The Circle of Life and The Waterfall

Hola Everyone!
This week was a pretty normal to be quite honest. I don´t have a lot of exciting stories to share, or travels to Panama to report.  This week was pretty calm.
Lets start with this.
On the 3^rd of July, a group of us green-go´s had an appointment at the U.S Embassy in San Jose.  We all felt VERY patriotic being on United States soil the day before Independence day.  It was actually pretty fun. Everyone was speaking English, and there were TV´s everywhere with gorgeous photos of America the beautiful.  I think we all were feeling a little homesick at this point. We joked about wanting to sing the Star Spangeled Banner for all to hear, but we chickened out.  I was even wearing red, white and blue. Okay the truth is I half planned it. 
A fun part of the trip to San Jose is this Circle of Life photo:

This photo is fun because we have a group of 6 sisters here in Costa Rica that all traded companions this last change. Let me explain.  From Left to right, let’s number the sister missionaries off (I am #1).
Past Companionships:
1/5, 2/4, 3/5, 3/6
Current Companionships:
1/2 , 3/4, 5/6
I hope that wasn’t too confusing. We think its pretty funny. Also, for your information, My
“Mom” (Missionary talk for trainer) is Number 5 and my “grandma”(Trainer’s trainer) is number 3. Cool right?
The other fun thing this week was that today for P/day we went to a really pretty waterfall in Santa Maria.

 I LOVE Santa Maria. It  is so beautiful, calm, AND THERE AREN’T ANY HILLS! We only had to walk about 1 KM to find it. It’s pretty cloudy and cold but we had so much fun! We even climbed around the river so that we could stand in the shallow water right in front of the waterfall.  How lucky am I to be in Costa Rica? I am not sure what I did right, but I will take it. I looooove it here. I also love how I am in the countryside, not city. Chances are a lot of my mission will be spent in the city. Although I don’t have a Walmart, or even Price-mart (Costa Rican Costco….. literally costco with a different name) I love how calm and safe my area is. Super  Presh.






Its interesting having a new companion and being the one with the most time in the area. I definitely have a lot more to learn, but its also fun.

Some interesting things I found in my personal study this week that you might also enjoy:
This scripture chopped my head off when we considered stop visiting one of our less actives: 3 Nephi 18:32

 32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your ^asynagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall ^bheal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them.

This quote:

The Gift of Prayer

“Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father. …

“It matters not our circumstance, be we humble or arrogant, poor or rich, free or enslaved, learned or ignorant, loved or forsaken, we can address Him. We need no appointment. Our supplication can be brief or can occupy all the time needed. It can be an extended expression of love andgratitude or an urgent plea for help. He has created numberless cosmos and populated them with worlds, yet you and I can talk with Him personally, and He will ever answer.”

The list of Liahona/ Ensign articles I will be looking up (I challenge you to read a few of these yourself, then email me your thoughts!)
-When do the angles come April 1992  https://www.lds.org/ensign/1992/04/when-do-the-angels-come?lang=eng
- Using the supernal gift of prayer May 2007 https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/05/using-the-supernal-gift-of-prayer?lang=eng
-Live by faith and not by fear Nov 2007  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/11/live-by-faith-and-not-by-fear?lang=eng
-The way of the disciple May 2009  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/05/the-way-of-the-disciple?lang=eng
-The miracle of the Holy Bible May 2007 https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/05/the-miracle-of-the-holy-bible?lang=eng
-Planning for a full and abundant life May 1974  https://www.lds.org/ensign/1974/05/planning-for-a-full-and-abundant-life?lang=eng
-Questions, the heart of learning and teaching Jan 2008 https://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/01/questions-the-heart-of-learning-and-teaching?lang=eng

And last, but not least THIS:

“Don’t try to dazzle everyone with how brilliant you are. Dazzle them with how brilliant the gospel is. Don’t worry about the location of the lost tribes or the Three Nephites. Worry a little more about the location of your student, what’s going on in his heart, what’s going on in her soul, the hunger, sometimes the near-desperate spiritual needs of our people. Teach them. And, above all, testify to them. Love them. Bear your witness from the depths of your soul. It will be the most important thing you say to them in the entire hour, and it may save someone’s spiritual life.”

What’s some good stuff you are finding in your personal studies? Email me the scripture and if you have a good Ensign article, copy and paste the link in the email! I can’t wait to see what-cha got!
Remember, the church is true!
Love Hermana Patterson

P.S. I am trying not to be to hurt at the lack of mail and emails I have received recently.  Cough cough.
Remember:
Email: alexis.patterson@myldsmail.net
Letters:

Sister Alexis Patterson

Mission Costa Rica

Apartado Postal #249-2010

San Jose, Costa Rica

Packages:

Sister Alexis Patterson

Costa Rica San Jose Mision

De la Pops de Curridabat

500 mts Sur Oficina Isquienera

Edificio Trebol, Local #6

San Jose, COSTA RICA

Mmmmkay great! 

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Hola Everybody!
Well, I was right. We had transfers and I have a new companion! I was super nervous about having a new companion because you can´t help but become accustomed to someone when you spend 24/7 with them. Their habits, their food, their way of speaking, their way of teaching lessons, all of it.  What was I going to do if I got someone super difficult? Die, probably.
The good news is that my new companion is super great! Her name is Hermana Escobedo, she is from Guatemala, and it’s taken me about 3 days to say her name right. She has about the same time as me in the mission, but because she native in Spanish she is one transfer ahead of me.  Her first area was Alajuela, and she misses it a whole lot. Its hard to hear everyone asking about the old missionary in the area and not really be all that interested in you. But we are turning out to be great friends. Already she is such a good example to me, and there are a lot of things in the area we are going to change to make the work more progressive.
A lot of this week was Hermana Hernandez saying goodbye to everyone  in the area, and introducing Hermana Escobedo. Our numbers are super sad this week, but hey, I am not here for numbers.
I don´t have a lot of funny or exciting things to share with you guys this week, but I wanted to share a great big testimony building experience for me.  I have been so worried about ending my training. I knew I need to trust the Lord, but man I was nervous and didn´t exactly trust myself. I just felt like everyone trusted Hermana Hernandez to do everything and I wasn´t all that confident in my Spanish skills. I felt like I could communicate about 50% of the time. This is a whole lot better than the 2% when I got here, but, not exactly enough to make a girl feel like she can take on the world.  Many a prayers  were said.
The day of transfers came, I took a big breathe, and put on my big girl pants. Okay, no, I was wearing a skirt. My big girl skirt. We went to San Jose, I got my new companion, and we returned to the area. The most amazing thing happened. Somehow the Spanish seed in my brain blossomed overnight. I could speak Spanish! It was flowing from my mouth, and most of the time people understood without problem! Now, lets be honest here, my Spanish is no where near perfect. In fact, its still pretty sad, but all of us sudden I have about a 85-90% communicating level.  Hermana Hernandez always told me that the Lord trusted me and he would help me out with what I didn´t have, but I can´t believe that it was so…. Abrupt! I am NOT complaining and it is one of the greatest mercies I have experience on the mission so far.
Well, that’s all we have for now folks! I hope you all have a great Independence day in the grand U.S. of A. Also, Happy 15^th b-day to my Bubbito! I am going to have to send you your bday picture next week! Sorry!
Love, Hermana Patterson

p.s.- No photos this week, the interenet is being the worst! sorry! 

Also, still haven't seen any monkeys.... grrr! I want my money back! 

 

Panama and the baptism that almost didn´t happen

Oh haaaaaaaaaay.
Whew! What a week. (I feel like I maybe say something like that every week. Do I? Pfft, welcome to the life of a missionary I guess.)
First of all, this Thursday is changes.  Do you know what that means? I have been in CR for 12 weeks!!! I am finishing my training!!! I’m a real missionary! (Please tell me you read that in Pinocchio’s “I’m a real boy” voice) This is exciting. This is also truly terrifying. This means that I will most likely have a new companion in a few days. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I love Hermana Hernadez so much and I am not really ready to let her go. We are both kind of having separation anxiety, and we haven’t even been separated yet.  We are best friends here in CR. I feel like we know basically everything about each other. She has been so patient with my pathetic Spanish and we really love and care for one another. I’m scared that I lucked out with such an awesome companion this time…. Does that mean that the next one will be hard? #prayforme
This also means I will be left in my area alone with someone who doesn’t know anything about the area. Terrifying. I  hope my Spanish doesn’t let me down. I hope our investigators aren’t devastated. I hope Rosa and Bernal let us keep coming (Oh yea, I forgot to mention, Rosa is reading the BoM. HOLLA!) I hope I remember all the bills we have to pay. I hope I remember the bus schedules.  #gulp
Also, this week we had a Baptismal service that almost didn’t happen. We were on track to baptize Adriana, her brother Alex, and a little girl with a testimony twice her size named Niyeli. 

Niyeli was never really a worry for us. She gave up coffee, goes to church by herself and reads the Book of Mormon on her own. Oh, also, she is only 9. We knew she was excited. (Also, how adorable is she?)
Adriana and Alex were a different story. Okay, to be honest only Adriana.  The elders started teaching her before I got here. They realized that she just wasn’t progressing because she has some serious trust issues with men.  We picked her up about 6 weeks ago and have been teaching her a could of times a week. She has the hardest life.  I won’t go into to many details but we have cried for her many a times.  She makes me realize how easy  my life is. I feel guilty for ever complaining about anything after I talk to her.  Adriana has a testimony. She knows the Savior can, and has helped her with her pain. But she was TERRIFIED to be baptized.  Satan really had a grasp on her fear and some how manipulated it so she didn’t want to be baptized. We told her she was doing the right thing, and that Satan was just trying to stop her. She knew that this was true.  The morning of the baptism she called to say that “she was just too sick to be baptized today”.   We knew she was scared again.  Hermana Hernandez talked to her for a LOOOOONG time on the phone. This was the last week she had in the area and she wanted to see Adriana baptized. We convinced her to come to the usual church services prepared to be baptized . If, when the moment came, she didn’t want to be baptized no one was going to force her to do anything she didn’t want.
Church ended and Adriana said no. She just couldn’t do it. We tried not to act too devastated, but we helped Alex and Niyeli get ready for the baptism.  At one point, Adriana pulled my companion aside and told her exactly why she was so scared.  Again, its probably a little too sensitive to post on the internet for all to see.  She told my companion she couldn’t live with the pain any more, that she needed a new life,  that she wanted to be baptized.  WE were so happy!

Faith conquers fear once again! TAKE THAT SATAN! (Name that movie)
That afternoon (Sunday) we also watched the missionary broadcast. HOLY COW! Was it amazing or what? It made me so happy to be here on a mission. The world is changing, one heart at a time! Its so neat to be in the mission field at such an amazing and historic time for the church! #bringtheworldhistruth
And last, but not least, me and my companion just got home from Panama. Okay. That is only half true. Friday my companion got a call that she needed to leave the country and return to renew her visa.  I was invited, and because we couldn’t stand the thought of being apart on our last few days together, I went along.  We left Sunday for San Jose. Monday morning we woke up at four a.m. and road tripped to Panama.  I actually really loved the car ride. COSTA RICA IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I got to see my first glimpses of the ocean here and we basically drove down a rode that followed the shore line all the way down into panama. It was about a 6 hour drive. 
Once we got there it was kind of a joke. First of all, PANAMA IS SKINKIN HOOOOOOOT. Costa Rica can be hot too, but holy cow. Panama takes the cake.  What we had to do was legally check out of Costa Rica at Boarder patrol, Check in to panama, check out of panama and then check back into Costa Rica. Sounds simple. Apparently they have done this before.  But this day Panama boarder control decided to enforce a law that says each person must prove that they have at least $500 to prove they “can make it” in panama.  The immigration secretary for the mission started having a conniption fit with the boarder control, with our immigration lawyer on the phone  but luckily, not with us.  The problem is that as missionaries, we don’t exactly have $500 in our pockets.  Okay, so we can’t check into panama. But technically we are only here to check back into Costa Rica.  Problem. Its hard to check into a country if you don’t actually check into another country. So this was like a five hour drama of running back and forth over the boarder from Costa Rican Boarder control to Panama Boarder control. Also, remember how its like stiffeling hot? Super fun.
We eventually got everything all straightened out, and my visa has been renewed.  12 hours in a car ride was almost fun.
And now Questions from our readers:
What is dyai?
dyai is a word.... that is used for everything. When you are surprised, you say dyai. When you are frustrated, dyai. When you are excited you exclaim "dyai!" Dyai is Dyai. Also, I am not sure how it is spelt. Possibly Diay? Pronounced Deeaye. D.I.
What happened when you arrived at the temple with no recommend? As a missionary, do they just assume you are worthy? Or a call to the mission president? 
Well, I had to fill out a form for the Temple president to look me up I the system and make sure I was worth and such. But as a missionary, they weren’t too worried about it and let me in while we waited for him to get off the phone.
Last but not least I wanted to share my new favorite scripture with you all.   Shared with me by a dear friend, and fellow missionary  serving in  Texas, Houston East.
Luke 4:18-19

18 The aSpirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath banointedme to cpreach 

the dgospel to the epoor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to fpreach g

deliverance to the hcaptives, andrecovering of sight to the blind, to set at iliberty them that arebruised,

 19 aTo preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

I hope that I can serve an acceptable year and two more months of the Lord.
Love, Hermana Patterson