December 12, 2017

       What a Glorious time of year to be representing our Savior, Jesus Christ, as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!! ~ to feel the love of the people we are serving, to join in on their programs and parties, to listen to the beautiful music and enjoy the Christmas lights, and to sense the happiness and joy of the season!  I cannot express my gratitude enough to my Father in Heaven for this wonderful experience and opportunity!!
        There are so many things going on that it is hard to tell about all of them, but here are the highlights through pictures of some of the activities of the past couple of weeks.  The Anacostia Ward had their Christmas party and potluck dinner last Saturday, giving a gift to each child in the ward (less than 20, I think!)  They meet in a Baptist Church that our church bought a few years ago, so make do with using the Primary room for ward dinners (no cultural hall there!)  The members there are so genuine, with a simple, sincere faith ~ we feel so blessed to be able to serve there!

Giving out the gifts

Bro. Thaden conducting

Elders enjoying the food!

We have loved getting to know these special sisters!  Their dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is deeply felt by all who know them!

Sis. Eloise Williams at home

Sis. Odette McPherson

Sis. Drogguett and baby Elena

With Vera O. from Nigeria

 One of our favorite experiences on our mission is the association with the young Elders and Sisters serving in the areas.  They do the proselyting and teaching, we try to support and serve where needed.  This was one of the baptisms we attended in the White Plains Ward, Sister Cecelia Willie. The Spirit was so strong at her baptism ~ it will remain in my memory for a long time to come!

Elder Criddle baptized Sister Willie

She was so excited!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  We love being able to work with these Elders, take them to dinner occasionally and get to know and feel of their strong desires and testimonies!  This was Elder Fuller's birthday, so we sent a picture to his mother to let her know he was being taken care of on his birthday!

Elders Fuller and Kempton

With Elder Barduhn in Anacostia

                              










                                                                                                      We had a wonderful gathering of the Senior missionaries at President and Sister Johnson's at the beautiful and spacious mission home in North Potomac, Maryland.  It is necessary for mission presidents to have a large home for the Elders and Sisters as they arrive and as they depart to go home.  We have been invited there again this week to the "Departure Dinner", as we will be leaving in less than 3 weeks to return home.  This will be a very special occasion to be together with these departing Elders and Sisters and hear them bear their testimonies.  It is so great to see the growth and maturity in them as they serve a mission.                    

Pres. & Sis. Johnson's home

 

Senior missionaries gather

And some of the highlights of the Christmas season here in Washington D.C. are the beautiful lights at the Visitor's Center and near the temple, and the outstanding display of Christmas trees and nativities from all over the world.  They have a free concert every night during December at the Visitor's Center ~ wish we could make it to more of them, but it is over an hour from where we live, so we have to pick and choose which to go to, and hopefully take members or investigators with us.  It is so beautiful we just want everyone to be able to attend, as well as being a great missionary tool!

Christmas lights by the. temple

Nativities from around the world

Mormon Choir of Washington D.C.

Nativity by Visitor's Center

This week we were able to attend the Mormon Choir of Washington D.C. concert, which was very good, along with the children's choir that sang with them.  They are well-known here for their music!

More of the Christmas lights!

      While it is drawing quickly to a close, I have truly loved being able to be here in this area to serve a mission, and have felt the love of my Savior many times in the work we are doing ~ too numerous to even tell all that I have felt and experienced.  I have been so blessed, and feel so grateful for the love and support of family and friends!  Make the most of this beautiful season to serve others and give back to the Lord!   May this season be  happy and joyful for each of you!!  I love you all, and hope to see you all very soon!           Love,   Sister Perkins                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

November 26, 2017

        What a busy and fulfilling couple of weeks this has been serving as a missionary!  Not only have we been busy in the Anacostia Ward, visiting sisters, we have also been serving in a number of other capacities, representing the church in the Washington D.C. area.  We loved being able serve at the Interfaith Concert a couple of weeks ago, where religious groups from throughout the community sang and performed.  It is also so fun to work with some of the other senior missionaries and get to know them better!  What special people they are!

Religious groups represented

Sister Brown, the Morgans and myself

Washington D.C. Mormon Choir

Hindu dancers

 I loved hearing the Mormon Choir of Washington D.C., and really enjoyed seeing the Hindu dancers - they were fascinating to watch!  There are many religious denominations represented at this annual event, and it is exciting to see how well the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is represented and respected in this community!
          Last week we were asked to help at the annual "Feast of Sharing" put on by Safeways, where they feed about 5,000 people in the inner area of Washington D.C., along with giving them each a bag of apples, and free clothing that has been donated.  We helped mostly with distributing warm coats, socks and other items of clothing which people were able to pick out.  It was very interesting to be a part of and help.

Feeding 5,000 at the Feast

Sister helping with clothing distrubution

Crowds for "Feast of Sharing"

Sister Brinkley sorting clothes

  

Sister Brown packing boxes

       We also helped the Relief Society pack up boxes of food and clothing they had been collecting for the past 3 months to send to the Humanitarian Services for the hurricane victims.  It was amazing to see all that this small ward had contributed - filling 22 large boxes! 

       We have really grown to love these sweet sisters in the Anacostia Ward.  This is Sister Jones with several of her grandchildren that were visiting for Thanksgiving.  What a cute family!

Sis.Phyllis Jone and grandchildren

Droguett family

         And we were so excited to get to meet the newest member of the ward, Elena Droguett when we took them a meal and new outfit for their cute baby!!  Of course, we always love seeing Antonio - he helps us have our "grandma fix!"

Antonio Droguett

        We had a "miracle" visit this week to a less active sister who has been in a wheelchair for 20 years, but we found out she also has a new baby - 6 weeks old, who is going in for surgery this week.  We were able to inform the ward and a member of the bishopric and other brethren were able to go there to give him a blessing.  How glad we were to find this out to share with the ward leadership to bless her life.

        We loved being to Zone Conference over a week ago where Elder Ringwood (from the Seventy) and his wife were visiting.  How wonderful to listen to their great counsel and advice to the missionaries and enjoy lunch with them, served by the sisters from the Calvert Ward, who we have known since serving there last summer.

Elder and Sis. Ringwod greeting elders

R.S. Sisters from Calvert serving lunch

        We also enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner our Anacostia Ward put on for the members of that ward the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  What a great time to associate with the ward members and young elders serving there.  One lady who came had two full plates of food and took home two more full plates covered with foil - for some this will be all the food they have for the week!

Anacostia Ward dinner

Anacostia elders

Sis. Brown with Evelyn

        And of course, the holidays are best spent with family!  And how fortunate I have been to have family nearby in Virginia.  We were able to go to Isla's special "Grandparents Day" at her preschool, to hear them sing, see them act out one of their favorite stories, as well as get a little loaf of pumpkin bread she had made at school!  It was a special morning to be a part of!

Isla's preschool

        We were also able to enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day with Stacie, David, and their beautiful family, as well as David's parents, the Palmers.  What a great day it was - the food was terrific, as well as the company, and a little program as well.  Liam played the piano, Isla danced, and David's father, Stan, sang "How Great Thou Art" - a wonderful conclusion to a very nice day!

Beautiful table

Delicious appetizers

Isla ready to eat!

It has truly been a wonderful Thanksgiving season and a time to reflect on all the blessings in my life.  I am so grateful for family, what a joy and blessing they all are in my life!  I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord in this capacity as a missionary, for the blessings of service, for the joy in serving others.  And I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for the Plan of Salvation, and the knowledge and understanding of a Father who loves and cares for each of His children.  May you each have a blessed week, and enjoy the beauties of this wonderful Holiday Season.  I love each of you!                                                                                                                                                           

Liam and Stacie playing the piano

November 12, 2017

Thanks to Danielle's (Frawnda LeCheminant) for the yummy bags of snowy chocolate popcorn I have been able to share with some of the sisters here in Maryland the past few weeks!  She sent me a large box full of these fun bags to share, and they have been such a hit!!  And I enjoyed the candy she sent along with them!  It is wonderful to have such support from friends at home!
       We have been able to visit some wonderful sisters and feel of their love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ here in Anacostia,  They are desirous to understand and know more.  Sister Mangituka is from the Congo and we are trying to help her learn English (she speaks mostly French).  She is such a faithful and sweet sister in the Gospel.  Vera is from Ghana and is so eager to grow and learn more of the Gospel as well.  It is so great to meet and know these sisters, many are 1st generation Mormons,  and their faith and testimonies of the Gospel are so strong.

Evelyn in native dress from Congo

Vera from Ghana

Sister Brown with Sharon Jones' grandsons

With Sister Nosiri, R.S. President

 Sister Jones is another faithful and sweet sister, who loves tending her twin grandsons whenever she can.  They are a handful, for sure, but it is fun to visit her and get our "grandma fix" when we are able to!
        Sister Nosiri is a faithful and dedicated Relief Society president of the Anacostia Ward.  She was recently put in and is doing a terrific job!  We hope we can be some help to her in her calling. 

Esra with her art project

We also love visiting and working with Esra, a sweet and beautiful handicapped girl in the ward.  Her father is in the bishopric here in Anacostia and they live on the Air Force Base.  We love to go there to give her mother a little break once in a while, in her overwhelming responsibilities!

      We were asked to help the stake Relief Society decorate the Suitland Stake Christmas tree in the Visitor's Center by the Washington D.C. temple this week.  What fun that was to do.  About 10 stakes in the D.C. and Maryland area have trees there, and it was a fun project to be a part of!  Our tree has a missionary theme, "Go Forth to Serve", and the ornaments are pictures of missionaries from and serving in this stake, plus ornaments of small world globes and stars made of map paper, and bicycles in clear glass balls.  Then flags from countries all over the world were stuck in throughout the tree.  Yes, it was a lot, but it was fun and a great theme.  Two of the sisters serving in the Visitor's Center came and found their country's flags to put on the tree (Bolivia and Uruguay) - so fun to see their excitement!

Decorating tree at Visitor's Center

Kitty Smith decorating tree

Pattons helping with tree

Sisters with flags of their country

Saturday we thought we would check out the Christmas Tree store just for fun - to get us ready for the season.  There were rows and rows of Christmas ornaments, decorations and fun, but when we asked where the Nativity sets were, three rows is all they could find.  I'm glad they at least have "Christ" a little bit in their Christmas store, after all that is the "reason for the season"!

Christmas store in Waldorf

LOTS of decorations!!

3 tiny rows of Nativities in the whole store!

As you are getting ready for the holiday season, please put Christ at the center of your celebrations and remember what we are commemorating, enjoy the season with your families, and remember the Savior of the world, what He has done for us and given to us.  I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.