A poem from Alecia "I and the Angels"

I and the Angels

By Hermana Alecia Alford

A world where light is dim

And circumstances dimmer...

A world of poverty, humility

and dirty streets.

How is it then, I feel so blessed?

So Rich and Bright and Grand.

The streets, It's true are

made of dirt

But their hearts are

Fashioned of Gold.

The Love and Kindness

Godly is,

The smiles Genuine

As diamonds are.

No place on Earth compares 

to this.

My calling. My Call.

My land.

These are my people.

Children of God They are.

They're different it's true,

Yet Golden and Bright and 

Grand are they

May God and His Angels

Watch over them.

And may you see Someday

The light of their love

Shine forth in me...

When once again I return to you

And leave this work to the Angels

Once More.

Reporting Aug 5, 2013

This week has
been pretty awesome! I really truly love it here in Cocabamba! And my
companion is perfecto! She really helps me a lot with my spanish! We
have a goal to learn at least six words a day! Thats quite a lot per
week! Our investigadores are fantastic too! I have never encountered
such humility and love in all my life! Anyway, I am feeling pretty
great here! I couldn系 imagine a better place to be! Oh! And our ward
is fabulous! I just love everybody here! My spanish is still not
overly great, but I am beginning to be able to feel more comfortable
talking to people... I was even able to translate a joke into a
chiste! And everyone understood! It was a pretty pivotal moment for me
in my slow learning of Spanish! And everyone is really helpful here!
Any time I dont know a word, they are so nice and try to help me learn
it! One of the greatest experiences I had so far this week was when we
were out tracting with a member... She started heading towards a door
we were about to pass up, and we found a family there that is so ready
for the gospel! Her name is ________ and she has six children. All of
them came to church with us this Sunday! We were so excited! I really
just felt so happy sitting in church with her! Also, I have been
having a lot of really great opportunities to use my knowledge and
talents to help our investigadors! I love it! I can really see how the
Lord has prepared me with my life experiences specifically for these
people! And its only been a week! I dont know how it can possibly get
better than it has been so far! I love it here! This is just such a
great place to be! Anyway, thanks for listening to the spirit on my
assignment! My area and my companion are exactly perfect!
Sincerely
Hermana Alford

August 5, 2013 Alecia's Email after her first week in Cochabamba

Hey mom! Okay... So here goes! I have no idea where to begin! This is
just the craziest thing ever! Did you get my email on Thursday?
Telling you I made it safely? I didnt know if it was the right email
or not.. My companions name is Hma. Santa Cruz... And she knows
English! We live with the family of the area seventy! In a little
house! And its the best place to live! My bed is comfortable, we have
hot water for our showers, and they even have a washer and dryer we
can use every once in a while! I am in the city Cochabamba... My
spanish is really coming a long! I am healthy... Which is quite a
miracle! Most North Americans are sick for the first week... or
month.. But the Lord has answered our prayers for health! The people
here are so fantastic! I just dont know how you could not love them
with all your heart ! Especially the children! There is one family of
investigadors that has five kids... All of which come running when we
come over yelling over and over  again hermanas hermanas hermanas! We
taught them a lesson yesterday... Its hard to focus because the
children are all loco! But I got to sing to Madeline. She was crying
about something... so I told her to come to me. I hugged her and asked
what her favorite princess was... Then I sang her the little mermaid
song! They all kept spoutin off different princesses after that! it
was so fun! Ham santacruz has me sing EVERY WHERE! LOL! its come in
handy! Oh! And so has my crafting! We like to make object lessons and
gifts for our investigadors! Oh! And she really loves to teach me
Bolivianized words and listen to my gringa accent! So funny! I can
joke in spanish now! I love it! Oh! And my pensionista is the greatest
lady! Her name is Rosmary and she has two daughters violeta and
angela... Both of which are so great too! I love her food so much! I
eat better than the latinos! lol! Its a sign of love and respect and
manners to eat all your food... Which means I am getting fat... But
the people know I love them. I have had to make a really hard
decision... About coca cola... I will drink it if an investigador
gives it to me.. Because it is their way of showing us they love us
... And I am not going to reject that. So, yeah, its hard.. But I want
always for the people here to know that I love and respect them...
Which means that sometimes I will have to eat or drink things that are
a little wierd.. Or coke. lol! Anyway, We are the only sisters in our
zone... President and sister dyer are way cool! I saw the christus for
the first time thursday! SO PRETTY! I cant wait till we can go climb
the hill and take pictures ! I have been having such a great time
here! The people love me almost as much as I lvoe them! It is really
wierd to be considered so foriegn... Really wierd... But it opens
doors sometimes that would other wise never open! Love ya mom! I willl
try to send pics next week okay?


A second Email from Aleica! Answer to the one I sent last week that she didn't get to see until today:

YEAH! I totally know hma adams! We were best friends! Everyday, we
worked out together! Tell her mom I said hi! And she has one strong
daughter! Mom, I love you so much! Everyday, we wake up and get
dressed and ready.. Then we study... ALOT! lol! Which is so fun
actually! And then we go to lunch! Our whole district eats together at
hma rosmarys house. She is a member... and she reminds me a lot of
you! Such a great cook, a beautiful spirit, and a lovely smile! Lunch
is HUGE! And consists of soup and another course... after which we jsu
t hang out and talk alot, in spanish. Then we go out in the field! The
people are so great! i jus lvoe them all! And then we go to dinner...
which is a little smaller... talk and laugh and joke in spanish...
they love to teach me! Which is great because I need to learn.. and
then we go  back home... plan... talk some more about our lives,
families, likes, dislikes, and so on! She is so great mom! And we go
to sleep... in  a really soft bed by the way! lol! And we wake up and
do it all over again the next morning! oh !And shes teaching me salsa
for our exercise !lol1 i am learning to play the piano... and I just
really love it here mom! love ya! Hope that helped at least a litlle !

Reporting to Serve in Cochabamba!

Alecia is now where she needs to be. She is in Cochabamba! Safe and Sound and ready to serve!

 Hermana Alford with Pres. and Sis. Dyer her Mission President and his wife.

 

I think these are all the Sis. and Elders who arrived yesterday but I am not completely sure on that

 Hey Family!
How ya doing? I am officially in Cochabamba Bolivia! And it is so
cool! I met President Dyer and his wife in the airport! And they are
both so awesome! We stayed at a little hotel last night and had
pizza... And now we are doing a load of paperwork! lol! I will email
you monday, on my new pday! And let you know what my assignment is and
all that good stuff! lol! I love you all! SOOOOOO MUUUUUCCCHHH!!!!!!
Take care yall!
Love
Hermana Alford

She is in Bolivia!!!

No email today as she traveled from the CCM (MTC) to Bolivia today! I have great news!!!! I got to hear her sweet voice today!!! We were only on the phone for 14 minutes but oh how amazing it was! She had told me she would call from the airport if at all possible but I had convinced myself that she wasn't going to be able to call. So when a phone call showed unknown, I answered expecting to have to talk to a telemarketer!! Then she said, Momma! Oh how sweet those words were!!! The tears immediately came into my eyes as I realized that I was getting to talk to her! Oh how I miss her. She sounds amazing! She loves the people and the country already! She told me how beautiful it was! She is handling the altitude change well. She said she gets a little woozy but that for the most part she is good. She was also hot! I wish I was able to talk to her more. I put her on speaker phone and she spoke to us in spanish!!! She was absolutely amazing! Just ask me top of her class! LOL Well she just introduced herself but hey to us it was brilliant! : )  She sounds very excited and very upbeat! I know that she is going to serve well! Alecia is so very loving and has a knowledge of the gospel that will help her throughout her mission! It is hard to believe that she has been out for 6 weeks. She will be home in 16 1/12 months! But she is going to be serving with all of her heart, might, mind, and strength with an eye single to the glory of God the whole of those 16 1/2 months! Keep her in your prayers I know that they are helping!

Snatches of Alecia's emails this week.

Aleica's emails this week didn't have much information that extended beyond how much she loves me and the family so I will be sending small snatches of them here.

Here is a little piece from her email to her dad:  The best experience I had this week... I think personal study is about the greatest thing ever! I have decided to take one christlike attribute a week and study it really hard and try to develop said attribute... This week is humility, become like unto a child. I need to be humble enough to learn the lessons the Lord would have me learn and so on and so forth! I also listened to the fireside this sunday with out headphones(tranlator) for the first time! And I understood! It was way cool!

The kids' asked her what her favorite spanish saying was and she said: My fave spanish phrase is ¨¿Que en el MUNDO?¨ Which means What in the WORLD? LOL! Its so fun to say!

They also asked her what the funniest thing that happened to her this week was and she said:   The funniest thing that happened this week is that one of the elders in my district jumped out the window in class! And hes the district leader! So he is supposed to be responsible! lol! It was so funny! We almost died laughing! haha! Another favorite word of mine is Perro... Because Our teachers say it funny... And we just go around saying it all the time ! It just means but...But its fun to say! lol!

A note from me the Momma:   She will not be in the MTC much longer. She will be leaving next week. Due to safety issues I will not be posting the specifics of her travel. Just keep her in your prayers all next week. I will post when she gets to her destination in safety.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for her and following how she is doing.

 I have been advised that some of the other mothers have found this blog. A big thank  you to you too! I am very blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and equally blessed that each of you have raised up amazing daughters too. Our wonderful girls are helping each other through each others trials and rejoicing in each others joys. So from one missionary momma to another: I thank you for raising up some righteous daughters and I thank our Father in Heaven that our girls are serving together.

July 22, 2013 Alecia's email to family and friends

Hey lovely family! (And friends who may be reading this too!)
How´s life going on your end of the world? This is my last opportunity
to email all of yall while in the MTC... So i am trying to send yall a
picture or two... And i wanted to go ahead and send an over all email!
I love yall so much! And I am having such a great time here! And I
mean that with all my heart! The people are fantastic, this world
entirely new and exciting! I dont know when I´ll be able to email yall
again, because I dont know when my pday is and all that... So dont get
worried if it takes a while okay? Oh! And these are all the sisters in
my district by the way! My companion is the one with the pretty sandy
brown hair and i think she might be standing next to me... wearing a
black shirt. lol! love yall!