I Almost Thought It Wouldn't Let Me Change the Subject...

Ollo? Haha hey Guys! How is life treating ya?

I will tell you how I am doing. That is great. I am doing great :)

This week was awesome!

From Return and Report (the new missionary follow up meeting) to G's baptism it was just awesome.

 

Miracles in Bunches :)-

-We found out that last Sunday S did get interviewed for the priesthood so he can come to the temple on Saturday with us! On Sunday he got it and bishop came and got us so we could be there! P was in the circle! It was the coolest thing. Brother B just goes, "It is like your pay-day today isn't it?" It was. 

-Return and Report was awesome. Got to go to the temple with Sister M. I love the temple. I got to sit by Sister M (the mission presidents wife) in the session, we both just looked at each other and I just went, "Today is a good day," and she took my hand and nodded, "a very good day". 

-G got baptized! She turned 9 on Friday and we have been teaching her because when you are past 8 you are a convert baptism. She had waited a year! Her family kept on getting sick or hurt on her baptism day! But now she is baptized and she is soooo happy :)

-Z came to church again! So did N and W! Woohoooooo!

 

Aha Moment-

We had a Webex on Tuesday it was awesome. I learned a lot about the things that I can work on.

 We also had a Zion Building at district meeting. Basically a get to know you question... it was so awesome. The question was "What is a spiritual experience that you are willing to share?" The spirit was so strong. It was great. 

 

Ahahaha moment-

- At Return and Report we were helping put tables away and the tables had tablecloths on them... so naturally I had the desire to try the trick where you pull off the table cloth without touching the stuff on top but everyone was clearing them off too fast. I would run to one and someone would be there pulling the cloth off. So there I was, looking really sad and probably really helpless because I was sad haha, and Sister M comes up and is just like, "You should do the magic trick!" and I was just like, "No, it isn't that big of a deal," and she just looks at me and says, "You need to do it," in a knowing voice like she could read my mind and heard me go, "but I really want to." So she runs up to the last table of Elders who are about to pull off the cloth and just goes, "Stop! Sister Alexander wants to try the trick!" So I did... and it almost worked. I just needed to pull down for a longer time... but hey... I succeed when I try :)

- So Sister M is slowly realizing that Money, Miles and Food are in small numbers come the end of the month. So we have been walking places. So much fun! It is weird to get emails from friends on missions who tract... because our mission really isn't about that life unless you are in a area where it works aka Boston proper... I mean don't get me wrong, we talk to everyone but we work with members, all the time. So this has been fun not being in the car and not feeling creepy for wanting to pull up and give some teenagers something. We can just go and talk to them. 

 

So yeah. Worcester is awesome. Sister M is Awesome. God is Great and so are you all.

Be good and know that you are so, so, so loved! 

Love,

Sister Alexander

 

Picture 1- Sister M and I at the Boston temple on Wednesday. And no we did not match on purpose... it isn't like we are together 24/7 and share a closet... pshhhh. ;)

Picture 2- G and I after her baptism! She is half Tai half Israeli. So cute. So wicked smart... it is crazy. 

Picture 3- Walking down a very sketchy road, what do we do? Pull out our cameras and start taking selfies of course. 

Picture 4- "Now we have to take a Sister picture." -Elder H "What does that mean?"- Me "Super artsy and adorable of course!" Ah yes. I see.

The Moment We Have All Been Waiting For...

You guys... Guess what happened this week.

I went on exchanges... WITH SISTER T!

Like the one that our goal for our missions were to be companions for my b-day and for our year mark... yeah. It was awesome. It was also hilarious because by the end of it we decided that we both really missed our companions. 

So I decided that because Thursday was my year mark... more weirdness and then Friday was Sister M's month mark, I would write 12 (one for each month) things I have loved or have learned while on my mission!

Here We Go!

1...Zion is a thing... and it is a thing that I love. Being one with my companion, one with the ward, one with the mission and one with God. Nothing better. 

2...Love is a thing. It is possible to love people that you have never met. It is possible to talk to people who are intimidating, people who are crazy, and the normal ones about the gospel, if you have Christ-like love. 

3... EVERYONE is a child of God. The person who cut you off on the highway, the lady in the grocery store bagging your candy and milk. Everyone. and you can feel it. It is super cool. 

4...The Gospel is real. It is true. It brings happiness, peace, and knowledge. 

5... Missionaries are awkward because you are awkward. If you act like they are people who have a wicked awesome personality and are super close to God then you will realize that they are. We are. We are hilarious. 

6... The Book of Mormon is Amazing. Like I cant even put into words how much I love that book. SO MUCH.

7... When you pray, God answers your prayers. Might not be the way you intended but it is exactly the way God intended it to be. 

8... New England is beautiful. Humidity is not. 

9...Pictures are truly worth a thousand words. Take lots of them. Send me lots of them. 

10...Music can help you feel the spirit, in ways I cant describe. 

11... Jesus Christ truly is our Savior

12... Miracles happen EVERYDAY.

 

Have a Wicked awesome day and week! You are all so loved! 

Be good!

Love, 

Sister Alexander

Picture 1- Sister M and I :) 

Picture 2- Sister T and I! 

 

Also thank you all for your Birthday wishes! It was awesome! Can't believe I am 20!!! 

Shovels, Singing and Soccer

Hello my favorite humans!

Guess what I did today? I got blindfolded and taken hostage to a park in Worcester to play soccer for my birthday and it was a blast. A little frightening at first but so much fun! The Elders and Hermanas are some sneaky people ahaha. 

This week has just been full of so much excitement! 

Monday...

We went and saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Wang Theater. Yeah you read that right... MoTab on the Mission. It was PHENOMENAL

Some fun points about it:

-They sang my Favorite Hymn: Come, Come Ye Saints

-Alex Boye joined them... he ripped his pants doing the splits. But he was wicked awesome. 

-J and M were there with us. I love them. 

- We got to talk to the wife of one of the guys in the Choir and she called it the Wang (Theee-ate-Errr) and it was so hard to not laugh. 

We also had Zone meeting which was so awesome too! 

-I got to sing with Elder C and Elder J. We sang Hymn 102 "Jesus, Lover of my Soul" and I should have sang alto but they wanted me to sing soprano... yeah that high note in the last two lines of the verses... Right where my voice breaks ahaha,.. that was fun. Also, that song has the word bosom in it... I can not type that word with a straight face let alone sing it ahahah. But the Elders sang that part so I didn't have to. 

-The theme was a new quote that went along with, "If you don't know how to move mountains yet, there is still more that you can learn about Faith," from President Miller. The theme was, "Those who have the faith to move mountains, come prepared with shovels." What? I Literally had never even thought about being able to move a mountain with a shovel... like duh! In my head it always gets all Star Wars-esque and we lift a mountain using our minds. Picture me moving my hand across the horizon and placing it lower. Precisely my train of thought. But how true is that? Be as prepared as possible because you never know how the Lord is going to help us achieve what we need to. 

So in Zone meeting we focused on some shovels that as missionaries we have been given to move the mountains that come in our paths. 

- Exact Obedience

-Ward Council

-Companionship, unity, love and ZION

-Following the Spirit

- How To Begin Teaching (ask a missionary what this means. :))

As a companionship we also realized that there are a lot of other shovels that we need to be building for future mountains, and some that have been given to us, passed on from generation that have been worn and repaired. The gospel in general has been a shovel for me. Helping me move the mountains that I face on a regular basis or just the random ones that decide they need to pop up here or there. 

Also you all. 

You all have been a support and help to me when I have had hard times both on the mission and at home. Thanks for being the shovel that helped me get past my mountains, whether I have known you for 1 year, or 5, or 20, know that you are loved and appreciated. 

As Hermana F says: "Faith Harder"

Be good!

Love 

Sister Alexander, 

The 20 year-old one. 

Picture 1- Birthday Lunch. Sister B in our ward loves missionaries and on our birthday treats us to lunch :) She also happens to love certain fandoms like me so she never fails to make at least one reference ahaha

Picture 2- This picture makes me laugh... 1. because I had no idea that it was being taken and 2. look at that awful posture. Hilarious. 

New in Town

Hello my family, friends, loved ones and random people I know nothing of... Hello.

This week was so awesome! Let me tell you why. 

I guess first I should explain my companion situation in more detail. In March I was supposed to train a new missionary and I told a bunch of people who asked me about my next companion... then the day of transfers I get a call from President Packard saying that she got her visa and I wont be training... #AwkSauce... 

So when President called me 2 Sundays ago and asked me if I would accept  the call to train I didn't tell anyone haha. So me being really weird about the whole trio thing... was because transfers were a week early. President Packard had the chance to do the exit interviews for the missionaries that had served their whole missions with him and the new missionaries had the chance to only be interviewed with President Miller. It was a bit crazy, but... This time, my greenie is not getting her visa... she is right here in Woostah with me! She is so awesome! 

Fun facts about Sister M:

1. She is from St. David, Arizona which is like an hour an a half away from the border. 

2. She loves to garden, and to care for fruit trees

3. She is the middle child, 2 above 2 below

4. She loves candy... and sweets... just like me. 

5. She doesn't really like animals...  which we forgive her for because she doesn't hate them. 

She is so awesome and excited about the work! She is my favorite. 

This week was go, go, go, go and we got to see a bunch of people. 

Miracle of the week:

A less-active sister came to church yesterday that I literally haven't seen in 6 months. She then invited us to dinner, Brazilian dinner... so, so, so good. Gah, I love Brazilian rice. 

Aha moment:

Meeting President Miller was a very awe inspiring experience. The spirit that we all felt was so strong with both him and his wife. He said something that really made me think... "If you cant move mountains yet, you still have more to learn about faith." Ain't that the truth? I still have my whole life to figure out faith and I am so glad that I chose to come out here and kick start that learning. What a blessing. 

Ahahahaha Moment:

-We are just always laughing. 

Recently the Elders have started to say, "Go on now, Scoot," in a super hick accent and we all have adopted it... except Sister M hates it. She accidentally said it the other day and she just about died. 

-Also Sister M, who kindly took the picture of Hermana F, Sister M and I, was wearing the colors of the Mexican flag on accident. She just goes "Oh look everyone is matching! Why is everyone matching?" ahahahaha.... I love her.

Well guys life is great. We are going to Target... so I will write ya'll next week.... on my birthday. No biggie hahaha. 

You are all so loved!

Be good!

Love,

Sister Alexander

Pic 1- Because everyone needs a driving selfie. Pardon the duck face... it just happened hahaha

Pic 2- Fireworks here started on Wednesday and lasted until yesterday. They go all out for the US of A so we did too. Red, White and Blue and a BBQ. Of course we had a BBQ. #4thOfJuly #BBQ4Dayz