St. Pattie's

Hola!

Can everyone believe it's Monday already? The weeks are flying by (says the missionary who's been out a month and a half)! I remember disliking Monday's when I was in school. It just meant another long week ahead of studying and homework. But as a missionary we get to prepare for the week, email home, and go shopping and stuff.

So, Emily, our investigator, has decided to meet 2 times a week with us! She is progressing so well. She is only 17 but reads the Book of Mormon almost daily, prays, and is so eager to learn more about the gospel. She talks about the church with her friends at school and her mom (who was not open to the idea of her taking the lessons)! She is just beaming with light ever since we started teaching. Sister Laudie and I are always so happy after we leave her lessons.

Wednesday we drove to Belmont (right next to Boston) for a meeting with all the new missionaries (and their trainers) in our mission who arrived since December. Our mission president, his wife, and the Assistants talked to us about adjusting to missionary life, meetings we go to as missionaries, and then President Packard gave us a talk about what we do in the temples. It was amazing. Anytime he speaks I just hang on every word he says-that's how good of a speaker he is. That took the whole day Wednesday, so by the end of the day we were pretty tired.

The POINT of saying why we went to Belmont was actually because we got to drive through downtown and Harvard!! It is beautiful and is red bricks everywhere. Also, their downtown is way cooler than in Redding, Chico, AND San Fransisco. Hard to believe right?

This weekend we had Stake Conference-Christen Clayton spoke. The author of The Power of Everyday Missionaries. (Members and non-members: if you don't know what this book is-check it out. You will get so motivated to talk to anyone and everyone about missionary work. It's not even long!) President Packard spoke here too so I got to hear him twice this week! We also got to sing in a missionary choir. I love singing with all the missionaries-the spirit is really strong and everyone just sings their little hearts out.

Friday we passed through Yale! It was sweet! 

Want to know why I loved it so much? Because it was like Hogwarts. NO JOKE. I hope one day I can go inside and take more pictures, it was that cool.

I hope all is well with everyone! I'm keeping you in my prayers and I definitely feel all of yours for me. It gets tough sometimes being on a mission, and not seeing your family or close friends. But, it's definitely worth it. I've never received so much joy from helping others see their potential in God's eyes as well as bringing them unto Christ and sharing our gospel with them. If any of you are feeling down, go out and serve others! It will make such a difference in your life. Enjoy the warmer weather for me!

Love, Hermana Sutherland

Pic1- The Book of Mormon musical is coming to Hartford (1 hour from Bridgeport), haha. 

Pic3-proof of being in Harvard