Ice Cream Prices are Increasing

3/23/20: We got an ICE CREAM MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is awesome. It will stir in your toppings as you pour it out (it's a soft serve machine). One of our members brought over ingredients for the ice cream and it turned out decently! We still have to figure out a few kinks. Moms are awesome at sending cool stuff through Amazon. Also the Amazon box that the ice cream machine was sent in was big enough for me to fit in it. So of course I tried to fit in it while on a video call with someone from the ward. That was mature and dignified. 

So this past Thursday we started isolation - we aren't allowed in anyone's homes (since the 13th) and now we aren't allowed to do street contacting or tracting (knocking on doors). So we went to 6 - 8 hours of walking each day to staying inside each day. Luckily our front yard is our landlord's backyard so when we spend time outside we can do their yardwork because there is no chance of running into people!

The members have been saintly, we have been receiving puzzles, snacks, food, and dessert and it has been great. 

We have been doing a bit more on studies each day, we have been doing lots of games and puzzles during lunch and dinner breaks, We have been doing video lessons and working a lot more on Facebook. We will be posting family history videos (really short ones) each week on Fridays so look out for those!! We have been reaching out to lots of members in the area and sending them scriptures, we have been updating our records, doing family history, doing planning for our area, yard work, etc. Our district council on Fridays is going to be virtual each week and we call in through video chat for sunday school at church. Greatness! We have been busy. 

So this week a lot of missionaries will be going home, anyone with asthma or other such things that could be bad with Corona will be shipped home this week or next. That includes my companion! She is doing all right, she is just more susceptible to respiratory illness. Another companion going home! So I will be with the sisters in Amity from Thursday to Monday, because Sis Richmond is leaving on Thursday and transfers will happen on Tuesday! We will find out this week what is happening for transfers. Who knows what is going to explode this week. 

Anyway, life is going great. we aren't going stir crazy even though everyone else in the mission is. Also we are stocked up on food so if we can't go shopping for four weeks we shall be perfectly fine. :)

***********************************

3/16/20 Hello to the world!

I am still alive, so that's good. We got a lot of changes this week and some news and such, here's some of the stuffs: 

1. Church is suspended until further notice.

2. Church activities are also suspended.

3. Avoiding corona beer will not keep you safe from the virus

4.  All missionaries in our mission bought a two week food supply on Saturday. We aren't supposed to use it unless, you know, the world ends or something like that. 

5. Oregon, along with the rest of the world, is out of toilet paper. 

6. We are not allowed in people's homes, anyone's homes. We spend all our time either in our apartment video calling people to teach lessons, or out talking to people on the street. 

So life is still good! Our town is small, around 2,000 people, and so we have been systematically tracting since we have so much more walking time now. We started knocking doors in two different parts of town (so we can shake it up) and we are knocking on every door. 

This is a picture of our current prophet, Russell M Nelson.

I have handed out a ton of Spanish Book of Mormons while out on the street, so that's cool. Getting my Spanish decent. Also we met several miracle people that are so ready and interested in the gospel! (some of them were Spanish so we referred them to the Spanish speaking sisters but several of them were English!)

I think these are the scriptures she has read in a different way on her mission.

For our video call lessons we sit in our apartment on green couches, which have been titled our thrones, and set our phone against a book on a chair to keep it propped up. We have done 3 video call things. 

Also our district council, the weekly meeting with a small group of missionaries, we had it over the phone. So we took a district picture and we are sitting there on the phone in the picture. The Elders' live together so there was no point in them calling separately so we were the only ones calling in. Also we watched a 10 minute video during district council, and we had watched the day before, and none of the Elders could see us because they moved the phone towards the screen with the video. So I quietly taught Sister Richmond a (I don't know what to call it) hand jive. It was nice because we had our phone camera awkwardly staring at us and showing what we were doing so we could see when we messed up, and it helped keep our focus on the talk we were listening to. 

You can see Penelope on the phone in his hand. :)

Now here is a picture of our two week food supply.

Anyway life is fantastical! Sister Richmond is doing well, I'm doing well, life is just great. 

**************************

Email from 3/9/2020

Hello everyone!!

Sister Richmond has now been out for 4 months so we got McDonald's ice cream cones. By the way they raised their prices like three months ago so their cones are now more than $1. Sad. 

We had a lesson and it was so fun! We taught tithing for like 20 minutes then we were going to teach another short thing but instead we spent over an hour just answering questions about how things work and are organized in the church and it was so cool. Our lesson was like an hour and forty minutes. We talked about how prophets and apostles are called and how they run the church and delegate and all of that stuff. 

We got to see the sister missionaries who serve in Amity today and hang with them for a bit! 

We talked in church on Sunday in sacrament. We both talked for about 15 minutes. We spoke in the young single adult (YSA) branch (small congregation) and there were like 8 people there, not including the older couples who are called to help run it. 

Optional Reading Material: 

Okay peoples I would have thought it fun to know this long time ago so here ya go: 

Schedules! What's a day in our life like? 

• We wake up, exercise from 6:30 - 7am, get ready by 8:30. 

• 8:30 - 9am: plan for the day

• 9 - 10am: STUDY! this part is fun, a full hour for studying the scriptures and preach my gospel (book thing that helps us be better missionaries). Although we also study for lessons that we will teach that day and zone conferences and stuff, so often we dont have as much time as we want to study all our stuff. 

• We work till 10am - 9pm! We take 2 hours for lunch and dinner combined, and we talk a half hour for companion study where we plan our lessons for the day and discuss stuff. 

• We go to bed by 10:30. 

We took a picture of this rock, so we could say, "Nice Boulder".

This is what do the rest of the day: 

• When we have nothing to do, we go walking to find people who might be interested in learning more. 

• We spend some time to do contacts - so basically texting and calling people to confirm appoints, set up lessons, text people inspirational scriptures, invite people to church and activities, etc. 

• Teaching lessons to people who want to learn more about our church and the Book of Mormon and Christ. 

• Visiting with people who go to our church to practice teaching, get to know people, and help them grow their faith. 

• Sometimes we also have missionary meetings: 

• Every Friday we meet with 3-5 sets of missionaries (6-10 people), called District Council. 

• Every 6 weeks we have a Zone Conference with a ton of missionaries

• Every 6 weeks we meet with President for 2-10 minutes and we talk to him about life and if we are struggling etc. 

• We also go to church and ward meetings and have a book of mormon class. 

• Mondays are our days off - Sundays are busy with church and dont do shopping on Sunday, so we have Monday as our day off so we can do shopping and etc. 

There's way too much information about missionary life. Hope that was fun for at least some of ya'll. 

Sister Lake

615 Ferry St Dayton, OR 97114 Penelope.lake@missionary.org

****************************

Older Email from her Mission President (3/18/20)

Beloved Missionaries,

We think of your spiritual and emotional welfare night and day. We want you to know that Heavenly Father is aware of your circumstance and wants you to be safe, productive, and happy. We are in constant contact with the Mission Department and our Area Presidency. Based on the things we learned in a two-hour meeting with the Area Presidency today, we thought it would be helpful to send you the following details (please study them closely – there’s a lot of new information):

1. Please continue to aggressively follow good hygiene practices. Remember to frequently wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (especially after visiting the chapel or any public areas). Don’t forget vitamin C and D3 daily!!

2. We have been asked to work primarily from our apartments. This is a change from earlier communications and will require some ingenuity on your part; including effective daily planning, teaching using technology, studying the scriptures, words of the prophets, and Preach My Gospel, language learning, family history, online institute classes (more information coming), online community service and other activities as needed. We have attached a document that is a list of “Suggested Activities” that can be done while working in your apartments. Also consider how you can discover new possibilities of accomplishing your mission purpose from within your apartment setting. NOTE: If you do not have internet service in your apartments, companionships may travel to the Church to participate in on-line teaching, but you should only do this in companionships.

3. Live-streamed meetings are the best, but if you have Wi-Fi limitations, a district leader or zone leader can provide a phone number and access code to the missionaries they work with and set up a conference call.

4. Many of the stake presidents serving in our mission boundaries have authorized video meetings with each of their families as a replacement for “Eight Is Great” face-to-face visits. These same virtual meetings could be used to bless new and returning members, friends of other faiths, and members with special ministering needs. Work with your local priesthood leaders to identify individual/family needs. Please do not conduct Gospel Principles classes at the church. We have been invited to gather only in settings where small groups of missionaries are present (single companionships are best).

5. We invite you to go outside for exercise and fresh air occasionally, while observing wise guidelines for personal contact. These activities should be like P-day activities except they’re limited in time (15-30 min.) and should not involve other people (only companionships in the apartment). If you are healthy and have not been exposed to anyone who has the coronavirus, you may engage in a more extended P-day activity as far as time is considered, but it cannot involve more than the companionships in your apartment for now (sorry). Please continue to observe mission standards – including no movies! When spending time indoors for lengthy periods of time, you may play games, do puzzles, crosswords, etc., but these activities should not distract from your opportunity to study the Gospel and fulfill your purpose as a missionary. Missionaries must ALWAYS be within sight and hearing of their companion!

If you are currently involved in a formal quarantine, please limit your time outside so no contact is made with others. Those under a formal quarantine should be using the food storage they purchased. A formal quarantine is initiated by President and Sister Wilde and involves complete isolation in your apartments (except for the occasional breath of fresh air). Currently, only one zone is under this restriction. They may also receive food from members of the branch, ward, or stake, but no physical contact should be made when they visit. Be careful to use your food storage only when necessary.

NOTE: Penelope is on what she calls Casual Quarantine. She is only to leave for groceries or gas and she CAN accept food from members. (they drop on the porch) The members found out that I sent a ice cream machine for entertainment and brought over cream, milk and sugar. They are so sweet to her there.

6. Missionaries may call home two times a week by phone. If you are under a formal quarantine, you should also text your parents once daily with health information if needed. It is important that your parents have up-to-date information on your health!

7. The Area Presidency has asked that we not engage in door-to-door or street proselytizing for now. Individuals are growing more and more unsettled regarding the coronavirus and some view our visits as a threat to their safety.

8. Until further notice, exchanges are not authorized. District meetings and MLC should be done virtually. Friday’s district council should include a call-in or live stream experience where members of the district follow the suggested outline below. The council meeting should last between 60-90 minutes:

• Devotional

• Discussion – How have you used Facebook effectively to find and teach?

• Counsel – What goals and plans do you have to continue finding and teaching virtually?

• Talks – Members of the district share the 3-5-minute talks they prepared for mission tour (becoming more

consecrated disciples of Jesus Christ and full-time missionaries with purpose).

9. Baptismal services can be held, but the number of people attending should be limited. On a temporary basis, loved ones and family members may view the service remotely via technology (please ensure that their sound is muted). Newly baptized members should be confirmed at the baptismal service. The Aaronic Priesthood may then be conferred upon males following their baptism and confirmation. Individuals meet the baptismal qualification to “attend several sacrament meetings” by participating in a Sabbath worship service by whatever means available, including in a member’s home or remotely via technology (under the direction of the local bishop).

IMPORTANT:

Most, if not all of you, have heard that many of our Elders who have served for 21 months or more as of the next transfer are to return home on that next transfer. This applies to all young missionary elders scheduled to complete their mission between now and September 1, 2020 (this applies only to elders)

We learned today that one of the reasons these elders need to return home early is to make room for elders who will be assigned to our mission from foreign missions where COVID-19 required a pre-mature release (some of whom had just begun their missions).

Additionally, some elders and sisters who suffer from chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, asthma, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and immune deficiencies, may also need to return home early. For missionaries who have such conditions, we will work closely with them, their parents, and their stake presidents to determine whether an early release is required. In some cases, these missionaries can continue working as service missionaries in their home stakes (pending local needs).

PENELOPE TOLD HER MISSION PRESIDENT. "Please don't send me home, my Dad is recovering from cancer and he does not need me bringing the virus home." The mission president liked the humor in that. You can only imagine what a difficult thing he is doing right now. Penelope also told us, "Usually the Mission President emails each of his missionaries (200 maybe) weekly. He told the missionaries this week, unless it is an emergency do NOT email me.

As we contact missionaries who need to be released early, and as we contemplate the rest of you who are being asked to stay isolated in your apartments, we thought of the following quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Since patience is one of the traits of a saint, it should not surprise us that we must sometimes learn patience not only by physical suffering, but also by sometimes having something to offer which, for one reason or another, we are prevented from offering, at least on the terms we would like to make the contribution. To trust God enough to accept the reality that he knows perfectly both what we have to offer and what we desire is a special form of trust…

Sometimes when we think we see what is needed (and feel that we can offer just what is needed), we must still surrender to the sublime wisdom of our Heavenly Father, who ‘knoweth all things.’ Sometimes we are tested, therefore, not only by the requirement that we place certain things on the altar of sacrifice and service, but also by the trial of circumstances that seems to prevent us from placing a portion of self on the altar.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell, It’s Service, Not Status, That Counts.

For those of you who are impacted by an early release, we want you to know Father in Heaven is aware of you personally and loves you intimately. We further know that God will orchestrate your future as he has the past. Please trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). We are grateful to serve with you and pray that you will thrive physically, spiritually, and emotionally despite the challenging circumstances we face.

With love and respect,

President and Sister Wilde

********************

Sister Lake

615 Ferry St Dayton, OR 97114

Penelope.lake@missionary.org