Week 84

HOLA family

Jan 27, 2014 at 10:25 AM

Hey family and friends,

Hope life is going swell for y'all.

I received letters from grandma, nana, I think another from grandma, 82, box of charger, Bernie and Tom, and Deej.  I haven't read any of them yet, but thanks :)  Since mail didn't come on Monday last week, I just got them today. 

Let's see. 

Sounds like I'm not going to be able to recognize the house with everything you done to it these past several months.  Life is ridiculously crazy and busy.  This past week we had zone conference, and we did another blitz, which went really well by the way.  I hope that I have a positive impact on other missionaries because I know when I was young, I really looked up to a lot of my zone leaders. 

It got really cold these past few days, but this morning wasn't as bad, so we ran again.  I like cold though :)  Let's see, transfers are going to be on the 11 February, so you can still send mail to Hope Mills.  I would probably stop on the Wednesday of next week, so February 5, unless I tell you otherwise.  I don't know if I'm being transferred or not.  I could be or I could stay.  I have been here 4 1/2 months, and 3 with Elder Bagley, but it's a very good possibility that we stay together.  We'll see.  Either way is fine, but if I stay, I will be able to be here for a couple of baptisms that we have coming up that are soooo exciting !!!  I will tell you a little later. 

Sounds like y'all are keeping yourselves busy.  Dad doesn't sound like he has 2 seconds to rub together (is that mixed metaphors . . . oops...)  Please feel free to use stuff I write in Sunday school or whatever...if it can help someone else, that's a o k with me :)

Ps. My jacket is ridiculously warm.  I love it.

So, we are teaching this gentleman from Haiti who is going to school up here. He's awesome.  We call him Peterson, which is his last name, because that is easier for everyone.  He knows Creol, French, Spanish, English and some German.  He wants to do Mechanical Engineering.  He came to stake conference last week and LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said he was so happy like the whole week.  He couldn't wait for Sunday again, and he told all his family about it.  He enjoyed yesterday's service as well.  He is preparing for baptism on the 1^st of March. 

Another individual we are teaching is truly a miracle.  The day she decided she wasn't going to go to her church anymore, we showed up.  Last week, when we asked her if she would prepare to be baptized on the 8 March, she responded with "I would love to".  She has loved!!! church so far, is seeing miracles in her life, and recognizes that Satan is putting many things in her path to keep her from following this course and she pushes through!!! It's truly amazing.  Yesterday, she bore her testimony in Sunday School.  She volunteered to read Moroni 10:4-5 ( https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.4,5?lang=eng#3 ) as part of our discussion on the Holy Ghost.  The teacher then asked her what the verses meant to her and she said "That's why I'm here." She then proceeded to tell her story about how she started questioning her church and began opening her mind and searching and then how she met us.  It was amazing.  I felt so proud of her afterwards.  I love this gospel.  I love missionary work.  The Lord is truly blessing us and helping us reach and serve our Father's beloved sons and daughters. 

Also, on Wednesday, we met with the high councilor over missionary work and the new stake president.  It was awesome.  Just us 4 and we discussed the status of the units.  I'll tell you what.  I understand how the Lord's kingdom works so much more than before my mission.  I'm not going to lie . . .before my mission, I didn't even understand what stake callings were...let alone what happened in the millions of meetings Dad went to, but now it's so clear.  I understand and love it.  It's perfect.  It doesn't compare to any other organization.  Dad, I also understand why you loved working with the Stake Presidency for those many years.  I would love it too.  I'm grateful you were so dedicated to the Lord even when your punk children complained for you being gone too long.  I would have been gone that long too :) 

Also, here's something I thought of . . . I'm not sure if I mentioned it last week. Can you think of any other organization or business or corporation that selects an individual to have authority over upwards 2500 members of said organization and an entire region of people after interviewing a couple dozen people for only 6 minutes each.  That's it.  These individuals were interviewed for 6 minutes, and that's how "they" decided who that leader, the new Stake President was going to be.  Perhaps I should phrase it correctly.  That's how the Lord decided.  And that's just it.  The Lord decides.   That's the only way it worked.  Any secular or other organization that tried to do the same thing would crash and burn in about 2 seconds if they started doing their selection process in such a manner.  Again, can I say it enough, I love this church, and I love my God that loves us enough to bless us with His kingdom on earth which is simply the scaffolding to help us to build eternal families that can enjoy all the blessings of His kingdom in Heaven.  I just wish everyone would give it a real chance.  Anyone who really truly looks into this would be foolish not to unite, because it's obvious whom you're uniting with . . . your Eternal Father and His Perfect Son.

Love y'all so much,

Love,

Elder Patty