Surprises From Heaven

I legitly don't even know where to start ahaha. 

This week was full of surprises. Lots and lots of them. All were really good haha. 

So I think that I will mix it up a little and go back to my old ways of a daily count. You will see why in a second. 

Monday and Tuesday- was full of seeing people so they could say goodbye to Sister L.

Wednesday-  Ha... Ha... Wednesday was interesting to say the least. It started out with a phone call from President Packard. "Sister Alexander, you are going to be a fantastic trainer. Just not this transfer." Ahaha ohhkaayyy, ohhkkay. What's going down? "We had 4 visa waiters come out this transfer, and 2 of them got their visa yesterday and will be leaving on Monday, and the Sister that you were going to train, was one of those two." Alright ahaha. Surprisingly I felt a peace. "Your companion will be Sister M V, you know her right?" Yeah I do!!! That is who "killed" Sister G (My Trainer). Wooohooo! (The companion that you have when you "Die" or finish your mission is the one who "Kills" you)

And the rest of the week is history. 

Sister M V is from Western Samoa and she has been out on her mission for 15 months. She is super cool and is a boss at opening her mouth. Like, literally every single person she sees on the street... she talks to. #likeaboss. She is super rad.

Thursday- we got like 3 referrals form a random guy we talked to on the street and now we are teaching them. P and C are cool, J is insane. We attempted to teach the first lesson on Saturday and he kept on getting mad at P for asking legit questions and then he would tell us that the only way that he would believe that we were sent by God to teach them the truth would be if we were to raise someone from the dead... or open heaven... or "shake the whole universe with an earthquake" YEAH. #NotQuiteHowItWorks.

Friday- was ZONE MEETING and let me just say... it was the best one I have been to thus far. Not because I was asked to sing a solo... that part was not fun ahaha. 

So we talked about Sacrifice, and how in actuality when you put something in and get more out it is an investment. So we made investments. Things that we know for a fact that we need to do but the blessings are soooo much more than we could ever match with the things that we give. Like life... and every good thing that we do.. #AmIRight We also got a little card thing from the Zone leaders. It almost made me cry. It is our zone scripture changed up a little bit. It says:

"D&C 124:18

And again, I say unto you that it is my will that my servant Sister Alexander should continue in preaching for Zion, in the spirit of meekness, confessing me before the world; and I will bear her up as on eagles’ wings; and she shall beget glory and honor to herself and unto my name.  #W.I.N.G.S."

It was an awesome day. 

Miracle of the Week. 

We were sitting in Gospel Principles in 1st ward with M and W and Bishop peeks in and asks me to come out into the hall. I go and there is this girl, who looks like 20 but we found out that she is 32, in jeans and a t-shirt with tears in her eyes. He introduced us and he told me that M, walked in to the church and wanted to find a place that she could change and learn. So we talked. She has 2 sons, and she is divorced. She was on a walk and she was talking to God and she asked what she needed to do to change and to grow. She got the prompting to go home and look up churches that had structure and rules that will help her to do what He wants her to. So she did and she read about Mormons and googled the nearest church and she came. The spirit was SO strong all sacrament meeting. She cried and we cried and the speakers testified and then there was a youth baptism after and we invited her and she stayed and the spirit was so strong there and now we are teaching her on Thursday. Miracles are real. We were talking to her and we realized that our prayers were answered by her prayers being answered. 

I still can barely even believe that it happened. How many people are out there who are just as prepared as she is? How many others just don't know where to look for their answers?

Open your mouth. 

Do it. 

You are all so loved! 

Be good!

Love, 

Sister Alexander

I forgot my camera card reader so you will have to wait for pictures for next week! 

One Year Ago Today

Hello my lovelies. <-- Does that make you uncomfortable and squirm in your chair a little bit? Yes? Oh good. It worked ahaha. 

How are you? I am doing FANTASTIC. Wasn't General Conference just Magnificent? I absolutely loved it. 

After first session on Saturday we were starving so we went home and we ate some food (General Conference is from 12-2 and then from 4-6 here) I was sitting at my desk when my eyes noticed the date and I had the realization that Monday, today, would be the year mark of me opening my mission call and reading the words: 

"Dear Sister Alexander,

You are hereby called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Massachusetts Boston Mission" 

Oh how much I have learned in this past year! Can you believe it has been a whole year??? 

One year ago I was: 

Bailey Alexander

Quirky internet kid

Teaching my precious 9-year olds in primary

Working at Kirklands Home (That feels like a lifetime ago)

Going to Mission Prep.

Learning how to drive ahahahaha (SAD) 

and that is about it.

Now. 

I am Sister Alexander

Missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Serving in Worcester Massachusetts

Fighting for truth 

Declaring the Gospel in one of the least religious places in all of the United States. 

Praying night and day for people that I have come to love

Asking random strangers on the street what their greatest fears are and then being able to testify that through The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the world's Savior and Redeemer, they can overcome those fears. And being living proof because just a year prior I wouldn't talk to people out of fear. 

I am changing and becoming who Heavenly father wants me to be. 

I am getting ready to train a new missionary. To teach her how to help and invite others come unto Christ through His restored Gospel. 

Oh and I am driving in the #1 worst place to drive in the US. 

THAT is what a mission does. A mission transforms you into something that, a year earlier, you couldn't even imagine yourself being. 

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

In other news. 

On Friday was T-Texts. Sister L is going to be a Sister Training Leader in Bridgeport Connecticut. And I get the privilege of being a trainer! I am so excited! That is right Sister G! You are a Grandma!!!!! Ahahahaha!

Real quick ahahaha moments:

1) At my 9 month mark... I will be a mom ahahaha... trainers are called Moms or Dads. She will be like a week premature but I am totally okay with that!

2) This one is for you mom... I totally had a meltdown on Tuesday. Nothing bad or crazy I just started to cry and it took like an hour to stop. Poor Sister L haha. Yeah. Last time I don't eat anything except for a lot of sugar haha. It is a sad life haha. 

Oh and a Woohoo moment:

We set 2 baptismal dates this week! One with our Eternal Investigator R, for next Sunday. And one with J, our referral from the Spanish Missionaries, for May 3rd! Pray for them!!! 

 

You are all SOOO Loved!

If you didn't get a chance to watch Conference. Go to Lds.org and watch it NOW!!! 

I love you all! 

Be good! 

Love,

Sister Alexander

 

 

 

 

Picture 1: The cutest kiddos in the world. Their hair is insane. 

Picture 2: Sister L and I enjoy matching... and sharing clothes ahahha. I look super short ahahaha

Picture 3:  Easter with the C. Brother C is hilarious. 

Picture 4: Our favorite person. Sister W. She is the one who introduced us to M and L! 

It is Definitely NOT 97 Degrees Here...

It is snowing here and it snowed all day on Saturday...New England hates me ahaha

 BUT in other news this week was great!

Did you guys get a chance to watch the Women's Conference on Saturday? Wasn't it like... the BEST? Here is the link to the Highlights if you missed it! 

https://www.lds.org/church/news/2015-april-general-conference/2015-april-general-conference-at-a-glance?cid=HP_SA_3-28-2015_dCN_fCHNWS_xLIDyL2-1_&lang=eng

Also, on Saturday #becausehelives came out too! #bestvideoever! Watch it! I Dare Ya!

http://www.mormon.org/easter

#BecauseHeLives I can find... "Peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come."

Miracle of the week:

So we were driving to an appointment that we were early to and we drove down a street that we recognized as a street of a former investigator that we dropped because she was smoking at least 2 packs of cigarettes a day and she would tell us that she only smoked one a day... like one cigarette not one pack... we clarified ahaha. Anyway when we were coming up on the street I thought, "Okay if she is on her porch we will stop," and Viola! She was sitting right there. We laughed and got out of the car and she waved and we set up a time to see her this week. Her home didn't smell like cigarettes but the porch was covered in them. Anyway, that wasn't the miracle. The miracle was when we were walking back to our car and I waved at a girl that was walking. She stopped and was all, "Wait are you the Bible people?" and we just looked at her and laughed and said "YUP" and she got super excited and we got her name and gave her a card and she wants to meet with us. The only problem... We can't remember her name for the life of us! Ahahaha If she doesn't call us we are going to be knocking a lot of doors until we find her! 

Aha Moment: 

So I was listening to Sister Stephen's talk on Saturday night and she said "We each belong to and are needed in the family of God. Earthly families all look different. And while we do the best we can to create strong traditional families, membership in the family of God is not contingent upon any kind of status—marital status, parental status, financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we post on social media." How wonderful of a though is that. We belong and are needed no matter what because we are God's children. We are a part of His family. 

Ahahaha moment:

We went to the Relief Society President's home for dinner on Thursday and her husband, who isn't a member... is HILARIOUS. He is like... I don't even know. He reminds me of the mountain goat on Hoodwinked... He told us this joke... "What is a Pirates Favorite letter?" we were all uhmmm "Rrrr" and he just goes "Arrr no it be the C" I died. 

Random: 

M bore her testimony in sacrament meeting on Sunday. It was awesome. She is from Liberia so no one could really understand her but the spirit was super strong! She took my hand and made me stand up there with her... ahahaha C said that I looked super uncomfortable. I just didn't know what to do ahaha

 

ARE YOU READY FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE!?!?!?! I am really really excited. If you have time, you should:

 1) write down some questions that you have about life, about God's plan for you individually, about religion and Pray asking god to answer those questions. 

2)Watch General Conference, where church members and others gather worldwide in a series of two-hour sessions to receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders.  I promise that your questions will be answered. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/how-to-view-live?lang=eng

 

Have a WICKED AWESOME week! 

You are all loved! 

Be good!

Love,

Sister Alexander

Picture 1: SNOW... more like NO. 

Picture 2: We have a tendency to match ahahaha

Spring Is HERE...Kinda

Hello All!

I hope that you are all doing great this fine SPRING morning! 

Here is What's New over here! 

Miracle Of the week- 

We had 2! 

L- we were able to meet with one of our investigators in 2nd ward and she set a baptismal date for May 3rd! We are so excited for her! We talked to her about baptism and about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and she was all, "That is what I need in my life, that spirit with me always." Yeah it is!!! 

W- W is M, our Recent Convert in 2nd ward's, nephew.  He has 3 kids and we are now teaching them! That isn't the best part. The best part is that we have been fasting and praying for investigators in 1st Ward and guess where they just moved?? 1st Ward! Woooooohooo! 

Aha Moment-

We had Stake Conference this weekend, which was awesome by the way, and the stake is concentrating on Jacob 1:7 which says, "That we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest". We are doing this by:

 1) having every member over 12 strive to learn how to get and take a family name to the temple

2) ask and encourage all members over the age of 16 to go out with the full time missionaries at least every other month

3) Plant the gospel principles in the hearts of our families by fully utilizing gospel programs.

One of the stake presidency members was talking about the 1st goal and he said something that really hit me. He said, "To do family history, like anything else in life, when you first start you don't need perfection, you need practice." 

Ahahahaha Moment-

Friday was the first day of spring!!!!! It snowed 2 inches!!!! New England is so weird ahaha!! Now it is sunny and like 29 degrees... #spring

This is a really short email... But I just have a lot of nonsense on my mind haha.

You are all so loved!

I love this work!

God is great!

Be good!

Love, 

Sister Alexander

Picture:

1st day of Spring!!!

 

Where Did The Time Go?

Hello from the only non-Spanish Speaking Missionary in Worcester! 

Life is great!!!! 

Miracles of the week:

Exchanges- From Tuesday to Wednesday we had exchanges and I stayed in Worcester with Sister F (One of the Sister Training Leaders) and Sister L went to Weston with Sister A. It was so much fun! I love Sister F! 

R- R met with the bishop and he is ready to set a baptismal date!!!! We are soooo excited! He has been investigating the church for 8 years!!!

Aha Moment: 

One of our recent converts gave a talk yesterday and in it she talked about a fortune cookie that solved a lot of her problems. It said, "A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work." How true is that!? I spend a lot of my time worrying and I can't do that anymore! I won't do it anymore! #saynotoworrying #saynotoogrecide #givethegiantstheirlandback

Ahahaha Moment: 

1- I got to give 2 talks yesterday... that was a first hahaha. One on repentance and the other on how I prepared to serve a full time mission. Fun times. 

2- Today is my 8 month mark... weird stuff #itsgreattobe8 #wheredidthetimego

Random:

For my talk on how I prepared for my mission I was asked to use the song "I hope they call me on a mission" somewhere in it. So I did and then I wrote another verse for it.

Here it is:

And now as I serve a mission

I have witnessed Christ's love for me and you

As I share the joy of His glad message

to work, to serve, to love as Christ would have me do. 

 

You are all loved!

I love being out here!

I love God!

Be good!

Love,

Sister Alexander

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Picture 1: "What is sun?" Ahahahah I am so pasty! 

Picture 2: My first day in Boston... 8 months does stuff to you!

Picture 3: This is Sister F! I can't take a normal picture...

Picture 4: My outfit on Tuesday, I was jumping around announcing my undying love for short sleeved shirts :)

Picture 5: The temperature was AMAZING!!

Picture 6: #WINGS

Metanoeo

Hello from Worcester Mass!

This week was another supah awesome week!

Miracle(s) of the Week:

Z-

We had a wonderful Baptism yesterday for a man named Z. He is from Pakistan and his wife has been a member for at least 20 years now. He just one day decided that he believed that it was all true and asked to be baptized. He is super cool and his wife totally cried the whole time yesterday. She said that it has been her dream for the past 20 years to see him be baptized. I cant wait until they get to go to the temple together!

Zone Conference- We had a 12 hour long meeting on Friday and it was the best thing ever. Like I seriously learned so much I took 8 pages of notes... really small notes ahahaha. We learned about repentance (see Aha) and I got to see like all of my favorite people. I saw Sister W, Sister T, Sister F and Elder L and President and Sister Packard and I just felt loved by everyone. I could feel the love. 

Aha Moment:

Repentance-  When the bible was first written it was written in Hebrew

Hebrew- "Shub": to turn Suggests a conscious decision to forsake sin

Then translated into Greek which is what Christ used 

Greek-"Metanoeo"- change of mind, thought and the way that you feel

Then it was translated into Latin and distributed... 

Latin- "Poenitere"- to punish

Like what? When we are told to repent it is NOT a punishment. Sometimes it may feel like one if you don't want to but we have the chance to change and become better only through Christ and he suffered the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, Died on the Cross, and was Resurrected, not so that we have to be punished and go through pain to be cleansed... He already did that. We just need to turn to him, and change our ways so that we can become better. 

Ahahaha Moment:

So we got our car cleaned for Zone Conference and I brought the floor protectors in because they were covered in salt and dirt from the snow and I washed them in the sink... it payed off... we won the cleanest car award #booyah

Also, last Monday, Sister L and I were walking through the hallway in the church and it was dark but we were just going to the kitchen so it was whatever and we turned the corner and it was pitch black. We both just stopped and in a split second I thought, "if I run the other way will she follow," and the next thing I knew she was off running back to the light leaving me in the dust ahahaha. We laughed so hard. Needless to say, we both don't really like the dark.

Random:

At Zone Conference, President Christensen asked us how many people were in our ward. Most of us replied around 150 or 200 that come every week. He just went. "How many people does Christ see in your ward? See, He already suffered for every single person's sins. He is just waiting for them to find out about the gospel so that they can accept his Atonement." Think about that the next time you feel prompted to share the joy of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. 

You are all so loved. 

Read your scriptures and say your prayers! 

Love, 

Sister Alexander 

 

Pictures: 

Picture 1: MTC Zone Reunion at Zone Conference ahaha

Picture 2: Z's Baptism

It Is All True

Hello from the Windy and Snowy New England!

Today it is 34 degrees! How warm! But with the wind it feels like 15...

This week was probably the best week I have ever had on my mission thus far. I am not quite sure why, but here are some of the Highlights :)

Miracle(s) of the Week:

So Wednesday was transfer meeting and at the last minute our ride couldn't go! We were so bummed because Sister B, who was Sister L's trainer, and Sister G were both going home and we wanted to be there for their departing testimonies and Z, our recent convert was going too. We were frantically looking and Brother C told us to call Sister L because she normally goes to these kind of things. So we did and we made it to her house just in time to get a ride! Woot! I loved hearing everyone's testimony and the spirit there was so strong!

Also, yesterday, (Sunday) we had a fireside by President Packard called "What the World Knows Because of Joseph Smith" and it was in Weston which is about 45 minutes from us... and it started snowing. Like a lot. Obviously this Arizona girl has no idea how to drive in snow but the Lord definitely guided me and we got there safe and on time! 

Aha Moment:

This week... I cant even count how many aha moments I had. I had the blessing of having the spirit testify to me over and over that I am where I am supposed to be. That The Book of Mormon is the Word of God and that it is 100% true. That Joseph Smith was called by God to restore His church to the Earth. That I will be able to live with my family for eternity if I do what is right. That Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Redeemer and that through Him I can return to live with my Father in Heaven who loves me and knows me. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's true church on this earth, that it has all of the truths that our Heavenly Father wants us to learn. It is all true. It was seriously the best week ever. 

Ahahaha Moment:

We went out on Friday with Brother and Sister B for Brother B's birthday and we were sitting there and something happened where Doctor Who was brought up and Sister Bach and I had a fantastic conversation about it. She is awesome. Oh and I made her realize that late night walks in cemeteries are no longer a possibility for her haha. #weepingangels #thanksbutnothanks

Random:

  Our mission has a website! 

http://www.bostonmission.org/

SO AWESOME!!!

Well I love you all and I love this work! 

Be good!

Love,

Sister Alexander

 

 

Picture: 

Chihuahua puppy! It was tiny and it would lick my fingers <3

 

Oh and...Palmer have you written President?