"Nah, I'm a critter-gitter! Aint no doubt!" -Jason, Sherry's husband

Last night in Clinton with all the Scott kids. This is Wabbles
 the special-needs puppy and DayDay, my hairdresser :) 

Hey Yall! Things got switched around and I'm in Madison :) Serving with Sister Child! It. Is. Great.


First, Sherry. Sherry is getting baptized in 6 days! She is an absolute angel. For those of you that keep up with my emails, she is a lot like Sunny :) I am her 5th Sister Missionary (completed another hand, Dede!) and she and I are best friends already. Sherry is on day 7 SMOKE FREE! Seriously she has overcome so much and grasped everything so quickly. Sister Maughan found her and started teaching her a few months ago, she moved away a few times, and finally came back. Since she has been back Sisters have been teaching her! Last week we saw her 6/7 days. She was interviewed for baptism yesterday, and the entire ward is so excited! She calls us her warriors :) Her husband's name is Jason, and he is slowly becoming interested as he watches his wife make all these changes. Apparently in the 9 years they have been together he hasn't prayed with her. I didn't know this, and he agreed to kneel with us to pray the first night we visited, and he offered the prayer another night! Sherry is in shock. He was THIS CLOSE to going to Iowa to work for 4 months, but our prayers kept him here and we are so excited to teach him :) 

 LOVE. I am so short, yall. 

We have been teaching a couple other people who are almost ready to be baptized! This is a great area :) We are in a 3 way car share with 2 cars. So that means we have the car for two weeks and we bike for one. With my luck, of course, I got here on bike week. Remember, we are in tropical storm weather. Y'all we got soaked like 3 times this week. My first day we biked to the Kroger to buy groceries and had to wring out our skirts before going inside. One of the storms was so bad I couldn't even see! Water was splashing all in my eyes and nose. So lovely. When we got home that day I felt like I had just jumped in a lake with all of my clothes and my bag. It was bad. But character building! We took pictures of after one of the lighter showers.. we came home and went inside in silence after the bad one. Both of us were just like "oh. my." 

Yesterday we did a teeny bit of tracting, somehow there was no time this week! (the best) and we even met some cool people. 

Sister Child and I are working hard here :) And I am loving the ward! Shout out to Sister Davin who already reads my blog! ✌

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK!  Love,
Sister Bartsch

My real address is:
831 Rice Road #273
Ridgeland, MS 39157
I like post cards!

 My last District and the matching ties Sister Crosby and I made! New talent :)

After some rain, you can't hardly tell.

Number 5 with Sherry!

Then she wanted to hold my complete hand... okay!

I know it looks like she is fixin to punch me
in the face, but we are friends I promise!

Change of plans!

Crazy thing happened, I'm in Madison, not Richton! And my companion is Sister Child, my grandbaby :) President changed his mind yesterday morning, Sister Child's companion had 2 hours to pack, and she is the new STL! Good for her! Madison is a super, super rich area. Like Oak Grove! Bring it on.

my address is

831 Rice Road #273
Ridgeland, MS 39157

*car drives by and yells at us* Me: What did they say? Sister Crosby: Ummm, well, it was either "SUP!" or "YER DUMB!"

I think maybe 4 seconds after this picture was taken
the sky started dumping buckets :) I love this sweet companion!!
 Luckily I'm not going far :):)

Good Morning, yall! 

Have you ever heard of tropical storm weather? Let me define it for you: The sky is overcast and gloomy for several days, and there's about a 80% chance of rain any moment. And there is a constant mist or light rain. Randomly you will have an hour of sunlight that will make everything hot and miserably humid. Until it rains again :) So that has been the weather for the last 5ish days, and that's the forecast for the next few! I really don't mind the rain, or even the humidity anymore. But I just never know when to wear my clunky rain boots.. and it seems I am wearing or not wearing them at all the wrong times. Last night we knocked on a member family's door, they let us in and offered to dry our socks. Bless them. We haven't had the car for a while, and I think I have walked enough to have probably walked myself home! Don't worry, I don't want to. But I could have :) 

We taught Diane such a great lesson this week. She let us sit down on her porch and teach the full Restoration lesson. She talks about being introverted and not feeling comfortable coming to church. Bus she told us that recently she has begun wondering about truth and starting to seek it out. Her "I will find a church someday" has gotten closer and closer. I told her about how we had prayed for a long time about where to knock doors. I even told her that we really don't LIKE knocking on doors. But that we were led directly to her! And that we keep feeling like we need to come back! Her heart is opening and her fear is starting to fade away. It is so beautiful to see what the Gospel can do for a person. Already she is reading her scriptures and praying more than she was before and I can tell a difference. After we said our closing prayer she said that maybe she would set it as a goal to come to church before I leave.. I told her that I probably will be here for another 6 weeks. And I just found out I was wrong and I will be leaving tomorrow. I'm so sad to go! Diane is just one example of the wonderful things happening in the Clinton area. I really love it here, but I know God  has a plan for me! and I am excited to start new somewhere else :) 

Thank yall for your support and prayers! I love you all!

Have a blessed week!  

2. 

New address in case you want to write me:
260 Lowe Circle Apt 26 E
Richland, MS 39218

 our sweaty during one of the hot hours after a downpour :)

PS: Pray for the people in the floods down here! I'm safe, but there are a lot of people that aren't :/

Doris: "Nah, yall, I still got my M&M!! My Man and my Money!!"

I had such a happy week :) 
We'll start with exchanges. I love Sister Mozingo. She served close by me in my last area :) She is known for "slaying" whatever she does, having the best missionary music, and being ridiculously positive about everything. Bless her :) we had a great day! Except for when we went to a gas station... that had no gas... and was really sketchy inside.. as we were driving away, a really nice black lady honked and yelled "THIS AINT THE STORE YALL NEED TO BE AT, GO UP THE ROAD." ...... YES MAAM!!!!! We learned later that if a station has bars on the windows and bulletproof glass around the cashier, we should find another one :) lesson forever learned 👍 don't worry, mom, I'm safe! 

AND THEN on Thursday I had the best day at the Food Network. I love it every time, but this time there was only 6 missionaries and a LOT of boxes to build. We usually build boxes one day, and then pack them full of food on another. This box building turned into a huge contest. Fold, tape, put papers inside, and stack them 5 high. Yall, my team crushed it. We even beat the ladies. It was so fun!! And they let us take pictures!! One of them had some Spiritual questions that we were able to talk through, too. It was just a really happy, hot, sweaty two hours :) 

Thursday night was the last time we got to  help out with the Special Needs Adults Reading program.. I'm really sad it's over for the summer. They asked me to say the opening prayer. I totally forgot that it's not normal to say opening prayers at community functions... but it is here!! They had a little awards ceremony and recognized each of the students. Only half of them could make it, just the guys! But we got to meet their families and take a picture with them, too.  LOVED IT.

Yesterday was cute Zachary's baptism. About 4 or so months ago Sisters were knocking doors and found this family! Turns out they were members and hadn't been to church since moving to Mississippi. Well, we've been visiting with them ever since! Remember when I helped out at a superhero birthday party? That was Zach's! And he was turning 8! So we have been helping him prepare for baptism :) He's such a sweetheart and he he even bore his testimony yesterday. 

My companion and I are doing our very best out here. We are really good at laughing instead of crying when things are struggling, worried, stressed, scared, or nervous. We just pray and get to work! I'm grateful for Sister Crosby's greenie fire!! I sure needed that boost. We are striving every day to lift the hopes of the people down here, so many are worried about the future. We hear about so many discouraging events, but we are trying to respond positively and good news! My current favourite scripture to share is Moroni 9:25-26. Mormon is writing to Moroni about all the wickedness he has witnessed and the awful state of the Nephites and the Lamanites, but he finishes his letter with:

 25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.

 26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.

And I think we could all use a little lift! 

Have a blessed week!
Sister Bartsch



1. MozzyG!! (Sister Mozingo) (She gave me that dress💕)
2-3. Food Network Fun!!
4. My fav, OG. She gets released next week! Hooray! 
5. My Buddies: Aiden, Sis Crosby, Matthew, Seth, Xavier, Jared, Chris, Branden, Daniel, and me! (Notice Seth's yawn. Classic.)
6. Zach!
7. We don't understand the hype. But we've seen people wandering streets looking at their phones! Makes it easy to talk to them :) thanks, Pokemon! 

Guy: "Where are you from?" Sister Crosby: "Utah!" Guy "Oh, Utah! Home on the Range!!!!" Both of us: ??

The Sisters in Vicksburg!

Well, I am having a hard time remembering this week. But I remember that I'm exhausted and worn out, so that's a great sign! There was a lot of rain and really loud thunder, I remember that! Lightning storms are almost a daily thing in the summer here :) I love it! Except for when I am far from home and without an appointment. But that doesn't happen too often. 

Brother Watts, shredding guitarist!

On Tuesday we went to lunch with Matt Watts and we brought Summer :) Brother Watts was the original guitarist for Three Doors Down! Isn't that cool??? Now he's a member. (would someone please check this fact for me? I keep asking for videos and he hasn't shown them to me yet)

Every Wednesday we have a District Lunch before our District Meeting, and this week we made chicken and waffles! There was also watermelon and purple kool-aid to make it a complete Southern meal. 

Chicken and waffles! (I straightened my hair that morning and it was only 12:00. I've given up!)

On Thursday we taught had a dinner appointment with the most enthusiastic, curly-head, 3 year old I have ever seen. Everything that comes out of Little Natalie's mouth is a compliment or something extremely positive. Every time I see her I feel better about myself! "woooOOOOow!! your shirt has pink AND blue flowers on it, my favorite color is pink, I think your shirt is pretty." 2 minutes later "WOOOOOAH your skirt has buttons, let me count them. NINE BUTTONS, I love the number nine!! oh my GOODNESS!" In the middle of our lesson, the baby brother starts screaming and crying. Natalie sees the concern in our faces, drops the object lesson we asked her to hold, gets right in my face, and says "this lesson is AWESOME." in her cute three-year-old lisp. Now we've been saying that after every lesson that goes kinda off track. "That lesson was AWESOME." It helps. And I want to grow up to be more like Natalie.

The last highlight I can remember right now was last night! We built a fort with a less-active family and watched a church movie. The picture is with Sierra, who reminds me a lot of my younger self... her way is the right way to build forts, yall 😉

Building Forts with Sierra!!!

But really, I'm quite sure this was a good week :) We were able to do lots of service and I always love that! We saw Diane a couple more times, please keep praying for her! 

I may not have had a whole lot of big missionary miracle moments, but I feel like I learned a lot about myself this week. Sister Crosby and I have set some really cool goals to strengthen our faith, and it is working already! I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Man, what in the world would I do without it? All I can think about is how to share this peace and relief with others! I'm so grateful for my mission, and so grateful for all of you that support and pray for me. 

Have a blessed week! 
Sister Bartsch

"So, what's it like doin LDS mission work in the most Bap-dist city in the most Bap-dist state in the country?" -Guy with the preacher haircut :)

I belong here!

WE HAVE HAD SUCH A BUSY WEEK!! I apologize for the lame emails recently, my mom told me there were too many holes in the last one, this one will be better :)

Last Monday night we went bowling with the Special Needs Adults group we volunteer for :) My buddy Warren, who somehow ALWAYS ends up sitting next to me ;), did really good :) I have a video of a big group hug after he got a spare. I love these people. 

On Tuesday we spent the afternoon with Summer! Summer got baptized about two months ago, I'm really good at swooping into an area right after baptisms :) and I love her so much! She is (almost) 18 and is planning on coming to visit me in Utah when I get home. She wants to move there for school, but needs to check it out first. Can we keep her, mom?? It was hot outside, so we taught her lesson on the lawn furniture in Big Lots :) 

With Summer... can we keep her, Mom?

Wednesday, though, things started to happen. We have been trying so hard to find people who are ready. We've been taking a lot of hard rejections over the last couple weeks. SO we tried our hardest to be more obedient, prayed really really hard, and worked for a miracle. We had prayed about where to tract again this week, and were led to Oakwood Drive. We start tracting. Rejection, after rejection, after painfully sweet rejection. So we aren't very happy. And we pray to see if there is something more worthwhile to do. We see a lady struggling with her trash, but by the time we get there she's figured it out. darn. We keep walking, find some people who don't speak English. Feelin' pretty down, we turn around to go back the other way. We were sent to this street for a reason, right? Sister Crosby points and says "Let's try that door" (classic missionary story) a sweet lady named Diane comes out, talks with us for about an hour about everything from the church to our hobbies and interests. After an hour on her porch I was so sweaty and so covered in bug bites but I didn't care one bit. We are seeing Miss Diane tomorrow evening with a sweet lady from the ward and we're pretty excited. She had a lot of really good questions and has been very disappointed in local churches lately, it seems the only one she hasn't tried out is ours! Ta-daaaaa!! Blessings on blessings.

Mississippi Food Network Volunteering

On Thursday we got to serve at the Mississippi Food Network! This is the sweatiest warehouse, but we love it there. We got to serve alongside MDOC convicts in downtown Jackson! Pretty unique opportunity :) That night we taught Shante and her girls :) Love them. Shante is planning on a baptism in August, but her 11 year old daughter is not so enthusiastic about it. So we are working with her. And after a lesson with Shante and a member of the ward, we went outside and did Gospel of Jesus Christ hopscotch. It was pretty fun :) Yall pray for this sweet family!

Friday morning was great. Remember my selfie with members of the YMCA Senior club? This week our bible study quadrupled. We were SO not expecting that. People just kept coming in! We don't even know who invited them. But we had a really great discussion on Faith/Works and Love/Works. AND THEN we took their first ever mirror pic. The group was much too big for a selfie :) We were so happy.

Mirror Selfie with our Seniors group!

Pioneer Day with the Blacks.

Saturday morning though. I did something I never thought I'd do. Sister Crosby and I sang Swing Low Sweet Charriot with our Bluegrass Band friends. YALL IT WAS THE MOST SOUTHERN MOMENT OF MY MISSION. And then we sang How Great Thou Art and In the Garden (one of my new favourites). It was so fun. And we got to talk to them for a while about our missions and what Methodists believe. This is where the email subject line came from :) And on Saturday night we had our Pioneer Day activity. The Southern Mormons go all out on Pioneer day. This ward had a live band and square dancing, about half of the people were dressed up, and there were a LOT of people there. The band was almost all non-members, though, and I was genuinely concerned if they thought some of us actually dress like the Sister Wives they see on TV. Missionaries go out all day trying to tell people we don't practice plural marriage.. haha. So hopefully they understood. 

Cornbread making skills

And then Sunday night we perfected our cornbread making skills. Yall can just always sign me up to bring the cornbread to potlucks and family parties. Because it's durn good and really fun to make. We got Mama Dudley's recipe and modified it :) I'm excited for yall to try it! I had cornbread for breakfast this morning instead of my grits, even! 

Also, this week I finished reading the Book of Mormon! I did it in nine weeks this time :) the mission challenge was to finish in 12. I think I got ahead when I was sick, though. It was awesome. We were asked to read it all the way through and mark all of Christ's names, His words, and references to Him. Basically you end up marking most of the book. It was really cool to see how much the Book of Mormon truly testifies of Christ. It is so amazing to me what strong faith the prophets of the Book of Mormon had! I love the opportunity I have to go out and share this Book that means so much to me with every person I meet. I've seen it bring peace to many troubled hearts, including my own! If you haven't read from it today, you should. 

I love you ALL so much!! Smile big and have a blessed week! Someone in Mississippi LOVES YOU!!

Sister Bartsch

Hopscotch with Destiny (6) and Janaria (11)

Does this remind anyone of Batman?

Rainy Days in Mississippi

Bowling with these guys.

Me: "Woah, careful ma'am! That's a Bible!" After an old lady basher threw her Bible on the floor.

Hey Yall!!! 

It's been a real good week :) I love my area, my companion, my district, my zone, the work, and being a missionary. Not sure I could possibly ask for anything more! 

We taught a LOT of lessons, did more tracting than I have done in a whiiiiile, and were able to do LOTS of service hours. Sister Crosby had her first Bible Bash, her first hard rejections, and ate okra and chicken and dumplins for the first time!! Her firsts are coming a ton faster than mine did. I had to really look for Southern Experiences. She found her first roach on her first day, come on. Not fair. 

Sister Crosby is great. She's adjusting really quickly to missionary life :) She really, really wants to learn and is growing so fast! It's really cool to be training again, because I can see how much I've learned over the passed 13 months. Sometimes she asks me questions and I surprise myself by knowing the answer! When did this happen? Being a missionary is a constant trip, yall. I was talking to President Olson about this in my interview. He said just like our mortal bodies allow our spirits to progress faster than they otherwise would, being set apart as a full-time missionary helps our spirits progress much quicker than in normal life! That's the truth. I am so grateful for my mission, when I look back on the last year or so, I feel like a completely different, much better person!! It's a miracle! Anyways, back to Sister Crosby. This week we got locked out on our balcony and we built a fort! She made enchiladas for dinner one night, bless her. And I think we will do well together :)

We made a hard choice this week. We decided to consecrate ourselves just a little bit more. I don't want to say the area is struggling, but we are definitely not busy enough here. So, we decided to drop an investigator who wasn't progressing. I'll be honest, we would schedule to go teach her in the middle of the hottest part of our day because we knew she kept her house at 68 degrees and she would offer us a cold drink. It's bad, I know. She wasn't keeping any commitments and didn't understand our purpose, but she was really nice!! So we had a good talk with her, explained to her that we have a greater purpose, reassured her that we would be okay in the heat, and told her to call us when she wants to learn and progress. She told us that she will let us pull back now, and she will decide what she wants to do. It turned out to be a really good lesson. She knows exactly what we have to offer her! And she knows that we love her and will be happy to come back when she is ready. Sister Crosby and I are trying to use our time better so that we can be trusted with people who will progress in the Gospel. We are trying to show the Lord and the members our desire to be obedient, with hopes that they will trust us with people to teach!! Your prayers would be appreciated :) we have several referrals that we can't wait to contact and teach, a few people with serious potential, and some high goals to reach :) Miracles happen!

Now for some pictures:
1. My fav. These are some of the ladies that stay after their YMCA Senior exercise class for our Bible Study. As we were taking this picture they all said "oh! this is my first selfie!!!" Marge, Susan, Barbara, Me, Roberta, and Sister Crosby 💕
2. 2/3 Jackson Zone Pic
3. Love my companion, silly Elders think they're funny. 
4. Another Posterity picture. My Dad, Elder Stanford (far right) and his five kids! He has trained all the Elders and he was my district leader when I first started my mission :) I'm his only daughter!
5. ❤​​

Life is good here, thank you for all your support!! Keep your chins up and your faces toward the sunshine :) I love you all!!

Have a blessed week!!

Sister Bartsch

Oh and here is a picture of us locked out on our balcony :)