Josh Mission Email August 4 2026: 1 and Done

Hello all!

It came as a big surprise, but I am getting transferred! My companion is going home so I totally thought I would stay, but nope. I’ve had a good time here in the Annapolis YSA area, lots of really cool people.

Quick one for you guys today

– We got caught outside in a MASSIVE storm. I didn’t even know Maryland could get tornados, but we were in a tornado watch for a couple hours. I got totally soaked but I love summer rain so it was chill.
– Member meals in YSA are a ton of fun because everyone is your age so it just feels like a group hangout where we share a spiritual thought at the end. We only had a couple this transfer but they will be missed.
– No one from the ward came to the ward game night. We usually have a pretty good sized group of people who consistently come, but the stars all just aligned so no one could make it. Who was able to make it though, was a couple of our friends. The ward usually brings the games as well, so we were left with a very sad scene of 4 people total, Throw Throw Burrito, and Bannanagrams. I quickly pivoted and so we all went and got ice cream and it ended up being pretty fun.
– Best for last, Davonta got baptized! I’ve been teaching him ever since I got into the area, and he is super cool. I want to dedicate more in another email to tell a little more of his story, he’s been dealt a really hard hand in life, but his resilience is inspiring.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT 🚨🔥
“Even something as small as a man’s thumb, when held very near the eye, can blind him to the very large sun. Yet the sun is still there. Blindness is brought upon the man by himself. When we draw other things too close, placing them first, we obscure our vision of heaven.” Elder Gary E. Stevenson Oct 2017

Don’t let the small things get in the way of what matters most!

Love you all,
Elder Banks