August 14, 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!  Hope everyone had a great first day of school.  Enjoy a week off without seminary ;) Seriously cannot believe that another school year is starting. MOM! That is really neat that you helped out with a zone conference.  We are actually having ours this Thursday (really excited) Kristin is going to teach seminary too???? WOW! She will be great!   
As for the work here in Itaugua the Lord is sure putting ready people in our paths.  We are really excited to work with our contacts and continue with the lessons.  We had a really neat contact with "A", his mom just passed away and he is lacking faith a bit.  Hermana Arch and I  bore our testimonies and shared what he needed to hear - He definitely felt the spirit.  As for "E" and "A" things are going real well.  "E" is still planning on getting baptized on the 2nd of September.  We taught them about the ten commandments and the sabbath day.  We also talked with "C".  It was a really great experience.  We greatly expressed that with fear, we cannot act on our faith. She just needs a little bit more time and needs to do things for her (reading, prayers) I will for sure keep you updated with our new investigators.  OH HAPPY NEWS : "T" attended church for the first time in a LONG time.  "I" too! The girls from the "P" family as well.  We are sure loving reactivating these converts and inactive members.  I want to share a scripture that sure helped me this week : Alma 12: 9-10 I sure love you all!   Also, our P day has been fun! We went to the beach (more like a lake) with the Hermanas in our Zone and visited a strawberry market.  It sure is a good day!

Love,
Hermana Alexander

August 7, 2017

This week was sure a great week for Hermana Arch and I.  Elsa and Atilano are progressing and attended church with us this Sunday!  Elsa is for sure planning on getting baptized the 2nd of September.  We still need to talk with her husband about this date.  He is very supportive and has a lot of questions.  They sure love how the family is a big part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are going to stop by this week and can't wait to hear what comments they have about Sunday.  As for Carmen, we pass by, but she doesn't receive us.  She is having a lot of oposition right now because she knows the church is true.  We think she is a bit scared about the thought of being baptized (thinks that she has to completely change).  We are hoping that she will be able to recieve us so that we can at least communicate.  HAPPY NEWS! The Pinto family attended church this Sunday for the first time in a LONG time.  We were beyond happy to see them.  Also we have been able to teach Ana (the mom of Tania, who is a recent convert)  We are finding more and more people and have been having great experiences with all the people we are meeting and contacting.  For example, we helped Andrea make a strawberry fruit salad for her buisness.  It makes me so happy to hear that the family is doing so well.  I cannot believe that school is going to start! Sports will be fun too! Sure miss watching sports.   What is freaking me out is how big all the boys are getting.  So fun about Sunsplash! So awesome about Lauren in Peru! Will be such a great experience - can't wait to hear about it or see pictures.  Oh, I cut Hermana Archs hair! Looks pretty good being that it was my first time haha I also started teaching English! It was so fun helping everyone learn. Hope you guys have a great week! LES AMO MUCHO!  

Love,
Hermana Alexander

July 31, 2017

SO CHANGES HAPPENED!  Dad will be really stoked to hear this - My campanion is Hermana Arch from ARGENTINA.  She is from Buenos Aires and has 7 months in the mission.  We sure had a great first week together.  Really looking forward to this change.  Carmen is preparing for the 15th of August.  We both know that this date is better for her.  We contacted so much this week and found 13 new people - references sure helped us.  We are working with Elsa and her husband.  Elsa accepted to get baptized on the 2 of September.  We are going to try and do a visit with the Chavez family.  Elsa is sure ready and her husband too! (we just met him at our last visit, but he is very interested and is reading the pamphlets) I am starting English classes now too which will be fun. We start this Thursday.  I also gave a talk this Sunday about how can we use Christs strength in our daily lives.  We also have a goal to reactivate the recent converts that were baptized not to long ago.  We met Tania and Christopher (they are siblings) was sure great to get to know them and help them with their Testimonies.  They both want to go back to curch.  Isabele also attended (has been quite some time as well ) We helped her this week with her Personal Progress.  I am loving Itaugua and it has been fun getting to know the members more! Sure sounds like you all had a good time and Utah and dad was happy being with Hershey haha I sure love you guys and love hearing from you.  

Love,
Hermana Alexander

Saying goodbye to Hermana Gomez!

Happy to be serving with Hermana Arch from Argentina!

July 24, 2017

Hey!  Things are going really well.  This week was full of fun events.  We had divisions with the Hermana Leaders - I stayed in Itaugua with Hermana Cardenas (she is from Columbia also)  She actually served in Itaugua for quite some time. I was able to learn more about our area and I got to know more of the members.  We sure had a good day together.  OH GOOD NEWS! One of our recent converts Vidalia is preparing to enter the Temple.  We helped her set up an appointment the night that we visited her.  She also completed her 1 year of being baptized! Seriously love her and her family SO much.  We also recieved a new investigator, Tobias.  We are hoping that we can continue to visit him - he has a bit crazy of a schedule since he plays soccer. We sure had a good experience with him..it was his first time hearing about the gospel.   We also celebrated Meles birthday.  We surprised her with a cake.  As for changes, I AM STAYING! REALLY HAPPY! Hermana Gomez and I are sad that she is leaving.  I am excited to find out who my comp will be.  Any guesses? North American? or another Latina?? I will for sure keep you posted next Monday.  OH GREAT NEWSSSS Carmen attended church again - she came on her own.  We are planning for the 5th! Prayers sure help with miracles.  The mission is sure an experience of a life time! I will remember this for the rest of my life. Loved all the pictures! Sure miss everyone.  It makes me happy that you guys are enjoying your time in Utah.  Tell everyone hi and that I love them.  Hope you guys have a great week.

Love,

Hermana Alexander

July 17, 2017

I am doing really well! We had a great week of events.  On Tuesday, we had Zone Conference with all of the missionaries and were able to listen to President Evans along with our other leaders.  Sure was a good experience.  He mentioned a lot of things.  Repentance and Baptism was the focus (watched videos of apostles giving talks in the MTC - for missionaries)  and we read parts of the Book of Moses. Also talked on how we can contact by using the Family Proclamation.  Hna Gomez and I did a practice with President Evans.  On Tuesday, we started the day off early and visited Carmen.  I even peeled yuca and they were quite empressed haha Later that day we had interviews. It was so great talking to President in person.  I also had my 1 year anniversary being in Paraguay (passed the 13th) We have been sharing Alma 50:20 with the families in our ward.  Also we visited Beatriz - after running into her on the bus (she isnt a member, but her daughter and husband are) Her daughter is struggling with depression and I cannot fully express the experience I had with this family.  Sure have lots of love for them.  We shared DyC 31:1-3 with Beatriz and had her put her name in instead of Thomas.  We tried contacting references from last Sunday - that was an adventure.  ALSO we painted with the Benitez family and shared a message with the Hermano.  It was his first time.  We shared and read the whole chapter of Mosiah 12.  We talked about keeping the commandments.  On Sunday I got to work in YSAPY with Hermana Tandiman.  It felt good working in my old area.  We had success and contacted Dino.  Hopefully he will progress.  It is SOOOOOO cold in Paraguay.  So glad to hear that everyone is doing well.  Sure love hearing from you guys and being somewhat caught up haha EFY will be such a good experience for the boys.  Thats fun that the Zwalhens are coming over.  Make sure to tell them hi.  I wish I could have heard Matthew and Joeys talks.  I know they did a great job.  SUPER exciting about Dad.  WIll be an experience.  He will be such a good teacher.  LOVE YOU ALL.  Also shout out to Em for her birthday!

Love,

Hermana Alexander

Alma 50:20  Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land.  But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

D&C 31:1-3  Thomas, my son, blessed are you because of your faith in my work.  Behold, you have had many afflictions because of your family; nevertheless, I will bless you and your family, yea, your little ones; and the day cometh that they will believe and know the truth and be one with you in my church.  Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation. 

July 10, 2017

I cannot fully express how amazing this week went. SO MANY BLESSINGS! We visited Carmen again and she told us that she prayed and knows that this church is true.  Hermana Gomez and I were beyond excited! She attended church with us along with her mom.  We are now  teaching her mom and she is very interested in the church.  We also met her other daughter and we are going to teach her along with her husband.  Carmen has a baptism date set for the 29th and we are hoping that her mom, sister, and brother in-law can accept a baptism date as well further down the road.  We also had an activity yesterday with the missionaries in our zone. From now on we are going to help each other out every sunday and work in our areas - so this week everyone in our zone came and helped us receive more investigators and references.  I did a division with Hermana Christenson.  She is just barely ending her first 6 weeks in the mission field. We sure had a good day together.  It's going to be fun finding out what area we'll work in next Sunday.  We have zone conference tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see what will be talked about tomorrow.  Oh, I also have been introduced to a lot of the members.  I loved meeting the Lucas Family and the Chavez family.  We had a good laugh with the Chavez family about nino jesus - we barely could get through a normal prayer.  SO much happened this week and I can't quite remember everything.  I have been really good about writing in my Journal and plan to do so everyday until the end of my mission.  Next week I will bring my journal so that I can write you more details, but what I have written is pretty much the best of the this week.  LOVE YOU ALL! SHOUT OUT TO DAVD! SOUTH AMERICA IS THE BEST! (ps changes are in two weeks! AWW 3 more for me) I think Itagua will be my last area, but we will see! 

Love,
Hermana Alexander

Happy 4th of July!

Cutest puppies..We named them Jasper & Jacob!

Love this spot!

Beautiful sunsets!

Yummy waffle!

It is such a pretty city! Lots of little shops and stuff!