WEEK 80: Busy Times

Happy Monday everyone! Hope this weekly email finds you well. Things have been going really well over here in Georgia, and I hope they are for you too - no matter where you are.

We were able to stay very busy this week! It is always so nice to have weeks that are full of teaching and service. We were able to teach a couple of our good friends including DJ (who came to church this Sunday ) and Tom, who is a good friend of our bishop. It has been a completely different experience here in the states and it seems very easy to bond and form long lasting relationships here. I have loved making friends with the people we teach, and thanks to technology, I can keep in touch with them indefinitely!

We had many service projects and activities this week as well. As part of my new responsibilities, I spent a day in Lilburn, Georgia with one of the APs. It was a good time meeting all of the Elders in the office, and seeing how things run in the heart of the mission. This Saturday was quite interesting - we were doing service for people from 9 AM until 6 PM. We started with some hard work at our local food pantry packing boxes into cars, then moved to chipping/burning chopped branches at an investigator's house, and ended with moving furniture for our Relief Society president. It was really fun running around and helping with all of these tasks. It makes our service as missionaries feel much more rewarding.

Other than the work and other YSA activities, not a lot has happened this week. It has started getting warmer already, which feels so nice. Instagram is still working really well for us in finding new people, and creating an online missionary presence.

I love you all! Thanks for taking the time to read my updates - you have no idea how much it means to me.

Love,

Elder Perry

WEEK 79: YSAin'

YSA Volleyball Night

What's up everyone!? I hope you all had a fantastic week! Things are going really well here in the great city of Acworth, Georgia. We had a solid week of really meaningful work -- it was one of those weeks that makes you really appreciate missionary work and the difference we are making out here.

We were able to meet with several of the members of the Butler Creek Ward this week, which is the other ward we are covering. We had interviews with President Harris this week and he stressed to us the importance of working with the ward. We were able to set up several meetings with some really cool families. It has been a priority for us to make sure they feel the missionary presence. We are working hard to make them feel that way and to gain trust with them as well. I am grateful for the connections that I've been able to make with such cool people.

We also had (virtual) zone conference this week! It was a sort of mission tour, which featured some words from Brother and Sister Stanfill from the North America Southeast area presidency. They gave us some really great advice on being responsible and working more efficiently in our areas. They also answered several different and important questions. It was very cool to hear their words.

And some other interesting developments...this week, one of the Elders in the apartment - Elder Krum - departed for his original missionary assignment in Colombia. We are all so excited for him. He was actually one of our zone leaders here, so I was called by the mission president to take his position. I am staying in my same area and companionship. So it has been a time!

Not a ton more has been going on! We have been working hard on Instagram because the rain has made work on campus a little tricky. We had a volleyball night with the YSA (Young Single Adult) branch. We also gave talks during sacrament meeting for the YSA on our testimonies of Christ and how we decided to go serve a mission. Cool stuff. I look forward to what this next week brings!

Love you all, and I absolutely love Georgia. I wouldn't give my mission experience for anything in the world.

Love,
Elder Perry

WEEKS 77 & 78: Clouds and Sunshine in Georgia

Elder Perry and Elder Short playing football with friends from their apartment complex in Acworth, GA

Hello everyone! I apologize for the lack of email updates! Things are going very well out here in the great state of Georgia - even if I don't always have a ton to write about. We have been working hard and seeing many miracles here in this area.

We have been able to find several service projects these last few weeks. We spent one weekend volunteering at a local food bank. There was something to the tune of 13,000 pounds of food donated, so we helped sort it all, put it into boxes, then load it all up into cars. It was a very fun time, and the work was very rewarding. We have also been helping this nice woman named Rhonda with her yard - and she willingly agreed to take the lessons from us! It is so cool to see the blessings we receive from such simple service. 

As part of the YSA branch, we spend lots of time on the campus of the local university - KSU - to do some street contacting. We've done a couple different things for that, including throwing a football around, asking people to participate in a video, and asking them inspired questions. It is awesome to be able to connect with so many people my age all the time. There really isn't anywhere else in this mission field where you would get an opportunity like this. I have already made so many good friends and have loved working with them so much. We get to participate in many activities with the YSA, including FHE, institute, volleyball night, and several others throughout the week.

We also were given a new weapon to add to our finding arsenal - Instagram! It has been such a powerful tool already for finding and connecting with people online. My @ is jackperry.ga if you want to check it out! We have been focused mainly on expanding the follower base, but it is such a good way to get into contact with the younger demographic we are working with. 

Things are going so well here in Georgia. And while the weather has remained mostly overcast and rainy for the last little while, we have maintained sunshine in our souls. Becoming truly and completely devoted to the Lord's work is the ultimate way to feel the light of the Lord in your life. I have felt that on many occasions. And even though that is more difficult when not serving as a full time missionary, pray and ask God to have more missionary experiences in your life, and He will happily give them to you.

I love you all and I love this work. Still no word on Brazil - but things are definitely in motion, and people are already getting sent back down there. 

Love,

Elder Perry 

The Cedar Crest District

Elders with a friend (far left) who served with Elder Jackson Bee in Mesa, AZ 

Serving at the local food bank

Sporting the KSU colors