Exchanges, Twinkie the TIWI and Lice...Yes, Lice

No, we do not have lice.

Hallelujah.

But, a member's child does and we were in their presence. As of yet, we are still untouched but the member is "infested" according to her school nurse... gross. ahaha. 

In other news I have a lot to write about and not very much time! Today is Tuesday! Weird right? Well, yesterday we had Interviews with President M and because of that, we had to move out P-day. Good thing I am alive ahaha. :)

 

Miracles of the week 

-This week was so great! It was crazy intense and busy though! On Monday night I went to Westerly RI with my good friend Sister W! My MTC companion! 15 months later aha! Boy oh boy was it great to see the difference in our teaching and to see how much we have learned! She goes home this upcoming transfer! Then I go home the next... gah! No, no, no! 

- We met a bunch of people! They just pop up out of nowhere. Some of them turn out weird. but it just strengthens us!

 

Aha Moments

We had Zone Conference on Wednesday, where we got "Twinkie"... the TIWI, which helps us manage our speed and how we use the Lord's vehicles. Aside from getting big brother in our car, who yells at us if we go too fast... we also were taught about our role as Disciples of Jesus Christ. We are not meant to become consecrated missionaries. We are meant to become consecrated disciples of Jesus Christ. It was an awesome reminder.  

The primary program on Sunday, was adorable. My personal favorite part was our Ward Mission leader's daughter's talk. She is 6 and this is what she said. "If we have faith, like a lot of Faith, miracles will happen. And guess what else? Jesus is coming back and I can't wait." Neither can I. 

Last awesome thing that happened. 

So on Thursday I was on the brink of an exhaustion meltdown. I was super tired after like 4 days of getting to bed late and having to wake up early and I was so done. We were driving to do some stop bys and I was like 20 seconds away from pulling over and asking Sister G to drive because I just needed to cry or something and that exact moment we pass this little old man who was raking his leaves. Sister G just goes, "We should stop and see if he needs help." and inside 2 things happen. 1) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! and 2) turn around and go help him. I hope you can assume that I chose the latter and we went and asked if we could help and he just goes, "What would people think, two young ladies raking my leaves and me just standing here?" We were just like, "uhm, they would be like, 'good for them helping that really old man'". So we did! We grabbed a bag and helped the cute little man for about 45 minutes and then we promised him that we could come back the next day with the Elders and finish the job. SO MANY LEAVES. We went back on Friday and it was so, so, so great! The Elders came and helped us! Leaves for days! We also found out... the little old man, was 90! He had been married for 68 years and the past 2 his wife has had dementia. He takes care of her and the house and the yard. Helping him made all woes leave my own head! It also helps that his neighbor walked over and started talking to us so we invited him to the Fall Festival on Friday! Wooohooo! God is Great! Serving others truly makes you happy!

 

Ahaha Moments

-We quote Avatar the Last Air Bender and Kid History all the time. Anything that applies, makes us so happy. 

"FACT!" "Secret Tunnel! Through the Mountain!" "Mom, Can we sell all the candies to the neighborhood?" "She said it was okay!"

-We met a guy named K a few days ago. He informed us that we were standing in front of the largest Crack and Prostitute house in Norwich, after we taught him the first lesson. Ahahaha We were dying of laughter as we promptly locked the doors of our car and drove away as fast as we could without Twinkie yelling at us. 

 

Stay safe on Halloween! Sister G and I are going to be twins... :)

Life is so great you guys! 

I love being a missionary and learning how to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. 

You are all so loved

Love,

Sister Alexander

Pic 1- Sister W and I! Yay! Ahaha We were all, "Lets take a picture to show everyone how much weight we have gained in the past 15 months!"

Pic 2- Leaves for days!

Pic 3- Sore hands and backs and 36 trash bags later! Can you imagine a little 90 year-old man doing that? No, neither can I.

Autumn Wisdom

Hello my friends!

How was your week? Mine was AMAZING!!! Every single day in my journal I was all, "Today was so great!" I predicted that it was going to be great and alas! It was! Yay!

 

Miracles of the week-

First off, my companion is adorable. Yesterday I was starving at church and I opened my bag and there was a granola bar in it... I was all, "I don't remember putting this in here..." She totally did it because she knows I get frustrated easily when I am hungered.

Second, We found like a bajillion people who are willing to hear about the gospel! We have been doing a lot of service, which has been great and people just show up and are all, "You are great! Here is my number!"

Gah!!!! So cool!

 

Also, we just are having a lot of fun while doing the work. I feel like missionaries are that mankind including missionaries may have joy. People are so great. 

 

Aha Moment-

Here is a fun little quote from a prayer that was said last night by an 8 year-old. "Please bless that we can all get to our destinies safely" The wisdom of an 8 year-old.

 

Ahahaha Moments-

-I dont know if you heard but... it totally snowed here yesterday. Like a tiny bit but SNOW! In October! We were sitting at the dining table of our Ward Mission Leader and Sister G is all, "Is it snowing?!?" Elder T was ecstatic. He has never seen snow fall... it was a great day ahaha.

 

-We went to a rest home to visit a member's wife and when we were leaving we met C. Our conversation went like this...

C-"You kids are cute."

Us-"Thanks!"

C-"I love talking to kids, they are so fun and happy, and they have pretty teeth, you have pretty teeth! Want to see my teeth!?" *Opens mouth wide* "I don't have any! I took them out one night before I went to bed and when I woke up... they were gone. I would have noticed if I had swallowed them don't you think? Hmmm...Guess who old I am?"

She looked like she was in her early 80's and the way she was zooming in her manual wheelchair we felt it was a safe guess.

C-"93! I am almost 100! I just have fun every day! The only way to live life is to enjoy it!"

The wisdom of a 93 year-old.

 

My emails are getting shorter and shorter as the weeks go by. oh well :) I hope that you all have a fantastic week and that you enjoy life! Enjoy the warm weather! It is like 20-40 over here.

You are all so loved!

Be good!

Love, 

Sister Alexander

Picture 1- No I am not excited about the 3 car garage on that house... look at the fall colors!!!!

Picture 2- Yay! *Starts singing "I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints"*

Picture 3- One for every Season, because New England has 4 of them... craziness.

A Touch of Color and Crazy

THIS WEEK WAS INTENSE!!!! 

First, I want to report that I have written in my journal every single day since I have come to Norwich. Woot-woot! I also would like to say that... MY BROTHER IS A MISSIONARY! So cool! 

So this week was crazy because Sister G and I are Sister Training Leaders and we had Mission Leadership Council (MLC), then we had to plan Zone Meeting, and then we had to make Zone Meeting a thing! It was stressful but it was good. 

I love being a missionary! There are so many little tender mercies that we see. A huge one was yesterday. L got baptized! She is so cute! They were a part member family and she just decided that it was time! The missionaries had been teaching her for over a year. The spirit was so strong in the meeting. The tender mercy was L and Sister K, the Relief Society President, went after sacrament to choose her baptismal clothes, and after when she got changed she walked out, in a temple dress. Sister G and I just stopped and for a moment the stress of making her baptism perfect was gone and we could just see her in a year or two, beaming like she was, in the temple being sealed to her family. It was so peaceful. 

Our Zone Meeting went well, everyone responded well to the theme, which was WORK.

 In order to Work with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength we have to keep an eye single to Heavenly Father's Glory, not ours and know that our Work and our glory should also be to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

 It is His Work.

 

W= Willingness to find 3 new investigators.

O= Obedience, to the white handbook and to the Spirit. 

R= Resources we have to make our goal happen like the PVC, Family Finding Pools, and Low Lying Fruit Teams. 

K= Know your purpose and your divine call to be in the exact area you are at this exact time. 

 

The fall is beautiful! I love my companion. We were talking about how much we laugh together and how crazy it is that it has only been 3 weeks! CRAZY! 

Life is real good.

 OH! My ponderize scripture this week is Alma 31:5

 "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."

 

Well folks, I hope that you take some time this week and just breathe. Breathing is good. Life is good.

Be good and know that you are loved. 

Love

Sister Alexander

Pic 1- Me, L and Sister G

Pic 2- Sister G and I in front of a fire colored tree! 

General Conference Makes Me Happy

Hello Family and Friends! How are you!?

First off... Wasn't General Conference AMAZING?

I loved like all of the talks! Here are some of my favorite thoughts!

 "Simplify" 

"Exaltation is our goal, discipleship is the journey"

"Be better, Climb Higher"

"Straighten Up and Fly right"

"If you want more than you already have, reach up not across"

" A mother's love never faileth" I LOVE YOU MOM!

"Smile!"

"Some answers come as a process rather than an event"

"Sometimes Christ Succors us by giving us the strength to endure"

"Radiate the Light of Christ"

"Communicate the Gospel with clarity and the spirit"

"Always remember Him"

"There IS sunshine in my Soul"

"Choose to obey with confidence"

"Repentance helps us to have no more disposition to do evil"

"We need to be good and getting better"

"When you can not do what you have always done, you only do what matters most"

"Come what may, and LOVE it"

I hope that as you watched or listened to General Conference you were able to feel the Spirit of God testify to you that He loves you, that there is indeed a Prophet on earth today and that at least one of your questions was answered. I know that all of mine were. 

This week was a little crazy with all the rain. It was like 49 degrees and all my coats are in Worcester ahaha. It was quite the adventure. I have learned that life is always an adventure.

Go and find your adventure, keeping the commandments and fulfilling your responsibilities first of course ahahaha. 

You are all so loved!

Be good!

Love,

Sister Alexander

Pic- Sister G and I!