April 22, 2013

I also look forward to Mondays! It's great to receive a little encouragement from the fam and to be able to share experiences. I learn more from them as I share them. Which is a huge blessing! I'm glad you received my letter! Grandma Dorathy has been on my mind a lot this last little bit. As May approaches. She is such an incredible example to us all as you have been such an example to me of love. I really appreciate that. I hope Elyse and Dal are doing well. As well as Adam and Jen and little Jayce. I got that package with the jerky and the calendar and the pictures last night, I really appreciate that! Jayce looks like a man all of a sudden. haha he's huuuuuuuge. I do have a list of a few things I could use, but I really appreciate your support. I'm super lucky.

Well this has been a fun week. We had a lot of member present lessons, which is a super blessing and I am very grateful. Remember C? Well, she's definitely getting baptized this Saturday!! We are so excited. Me and Elder Weston have been blessed with two incredibly prepared people in the month or so. It's amazing that Heavenly Father blesses us when we simply tell him what we need, apply our faith, and do our part! Anyways, C has been at church the last two weeks and is fitting right in, She's so excited to join in the ward family. On Saturday we took her to the Visitors' Center and watched "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" and she loved it. She told us it was very heart warming, which it is. Joseph Smith is incredible. Anyways, afterwards we had to teach her about the Word of Wisdom because in order to be baptized you need to have stopped all of that for 2 weeks. So if there was a problem we would have to postpone the baptism. We knew she didn't smoke and drink but we were scared about coffee and tea. She told us that a few months ago she felt like she needed to quit both of those things, and had. That hit me like a ton of bricks, the Lord is preparing so many people. We just need to be there for them.

Tuesday was a tough day. That's all.
Wednesday we met with R a new investigator. Her Dad is a grumpy old man named R and I absolutely love him. He tells me his original jokes that he makes up. They're not funny, but they kill me. He left when we started teaching but he talks to us when we stop by. He'll be baptized soon enough :). We didn't have much time to meet with R but we told her our purpose and introduced her to a Sister that joined the church about 10 years ago. She told that every concern that she had expressed was something that she herself went through in order to join the church. That was an awesome experience.

Well Saturday we were supposed to get transfer news. So naturally we were a little nervous/anxious to see what would happen. Well the Assistants call the Zone Leaders at like 10 and say that transfer news is postponed. That was the worst. So once again Sunday was an antsy day. A good day but antsy. (S and H are so close. H is going to try to come to church on Sunday. S said she will definitely be there. They just need to get married.) But eventually transfer news arrived. At 1030 last night...... Here it comes.

Our Zone Leader, Elder Moala, is headed back to New Zealand. Which is a bummer, I'll miss him so much. I don't remember who the new Zone Leader will be but the Brazilian is staying. The Spanish Elders are getting white washed, so we'll get two new ones. Maybe Sisters? And........ Elder Weston is headed to Phoenix to become a District Leader, and I am staying in our area! I'll be getting Elder Cain on Wednesday! I'm a little nervous to take over the area but there is so much potential and I can't wait. I'm going to have to learn quick which will be so good for me. I can't believe it has been three months with Elder Weston, I'm grateful that we were able to get a long so well. Because for a while there I didn't know what would happen!

You're right about those challenges. If you couldn't tell from the email this week was a whole lot better. I was able to do more .I taught the second lesson, lead out at least, to C. As well as the Word of Wisdom. I really learned to rely on the Savior in all that I do, not just when I'm sad or lonely but in everything. That was an awesome thing to learn.

I really appreciate those letters, they're all being kept, I reread them at times. They just help me stay motivated and keep focused. Thank you Thank you.
I'm so grateful that I have the opportunity to serve at this time. The work is hastening so very much and the filed is truly white. I'm very blessed to be where I'm at and I think I know one of the reasons I am here. In this mission we don't do tracking most of all of our time is spent teaching. Which is something I struggle with. My patriarchal blessing says that I am going to be a teacher in some way through out my life. I am thoroughly convinced that that is one of the reasons I was called to this mission. To increase that ability to teach simply and by the Spirit. That is something that I really learned during this struggle as I looked over my Patriarchal blessing.

I love this Gospel and the Atonement. I know that we are meant to become better and the fact that we have a Heavenly Father that loves us makes that so much easier. I'm so blessed to have this knowledge AND to have the chance to warn all of my brothers and sisters down here in AZ!! 

Well, I love you lots and tell everyone I love them! The heat's on it's way and it looks like I'll be on a bike for the summer. Pray for me!!This week the weather was pretty good. Hopefully I'll be a little thin guy again after a summer of biking, I'm a little chub. But hey, I'm only here to impress the Lord. Am I right?

Elder Alexander <3

PS-  They have the new mission boundaries out, I might send you a pic if this computer lets me. It's a slow son of a gun.