November 12, 2013 - AHhhh!!!

We got transfer letters, and Transfers are tomorrow morning!! Because we have two new hermanas coming, we all knew President would have to open up a new area. There has been lots of talk about where he would decide, and let me tell you, it is Longview. Who knows what that means?? But I don't care I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!! I get to open up Longview!!!!!!!!!! With HERMANA VILLALOBOS. MY MTC COMPANION/BEST FRIEND. AAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! We have been waiting for this day, never thinking that it would actually come. We would joke, "President will never put us together. We would be too happy, and too successful." Well we ARE together, and we are SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!! I love CAPS LOCK!!!! But even caps lock doesn't do these feeling justice. They told us to use exclamation points in General Conference, well I'm using exclamation points!!!!!!!

Do you know what this means?? We don't have a branch, so we will be starting a "group". They will go to an English ward until we are big enough to be a branch. Who knows if there are many/any Hispanic members in that ward to help and come to lessons, and we won't have an area book!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA. That is a missionary's whole life! This is the biggest adventure I have thus far ventured! I have already talked with some members about friends they have there that are fluent in Spanish and could help us out. It's gonna be wild!!!!!!! Hermana Scow will be going to Portland and training a new missionary. Woot woot!!! This is gonna be awesome.

Not like I haven't loved and appreciated everything I have learned here, but this is definitely an "await the blessings" experience. Truly, to be with Hermana Villalobos is the greatest tender mercy in my mission thus far. I just, ah, no words.

Mission News: We will be doing online proselyting (missionary work through facebook, etc.) before Christmas, and getting I-Pads in January. Our mission was chosen out of 30 missions to be the trial-run with the I-Pads. January should hold a lot of exciting news.

We had the last of Sister Conferences. It was great. Sister Taylor made a comment that I loved. She said she was talking to a local about the rain and gloom, and the lady said, "In the Northwest, we don't talk about the gloomy days. We ask, did you catch the sunshine today?" As goes with life :)

President Taylor talked about the strait and narrow way. And asked us why it is that strait is not the presumed straight, with the ght. He explained, and then I looked it up in the dictionary. Strait: a narrow waterway connecting two large bodies of water. And President Taylor added, "usually very rocky, very turbulent, and difficult to navigate." The two large bodies of water I imagine are this life and eternal life. And the way to eternal life is the strait.

I love each of you dearly. This is His work.

Hermana Patton