ever meet to know that I know who I am, I know my Savior and Heavenly Father love us and have a plan for us and that was just reiterated to me throughout the whole weekend. I loved the theme of JOY throughout conference. Christ really does bring joy. I feel it everyday and I know every one of you can too if you focus on Him.


I love this gospel!!! I love President Nelson and all the Apostles and leaders who lead and guide the Church. I love Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father more than I can express. I love my mission and I love this work. I love y'all, and I hope everyone has a blessed week!!


Love Sister Crouch


Sorry if yall got my email twice last week! My email has been glitchy lately!



1. In honor of all the mosquito bites I have gotten on my legs this week.
2. More country side!
3. My play dough "gifts" from our wednesday night activity
4. Zone Conference!
5. Country Roads by John Denver.

Week 17: Just Out Here in the Boonies

Hey y'all! I hope everyone's week was just dandy! This week was another crazy busy one for us here in Mendenhall (mostly the boonies and sticks of Mendenhall).We were  Bible-Bashed twice (but we didn't bash back with them though, don't worry!), we saw so many miracles with the temple open house, and have pretty much just been going all over Simpson County trying to meet everyone! We have been all over this country side. It's been crazy but soooo good. My country accent is getting too good...someone visiting the branch this week asked if I was from the South during our Wednesday night activity. I guess I just pick up on a really strong accent when I'm around enough Mississipeans  Whoops.

So I feel like I'm officially a missionary in the South after this week because back to back days someone tried bash us with the Bible. But honestly, it was such a testimony building experience because I realized these people who have been studying their Bibles all their lives just are missing something, the whole truth isn't there. They didn't understand some doctrinal principles that are taught in the Bible but clarified in the Book of Mormon and it made me so grateful for the fulness of the gospel that I have through the Book of Mormon! Sister Glenn and I just couldn't be shook by these people, as hard as they tried. So even though it wasnt very fun having someone try to bash us, we both realized how solid our testimonies in the Book of Mormon were. If you dont read it, do it!!

Well we had a few miracles with the temple open house! For those of you who don't know, the Baton Rouge temple was rebuilt these past few years and they are having an open house at the end of October IN MY MISSION!!! I seriously lucked out so much by being able to be apart of the open house! But we, as missionaries, were given 250 invitations to give out to the people in our area. A pretty hefty responsibility for someone in a populated area, pretty overwhelming for us in this tiny area. But we have been diligent and we have seen miracles from it. There was this couple in their 80s that are members and I was honestly nervous to invite them because I wasnt sure if they'd want to drive that far, if they'd be able to stand that long. Basically, I had little faith and I'll admit it. But I prayed to have an opportunity to invite them come up and THE LORD PLOPPED AN OPPORTUNITY IN OUR LAP!! It was so cool to just have that little reassurance that He is with us in this work. So they're coming to the open house now! That's just one miracle, but we have seen so many! I'm so blessed to be able to see them and have my faith grow even more!

I came across a really amazing scripture in one of my studies this week that I wanted to share with yall. In Alma 36:22 Alma says "Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea and my soul did long to be there." I feel a lot like Alma sometimes! My soul really does long to be with God again one day. This scripture is from the chapter where Alma is becoming converted to the Lord and when I read that I realized conversion all comes down to desire. Where do we desire to be? Is it with God? Do we desire to grow closer with our Savior and repent? If we do, that's when conversion really starts! I know, like Alma, my soul longs to be with my Heavenly Parents again and with my Savior. That desire has changed me these past 4 months on my mission. It's so cool to see. I just really relate to that scripture. 

I love this gospel so much and I love being able to teach it every day! I love my Savior and my Father in Heaven and I love being apart of this work. I hope everyone has a good week and I love you all!

Sister Crouch

1&2. Country roads in the boonies of Mendenhall

3. Sister Glenn and I at transfers last week. We just got this picture!

4. Read the Book of Mormon!! Its the best!