Dear family
and friends,
You all mention the cold there and ask how I am doing here with the cold. Don’t worry one bit. These Americans are sissies when it comes to the cold. They talk about how ridiculously freezing it is outside and then I ask what temperature it is. They say 30 degrees and
I'm thinking, that’s just barely below zero! They don't know what cold
is here. It snowed once so far and it was maybe half a centimeter,
which melted before 10:00am. haha so yeah I'm surviving. I have been
getting to bed on time but still have a hard time waking up. I've
skipped exercising the past couple days to try to rest a bit more. Now
I am a little sick, and can feel my throat hurting and stuff. But I'm
fine. I got my flu shot like two weeks ago which I can't remember if I
told you about that yet. This week was better, and Elder Cook and I
are just getting organized and getting members to help us and to push
this work along further than we ever could. Our work with the Ward
Mission Leader and Bishop are continuing and going well. We in our
area have the worst stats for less active members. There are
approximately 800+ members in our like eight block radius area, and
approximately 150 are active. Yeah so we have about 650 families and
individuals to work with. So talk about being overwhelmed and stressed
when it comes to missionary work. I know I was kind of in that frame
of mind when I got my call that they don't need missionaries in Utah,
but they do. It’s really sad to see how much these people struggle in
the "land of the Mormons." I can't even count how many families and
people we are working with that are divorced, depressed, and suicidal,
addicted to drugs and alcohol, evicted, homeless, illegally living
here and so on. Each day I spend here I gain a new appreciation for
the temple and the importance of the covenants made there. It makes me
strive to prepare to make such covenants so as to never go through
what these people are going through. But it also makes me want to stay
here as long as possible to help these people gain or regain the
blessings the Lord has in store for them. Baptism is important, but to
be honest the majority of people here have been baptized. Too much
effort was put into baptism and then left, as if there weren't
anything else after it. Retention is just as important if not more
than the actual baptism. Yes it is an important ordinance in which we
covenant to obey all of Gods commandments, take upon us the name of
Christ and always remember Him, but if we don't continually strive
with the end in mind then that effort was in vain. We must endure to
the end, or better yet, we must endure to the end-ownment. I know I
have taken so much of my life for granted, so many of the blessings
and covenants I’ve made with the Lord I have overlooked, but no longer
will I remain in a state of ignorance. I know where I stand and I know
where I will never stand again, and that is the state of sin and
disobedience I lived in the past. I am so thankful for our Saviors
atonement which allows us to truly repent and be forgiven of all sin
and come unto Him and receives that peace and rest He offers. I've seen
that in my life and in the life of those I am working with. It is such
a blessing that our Heavenly Father sent His Son to atone for all of
us. I love this gospel which offers us such peace and love knowing our
Heavenly Father has a plan for us and will help us each day to return
to Him if we do our best. My prayers have been continually answered
here as I struggle with homesickness and actual sickness. I know that
Christ lives and loves us. He is the one who carves my heart into a
smoother stone, the one who gives me strength when I am too weak to
move on, the one who calms the raging storm inside my soul, the one
who offers saving grace when I fall to my knees in prayer. He is
everything I need and want. I look forward to the day I see Him and
wash His feet with my tears of thankfulness for all the blessings He's
bestowed upon me. I want to be able to tell Him I did my best, and
thank Him for the grace and help He gave for me to become the man I
hope to become someday. I love you all so much. Mom and Dad, I am so
grateful for you and your example to me. I wish nothing more than to
someday have a loving family such as the one you raised. You
sacrificed your lives for us to rear us in the love and truths of the
gospel. I am so thankful for that. I don't remember those times when I
got a new toy, or those days you spoiled us at a mall or theme park. I
don't remember the times we didn't get along, or the times you'd
lovingly chastise us for our behavior. But I do remember the love
centered family home evenings, the games, treats and scriptures. I
remember the morning scripture reading, the Christmas nativity
reenactment, the loving pep talks, the blessings from dad, my baptism
from my brother, the love of my sisters. I am so grateful to be a part
of our family, I don't care if I am the last and I didn't get to grow
up with my siblings, because I have eternities to continue to love
them and be with them. I am so grateful for your strength in dealing
with me and my disobedience over the many years I lived at home. I
have made many mistakes in my life and have felt nothings but love
from you. I feel the same love when I think of our Savior. You might
have thought at times that your actions and words did not penetrate my
heart or did not make any difference. You may have though that I
wasn't listening or paying attention, but I was. Even though at the
times you might have felt the lack of need to continue on in a
discussion or testimony you were bearing to me, or the example you
were setting would go unnoticed, you still continued on with the hope
that someday we would be making our own choices and that hopefully our
testimonies and faith had grown to such a degree to hold our own in
such a distracting and fallen world. I know it took some time but I
now know what you have done and been doing for me my whole life. I
hope to continue that in my own family someday. I am so thankful for
you Mom and Dad. I love you with all my heart!
Love Elder Patterson
(PS my companion and I did not get transferred so we are staying here
till Dec.30)
You all mention the cold there and ask how I am doing here with the cold. Don’t worry one bit. These Americans are sissies when it comes to the cold. They talk about how ridiculously freezing it is outside and then I ask what temperature it is. They say 30 degrees and
I'm thinking, that’s just barely below zero! They don't know what cold
is here. It snowed once so far and it was maybe half a centimeter,
which melted before 10:00am. haha so yeah I'm surviving. I have been
getting to bed on time but still have a hard time waking up. I've
skipped exercising the past couple days to try to rest a bit more. Now
I am a little sick, and can feel my throat hurting and stuff. But I'm
fine. I got my flu shot like two weeks ago which I can't remember if I
told you about that yet. This week was better, and Elder Cook and I
are just getting organized and getting members to help us and to push
this work along further than we ever could. Our work with the Ward
Mission Leader and Bishop are continuing and going well. We in our
area have the worst stats for less active members. There are
approximately 800+ members in our like eight block radius area, and
approximately 150 are active. Yeah so we have about 650 families and
individuals to work with. So talk about being overwhelmed and stressed
when it comes to missionary work. I know I was kind of in that frame
of mind when I got my call that they don't need missionaries in Utah,
but they do. It’s really sad to see how much these people struggle in
the "land of the Mormons." I can't even count how many families and
people we are working with that are divorced, depressed, and suicidal,
addicted to drugs and alcohol, evicted, homeless, illegally living
here and so on. Each day I spend here I gain a new appreciation for
the temple and the importance of the covenants made there. It makes me
strive to prepare to make such covenants so as to never go through
what these people are going through. But it also makes me want to stay
here as long as possible to help these people gain or regain the
blessings the Lord has in store for them. Baptism is important, but to
be honest the majority of people here have been baptized. Too much
effort was put into baptism and then left, as if there weren't
anything else after it. Retention is just as important if not more
than the actual baptism. Yes it is an important ordinance in which we
covenant to obey all of Gods commandments, take upon us the name of
Christ and always remember Him, but if we don't continually strive
with the end in mind then that effort was in vain. We must endure to
the end, or better yet, we must endure to the end-ownment. I know I
have taken so much of my life for granted, so many of the blessings
and covenants I’ve made with the Lord I have overlooked, but no longer
will I remain in a state of ignorance. I know where I stand and I know
where I will never stand again, and that is the state of sin and
disobedience I lived in the past. I am so thankful for our Saviors
atonement which allows us to truly repent and be forgiven of all sin
and come unto Him and receives that peace and rest He offers. I've seen
that in my life and in the life of those I am working with. It is such
a blessing that our Heavenly Father sent His Son to atone for all of
us. I love this gospel which offers us such peace and love knowing our
Heavenly Father has a plan for us and will help us each day to return
to Him if we do our best. My prayers have been continually answered
here as I struggle with homesickness and actual sickness. I know that
Christ lives and loves us. He is the one who carves my heart into a
smoother stone, the one who gives me strength when I am too weak to
move on, the one who calms the raging storm inside my soul, the one
who offers saving grace when I fall to my knees in prayer. He is
everything I need and want. I look forward to the day I see Him and
wash His feet with my tears of thankfulness for all the blessings He's
bestowed upon me. I want to be able to tell Him I did my best, and
thank Him for the grace and help He gave for me to become the man I
hope to become someday. I love you all so much. Mom and Dad, I am so
grateful for you and your example to me. I wish nothing more than to
someday have a loving family such as the one you raised. You
sacrificed your lives for us to rear us in the love and truths of the
gospel. I am so thankful for that. I don't remember those times when I
got a new toy, or those days you spoiled us at a mall or theme park. I
don't remember the times we didn't get along, or the times you'd
lovingly chastise us for our behavior. But I do remember the love
centered family home evenings, the games, treats and scriptures. I
remember the morning scripture reading, the Christmas nativity
reenactment, the loving pep talks, the blessings from dad, my baptism
from my brother, the love of my sisters. I am so grateful to be a part
of our family, I don't care if I am the last and I didn't get to grow
up with my siblings, because I have eternities to continue to love
them and be with them. I am so grateful for your strength in dealing
with me and my disobedience over the many years I lived at home. I
have made many mistakes in my life and have felt nothings but love
from you. I feel the same love when I think of our Savior. You might
have thought at times that your actions and words did not penetrate my
heart or did not make any difference. You may have though that I
wasn't listening or paying attention, but I was. Even though at the
times you might have felt the lack of need to continue on in a
discussion or testimony you were bearing to me, or the example you
were setting would go unnoticed, you still continued on with the hope
that someday we would be making our own choices and that hopefully our
testimonies and faith had grown to such a degree to hold our own in
such a distracting and fallen world. I know it took some time but I
now know what you have done and been doing for me my whole life. I
hope to continue that in my own family someday. I am so thankful for
you Mom and Dad. I love you with all my heart!
Love Elder Patterson
(PS my companion and I did not get transferred so we are staying here
till Dec.30)
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