"To be a missionary means to be yourself."‏

Hei alla i hopa!! (Hello in Norwegian...)

Holy cow!! Amazing week this week!!!! I have felt and seen God's hand in my life so strongly!!!! I don't even know where to start!!!!  Well, you remember K and D? We had to hand them over to the elders in our district because K was being very inappropriate and flirtatious and D said it would be a lot easier to learn the gospel with men because us being girls was way too distracting.... At least he's honest I guess.. lol. S has gone missing though... he was our other baptismal date... he is homeless and isn't answering his phone and we are so worried.... but we also met a man named T. We were talking to a Bulgarian woman and we were talking about our beliefs in Christ. While we were talking to her, I noticed a man watching and listening to our message. And I had the feeling to go talk to him. She rejected us and as we started walking away, the man started yelling and said, "Ey! You Christians!?" We said yes and we walked over to say hello! His name is T and he's from South Africa!!!! "I bring my whole family to church on Sunday, yes!?" We were floored!!!!!! We scheduled another lesson with him. When we taught him, the spirit was SOOO strong. All he could say was "that makes sense.." and he accepted a baptismal date for may 31st!!!! I LOVE teaching the first vision because it is so powerful!!!! It is just amazing to know how much God really does love us...

We met another woman named E. We knocked on her door and she started to cry when we told we were representatives of Christ who wanted to pray for her. She didn't have time because she was running out the door, but she asked a special blessing on her family. We asked to come by later and she gave us her number. We called and asks  if we could stop by and she said yes. We taught her the plan of salvation. She was bawling. She said "I love Jesus Christ!!!" She told us her family was struggling:  E has become our mama away from mama!!! She is so kind, compassionate, loving, selfless, and patient. Whether she gets baptized or not, I feel so much love from her and I am just dazzled by her willingness to serve. I love letting  people know that you do NOT need religion in your life to be a good person. You do NOT need to be baptized to be a good person. But you can be the happiest when you're baptized by the proper authority in the name of Jesus Christ.

WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pictures will come next week!!! I feel so blessed!!!!!!!!!!!!! And going there thinking about our investigators dressed in white sends shivers down me shins... in a funky fresh way of course!!!

Well I went with our investigators in mind. But on a more personal level, I went with a question for the Lord. Before I went into the MTC, I made a promise to the Lord to be the best missionary I could possibly be. But this week I have felt I wasn't really living  up to what I'd promised. So I went with the question, "how can I, Sister Alexandria, be the best missionary that I can be?" I realized that I had been adjusting to the culture of Haywards Heath, which they are a little  bit cold, but I realized that I was holding myself back because  since they aren't  used to someone absolutely FULL of energy coming up to them and saying hello, (including the ward members) I changed my approach. I felt unhappy and not like myself. One morning last week, I even looked in the mirror and said "I don't remember who I am anymore." So when I went to the temple today, I realized we are ALL children of God. It doesn't matter what culture, what colour skin, what language, what gender, what dreams we all have. We are ALL children of God. And each of us is unique. Each of us has been blessed with gifts and talents. Heavenly Father expects us to use those talents. ESPECIALLY on a mission. And what I feel I have been blessed with is sort of against how the people here in Haywards Heath treat people and believe in. Yes, England, I am an American. Yes I am loud. Yes I dress very brightly. Yes when I say hello to you, I may scare you. Yes I am a Mormon. I LIVE it. I LOVE it. I am me!!!! We can all be the best missionaries for God by BEING OURSELVES!!!!!!! God created you the way you are and expects you to use your personality, talents, gifts, and dreams in missionary work. To be a missionAry means to be yourself!!!!! We all have a bit of Christ in US... BE YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!

I'm praying for all of you!!!! LOVE you oodles and oodles!!!!!!!!!