Hey Everybody!

Transfers are always the days full of excitement, anxiousness, anticipation, happiness and, at times, sadness. We are saying
good-bye to Elder Straub and Elder Carder, who are flying their ways home this Thursday. I think that is one of the
HARDEST parts of being a missionary! Bonding with AMAZING missionaries and then having to watch them leave to go
home rips your heart out! I have had the pleasure of serving with some of the finest missionaries here in the Utah Provo
and Utah Orem Missions! They will ALL be, now and forever, my brothers and sisters in the gospel!
Mari and Ever:
We had their baptism and confirmation this past week! It was such a beautiful baptism and confirmation! Bishop Roberts
invited them to share their testimonies at the end of sacrament meeting and they did a WONDERFUL job! They have such
good spirits and a strong desire to become like their Father in Heaven! Next step is to get them to the temple to do
baptisms for the dead!
Sonia and Eddie:
Still working to help them read the Book of Mormon together and individually.
Robin and Chuy:
They are our new investigators! We taught them part of The Restoration this past week and they were direct in telling us
that they love everything about the gospel except they cannot believe in Latter-Day prophets. We appreciate their
directness and willingness to ask us questions because it helps us to know how to help them. Robin has a brother named
Clint who just moved in with them and he explained some beliefs that the Native Americans had. He even talked about
their long held belief that Jesus Christ visited the Americas! We are going to get him to read the Book of Mormon, one
way or another!
Victor:
He was not at our lesson this past week. We discussed with his family the importance of reading the Book of Mormon
together as a family every night. If they do so, we know that the Spirit will be in their home all the more and Victor will be
able to read with them. Praying he will be at our lesson tonight.
Vero and Bernie:
We did not have a chance to see them this past week. We are trying hard to figure out how to work with Vero to get her to
start making church a priority in her life because we know that little by little her family and home will have a stronger
spirit. We know that through her example Bernie will want to come to the gospel.
This week we will be going with two of our recent converts, Pilar and Augusto, with Augusto's wife, Etel, who is a nonmember, to Salt Lake City Temple to do baptisms for the dead and tour around the temple grounds. So EXCITING!
Transfer calls came in . . . Hermana Rapoza is leaving me I am on a special assignment with another companion. We
have some speculations as to what is happening, but we are not 100% positive yet, and will not be until transfers. I am
heartbroken to not be with one of my dearest friends another transfer. Hermana Rapoza has changed my life in so many
ways. I will miss our deep conversations, and good laughs. She has been a huge tender mercy to me. For that, I am ever
grateful. We will see what exciting news awaits us in the future!
My spiritual thought for the week comes from my mother who is an inspired woman to send me this poem as my
companion had a heart to heart with me this week about beating myself up. I think it is about time I stop. Twenty-Two
years is a long time to be beating yourself to the ground. Time to RISE UP and see myself as the daughter of God that I
am.

Not.
-Erin Hanson
You are not your age,
Nor the size of clothes you wear,
You are not a weight,
Or the colour of your hair.
You are not your name,
Or the dimples in your cheeks,
You are all the books you read,
And all the words you speak,
You are your croaky morning voice,
And the smiles you try to hide,
You're the sweetness in your laughter,
And every tear you've cried,
You're the songs you sing so loudly,
When you know you're all alone,
You're the places that you've been to,
And the one that you call home,
You're the things that you believe in,
And the people that you love,
You're the photos in your bedroom,
And the future you dream of,
You're made of so much beauty,
But it seems that you forgot,
When you decided that you were defined,
By all the things you're not.
Take it from someone who has spent her life feeling like she is not good enough because of the high expectations she sets
for herself, and compares herself to other people. Apply the following: STOP IT! Haha AWESOMENESS really does
come in a shirt and tie and speaks with a German accent! Thank you President Uchtdorf!
Keep the faith! I love you all so much! Have a WONDERFUL week!

-Con Amor,
Hermana Alexandra Rackley
Utah Orem Mission
October 2014 - April 2016