{alexis.nicole.etc.}: March 2014

Note from Lexi's mom:

I'm a little behind so I'm posting last week's letter and this week's together.

March 3, 2014

Hi everyone!

I feel like I have a lot to say today, and this computer is not wanting to upload pictures (upsetting), so lets just get started.

First of all, this week I studied a lot about apostasy and the Primitive Church. I loved it. We had a brother from the stake come to our ward about two weeks ago who walking into our gospel principles class (the class we usually teach the second hour of church for investigators and recent converts) who blew my mind with knowledge. I learned so much in his class that I realized if people have a clear understanding of The Great Apostacy than the Restoration is very very easy to understand and believe. I especially love reading James E. Talmages Jesus the Christ Chapter 40. SNAP! It really lays it down so that it would be impossible to ignore the apostasy.

This week, we also had a couple of freak rain storms. Which is awesome except for my real umbrella was totally broken so I only had a little baby one that Kaylie and Emmalee sent me (Thanks girls!). So basically I spent 3 days wet. Also, my plastic shoes are dead, so I was using my leather keens but they DYED my toes black, so when I find a computer that wants to upload pictures I will send you THAT.

I also really liked this scripture in Psalms 118: 24

24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will arejoice andbe glad in it.

I basically just really liked the simpleness of the message. The Lord has made each day to be productive and to progress, so let´s make the most of everyday! YOLO! (Okay, sorry about that, is yolo even still a thing?..... maybe not..... this could be embarrassing..... maybe I should delete that part....)

I have been craving a good Jane Austen movie this week. Ugh, I´m such a girl!

Do you remember Rosa? Rosa, my ¨mom¨ in Los Santos (my first area)? My lovely investigator who was the DEFINITION of the type of person described in 2 Nephi 29? Apparently she FINALLY got baptized yesterday! Seriously, WHAT a miracle! This woman has known the missionaries for going on a year and a half. There was a time in my mission life that we were visiting her every single day. I cried and cried when I just couldn´t help her understand. Her heart was so hard for so long that I thought it might not ever happen. But now it has! Everyone has their timing, and everyone who asks it shall be given unto them. I am thrilled. Also, bummed that I couldn´t be there, but I am just glad that it happened.

Okay, so apparently my mom posted this on Facebook, but for those who don´t know, I got accepted into BYU Provo for this upcoming Fall Semester. First of all, how weird is it that I will attending the next semester? SO WEIRD. Second of all, I am way more excited than I ever thought I would be. I guess I have known from a while that this is what the Lord wants, but I doubted I would get accepted. Now that I have I feel like its the right thing to do. I am excited, but also.... confused? WHAT AM I GOING TO STUDY? Ahhh! I clearly not ready for the real world.

And now, last but definitely not least, the big news. I am no longer in Escazu! Last night I received a call from my Zone leaders that I would be having changes and that I will be training a newbie (STRAIGHT from the MTC). I was told I will also be opening the area, which means that we will be starting from 0. Luckily the Sister Specialists will be sharing Asseri with us, so its got to be a good area. I am so excited! nervous! thrilled! terrified! overwhelmed! grateful! sad! happy! a sister missionary roller-coaster of emotion! (What else is new?) I will be in a trio with the sister specialists until Wednesday to HOPEFULLY learn a little of the area before by poor baby gets here! I AM GOING TO BE A MOM! (Okay, to clarify, when someone is training, the newbie is their ¨son¨or ¨daughter¨ and the trainer is their ¨mom¨ or ¨dad¨). Its going to be a LOT of responsibility, but I am excited to learn and progress. I am excited to see what new things are in store, and I am grateful that the lord trusts me so much.

How are you all doing? I LOVE hearing from you all!

I hope you all have a wonderful, miracle filled week!

Love, Hermana Patterson

March 10, 2014

Hello family, friends and loved ones!

What a crazy long week its been! I feel like it has been a simultaneously very long and very short week. If you remember, last Monday I had changes. I have left Escazu and came to Aserri to train and to open the area. There were 2 sister missionaries here before, but now there will be 4. We are basically starting from zero. At first I was really worried about opening an area and training at the same time, but I cant believe the blessings we are receiving.

Lets start first with my companion. Her name is Hna Beltran, she is 19 and from Columbia. I am not really sure why, but sometimes she reminds me a lot of Brianne. We get along great. She is a very hard worker, is excited to be exactly obedient, and is FULL of faith. I was worried that training would because I thought a lot of the burden would be on my shoulders, but she really holds her own. She isn't scared to contact in the street, share her testimony or invite people to repent and be baptized. We haven't had to waste anytime trying to coax her into doing anything. I am really grateful for her.

Our area/ ward is called Aserri. It has a lot of hills, which is a pattern in my mission. We are actually just on the other side of the mountain from Escazu (Think the distance of Lehi from Sandy). Our ward is in the same stake as my branch in Los Santos. We have a really great group of members who are willing and able to show us around, give us references and take care of the missionaries. I can say to start off that this is the ward that has been the most supportive for the missionaries I have seen in my mission. We were blessed enough to have 3 investigators come to church yesterday (which is pretty great when you have only worked in your area about 3 days) and we each got to do a talk and then the four sister missionaries did a musical number which was really beautiful and brought the spirit. Between these few things I feel like we are gaining the confidence of the members fast. How great!

Its been a very spiritual week. Opening an area you just learn to rely on the spirit, because you don't really have many other options. We have been blessed incredibly with little miracles everyday. The Lord is good with us.

I'm sorry that this letter is so short and I am sorry that I don't have any pictures this week. I am not really sure what I am doing wrong, but these computers don't want to let me upload anything. Two weeks in a row, bummer!

Hope all is going well at home! I love you all so much and pray for you daily!

Hermana Patterson

Today, I would like to start my email with the same introduction as the crazy lady at the bus stop the other day:

¨Señores, Señoras, jovenes, ancianos!¨ (¨Men, women, youth and old people!¨)

How are ya doin´? Pura vida? Pura vida.

What a good week we had.

The most important thing that happened was Carolina and Carlos´s baptism. What a special day it was for all of us!

When some members from my companions last area (Ojo de Agua) heard that Hermana Delgado had come to Ezcazu, they asked us to visit Carolina and Carlos, their family. The first time we went to go find them we were REAL lost. We were walking up and down the street, asking everyone we met and we could not find them. We actually even rang their doorbell, but they weren´t home at the time so we thought that it wasn´t the house. We were sad that we had gone all the way up the mountain and not found them.

Carlos and Carolina live really close to the edge of the mountain where there is a BEAUTIFUL view of the San Jose Valley. When we realized that we weren´t going to find them we were about to turn back and go home, but being the spaz that I am, I got really excited about the view and ran down the street to see it. My poor companion and the member that was with us were surely both rolling their eyes at me. While we were looking at the view, we saw two women walking up the dirt road. I decided to ask them if they knew Carolina. They looked surprised, and then one responded ¨Um… I am Carolina.¨ I was so glad that my spontantiusm (is that a real word… doubt it) found them!

As we began to teach Carolina we realized that she is one of those people who have the spiritual gift of faith. She drank everything we said in and really understood the doctrine without much explanation. She wasn´t afraid to read, to ponder, or to ask god if it’s true, so of course her testimony came easily.

We also felt it was important to teach her husband Carlos at the same time. Basically from the second lesson we had Carolina was determined to be baptized, but Carlos wanted to be absolutely sure about what he was doing. But, he too, was willing to keep his commitments and pray with real intent. When he had a special dream, he knew it was his answer and quickly committed to baptism.

They are both so excited about their new and strong testimonies. They are anxious to raise their children in the gospel and be sealed as a family in a year. Like with Claudia, I am grateful for the opportunity my Heavenly Father gave me to be part of their conversion experience. Knowing Carlos and Carolina has made me a better missionary and a better person. They are examples to me of faith and of willing to do whatever the Lord asks without excuses. (They forgot to push the button to drain the font after the baptism, so I almost feel in trying to push it with this rod.)

Seriously, sometimes I think that Lord is changing my life more in the mission than changing the life of others. I am so grateful for this time I have to focus 100 percent on the blessings of the gospel and serving others. I am grateful for the incredible blessing of have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and more importantly, having a testimony of it. I know it is the only way to true happiness.

The church is true the book is blue! Read it, and you´ll know just like Carlos, Carolina and I.

Love,

Hermana Patterson

PS-enjoy pictures of me enjoying Costa Rica!

eating wild raspberries on the mountain side.