Hey Hey!

Hey hey!  It was awesome talking to the fam on the phone on Christmas!  I was so thankful that I didn't break the rules and talk any longer because I'm seeing blessings from it.  I've noticed that the missionaries who talked on the phone longer ended up really home sick and I'm not at all (I keep praying that I won't).  

I'm sure that most of you have heard about my Christmas from the family but if not, here is what we did.  Christmas Eve we spent teaching and visiting people.  We had 2 dinners, one with Hermana Ughetto and the other with our new friends Liz and Fotu.  We went back to our apt at 9 and took a quick nap and then went to St Peter's Cathedral for Midnight Mass.  It was quite the experience.  We got there like an hour early and they had a choir performing.  It was really pretty.  Also, it was packed so Sister Rodrigues, Liz, Fotu, and I had to sit on the front row.  We were right up there where all of the action was.  It was really a cultural experience.  It was good to see what everyone here believes in.  I think that it is more of a traditional/cultural thing than a belief.  It really strengthened my testimony in the apostasy.  So many pure, simple, and precious truths were lost after the deaths of Christ and his apostles.  It was a beautiful production but that was it.  It was like a play in a way.  I thought that it was great that there were so many people with faith in Christ but I also felt like they were missing something integral, they were missing the Spirit.  Like I said, my testimony of the apostasy really grew.  After that we went home and went to sleep.

(Christmas Day with Mary's daughter Celeste)
Christmas day was spent studying, opening up gifts (thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts and cards), and visiting people.  We ate tamales (it's the Christmas dish here) for dinner.  We were able to go Christmas caroling to investigators with our District. It was really fun!  I loved being able to spend Christmas by serving the Lord.  As much as I love Christmas I'm a bit glad that it is over because maybe people will talk to us now.

So we've started teaching Eddy again.  He has given up drugs and now we're working on smoking.  This week he has made some huge improvements.  He decided to fast for strength to overcome this addiction.  I'm really excited about the changes that he is making and we have reset (for the hundredth time) his baptismal date for the 23rd.  I really think that this is going to be the one that he keeps!

Well, thanks for everything that you all do for me!  I hope that you had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!  I love you all!

Bye!
Love, Hermana Anderson

(On Exchanges with Hermana Aquino & Hermana Mackay)

Feliz Navidad!

Hey there!  Merry Christmas!!!!  Feliz Navidad!  

Thank you everyone for the Christmas greetings and packages!  You all are the best!  

Things here are going great!  We had the baptism of Maria Elena Pacheco on Friday! We've been teaching her for a few months and she finally got baptized!  It was a little crazy.  The person that baptized her was late so needless to say the water got cold.  Oh well, at least she got baptized.  That's all that I care about.  

We were supposed to have the baptism of Robert tomorrow but unfortunately his wife doesn't want him to be baptized.  We're praying for a miracle and that it actually happens.  I guess we'll see what happens.  

Last week we had zone conference a week early because this week is Christmas.  It was awesome!  It was a huge Christmas celebration.  President Walker talked to us about what we are giving Christ for Christmas this year and how we need to let him into our hearts not just for the next week but forever.  Sister Walker told us a few of her favorite Christmas stories and you'll never believe what story she included.  It was crazy because she had told a few stories and then she was like "the next story is about a missionary in Michigan, Mark Anderson."  So yeah, I was really surprised and kept thinking "thats my dad."  Afterwards during a snack break I told her and some of the sisters that that missionary was my dad and everyone started congratulating me and telling me that it made them cry and what not.  I became a celebrity based on association.  It was way funny.  I don't know how she got the story but you're now a celebrity throughout the mission.  Congratulations!

So yesterday I was thinking about all of the different titles that our Savior has.  He has so many.  I think that one of my favorites is Prince of Peace.  When nothing else can bring us peace, He does.  He calms the troubled heart, heals the wounded soul, unites families, and on and on.  In order to find peace in our lives, families, and the world we just need to turn to Him.  Of course that is easier said than done sometimes but I know that as we turn to Him we find the peace we need.  I've seen this in my life and the lives of so many people.  Whenever I feel down, stressed, or anything, I feel peace as I turn to Him.  I know people who's lives are completely messed up in every way but as they turn to Him they are healed.  This doesn't mean that their problems are all taken away but it does mean that they are given the strength to endure those troubles.

Well, Merry Christmas everyone!  Thank you for all that each of you do for me.  I'm so lucky  to have such amazing family and friends!  As you go about celebrating Christmas this year take a bit of time to stop and think about our Savior and what He did for you individually.  What are you going to give Him this year?  Like the scriptures say, "What are you going to do with this man called Jesus?"  I hope that you all can feel the true meaning of Christmas.  Remember that because of a baby born in a stable we all have the greatest gift of all.  We have a Savior, a brother, a friend, a confidant, a Redeemer, and so much more!  I love you all!  Have the most Merry Christmas of all!  I know that I will!  We'll be studying and visiting people all day!

Love, Hermana Anderson

Still in El Paso

Hey there!  So it was good to hear from all of you!  It sounds like things are quite busy at home.  Things are really busy here as well.  As most of you know, I actually didn't get transferred.  My companionship is the only Spanish sister missionary companionship that didn't change in the mission.  All of the other companionship's are threesomes now.  I'm glad that I didn't get transferred right before Christmas. So you can just send things to my apt if you like.  Grandma and Grandpa Apostol, thanks so much for the package!  I'm excited to see what you sent!

This week has been really good.  We did a lot and saw a lot of miracles.  Last Sunday was kind of rough because we tried so hard to get our investigators to church and not one came.  This week, however, was different.  We had 5 come to church!  That's huge for us.  Also, 2 part member families who we had never met came to church and asked us to teach them!  Talk about miracles!  So we've been teaching this man named Robert since I got here.  He's about 60 and lives alone even though he's married.  He and his wife each have their own house and they visit each other once or twice a week.  Well, he was going to get baptized last month but his wife said that she controlled the check book and didn't think that it was a good idea.  We were upset but we decided that when there is a will there is a way.  So we've still kept in touch with him but hadn't gone to visit.  This week we decided to stop by and see how he was doing.  We planned on watching the Joy to the World video but while there both Sister Rodriguez and I felt like we should extend a new baptismal date.  So we did and he confessed that he didn't know if he could give up coffee.  Of course he can!  He accepted a new date and we're really excited.  Hopefully everything goes according to planned!  We are having the baptism of Maria Elena Pacheco on Friday!  We've been teaching her for almost two months.  She's in her 60s and has a very strong personality.  She's always telling us weird ultimatums that she gives people (mostly her family).  She takes everything very seriously and sometimes we have to be careful not to laugh because everything is so dramatic.  We've really come to love her and her funny personality.  
Well, yesterday she absolutely had to come to church in order to be baptized this week.  Every Sunday Satan keeps throwing things at her so that she can't come.  For instance, last week her sister had a heart attack.  Well yesterday she called us a few hours before church to inform us that she cut her foot really bad.  I was thinking that it probably was a small scratch and nothing to worry about.  We were just worried about her not coming.  Well, church started and there was no Maria Elena.  I was getting a bit nervous but then she came in!  I went and sat with her and she showed me her foot and it was covered in blood.  She cut it way bad.  Afterwords she said "Satan is trying to stop me.  I'm not going to let him win!  I'm going to win and I told him so!  I'm the boss!"  She showed him.  We're just praying that it doesn't get infected before the baptism.  Oh Suzy, I showed her our family picture.  She kindly said that we all are very nice looking but you got an extra compliment... she said that you are "a different breed, just beautiful."  You're dark hair and pale skin is just exquisite.
This week we decided to go visit this lady with cancer that we taught once a few months ago.  She knew that the church was true and I believe wanted to be baptized.  We hadn't seen her since the first time because she was so sick.  Well, we went to her house and her husband was out front crying.  He informed us that she died a two weeks ago.  He was a wreck and told us that we can come visit him this week.  This experience has taught me that we need more urgency.  You never know when your time will end.  I'm going to write down all of her information and her husbands and make sure that her temple work gets done in a year.

All in all this week has been really good.  As I was reading in Alma I thought about all of the great missionaries in the Book of Mormon.  They didn't see the miracle until after the trial of their faith.  This is what happened to us.  We didn't see these miracles until after we were tried the week before.  A mission is just like a roller coaster.  There are so many ups and downs but the ups always out weigh the downs.  There is always something to be thankful for and always experiences that change your life forever.  I love you all and pray for you daily!  Thanks for your prayers for me!  Please pray that everything will go well with our investigators and that the baptisms will happen and that we'll see more miracles.  Thanks for everything!  I love you all so much!  Make sure to make this Christmas season the best one ever!  Remember who it is all about!
Love, Hermana Melissa Anderson

It has been freezing cold

Picture taken on my 6th month day of my mission...I don't know if I look older, but I feel older.

Well hey there! It seems like you all had a great week! I'm sure that you missed the life of the party at the cabin this week. Just kidding. We find out tonight about transfers. At my last interview President told me that he was keeping me here unless I told him that I couldn't handle it anymore or the Lord told him otherwise. Well, I have this gut feeling that I may be leaving. I could be completely wrong but just to be safe it might be a good idea to send things to the mission home this week. I'll write you a quick letter and let you know as soon as I find out.

So I was kind of surprised to hear that El Paso weather has been all over the news. It is true, it has been freezing cold. I did not expect to get this cold on my mission but boy was I wrong. It's started to warm up and is about 60 today. I'm very happy about that! It's funny because people here don't know how to react to this weather. No one left their houses and they didn't want us to come into their houses, you never know what the missionaries will drag in. Needless to say, the work was nearly as effective this week than it has been in the past.

This week has been a bit frustrating to me. I know where discouragement comes from but it seems like everything that we've worked towards this week failed. Hopefully we'll be able to turn everything around this week.

On Saturday our English ward Relief Society had a Christmas activity. We were "filling our buckets with the spirit of Christmas." It was really special. When we got there everyone was given a cute little Christmas bucket. They had 7 short Christmas stories that were read and with each story we got a little representation of it to put in our bucket. The Spirit was really strong and it just made me even more excited for Christmas! I'm going to do my best to make this years Christmas the best. Our recent convert Mary inspired me on Saturday. As you know, she is blind. She really wanted to come to the activity and instead of asking anyone for a ride she walked. That's right, it was freezing cold and she walked like 5 miles to get to the church. She had never walked to the church before but she just pictured in her mind how to get there and an hour later she was there without any problem. Amazing huh?

It got me thinking, often we become complacent about being members of the Church. We take everything for granted but she doesn't. She does whatever she can to take part in the Church because she can see the blessings that it gives her. I want to be more like her.

I really enjoyed the Christmas devotional last night! We watched it in Spanish so I didn't quite get as much out of it as I would have liked but that's ok. I still understood some and was still able to feel the spirit. No matter if you understand the language or not, the prophet is the prophet and you can still feel that. And the choir was beautiful!


Thanks Renee the traveling pants made it to El Paso...

Well, I sure love you all! Thanks for all of your love and support! I really appreciate it and need it! Have a great day and remember the true reason for this season! Let Christ come into your hearts!
Love you lots! Hermana Melissa Anderson