Email 10/6/2014

Dear Family and Friends!

We have had an amazing week with Miracles and Tender Mercies everywhere!

First was that we went to get our cars electrical fixed and they were planning for us to get a rental in the mean time so we could still do our work. We were both excited at the idea of being able to save miles while not having to use our car. We were secretly praying that the car would take longer then expected so that we could use the rentals miles! The car guy came up to us and showed us the rental car. TRUCK! it was a new 2015 Chevy truck! We were so excited and even Sister Standerfer was asking if she could drive it just once! haha! but come to find out as we are working out the paperwork, the car guy asks me for my drivers license and of course..."Wait!" he says, "How old are you?" me, "20...Why?" ..."Oh, no! I am so sorry! you have to be 21." Me"...no, I'm sorry I wasn't born sooner!" He laughed and told me that that wasn't my fault. We went back to Pete the Car repair guy and when we got there he looked at us with a defeated look on his face. "I am so sorry Sisters! I would never had guessed that you both were under 21! you are just so mature!" I told him that it was because of the bags under our eyes and not to worry about it...haha! not really but that would have been funny! ^^ We were both flattered and tried not to make our heads not too big about it. We knew that it was the Spirit and the fact that we had our heads on strait when most 19 and 20 year olds are going to college and partying. Who ever is reading this- if you want a good way to raise your kids...join this church! ;)

As we were setting up an alternative they found that they had their own loan out cars that don't have the whole 21 requirement. The day we would get the loan out car would be the day before we go to Return and Report which is in Belmont close to Boston. So in the big picture, this is far better for helping us to save miles then the first plan!

Moral; of the Story is that even when you think you have made a good plan and things are flashy and exciting...when they don't turn out the way you think, it is probably because the Lord has a smarter path with a better out come! So don't get discouraged, always look to the future with trust that there is a reason for everything. Like last time when we didn't have our car for 2 1/2 weeks and were on foot/bus most of the time, there are so many things that the Lord needed us to do that we wouldn't have been able to do and people that we needed to meet that if we were in the comfortable confines of our car, never would have happened!

We had another thing happen this week with Finding a new Investigator!!!!

We were walking to save miles with it being the end of the month and as we got to the cross walk we started talking to this kid named Alex. He is a U-Mass Amherst Student and was open to learning more! We exchanged numbers and then a day or 2 later we asked when we could meet with him. He said he would really like to meet and so we brought a Young Single Adult. His name was Trevor and met him at a Pizza place :) We gave Alex an overview of the Restoration and a Book of Mormon and even though he is a collage student he said that he would do his best to read the 3 Nephi 11 chapter that we left with him and pray about what we have taught!...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We tried to keep our cool after the meeting but as soon as we got to the car where no one could hear...we started screaming like little girls with excitement!!! haha! We are so excited! :D
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Then some exciting news about our Investigator Alex (Different Alex, this is the one that is 15 and from Cape Verde).

We met with him last night and his mother was there again! We talked more about his baptism and keeping the Sabbath day holy. As he was translating for his Mom he told us that she was going to be going back to their country for 5 months and then coming back. We paused and thought about this for a second... Alex's Date was set for Nov. 8th and his Mom leaves on Oct. 25th. We talked it over and he wants his Mother to be there so we moved his date up to the 24th of Oct.!!!! We still have a lot to teach him but we know that with the Lord we can help him be ready!!! He wants to be Baptized and we can see the light in his eyes that was there when we first met him but now is so much brighter! :)

AND!!! that's not all! His Grandma showed up at the end of the lesson and his Mom was talking to her as we were going over the Baptism questions with him briefly.  After the Grandma left and we were about to close our lesson with a prayer, his Mom talked to Alex and he translated to us that the Grandma wants us to come visit her too...!!!!!!! Oh, my Blessings Batman!!! This family is so prepared and we get to be the ones here at this special time and be apart of the Lords work!!!

Oh, my Goodness it is cold today!!! We had to scrape the frost off the car!!!! not again!!!! We are going to go hiking on a trail in Pittsfield with the District today that is why we are writing so early so I will have lots of pretty pictures with the fall colors!!! :)

Love and Miss you a Million Miracles and Gratitude prayers!

Love,

Sister Patterson :)