The FULL mission experience

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!🎄✨️🎅 This year it didn't feel very christmas-y but we did get to go to the beach this morning with the sisters! We woke up at 5:30 and got driving. Watching the sunrise was an amazing moment to appreciate God's beautiful creations! 

This week I got to check off a few mandatory experiences that make a mission a mission! 

I was able to attend another church's service! Our friend Mark invited us to the church he goes to. It's called Compassion Christian Church and its what we call a mega church. It's huge. The service was fun, music was a blast, and there were good messages about Jesus Christ. The service was like a concert; there was a stage with a few singers, drummer, pianist, and guitarist! In between songs they played a prerecorded sermon by the pastor. The theme of the service was Christs birth and His role in our lives. He did make a jab at not only the "Mormons" but other religions too. When he did that the spirit was GONE! crazy. Me and sister Bertola enjoyed watching others worship Jesus though! 

One morning I had my honey nut cheerios for breakfast. I was pouring my it into my mug (because we didn't have clean bowls haha) and a ROACH came tumbling out with the the cereal! I was just shocked... I had already eaten a bowl of that cereal! 🤢🪳

We had our Christmas Conference! It was in Charleston so we drove 2 hours! It was really fun to ponder and talk more about Christ. I loved all the testimonies that were shared and watching the Christ Child. 

There was a talent show. Our zone participated by singing God Be With You Until We Meet Again with Sister Bertola playing the harmonica. Sister Bertola did amazing, our singing however, was awful!! Like, President Hamblin stopped us it was so bad. 🤦‍♀️ the Elders were purposefully messing it up. So embarrassing but we survived. We saw lots of other talent afterwards! 

Also we got our copies of Preach My Gospel! Best Christmas gift I could've asked for!! I've been tired of studying it on my phone for months haha! 

Please pray for 

Donovan- he was baptized in August but still needs to be confirmed, pray that he can have faith over his doubts! 

Danny- has the desire to be baptized but needs to overcome a few things, pray that he can have strength! 

Juliana- has been coming to church for YEARS but isn't baptized, pray that her heart may be softened. 

Pictures 

Beach 

Car wash!

District p-day

Sister Bertola Christmas Eve

So excited to have a Preach My Gospel!!

Site seeing in Charleston 

Caroling as a District 

Caroling Miracles 🔔

 We're getting closer to Christmas!! Just one more week! This week was pretty good, full of meetings!! 

Tuesday we had a big meeting with all leadership in the mission. It was a long day but I learned a lot! One thing President Hamblin said that stood out to me was "God doesn't want hollow disciples, be filled with a testimony of Christ" A testimony is how you've come to know what you know! An experience or lesson you've learned that brings you closer to christ. I am grateful for my testimony of this gospel and how it's grown! 

Miracle

We got to go caroling with our district in the elders' area! The last house we went to was a miracle! We sang Wish You A Merry Christmas and Silent Night and she really appreciated it! She told us she's been really sick so the elders offered her a priesthood blessing! It was amazing to see 6 elders stand around her and give a blessing of healing using the priesthood authority. I always feel the spirit so strongly when that happens!

Funny 

We decided to do a pancake breakfast for all the missionaries in our zone before our zone meeting! Me and sister bertola got everything ready and when we start trying tk cook the batter stuff stopped going smoothly! Griddle is not hot enough, pans are not cooperating, and pancakes burning. So we had only one pan that worked to cook 20+ pancakes. It was a hectic mess but all worked out in the end it all worked out! 

This week I've been pondering about the Resurrection of Christ. This event is so significant that He came to His disciples for them to witness for themselves that He truly did conquer death. The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is the people in the ancient America's witnessing the Resurrected Christ! The Resurrection is a big deal! That is a main thing that sets Christ apart from many others, He overcame what we cannot, mortality. I am grateful for the scriptures, for the witness we have of Jesus Christ, that He lives. I love the hope it brings me to know because He lives, I can live for eternity with my family with Him and Heavenly Father. 

Please pray for 

Blake 

Gage

David

Donovan

Crapse family 

Juliana

Pictures 

My amazing district 

Sister Bertola and I love soda!😋

A member of the ward takes us to chili's every Friday 

Rain!🌧

First MLC!

President Hamblin being President Hamblin

Transfers pt 9

 I have been a missionary for ONE WHOLE YEAR!!! I can't believe it, it has gone by so fast! I've learned some very important lessons in this one year that would taken me my whole life time to figure out without being on a mission. I've grown closer to my Savior and have seen His hand everyday! I love being a missionary and sharing the good news of the Gospel!! 

We had transfers on Friday and we were expecting everything to be the same but President Hamblin really surprised us by calling us at 6:50am and telling us that Sister Phillips will be staying in Seneca and training a new missionary and I am leaving to Savannah Georgia to be a sister training leader!! Although I'm sad I don't get another Christmas with Sister Phillips, I am so excited for this new adventure and so happy to be back in Georgia!!  Savannah has lots of history to it too! 

I've been in GA or on the GA border my whole mission, so there is definitely something special about Georgia to me haha! I went from the tippy top of SC to the bottom of our mission. That's 5 hours of driving! I got to know my new companion very well on our 2.5 hour drive to the area! 

My new companion is Sister Bertola, she's from South Jordan, UT and she's an amazing missionary! This is her last transfer. Am I surprised? No. This will be my fourth companion I send home! That's a lot!

I' guess I'm just a pro at being the last companion haha! 

The work in my new area, west Chatham, is great! I got here Friday and the very next day we had a baptism for Anna! She's awesome! Her husband, Tristan, is a member and she came to church one day and bore her testimony of how she wants to be sealed to her husband in the temple and that she needs to be baptized. So three weeks later she's baptized and confirmed! 

Please pray for 

Juliana 

Blake and Gage

Danny 

Mark

David 

Donovan 

Pictures

We have a disco ball in our car 

Anna's baptism 

Last picture with Sister Phillips 

Brinleealexander.blogspot.com

Update

 Not too much has happened this week for us! Because it's been raining people don't answer their door I guess haha! We haven't had much luck finding new people but we have hope for this new week! 

Our Thanksgiving was pretty good! We ate dinner a members house and then went to another members house for dessert and games then I was able to talk to my family!

We've still been working with social media! I actually started talking with someone who lives in Liberia! We talked more about prayer and she wanted to meet with missionaries near her! I was able to give her the Liberian missionaries information and they set up a time to meet with each other at church on Sunday! God truly has given us technology to spread His gospel!! 

I had a door slammed in my face for the first time on my mission. Like this guy opened the door more to slam the door as loud as he could! It was quite the experience haha! But that's part of the mission sometimes and you shake the dust off your feet and keep going! 

After visiting someone who lives up on a hill, we looked out over the trees and we could see MOUNTAINS! It was very special to see!

Please pray for

Sister Phillips (her back has been hurting)

Leslie

Sharon

Ella

Ryan

Curlena

Pictures

Explored Greenville last Pday

Found dandelions

We parked under a tree