A Prayer request: Nov. 29, 2013

Okay, everyone. I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving and remembered to count your blessings. I enjoyed a wonderful day full of my wonderful blessings, my family! It was really fun and I enjoyed the food and company!

So I really don't know how to post this so I will start with, Alecia is fine. She is having some health problems. I received a phone call today from Sis. Dyer, the mission president's wife.  Alecia has been having a few intestinal problems. She has been in the hospital for dehydration and she has had a few other issues.  She will be having a routine colonoscopy(sp?) done, I am not sure when. I am told that this is routine and not to worry that the church uses only the best doctors. With this being said, I am asking for all of my friends and family to pray for her health and for my peace of mind. I know that she is where she needs to be. I know that our Loving Father in Heaven will keep her safe and take care of her. I just wish that I could hold her and be able to tell her how much I love her.  Thank you all for you love, support, and prayers.

Lots of Love
From the Momma! : )

November 25, 2013 Parts of Alecia's email to me

I am really excited about Thanksgiving... We are going to make mashed taters and pumpkin pie! ANd I think hma rosmary is going to make a little turkey! yum! We cant spend a lot fo time on all this... but itll be really fun! ANd in the morning, we are going to do a little devotional together as a companionship! Oh hey! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! In advance!

As for me, I have been really busy this week as well! And had some really cool experiences. Hma Santa Cruz had to have one of her wisdom teeth removed this week, and spent a whole day in the house. But we did divisions so we wouldnt lose a day of work.. and I went out with a sister from our ward.... And pretty much taught all on my own! I really learned so much in that time! I can really do this! I have learned so much here! I never realized how afraid I used to be. Mom, I used to be afraid to talk on the cell phone, afraid to leave my family, afraid to talk to people i didnt know, afraid to put my all into a relationship with some one. I have learned to be stronger. I am not afraid anymore. Hma Santa Cruz has taught me so much... and I am going to miss her! She said she is going to go up to salt lake the february after I go home..and I am thinking it would be awesome if we could all go see her.. so yall can all meet my newest sister. She really is fantastic! 

As for Thanksgiving... I am thankful too. More thankful than I have ever been in my life I think... I have learned so much, seen so much, and experienced more. I know the lord loves me. I know he loves these people. And I could not be more thankful to be here in this work in this time! 

Dont stress out so much! okay! I lvoe ya! 

Love, 

Hma Alford

PS:

Well, to be honest mom, I just didnt know how to bring up a subject like this. Its kind of hard to write your mother when your in a foreign country and tell her you were sick... I was a bit sick... and decided not to tell you at the time for this exact reason. I dont want you to worry about me at all.. and besides which, it wasnt anything really abnormal or life threatening... so I decided to keep that experience to myself. Dont be mad, but I know you and how you worry sometimes... All is fine now, I am eating everything in sight and I dont hurt anymore. And I have all the energy in the world! lol! It was quite a while back when I caugth some parasites twice... But I am all good now and healthy healthy healthy... Its a normal process down here, you catch parasites from the food ... But they know how to take care of it by now. and its pretty much just a matter of being really annoyed for a little while... and losing weight! lol! But I am fine, and hope that I have become accostomed to the food so that I dont have the same problem later..  Sorry I didnt tell you... but I just didnt know how to write something like that to you...

A note from me the Momma: You can imagine the tears that flowed down my face as I read the end of this. I know that she is being protected. It really hurt my heart to think that she was sick and I didn't know. However, I do understand how she feels because I don't always tell her everything either since she is so far away. Hmm like mother like daughter. I am so thankful that she is getting better and will be praying for her to not get anymore parasites. I knew something was up, it is just not normal to loose all the weight she has without being sick. But doesn't she look so happy!!!

I am grateful to my Father in Heaven for such a wonderful daughter. She is amazing and I am very "well pleased" with all she does. Keep her in your prayers. Love you all.

To any of you who may have found my blog in Bolivia Thank you for watching over my precious daughter. She loves you all so much and through her I have grown to love the Bolivian people too. God Bless you all!!

November 18, 2013

Wow! I am so in awe of all that is going on over there! Kady has finished the Book of Mormon! Bethanys going to the temple! And Brandons going to be driving soon! (Watch out all those in the streets! Your lives may be at risk! lol!) I am glad your class went well! I had some cool experiences this week too.. I had to talk in church this sunday... and what a hard time I had preparing for that... I ended up talking about something totally different. I prayed before hand for the Lord to put His words in my mouth for the members... and when I went up there I didnt even look at the talk I had prepared. My my my.. I just hope they took it with the love that was behind it!  But I truly feel that the words I said were of God, and so I am content with my talk! And we also went to a cool conference for all missionaries in Cochabamba! Awesome! They have chosen three missions in south america to begin a trial run with Kiosks and publicity and all kinds of new stuff... and they gave us our fair share of chastisement for wasting time. ¨Satan himself hides in your watch¨Thats what they said. He may not be able to tempt us to drink alcohol, or do something really ridiculous like that right now... But he would just love it if we wasted our time playing around, walking past the people who need us, staying in the house a few minutes longer... We might have the agency to choose how we will use this time... But we do not have the right to waste the time of God! Thats what they told us! Ouch! I have got to get my tail in gear and start working harder! Anyway, in other news! I FINALLY sent the Christmas Package, and one with your bday gifts and some letters... Oh, and I lost the flash drive you sent me today... Luckily, I have copies still of everything that was inside. We went on a special outing for just the sisters and Sister Dyer today! They told us we were going to see waterfalls.... Turned out to be a creek, but we had a blast anyway! And I saw nature for the first time in almost an eternity!!!! I have been dying for trees, and birds, and water! I have never been in such a giant city before! There doesnt seem to be an end to Cochabamba! If it exists, I sure havent seen it! We also went to see a mansion and took a ton of pics there! i felt like I was in a movie, like Pride and Predjudice Latin style! lol! Anyway, this week has been good... We didnt have hardly anyone in the chapel with us this sunday because of some school activity.. But we are really hopeful for some baptisms coming up! Woohoo! Oh, and I have begun decorating the house for Christmas! SO cool! lol!  Anyway, I love you a million times a million times a million and more! And I am going to send as many photos as I can! LOL!

Love ya! 

Hma ALford

 I found magnolia trees! It was so cool to see them! They almost dont exist here! But there were a ton in the mansion´s gardens!
My Christmas tree this year! Man the coolest thing! The Balderamas, the family we live with.. has already put up their tree, and we see the lights every night! So pretty! lol!
Some really pretty snowy looking plants from the mansion!


I forgot to tell yall we went to the temple this week! With one of the converts of Hma Santa Cruz! What an experience !
Hma Santa Cruz and I at the mansion!
The mansion!

November 4, 2013

 Halloween in Cochabamba!!!

I was a gypsy! Hma Santa Cruz was a pirate, Elder Wilson Captain America, and Elder Nicho Super man! We carved pumpkins, ate creepy looking food, and had a blast! lol! My pumpkin was the coolest of course! lol! I loved it! What an awesome Halloween! We went to the Bishops house and had dinner with his family... then carved the pumpkins at Hma Rosmarys house! lol! What a blast! Hma Santa Cruz and I had so much fun dressing up!
 lol! love yall!

 Service in Cochabamba! (She looks a little worried!)

So yeah, we had to do service with Sister Alborta... and no one else could do this part! I had to climb into this tiny little hole... in my skirt! And fill up buckets of water to pass them up through the tiny hole! This is how they get water here, is they fill up a giant tank every once in a while... and they have to empty it out before they can fill it back up! I was so exhausted after this! AND WET!!!! LOL! It was really hard! But no one else could do it because they are scared of small places... Never mind the fact that I was terrified in that dark little hole full of water and who knows what kind of creepy crawlies!!! But we were able to help her out a ton! And thats what really matters right? lol! And now Ive got a pretty unique memory! lol!

 So yeah, I didnt end up changing my hair! And I will tell Sister Rosmary you said thanks for the mama bear attack! lol! Ill be sending a package this following monday... I still have a few things to finish up before I send it.. But hopefully itll make it to yall before Christmas! I really want yall to have something from me under the tree! lol! That would be so cool! lol! So yeah, a bit more detail about my crazy week... We got a call from one of our investigadors today.. She hasnt really been overly interested so far... but she called us up this morning and asked us to come over to see her. We asked if it would be okay if we came later in the day, because we were in the middle of a service... But she asked us if we could come right then... so we left and went to see her... and she told us about some problems she has been experiencing (which is crazy because shes really one to hold everything in, not to share her problems) and then started crying and asking us to help her. We sat and hugged her for like five minutes... and then shared a little bit about prayer and the love of the Lord, and how he is there for her always... She started crying all over again and we were able to see her heart open up to the gospel. Something that I have truly learned out here is to show all the love you have for the people...because that is the key to them knowing that you are really there for them.. And that opens the door to their hearts. This entire week has been an unending stream of experiences just like this one... Where we have been able to see people open their hearts, minds, and doorways for us to begin teaching. I know it was truly inspiration that Hma Santa Cruz and I stay together another transfer.. Because none of this would have happened if not! What a miracle huh?

Here, weve been busier than ever... I think we have appointments stacked on top of eachother back to back and some at the same time for this entire week! But thats a good thing, because it means we are working hard! We have nine people with a baptism date... and we are working ridiculously hard with the ward! They are really coming a live in the mission work! I love to see them flocking to us to offer their help! And its a good thing too, or else I dont know how in the world we would get to all of our appointments ! We have to do a lot of divisions to get to them all! lol! Anyway, everything is going great down here! Oh! And we had a Halloween party too! Ill send pics as soon as I can! And some cool service! lol! I love you! Have an awesome week!
Hma Alford