We went to the temple,
I felt really, really tired
I saw Hna Garcia for the first time in 5 months
Kelly.... was not baptized this week
I enjoyed this story.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
May 12, 2014
Dear Friends and family,
We are doing well here in Aserri. We had a baptism this satuday, Cristian who has one of the easiest baptisms I have ever had. I have never had someone so willing to accept the gospel. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God? He believes it without problem? Tell him to read the Book of Mormon? He´s read through Jacob. Law of Chastity? He is willing. Give up coffee to live the Word of wisdom? Aswell. We almost didn´t know what to do with ourselves. :) The best part is that Cristian was a members LPE. Scarlet is a future missionary in the San Miguel ward. Because San Miguel only has Elders, she likes to work with us sisters in Aserri as well. She does a great job of doing LPEs while she is in ¨missionary mode¨. She met Cristian in the bus, and brought him to our ward, which was the first time we met him. 3 weeks later he is baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. How cool. Not only has it motivated us as missionaries to do more LPE´s but also Scarlet as a member has more drive to share the gospel. What a great experience!
This week we also saw other miracles. Kelly is an investigator that we have been working with for about a month. The first time we met Kelly, I was on divisions with Hna Roundy and we were in a lesson with Kelly´s mom, Alba. We were inviting Alba to be baptized and trying to put a date. At first, she seemed willing, until Kelly came home. When Kelly walked through the door, Alba told Kelly ¨These chicas want me to be baptized. What do you think?¨ Obviously Kelly hadn´t been in our lesson, so hadn´t been feeling the spirit at all of the invitation. Immediately Kelly starting saying ¨NO! No! You can´t be baptized in another church! We have a youth group in our house every week!¨As soon as Kelly said no, Alba said no. As we explained that our invitation was just to PREPARE to be baptized by reading the scriptures, praying and attending church, Alba reluctantly accepting the goal, but we learned quickly that Kelly was the key if anyone in that house would progress.
As we started sharing the fullness of the gospel with Alba´s family, many of their friends from their youth group also joined in on our lessons and accepted baptismal date goals. They all really understood the logic of the restoration, but when it came down to it, Kelly was the only one who was willing to keep commitments. The first week, everyone in their group accepted the invitation to come to church, but at last minute, Kelly was they only who came. At first I was worried because Kelly brought a friend we had never met before. It was Easter weekend and so many of the members (and more importantly, youth) were out of town. Kelly´s friend starting complaining about how boring church was, and wasn´t making ANY effort at all to feel the spirit or learn. Even though Kelly was making an effort, I worried her friends bad attitude would influence her. I was relieved when the next week we focused on her study of the Book of Mormon. Everyone in Albas house (family and friends) were reluctant when it came to the Book of Mormon. They were all very comfortable with the Bible and weren´t sure how they felt about learning about something new. One day, Kelly took our advice and prayed, asking her Father in Heaven for guidance. She told us that we she was praying she felt the need to read the Book of Mormon. At first she struggled with her reading, but as starting studying with her, she would mark the verses she liked and eventually starting reading on her own. She came to church a second time, and her study of the Book of Mormon continued. She said she really liked the Book of Mormon, and prayed to know if it was from God. She felt like it was, but was still hesitant when it came to baptism. On Wednesday we had a really great lesson with a recent convert (Young woman) named Deniese. Kelly starting saying that she didn´t feel like she could be baptized right now, and that maybe she should wait until she was 18. Deniese was WONDERFUL! She explained how important the Holy Ghost and other blessings of baptisms just couldn´t wait until Kelly was 18. We finished our lesson with Deniese with a knelt prayera and I starting flipping through my scriptures. I starting talking about the apostles and their lifestyles as fishermen. I talked about the questions that Christ has for them, if they were willing to leave that all behind and serve him. We talked about how now that they have the gospel in their lives, they couldn´t go back and be the people they were before. The Lord was calling them to leave their boats and nets behind to serve him. The spirit was very strong and we ended with our testimonies and left as quickly as we could so that they could ponder on the spirit.
Kelly said in that moment that she still didn´t feel ready, but she felt that she should pray alone that night, and that she felt she would be ready before her date, the 17th. I left feeling very pleased. 2 days later, when we passed by for Kelly again, it was just Kelly and Alba. They both had a bunch of excuses of why Kelly couldn´t be baptized. I started feeling SO frustrated because we had felt the spirit so strong just the other day, and I had felt that Kelly was SO close to choosing to be baptized. The biggest excuse was the celula (youth spiritual group from another church) that they hold every week in their home. Even though they don´t attended the other church anymore, they both felt like they couldn´t just stop the celula and be baptized in another church. Like I said, I was feeling so frustrated, and said a quick prayer in my heart, begging the Lord to guide my words and share something from the scriptures that would touch their hearts. I immediatley thought of this talk : https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-first-great-commandment?lang=eng
The next day, we returned, completely prepared to talk even more about the importance of being baptized. We had prayed, and prayed hard. We had fasted, and we had done everything we could think of to help Kelly understood. We got to the house we started talking to Alba. I asked her if what she would think if Kelly choose to be baptized, she casually mentioned that it was Kelly´s decision, but she didn´t think it would happen anytime soon. Then, Kelly arrived. We took a deep breath, and we were ready to jump into again, when Kelly casually said ¨Okay, I´ve decided to be baptized. I know it´s what the Lord wants for me¨. We couldn´t believe it. She told us that before she had a bunch of small doubts and excuses, but now she could see them for what they were, excuses. She said ¨I guess the Lord just put it in my heart. It´s what I want to do.¨ Alba couldn´believe it either. She asked Kelly what she was going to do with the celula. And then came my favorite answer ¨I don´t have a convenant with the Celula. I am going to make a covenant with God¨. We were so dumbfounded and happy!
The next day (yesterday/ Sunday) Kelli came to church for the 3rd time. She was outgoing and lovable to everyone inviting the entire world to her baptism. Everyone was thrilled! We have used various members to work with Albas family so half the Ward was a buzz about the new girl Kelly who is going to be baptized this next Saturday.
I am so grateful to the opportunity I have had to work with and know Kelly. We put so much WORK into helping her get a testimony that it just felt so VICTORIOUS when she finally said yes. For me, its just a testimony that if investigators and missionaries do their part (keep commitments, be obedient and pray hard) then the Lord does the rest and finally puts the answer they need in their heart, so they don´t have any doubt.
2 Yea, behold, I will tell yo
3 Now, behold, this is the sp
Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-5
I also got to see Hna Delgado this week when she went on divisions with the Hermana Especialistas this week. I love her so much! I forgot how little she is! haha.
Hope you all have a great week! It was so great to Skype for mothers day!
Love, Hermana Patterson
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
My Left Knee Bites the Dust
PUUUUUURRRRAAAA VIDA.
Hey, how is everyone doing? I hope well.
I can´t believe how quickly time is flying! This very next Sunday I will be talking with my family via skype once again! I feel like we just talked though skype a few weeks ago, and I can´t believe that 5 months have passed! WHAT? What will the next 3.5 months bring? I hope I have something new and exciting to share with my family! haha
... Elder White from the mission office asking me to which airport I would like to fly home to..... WHAT?!?!!?!?! When did we get to this point? Are they allowed to ask me such things? I think it should be against the rules. So yea, stay tuned for return flight plans in the next few weeks....!
For my birthday, I asked Hna Bay to paint a picture of the four of us in front of the temple, so that I could use it for my agenda. We made copies so that we have twinner planners for ALL of us. :)
On Tuesday we had a really great zone meeting from president Wilkinson about focusing on missionary work and trying to eliminate missionary ¨things¨. Missionary things are the little odd things that we waste a lot of our days doing (like taking buses, making phone calls, etc... ) and trying to plan better so that all our sacred time can be used to do Missionary ¨work¨ (Finding, teaching, baptizing and retaining). It was really motivating and I always feel the spirit strong with President Wilkinson. We were all really pleased because we met our zone goals for April, so President says he will all receive an invitation (Because that is how we go to the temple now, by invitation from president) to THE TEMPLE! Woot! Hopefully it will be in this coming week, or the weeks to follow! I am pumped!
One of my favorite principles that he taught us is that in life, right before miracles come, things become hard. This is because the adversary doesn´t want us to have miracles in our lives, and he is trying to wear us down and make it so we don´t want to keep going. He explain that the times we feel the most discouraged should be the times that we recognize that its because there are miracles headed our way, and that we should be diligent and even more obedient to receive the miracles. I loved that because its so true! I have seen that so much in my own life. I hope that I got the principle across, because I am trying to translate in my head, and I also didn´t have a white board to draw a visual. Hopefully you all understood!
Alright, so the other day, my companion and I are contacting someone in the street. He is super friendly, and we are getting really excited to visit him. The thing is that we are catching casually with him on the side of the road. In Costa Rica there are rarely beautiful sidewalks of the side of the road. The pavement just kind of ends and falls off unto the dirt.
So we are talking, and clearly on the side of the pavement, when a big truck comes down the street, and starts honking like a mad man. You would have thought we were in the middle of the street. Anyway, to try and be courteous, I step to the side to make it clear we are not in his way. I didn´t realize that my step to the left, was not level, so I totally LOST my balance and basically fall on my face, mostly just scrapping my knee up real bad. Talk about embarrassing. I quickly jump back up and feel like everything is good. But as we continue talking to him, and then contacting another man in the street, it becomes clear to me quickly that my now open scrapes and filled with dirt and are getting infected. If my skirt touches it, it feels like its on fire. So we go to a nearby members home to clean it out. As we start cleaning it, my skin starts bubbling up and burning like crazy. It was not a very pleasant experience but I am fine now. 
Anyways, I am SUPER out of time. It´s Mom and Alex´s fault ;)
I love you guys!
See you all next Sunday!
Hermana Patterson
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
A Golden Birthday!
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On Tuesday (my birthday) I woke up to this:
.... Me getting REALLY exicted over this mascara. Costa Rica just doesn´t understand makeup.
One of the things in the ¨Sunshine¨ Package was a box of Lemon bars..... Oh.... my... gosh. I think I forgot how much I love those things. Our ¨mom¨ Hna Aura makes lunch for us everyday, so I brought the box to her house and asked for her help. BEST LEMON BARS EVER!
When I got dressed for the day, (with my new cute stuff from Grandma), I didn´t even realize that the three of us were matching. So cute. We (almost) didn´t even plan it!
That day we had district meeting. My now old district leader, Elder Valasquez bought me a birthday card, my new district leader brought me a snickers bar and everyone sang happy birthday. We have a really fun zone.
At our district meeting we had an activity about listening to the spirit. (hense, why we have elders ties around our eyes.)
After our district meeting, Tatiana sent me a message that we needed to come over to her house IMMEDIATELY. I was worried about what was going on, but she had made me a cake!
When we got home, Hna Bay and Hna Roundy DECEIVED ME. I was in their apartment talking about some of our investigators, while my companion was ¨changing¨ when I walked in the door, this is what I found:
It´s okay if you don´t understand the writing on my birthday cake, just realize that there are TWO really funny jokes on there.
It´s okay if you don´t understand the writing on my birthday cake, just realize that there are TWO really funny jokes on there.
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