WEEKS 75 & 76: Transferred (at last)

New missionaries and friends in the Acworth, Georgia area

Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well! Yes - I was finally transferred away from the Clear Springs Portuguese branch. I spent a wonderful 7 months there, and I am so grateful for the time I spent, and the memories I gathered. My time there has truly blessed my life. 

I was transferred to a new area about 20 minutes away from my previous area in a city called Acworth! I am companions with Elder Bushell and Elder Short, and we are responsible for covering the Butler Creek Ward, as well as the Kennesaw YSA Branch! I never would have thought that I would be sent to a YSA, but it has been such a cool experience so far. I am living in an apartment with another trio and we realized after I arrived that we were going to be one bed short. We looked on Facebook marketplace and found someone in our immediate area selling a bunkbed that they needed to get rid of immediately so we bought it! Almost too amazing to call it a coincidence. 

The YSA has several different events throughout the week including FHE, Institute, volleyball, game day, among others. We get to go participate in those activities and get to know the branch members. It has been so cool being around and serving a ton of people who are my same age. We also have several friends who have started to integrate into the group including DJ and Jaman, who we taught this week. There is lots of good work to be done in the YSA, and I am so excited to see it accomplished over the course of my time here. And this Saturday, the branch had a baptism! Our friend Hannah has taken the right steps, and has made the decision of a lifetime. I feel blessed to have been able to experience that moment shortly after arriving here. 

The family ward is also exceptional. We had a chance to meet quite a few of the members at the church service on Sunday, but many people still choose to watch the meetings virtually. There are some really incredible families here who I look forward to getting to know and to serving.

We have been working very hard this week. Most of the YSA people who we find are students at a local school - Kennesaw State University (KSU). We get to spend lots of time on campus street contacting and getting our faces out there. We have also been working hard calling people and using Facebook to find. Rumors are that we may be able to use Instagram soon, but again, just rumors. There is work to be done, and I have loved it. 

Thank you all for your endless love and support. It means so much to me, and makes the service more meaningful. Love you all!

Love, 

Elder Perry

WEEK 74: All in the Swing

Doing service while on splits

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an excellent week! Things are great here in Georgia! We had a very productive week of hard work and enjoyed lots of blessings. As of now, we have experienced no disruptions from the Senate runoff elections, which is very fortunate.

We had the opportunity to do lots of service this week! We spent some time with a member of the local English ward, Brother Terry, chopping wood at his house, and helping some other members in his ward move. We also helped Mama T with her basement and garage. She has been a huge blessing for us out here, as she continues to express her gratitude for us. I have loved the feelings of love associated with serving people here. To see them so grateful from these acts of service always make them so rewarding.

It has been difficult lately to schedule appointments with people, but we have actually been able to set some things up virtually and in person. We set a high for the transfer for new people we have found in a week! So, the work continues, at times faster than I ever thought imaginable. One of these people has been our good friend, Rachel, who we met a few weeks ago, but who has become very interested lately. She absorbs gospel themes so easily, and she loves learning more about Christ. It has been cool seeing her life change through Him, and building a lasting relationship with her. 

The days have continued to get colder, but our hearts could not be any warmer. I love Georgia, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that I have had to be here, serving these wonderful people. I love you all, and hope you have a wonderful week! 

Love,

Elder Perry

Volleyball night with the Portuguese Branch 

WEEKS 72 & 73: Christmas and The Big Chicken

Hello everyone and happy holidays! Sorry I have not had the chance to write an update lately! We have been very busy, and it is difficult to make lots of time to write everything out. But thank you to everyone who still reads these! 

These last two weeks have been very exciting. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's as well. We had the chance to spend a lot of time with members of the branch. They took very good care of us, and made sure that we had plenty to eat! We also went caroling with one of the families in the branch a couple of days before Christmas, which was very fun. We had a great time meeting with people, and helping them come closer to Christ this Christmas season. Even as things start to die down a little, we are excited to see the blessings of continuous focus on Christ. 

We have been working hard doing service for people in the community. We have been taking care of dogs, splitting wood, cleaning basements, and everything in between. Especially now, lots of people need service done, so it has been fantastic to find and fill those needs. We have also been able to contact and have many uplifting conversations with people through WhatsApp and Facebook. Technology really is the future of missionary work! We are able to reach out to so many more people this way, and the blessings have been immense, even if it was difficult during the holidays with everyone traveling. 

Some other random weekly highlights include going to the famous Big Chicken, driving into downtown Atlanta to give a blessing, getting robbed 5 dollars by a homeless woman, visiting the Atlanta Braves stadium again, and going on lots of exchanges with other missionaries. It has been a very exciting couple of weeks, and I am looking forward to the successes that will come in the last 2 weeks of this transfer! 

I'll try hard to write out more thorough and frequent weekly updates! It feels slow out here at times, but the work of the Lord continues to accelerate! I love you all. 

Love, 
Elder Perry