Month: April 2014
Safety After the Storms
BREAKING NEWS: MISSIONARIES ARE SAFE!!!
From Pres. Hanks:
All missionaries are safe and accounted for as of Tuesday at 7:45am
The entire mission feels blessed with the safety and protection of the Lord. After returning from a Mission President’s conference late Saturday, President and Sister Hanks drove to Tupelo, MS where they and the missionaries of the two Tupelo Zones met together with the saints for Stake Conference. It was wonderful. Immediately afterward, about a third of the missionaries began meeting one-on-one with President Hanks in interviews, until about 7:30. Many of the missionaries stayed over in Tupelo for the remainder of interviews with President Hanks on Monday, and for a two-zone joint activity of athletics and food and fun.
On Monday about 2:00 the sirens and alarms and phone alerts started pouring in.
President Hanks asked all the missionaries (48) to gather in the chapel, where for the next 4-5 hours the missionaries sang hymns while Tornados surrounded us. For much of the time, the electricity was out. The missionaries were brave and courageous. President Hanks was in constant contact with the brethren and with a member of the church who is well connected with the weather agencies. As areas to the west of Tupelo became clear, Missionaries were released to go home. About 7:30 the worst had passed, and President Hanks asked everyone remaining (42 missionaries) to go straight home and remain on alert. Some missionaries were instructed to remain with other missionaries until we were sure that it was safe to travel to their apartments (power lines and trees etc.)
All Tupelo North and south zone missionaries were safe by 9:00.
All other missionaries throughout the mission were instructed to stay in their apartments and listen to their emergency radios throughout the late afternoon and evening.
Multiple tornados touched down in Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Bessemer, and Birmingham areas. There was some substantial damage, but the extent is not completely known yet.
REPEAT: ALL missionaries are safe and accounted for.
Further weather alerts are in effect for today, Tuesday, and all missionaries have been instructed to listen to emergency radios and take precautions. Pres Hanks will be having a mission-wide conference call later this morning.
President Hanks sent an email to all contacts that the mission has listed, and will continue to keep parents and contacts informed as there is new information to report.
Join with us in thanking Heavenly Father for the safety He has afforded the missionaries this past day.
Mom Email: Tuckered and Worn Out
Alrighty Y’all!
Remember to stay steadfast in Christ!
Love,
District Photo in Alabama
This is my last district before I got transferred! HA. It was at night and really rushed. So sorry it’s kind of bad picture!
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday at the Larsen’s.
The picture of the group is when we were burning fire ant hills! It was fun! It made an explosion at one point. Sister Larsen poured gasoline on it! It’s so much fun! And another thing, only in the south. 😉
The next too pictures are Sister Gomm and I breaking eggs on each other heads, the funny part is the last picture(the first time we did it) We hit it really hard and neither one of the eggs broke. It was so so funny. Everyone was laughing at us.
A Time to Plant
We helped Sister Larsen plant her garden! It was so fun and it made me want to start one(finally) when I get home! Hehe. So many people have gardens here! It’s crazy!
And the last picture is that one famous painting of the old man farmer and his wife! Do you see it?? (:
To Infinity and Beyond
A job well done sisters.
Sister Gomm and I and Sister Larsen (a member) who are standing on the platform (it moves up and down) and every time it went up, Sister Gomm and I did ‘To infinity and BEYOND!”
Service – Painting and Moving
The missionaries in Booneville, Mississippi helped move and paint the local Radio Shack. When you’re in the service of your fellow beings, you’re serving God.
Now watch as they whistle while they work.
Raisin’ Ducks
So now on to the good stuff!
Y’all this week has been crazy nuts. I feel like Sister Gomm and I have been working none stop! We have been coming home just totally exhausted! And sadly, we have not been seeing anything come from it…yet! I know from our diligence, we will see success, we just have to exercise patience and faith!
So anyways! Yesterday was so great! I just love Easter! But I have to tell a funny story. So people here in Booneville kinda sorta have a stronger accent then the people in Hoover and that is okay but it’s harder to understand people. I do really well! My companion struggles a little more then me! But I need to eat my words now! So yesterday at Easter lunch, we were with a family and Sister Gomm was really confused about what one of the members said. She thought she heard that he named his car Mary and Russ. But he was just talking about how he took his car to work on an empty gas tank… so a little after that a different member started talking about ducks. How he dislikes ducks and just cant stand them. Now let me explain that people here NEVER put an ending on their words. Like ending… they say endin. So anyways, he said something about raising ducks I guess and I after he said his sentence said, ‘What’s a Raisin Duck?’ Everyone started laughing and I was so confused! My companion explained. It was awful! I was kinda out of the conversation anyways! But yea, that is my funny story for the week!
Easter was so great and I ate lots of yummy food! Y’all I’m learning how to cook Southern and my goodness it is so good! I’ll have to make some for y’all when I get home.
Best food ever!!
Well that’s all I got for this week!
I hope y’all have a great week and enjoy spring cleanin??
Love,
Sister Drummond
Service
I don’t have a lot of time left, so this is going to be a very quick email!
This past week, we have done a lot of full day service projects. I am so beat! But It was a good week!
Love,
Sister Drummond
Welcome to Mississippi
I will first start off with TRANSFERS! I am now serving in Booneville, Mississippi. Yes, it really is the boonies. I have heard that joke already. BUT, I love it. It is so cute. (: My new companion is Sister Gomm. She has been out 10 months and she is so great! I’m excited to be working with her. I haven’t met the entire ward yet as y’all know, General Conference was this past weekend…but I have met a lot of them.
So Wednesday, we drove ALL day to get to Booneville, because from Birmingham it is pretty much a 3 hour drive, but we didn’t drive straight to Booneville! We had to stop in Tupelo, then drive to New Albany, and then to Booneville. We didn’t arrive til like 8:30ish. It was crazy!
But, moving on…Thursday! It was good, but What I wanted to mention about Thursday was that night! At 2 in the morning our weather radio goes off due to tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings! I want to know where in the world that thunderstorm came from ha. BUT! an hour later, it goes off again!! Yikes. I was not a happy camper…So then for a 3rd time at 4 in the morning the weather radio went off AGAIN. The leaders of the mission were texting and calling everyone making sure everyone was okay. I just wanted to sleep! ): But I guess there were 2 tornadoes that did touch down, not anywhere near us, otherwise I would have been sleeping in the bath tub ha.
Alrighty, Friday! Friday Friday Friday…pretty great stuff happened on Friday. First of all, we had district meeting in Corinth, MS. And after we helped set up for a funeral! And we also ate. Can I just say, Southerners have the BEST food. Not to harp on any of y’all, but they do! They really do. (: I’m going to miss it one day…So after the funeral, we went back home and got our bikes out! Haha….well not even 3 minutes in while biking…I crashed….Yes I crashed my bike. I am now a real missionary! And I am so proud of it! (: I am EXTREMELY sore now though… So sore I didn’t sleep very well… But today, I am feeling much better! Well enough to hopefully play some ultimate Frisbee with the Elders today! (:
But I want to know how y’all like conference! I LOVED IT! It was soo good. I took lots of notes. I love how Saturday was almost all about defending your faith and beliefs, and Sunday was kinda more about facing trials with courage. Did y’all get that too? It might have been just a Sister Drummond thing. But that’s okay! (:
So anyways here is my new mailing address(s)!
500 1st Street
Booneville, Mississippi
38829
Stay Steadfast in Christ!
Love,
Sister Drummond
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Sister Gomm & Sister Drummond
Sister Jesselyn Drummond 