Last Email 1/12/15

Us with Alicia after she was Baptized when we went to their house that night. 

She thought the jump suite was silly looking and didn't want to take a picture in it. haha! 

This is the Last Ever Email from me as a Missionary!!!! D:

AHHHHHH! This is so crazy and unreal! It was always some other missionary that was getting ready to go home! and now it is me!

We had the best week! We had Tiffany, one of the YW in the ward that lives far away, come on a Mini Mission for the weekend and it was a really fun experience! I hope that it was a good and inspiring time for her!

Sasha had her 17th Birthday on Friday and now she is one year closer to being a chaperone for the Missionaries!!! haha! ^^ We got her a new little purse to replace the one that she has used forever (it was a hammy down) and I made her a Hat! She really liked them! I am going to miss that girl like crazy! She is a kindred spirit to me! :) and we have made so many memories with her and her Mom Theresa! We have taught together, been fed wonderful food, and laughed until our stomachs hurt! haha! I love them so much!

We had such a crazy, wonderful, extremely stressful, and spiritual day on Sunday! haha!

Sister Ng and I gave talks in sacrament meeting first off! A lot of people (but not all sadly) that I had invited to come see me on my last Sunday came!!! Our attendence was 116!!! That's super awesome! And 8 nonmembers came! I felt the spirit so strong as I was sitting up on the stand and it started to hit me that I was not going to be apart of this ward any more.... I cried, then got up, and did my best to give the talk that I wanted to share. Never, of course, getting across the full power I got while studying for it but I feel like I did what I could with the time I had. Then we had the fullest Gospel Principals class ever! The Young's said at the end, "Now let's have a class this full every week!" to all of them. :)

Then we went to Relief Society. We had offered to help Sister Stratton Meier with half of her lesson on Sat. night. You can imagine the stress we had when we got home with all the things to prepare but we wanted to help her! She does so much and she got told that night that she would be teaching so of course we could tell that she was stressed. After our part was done she then took over. I ran to the restroom and then suddenly Sarah Wilson and Sister Ng come in looking for me saying, "Get back in there! They are getting ready to say nice things about you!" Surprised, I go back in and they started telling stories about me and basically doing Appreciations about me! I was a little embarrassed but I feel like it was a tender Mercy of the Lord telling me that I had an impact here. I heard things from people that I didn't realize I had done that much for. My heart was full and I'm sure I had I dumb look on my face as you know people have when they are being complimented...haha! But I will forever remember their kind words and think of them quite too often from now on, as Anne of Green Gables would say! haha! ^^

Then!!! we had Alicia's Baptism and linger longer after that! (A day full of church!) I started running around like a crazy person and at the same time realizing how many things I forgot but it all was blessed by the Lord and ran smoothly! The Lord knows I haven't done this in a while!  A few weeks ago someone asked me where the baptism cloths were and I had no idea...so sad! haha! I know where they are now!!! but that doesn't mean my Mission wasn't successful! The Lord needs us to do certain things and there not always the flashy part of things! ;)

We had 6 nonmembers stay for the Baptism and two of them want to be Baptized and one just told their member friend that they want to take the discussions!!!! I feel that the lesson here is that there are people that are more ready then you think but we are scared to be Bold! but not today! Sister Ng and the Sister taking my spot here, Sister Fernando, will have a ton of amazing things to come here in the Amherst Area! :) I might be calling them to help out a little if they need some information about some things but I know that I have done what the Lord has needed me to do here. :)
and boy thank goodness for Facebook and technology! :)

I love you all sooooooooooo much and I can't wait to see you on Friday!!!!! so stinkin crazy! haha!

Love you a Million blessings that have come through being a Missionary! :)

and for the last time....

Love,

Sister Patterson!!!!

Email 1/5/14

I have had the most amazing Mission and I have made so many amazing friends!

We have been seeing blessings everywhere!

We had so many people say that they would come to church this week and then...freezing rain happened! We walked out to our car that had turned into one big ice cube! ...yeeeaahhh... and the ice scrappers were in the car! and boy! those doors wouldn't open for anything!!!!

Then me thinking I was so smart said, "Let's boil water put salt in it and pour it on the car til it opens."

We did this and it actually helped but the stinkin' car still would not open!!! Why I ask you??? It felt like it was glued shut!!!

Then as I was working on the trunk suddenly my thoughts drifted to the keys in my pocket and I then reached for them.....as sister Ng came up to the car I looked at her ice scrapper in hand and said, "I got it open!..." I awkwardly took a second to push down my pride and told her... " I forgot to unlock it....her, ...."no comment". We were both soaked with the rain and then headed to church.

I used this story in my testimony and applied it to how we as humans may think we are all that and full of wisdom but there is only one thing that can truly open the windows of heaven and make things happen! and that is prayer, scripture study and obedience!

Well that is all I have time for now but lots more to tell you when I get home! I am so excited to have the Sisters teach us a lesson! haha! on the other side! I am going to be a muggle again!

Love you a million ice cubes! :D

Love,

Sister Patterson!!!

By the way Alicia's Baptism in on Sunday!!!! Pray for her!

Email 12/29/14

Ward Christmas Party

I have loved serving with Sister Ng! she has helped us be able to communicate with people that we would have never been able to otherwise! We have a 2 potential Chinese families and one of them said that they would visit our church this Sunday!!!

We are hoping to start an english class her so that people that normally come can have exposure to our church!

I have loved serving here in Amherst and have made lasting relationships! Sister Ng has asked me so many times why I haven't asked why I have been here so so long and I say, "I don't know!" I feel like it's not really a question. Every companion, person and experience I have had I have felt like I was needed and had a purpose! :)

I can't believe time has gone by so fast! I can't believe I am going to see you all in just a matter of weeks!!!!!!! I have tried to think about my future plans like college and such but then I start to feel guilty and say this is so prideful!!!
I have loved my Mission and have become a new person! I am so excited for my future! :)

I want you guys to make sure my homecoming is filmed! I will try from my end as well but I don't know how that will work if I am pulling a ton of stuff but it might be before I get my stuff! Let's hope!

Oh, my goodness! Only 2 more emails then I will be home!!! Just so you know I am still super focussed on the work! Coming home just feels like another transfer! haha! ^^

Love you a million things to pack! and not enough time to baptize all of Amherst!!!

Love,

Sister Patterson!

Email 12/22/14

Mission Christmas Conference

I feel sooo bad! I haven't talked to you in forever!!!

I have loved your letters and and I have so much to tell you about when we Skype.  We have had the a ton of really cool experiences! We taught 3 1st lesson's this week!!! One of them is a for sure new investigator and the other two were awesome but we need to have another meeting to confirm there interest moving forward! 

Sister Ng is so funny and I will have to show you some on Skype. haha!

The Lord has been showering us with blessings! We have been opening our mouths like crazy and giving out the He is the Gift cards and it feels so good to contact people more then I have been! 

I am doing ok. I was struggling a little bit feeling like I haven't given my all in parts of my mission but after hearing one elders Testimony at the Christmas conference where he openly said he had regrets of things I didn't do on his mission, I felt like I let a load off my shoulders and started to cry. It felt good to hear so much vulnerability and see his actual growth in saying how the Mission has changed him. He also said that he used to not have a testimony but now he does! Man it was good! Then President Packard told him to stay up there and he ran up and grabbed him by the shoulder and said, "Yeah! his calendar could have been fuller in the beginning and he didn't know where the book of Jacob was but even though he didn't know those things that isn't what matters...because now he has experienced true conversion!

I have been thinking about what I want to share when it is my turn to share my Testimony at my last Transfer meeting!!! I have so many thoughts and not enough time or words to share them... Well I will do something and end it with "and I'm a Mormon!" haha!

I feel like things are real and yet fake. I have come to love so many people here on the mission that I can't imagine my life without having met them! Now the home sickness is turning towards the people here! I can feel it already!!!  :(

I just want all the people I know to be all in one place!

We are going to be at a members house at 2. We will eat then I can Skype so maybe around 3ish here. I will call first to make sure you are ready and set up the computers! 

It is so weird that you are meeting people I have served with! I love Sister Bell!!! :)

We are very busy and running around like crazy people! haha! Love you all and talk to you on Christmas!!!

I got the Packages by the way! I will make sure to keep them cool! haha!

We are going to a FHE at the Whites who is one of the stake presidents counselors and President Packard is going to be there!!! so exciting! :)

Love you a Million He is the gift cards to give out before Christmas!!!

Love,

Sister Patterson :) 

Email 12/15/14

Sorry we are filming the video for the Mission Christmas Party and were not able to write anything! I will voice record and respond to your emails that I printed out!

Love you all!

Love,

Sister Patterson

Email 12/8/14

I have a new Asian (Chinese) Companion, Sister Ng. She is so sweet!!! I love her to pieces but sometimes I get frustrated because of the language barrier but we have a community opening up to us that never could have been before!!! We are excited!

She is nervous because she has only one transfer with me to learn the area but I know that she can do it!

We have a lot of fun together as we have gotten to talk about shows and manga and other things! She is so blunt and funny! She even said that I am more Asian then her! haha! Oh man! It is good :)

Hope everything keeps going well!

LOVE YOU A MILLION AMERICAN ACCENTS THAT MAKE SISTER NG LAUGH! HAHA

Sister Patterson

Email 12/1/14

So.....Thanksgiving was good! :D haha! I know you are dying to know if I am being Transferred and so I will not delay it any longer!
We had to wait a little longer to get T-Texts this time because President didn't want to take away from his sacred family time at Thanksgiving so instead of Fri. afternoon they came on Sat. night at around 10pm!

All I remember was that we were getting ready for bed and writing in

our journals/prayers when right

before I started my prayers I saw a blue light...I grabbed the phone and.....AHHHHHH! T-Texts! I tried not to make a noise and threw the phone and said the craziest Prayer ever...it was so bad! ^^

Dear Heavenly Father...Thank you for this Day and all my blessings....and for T-Texts... they just came and I am excited and nervous!...Sorry this is so short! Then I wrote down some quick thoughts for our lessons we would be teaching the next day and then said sorry again and closed my prayer! I looked at Sister Standerfer phone in her hand and yelped out wait for me!!! I jumped on her bed and she read out loud the texts as they came in! Sasha then called and we read them to her live time! She read then paused...AHHHHHH! One of us is getting Transferred!!! It says that a Sister NG (Chinese Sister) is getting Transferred here to Amherst!!! We had to wait for our Zones turn in the texts and low and behold!!!!.....

Sister Standerfer is getting Transferred to Belmont!!!!!

That's right folks the Old Steam Boat is staying and Dieing here! ;)

I am sooooo excited to have an Asian companion!!! and this is really exciting because we have a ton of chinese people here that we can't communicate with!!! I had the thought at one point that it would be really cool to be able to start a Chinese group out here and now that might be possible! :D

She looks really nice and has cute hair! (bangs) ;) a little like Erin's hair! haha!

I read page 76 in The Power of Everyday Missionaries this morning and it is a story of staying desperate and that things didn't happen until the very end because he wasn't as desperate in the beginning! I hope that this is like my getting close to the end desperation that will help this area prosper! I really don't want to be the thing in the way of it's progression!

Thanksgiving was really busy actually! Considering the slower pace of people being gone for the Holidays!

We went and had Thanksgiving with Melany and Aliuska (Her friend in the apt. complex) it was really fun and they told us all about the boys they like and then they would ask us if we had anyone and of course I got really awkword because I am a Missionary! Is this even legal? but it was fun! ^^ haha! I told them, "Ok here are some really cute stories about how my Mom and Dad met." They loved the stories so much and asked if this was real life or a movie story! Then they told me to make it into a movie because they wanted to watch it! haha! ... We then shared a scripture Alma 26:16 and they really liked it as well!

We took pictures with them so you can see them!

We had Dinner at Sister Vargas's and it was sooooooo goood! She is a master in the kitchen! :) and we got to meet her daughter! She is the coolest and she lives in New York!

We went to Church and were in the clerks office before Church started to finish our progress report when Bishop popped open the door and said, "There is someone here that knows you Sister Patterson!" ....at first I thought it was someone from another area but then I remembered.....Oh man, it couldn't be.....no..... we walked over to the chapel and.......Oh, my goodness!!!! He turned to look at me and the water works came a flowen! "That's my uncle", I muttered after I saw the confused face on Sister Standerfer's face. I could tell I was making him a little teary eyed as well which didn't help me at all! By the way Dad, you have a twin! It was so hard to look at him and not see you Dad! I clung to him the rest of church and it felt so good to have a person that I could sit next to and not worry about saying something wrong and offend someone! He teased me and I felt right at home...haha! I now remember the humor that I will return to...haha! I love you Dad! He gave me a huge XXL bag of peanut M&M's and a pack of gum! haha! so funny! I made sure to ask how his missionary work was doing and no worries that I can see! He and Michelle are doing a wonderful job being a Missionary just like you 

all! :)

After we found out that Sister Standerfer was getting Transferred she got really nervous to tell Melany...She and Melany had a really fast connection that was so powerful!

We stopped by on Sunday night and as we walked up the walk way we could see Melany in the Stair well window pacing.

Sister Standerfer nervously walked in front as Sasha and myself walked calmly behind.

When we got to her Sister Standerfer broke the news to her. Melany was silent. We told her that this is not the end but that Sister Standferfer would be able to keep in contact! Melany was pretty upset and didn't understand why she had to leave! She even mentioned that she wanted to talk to who was in charge and say that what they did was wrong! Aliuska was there too and understood that it really wasn't in our central. Melany left the room and we thanked Aliuska for being here for Melany but we had to get going to our next appointment. We asked here to take care of her and to tell her that we love her.

We are so sad to not be companions anymore but we are also excited for the future!

Oh, Man so much more but we have to go get Sister Standerfer's hair cut by Sister Degrasse! :)

Love you a million snow flakes! and only 6 1/2 weeks left!!!


Love, 

Sister Patterson