Where Has Time Gone?

Well, I'm not sure where the time has gone. Somehow it's almost time for me to come home.  In some ways I'm excited, but in others kind of heartbroken.  I absolutely love being a missionary and plan to continue to be one for the rest of my life. Rather than talk about all that I've learned this past year and a half I think that I'll just talk about my week.
  
Missionary work is wonderful. It's amazing to see others change and accept Christ and the truth in their lives.  This past week was way busy.  We were able to go to the temple as a district on Wednesday.  The temple is so amazing.  It is a place where I feel so much peace and learn so much about Heavenly Father's love.  I think that they are great symbols of that love. I've been thinking a lot about how everything that He does for us, including the commandments are because He loves us and wants us to be happy.  I find it interesting that prayer is a commandment but the whole object of prayer is to secure blessings for us that we need.

  
This week we haven't really had a chance to see much of our investigators.  They've been so busy and it seems like they've kind of dropped off the face of the planet. So Sister Thomas and I decided that we were going to set high goals for yesterday and expect miracles.  And you guessed it... miracles happened!  It seemed like it was one right after another.  

There is a recent convert who is super nice, but the elders drove her husband off last year and he hasn't been interested in learning much.  Well, each time we go by he seems a little more open to us.  His wife says that he likes us because we have personality.  She told us last week that this weekend was his birthday so we thought that we'd stop by and give him a card and dvd.  We were pretty sure that he'd be gone or if he was home that his wife wouldn't give him a chance to talk. When we got to their house the wife was asleep and he was home!  He invited us in because he wanted to talk.  It was great!  Even though a lesson wasn't taught, we are gaining back his trust little by little. To me, that is a miracle. 

We also contacted a few teenagers and they were all like "yeah!  I want to learn more!"  One was a referral. He said that his family used to go to church with his sister but she moved out and they stopped going.  Apparently, in the last little while, the dad has started talking more about church and how they need to go back.  The dad works shift work so we won’t be able to teach the family until Thursday but we're way excited about this!  From the way Jesus was talking, it seems like this family has really been prepared. He was a little quiet at first but then he opened up about football and I told him that I love college football and BYU.  Well, this just opened him right up!  We found out so much information about his family from just talking for a minute about what he's interested in. I think that people need to feel important before we even begin to teach them things. They can feel God's love for them as we find out about their lives.  One of his former teachers once told us that "he's a big loser."  How sad.  I think that sometimes we are too quick to judge.  We don't know what is going on in their lives and why they are the way they are. When I find myself starting to judge I always try to remember who they really are. Everyone on this earth is a child of God who once chose to follow Him.  They have testimonies of Him deep inside but they just need to be awakened. People rarely change without being invited to do so. 

We also talked with this girl who has felt lost and alone for a long time but has started going to a church.  She said that it must be true because people speak in tongues and that they're teaching her to do the same.  They also chant and it's interesting.  I've found that Satan twists and distorts things so easily.  He makes people believe in false things and it just pulls them away from the truth. In the scriptures it talks about people being blinded by the subtle craftiness of men.  That truly happens.  Something looks interesting and it pulls people in.  So many people talk about speaking in tongues and what not and I've wondered what it is like when they do it but I don't want to get anywhere near it.  We need to cling to the truth and not let go. I'm sure that satisfying curiosity is a lot of people's down fall.  Curiosity killed the cat right? 

Another thing that I've been thinking about is avoiding the appearance of sin. Often people are surrounded by sin but think that they're too strong and they wont ever fall into its traps.  Well, that's wrong.  After being surrounded by it people will fall.  We've talked about this to our investigators.  The key is Helaman 5:12.  We must be built on Christ.  If we are, we'll be safe.  If we're built on Christ we wont feel the need to satisfy curiosity or look for happiness anywhere else.  

Well, I love you all!  I can't believe that I'll be seeing you all this week.  Crazy!  Have a great week!  Be strong in immovable.  The Lord loves us and wants to bless us.  He is amazing.  I love the scripture that says the Lord is my light.  He truly is my light and my joy.  I love my Savior.  I'm so thankful that I've been able serve Him and invite others to come unto Him.  My life is forever changed and blessed.  I just love being a missionary.  There is nothing like it.  I feel like I have so much to say but I'll just end with this.  Always remember that the Gospel is definitely true and is such a great blessing in our lives.  When we follow it we will always be safe and blessed even if those around us are not. 

Follow Christ and He will direct your paths.  Well, adios! 

Hasta luego! 

Love,
Hermana Anderson

Hola coma esta

(This morning we helped renovate a home from the 1800's)

Hey everyone!  I know that I always say this but time is just flying bye.  I can't even believe that I'll be home next week.  It's so weird. 

This week was really great.  It's been a roller coaster to say the least.  I feel like missionary life is always a roller coaster.  Just when you think that you have everything figured out and everything is going perfectly something happens.  That is whats happening to us. 

On Thursday we had the baptismal interviews lined up for Candi and her 2 daughters and Rycca.  Unfortunately, Candi is the only one that had an interview.  Her daughters, Brianna and Alicia, still need to get permission from their dad.  He is kind of under the impression that the Candi is forcing this on them.  It's amazing to see what her 4 daughters learn at church though.  Every time we see them they sing us songs that they learned at church.  Their favorite is "If the Savior Stood Beside Me."  It's funny because they'll be singing it while they're acting up and Candi says something like, "would you really be doing that if He was beside you?"  and it gets them in line.  Candi's interview went really well.  She's so prepared and amazing. 

Shortly before the interviews Rycca's grandma called us and said that Rycca doesn't want to get baptized yet.  It's sad because she is ready but she feels pressure about it and what it involves from the whole ward.  It's pretty sad.  But the ward has realized that they need to make some changes in order to help her and others like her out.  So all of that happened on Thursday and on Friday night Candi texted us and said that she didn't know if she was ready to make a covenant yet because she's afraid of breaking it.  Great! 

We haven't been able to see her since then because she's been out of town but Joshua 1:6-9 keep running through my head.  I especially love verse 9 which says, "Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."  To survive the test of life we must be strong and of a good courage.  We can't let our fears get to us.  Fear is from the adversary!  Joseph Smith once said, "I make this my rule, if God commands do it."  Our Heavenly Father is loving and will not ask more of us than we are able to give.  Yes, sometimes it does take us be strong and of a good courage but we were sent here to do hard things.  We're not here to just sit idly by until our time comes.  We're here to follow God to show Him that we will follow Him even if it is hard or scary.  Life is a battle but if we want to make it we have to be strong.  That's just how it is.
So we're praying that we'll be able to see Candi today and help her through some of her feelings.  I keep thinking that I just don't have time for her to be doing this but it isn't about me.  I just know that I'm supposed to be teaching her and that I need to do all that I can to get her baptized before I leave.  So please pray that everything will work out.
  
Our 11 year old investigator Wesley is getting himself into trouble as well.  He's been getting in lots of fights lately.  I've put a lot of thought into what's going on with him and have realized some things.  His family has him reading an anger management book.  Now, that's a good idea but I don't think that it is the best thing for him.  As I've been studying and contemplating the scriptures I've come up with some things.  There are countless stories of people who changed their lives around.  They went from being evil to the best people in the world.  After hearing his address, King Benjamin's people "cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a might change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."  What made this might change of heart happen?  They became truly converted.  They learned for themselves who their Savior was and that He was mighty and able to save them. 

So the conclusion that I had this week is that it is a good thing to study behavior but the best thing is to come unto Christ.  As we come unto Him we naturally become like Him.  His wants and desires become our wants and desires.  I know that as Wesley continues to come unto Christ he will have "no more disposition to do evil but to do good continually."  We are so blessed to have a Savior and to have the opportunity to become more like Him everyday.  
The Gospel is such a great blessing.  As we live it and let it really be who we are, it changes us.  It makes us better people.  It makes us more worthy to be called the sons and daughters of God.  

The Gospel is definitely true.  
Have a great week everyone!  I love you all lots!  

Love, Sister Anderson 

I'm SO Thankful that I came on a mission!

Hey there everyone!  I hope that you all had a great thanksgiving!  Sister Thomas and I had so much fun!  Tons of people wanted us to join them for Thanksgiving so we just went from house to house.  It was great!  By the end we definitely had had our share of turkey and pie.  I've been eating turkey everyday for over a week now.  I can't believe that I still like it. 


(we taught Candi's children the Plan of Salvation while building a gingerbread house)

This week I had a great lesson on faith.  We were teaching Candi about a commandment that she doesn't keep.  We had been waiting for the perfect time to teach it to her without anyone else around and the Lord answered our prayers and it all worked out.  Often when people struggle with certain commandments they don't want to hear that they are doing things wrong.  The scriptures are full of accounts of people who decided to not follow God because they liked their sin too much.  We often read a line that says something to the affect of, "the wicked take the truth to be hard."  It's true.  When we teach many people the commandments (big or small) they decidedly choose not to live them.  Well, Candi knows that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored.  She knows that the truth is back on the earth.  As we taught her this commandment that to her might be pretty hard her answer wasn't "why" but "how."  It was just like Nephi when he said, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  Candi is just like Nephi.  She knows that the Lord wouldn't ask her to do something if it was impossible.  She also knows that there is a reason for each of the commandments.  Isn't that amazing?  We asked her how she thought that she could follow it and she said to "just say no."  Exactly!  Just say no to sin!  The Lord is there to help us.  He's on our side and everything that He asks us to do we can.  There is a reason for everything, even little things like only having one piercing in each ear.  We need to decide to follow not only the big things but also the small things.  Personally, I think that it is pretty easy not to kill someone but something like going to church might be a little bit harder.  No matter what though, if we live the commandments and have them written on our hearts we cannot fail.  There is no way.  Lets have attitudes of how and not why.  I know that that attitude will forever bless us and when hard things come up we'll already know the answer.  

We have had a hard time catching up with Sandra lately.  She's so busy with work, family, and everything else that life throws at her.  Well, we finally were able to catch up with her last night.  I asked her if she had been reading and she responded that she decided to start the Bible from the beginning.  It's better then nothing.  She had pages of notes/questions that she wanted answered from Genesis.  Among the questions were how many people were in Noah's family, etc.  After going through a question and answer exercise for a bit I asked her what her intentions were.  What did she want from reading the Bible?  What was the end result that she wanted?  It was interesting because she didn't really have an answer.  I asked was it to find the true church, to come closer to Christ, etc and she didn't really know.  She said that she just wanted to know and understand it. 

As I've thought about that, I realized that so many people are desperate for the truth, for the thing that will make their lives better.  Sometimes they even have it right in front of them but they don't want to focus their efforts in the right area.  It's kind of like the good, better, best thing.  It's good to understand the Bible. It's better to have a testimony that it is the word of God and will change your life.  It is best to use it hand in hand with the Book of Mormon and to let its teachings take root in your heart.  Knowing the facts about the Bible can not and will not save you.  We are only saved in and through Jesus Christ.  We must live His Gospel and not be swayed by anything else, even if it seems like a good idea.  

We receive salvation only after we have done our part.  2 Nephi 9 says, "And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam."  There has been a big push for us to understand 2 Nephi 31 because it is the Doctrine of Christ.  I love this chapter because it lays everything out and ends with, "And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God..."  If we want the answers to lives greatest questions, they can be answered in this chapter.  If we follow this chapter we gain happiness, understanding, the information we need to live with our families forever, direction, and so much more.  Everything is there!
  
This week I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting.  I didn't really know what I was going to say but I prepared a few ideas on gratitude and knew that the Lord would fill my mouth for 15-20 minutes.  Well, the youth speaker spoke for over a half hour.  Sister Thomas and I were also asked to sing a musical number and there was one more speaker.  Basically I just stood up and spoke for 3 minutes about how we all have every reason to be grateful.  The Lord has given us everything.  We have way more than we lack.  I told them about one of my very first investigators, David.  David lived behind a car shop and had very few belongings.  Among those belongings was a couch and a large piece of cardboard to block himself from the sun and rain.  In the eyes of the world he had nothing but he thought that we was the luckiest man alive.  Happiness and gratitude do not come from monetary things.  It comes from understanding your relationship with God and that everything comes from Him.
  
Like every week, this week was an awesome week in the mission field.  I'm SO thankful that I came on a mission.  It has blessed my life so much and I'll never regret this decision.  Well, I hope that you all have a great week and enjoy the winter wonderland up there!  The church is definitely true!  

Love, Sister Anderson  

Prayers Are Answered!

Hey everyone! What a week! Thank you all for all of your prayers in my behalf. I've felt them and have gained a lot of strength from them. I know that prayers are answered! I know it. I just wish that everyone else in the world knew that. Prayers that are filled with faith and not empty words are powerful.

We had a zone conference like thing this week and President Walker spoke about having the faith to pray for people to find you. Everyone was just so surprised about this concept, they had never thought of it before. It was weird to me because that is how I find people. I think that we waste way too much time knocking on doors. If we pray that people find us, then they want to learn and are willing to make changes in their lives. I'm just so thankful for prayer. It makes my life so much easier.

In April's Priesthood Session of General Conference President Monson said, "Remember that prayer is the passport to spiritual power." So true! Prayer brings power. I've always loved the Bible Dictionary definition of prayer that says, "The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." Prayers are answered all day every day. That isn't something that I believe, it's something that I know. There is power in just one prayer of faith, think about Joseph Smith. That one prayer changed the world. I love the personal study activity on PMG pg 95. I think that it is something that is helpful for all of us.

This week I've been thinking about how wonderful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. So many people are confused about what they need to do in this life but it is all plain and simple. There is a direct path that we each need to take in order to live with those we love again. It is faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. That's it. Simple.

This week I was able to see it all in action. It was so great. We started teaching all of Candy's daughters. Only 2 of them are baptismal age but the other 2 want to learn as well. It is so great to see these little girls hungering and thirsting after righteousness. It's incredible. I love teaching kids because it reminds of how Christ says that we need to be like little children. They have so much faith. They believe all of our words, they know that what we say is true. We were talking to them about the Holy Ghost and they were all just sitting on the edge of their seats. They had so many questions and comments. After we talked to them about the first vision they all said things like they felt warm or God's love in their hearts. It was really sweet.
(Me, Devon, his cousin/brother, Sis. Thomas)

Repentance was demonstrated in Devon's baptismal interview he was asked what it means to repent and he said, "It's like when you're a football player... you're wearing all of those heavy, uncomfortable pads. Taking them off is like repentance. The weight is gone and you can feel comfortable again." Pretty good explanation if you ask me. I think that it's pretty funny actually. On Saturday Devon was baptized! It was incredible! Devon describes himself as "a pretty crazy guy." He's always trying new things out and hurting himself. He's pretty loud and hyper as well. Well, after he was baptized it was like there was a whole new Devon. He was mature and very contemplative. It was amazing. You could see a huge weight had been lifted off of him. I love to see the way that people look after they've started coming unto Christ. After he was confirmed yesterday it was like he was the happiest person alive. He glew. It was so cool. I loved it.

Seeing people change makes everything worth it. All of the hard times, all of the doors slammed in your face, everything is worth it. So yeah, I've definitely seen the Gospel in action this week. It's been so great!

Most of us are on the enduring to the end part and I think that the best way to describe that is in 2 Nephi 31:20 where it says, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." So beautiful!

Let's press forward with hope and love! I just love the Gospel. It has brought so much purpose and joy to my life and the lives of people that I meet. The Gospel is definitely true and we are blessed to know that. I think that I sound like a broken record, I always say the same stuff but all of it is true. I hope that you all have a great week!

Thank you all for all that you're doing for my family! You're all the best! I love you all!
Love, Sister Anderson

The Atonement of our Savior

Hey everyone.  I feel like I should talk about the atonement of our Savior.  I just ask that each of you consider your relationship with Him and how He can help you overcome anything that you're feeling or going through right now. 

Christ has a lot of different names.  Here are some that I can think of: Lord, Savior, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Advocate, Brother, and Friend.  Jesus Christ literally is all of those things and so much more.  He knows us.  He loves us.  He wants the best for us and wants to help us.  When we've done what we can, He makes up the rest.  He truly is everything.  Christ is our Rock and our Salvation.  He is the beginning and the end.  The way, the truth, and the life.  Only in and through Him can we be saved.  

One of my favorite scriptures is John 3:16-17 which says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."  Beautiful huh?  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and wants us to be with Him again.  I can't imagine how it would be to give up your son but I do know that it takes so much love that we can't even imagine.  Why did He do that?  Because He loves us. 

Our Heavenly Father knew that life would be hard, even overwhelming at times and that we would need help.  So, He gave up his son.  I love 2nd Nephi 2:24.  This chapter is all about the Plan of Salvation and particularly the Fall of Adam and Eve.  In the world, people look down on Adam and Eve.  They blame their problems on them and think that everything bad in the world is because of them.  Well, that is not true.  God has a plan and we are so lucky to be a part of it.  Verse 24 says, "But behold, ALL THINGS have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."  The next verses go on to say, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, they they might have joy.  And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall..."  I love it!  Our Heavenly Father knows ALL THINGS.  He knows the good things, the bad, the happy, the sad.  Everything!  How comforting! 

Christ came to the earth for each one of us.  I truly believe that the atonement is an individual thing, sure it all took place at the same time but it is very individual.  Christ suffered for us individually.  He suffered for you and He suffered for me.  In Alma 7:11-12 we learn that Christ suffered for everything - not just our sins.  It says, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.  And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."  Christ knows it all.  He knows each of our pains, our sicknesses, our problems and He will lift us all up to help us to overcome everything. 

Remember when Peter was walking on water and started to sink?  All he had to do was cry out to the Lord and IMMEDIATELY He was there pulling him out of the water.  When we are drowning, we can trust that He will immediately pull us out of anything when we call out to Him.  I love in the Bible when Christ tells those who are mocking him that the whole need no physician.  He came for the sick, for the meek, and lowly of heart.  I love Christ.            

This week was pretty good.  I truly love being a missionary.  I can't believe that I only have a month left but I sure am going to give it all that I've got.  This week Devon should be getting baptized.  We're really excited about that.  Rycca is continuing to progress and is doing really good.  We were kind of worried about Candy because we hadn't seen or heard from her since Monday.  Well, this morning I was just studying in Ether and the phone rang.  It was Candy!  She informed me that she and her boyfriend broke up!  Obviously she was a bit upset and crying but through the tears she was able to say, "even though we broke up, I don't want to stop this.  I really want to continue with this."  Amazing!  What a tender mercy!  The Lord really does look out for His people.  He wont give us more than we can handle and He gives us tender mercies in the perfect timing to help us going.  It's amazing. 

Another note worthy thing that happened this week is that a lady told me that I was going strait to hell.  Honestly it was pretty funny.  She was a referral.  So we went by to meet her and she told us that our works are condemning us and that we are saved by grace.  We brought up the fact that we are saved by grace after all that we can do.  She was adamant that that was against the "doctrine of Paul."  I thought that it was so funny and said something to the affect of, "well, I guess it's a good thing then that we believe in the doctrine of Christ."  Don't worry, I said it very tactfully.  It was just so interesting because she mentioned that sometimes she feels like doing nice things for people but then quickly realizes that that would be wrong and she needs to stay in her house, away from good works.  I'm so thankful for the truth.  Pretty much the conversation ended with her crying and saying, "please understand... you're going to Hell and I know that you don't even believe in Hell but that is where you're going.  I'm praying for you."  Basically, I ended it by thanking her for her concern and we went on our way.  Pretty funny.
 
Yesterday was the 90 Stake, Stake Conference in AZ.  It was really neat.  Sister Thompson talked about how the Book of Mormon gives us strength.  Elder Cook talked about living in the world and not of it.  President Monson talked about reaching down and lifting up those that are in need.  This is something that we all need to do.  We all need each other.  Please help each other.  Bishop H. David Burtain spoke about being grateful so I want to end this email with what I am thankful for.  

I am thankful for my Savior, my family, temples, covenants, the scriptures, the opportunity to serve a mission, technology, love, life, BYU football, the Gospel, warm weather, mountains, friends, the sacrament, church, callings, a prophet, inspiration, the Holy Ghost, a loving/all-knowing Heavenly Father, prayer, patriarchal blessings, kindness, repentance, the atonement, investigators, people to talk to, and so much more.  I know that each day we can all find something to be grateful for.  The Lord is on our side and we can not fail when he is our captain.  Have a great week.  Stand a little taller and be a little better.  The Gospel is definitely true and because of it we can overcome EVERYTHING!  I love you all so much!  Have a great week!  
Love, Sister Anderson  

I can't believe that this is my last transfer!

(This ones for Heather. Home in our area).

Hey everyone! Like always I just have to say that I love being a missionary. Seriously, it is SO amazing! I love every part of it.

I can't believe that this is my last transfer. There is so much to do and so little time! I'll be ending here in San Manuel and I'm so excited about it! It is going to be an amazing transfer!

Well, we just had an amazing week. It was so great. For a few weeks I've been thinking about this lady that I contacted when I was in the North West this summer. I've tried to explain to the sisters how to get to her house but the couldn't figure it out so I went to the North West to be with Sister Bodily from Monday night to Wednesday morning so that we could find that lady. Well, it was easy for us to find this home. We knocked on the door and they woman's husband opened the door. I basically said, "Hi! We're missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have a message for you that will bring you closer to Christ and will bless your family." He was like "really?!? I'm busy right now but can you please come back?" Isn't that cool! The Spirit is amazing because I talked to that lady in June for like 5 minutes but I knew that now was the time to go back. The Spirit just tells us what we need to do and when we need to do it. Our lives are so much easier when we are worthy to hear the promptings of the spirit and when we actually open up to hear it. It's like in 3rd Nephi 11. We need to open ourselves to hearing and understanding the words of the Lord.

This week we continued to work with Devon, Rycca, and Candy. It's amazing to see people who have truly been prepared and really want to follow the Lord. They are all doing so great and all came to church! Saturday night President Walker called us and told us that he and Sister Walker would be joining us for church on Sunday. He needed to talk to my companion about some family issues and so he said that Sister Walker would be coming to sunday school with me. Well, I never prepare my sunday school lessons but I read through it twice so that I would be prepared for them to be there. The lesson was on the spirit world and I was pretty sure that it would be a great class.

Well, It was so funny because this elderly less-active sister that hasn't ever been active came and she had all of these crazy comments. They were so funny and I just would smile and try to bring the class back on the subject. One of the comments was so funny that Sister Walker and I just lost it and started to laugh. I was so thankful that Sister Walker laughed with me. The whole time I was wondering what she was thinking. President came in for the end of the lesson and a less-active brother tried to argue with him because he said it doesn't matter what we do in this life because we'll have a second chance in the spirit world. President said, "don't procrastinate the day of your repentance!" That got the man fired up and I just had to end it by saying "thank goodness Christ knows best and He asks us to give Him our very best and then He'll make up the rest." It was really funny. After the crazy lesson Sister Walker hugged me for a long time and said, "Sister Anderson, I just love you. Keep smiling and laughing." I guess that they understood that I did the best that I could considering the comments. President said that we need to visit with the brother about Alma 34. Should be fun!

(District Meeting)

Despite all of that church really was amazing on Sunday. It was probably the best sacrament meeting we've had since I've been here. There wasn't a lull at all in the testimony bearing. When I got up, our investigator Devon gave me a rock on and punched the air in support. Lucky for us he was on the back row. He is so funny. He is probably our age, a redneck, plays Madden football all day, and has a curly mohawk. One lady got up and said, "I'm old and I'm slow but I still love the Gospel!" Amen! It doesn't matter how old we are, we can and should still love the Gospel!

We were so excited before church because Rycca, Devon, and tons of less-actives were there. During the opening song Candy walked in with her 4 little girls. I was so happy that I just lost it and started crying. I'm not a cryer but when I see people that want to come closer to Christ and are willing to put effort into it I'm so happy. It makes everything worth it.

After Sacrament Meeting everyone greeted the Walkers like they were celebrities. It was so funny. In his interview with Sister Thomas, President Walker told her that he could tell that we were being obedient because of the miracles that he is seeing in our area. This area was reopened to missionaries last year and it had been closed for 8 years because of some dumb things done by missionaries. When I first got here everyone (especially members) told me that they were sorry for me because this is the worst area but we are proving them wrong! At church on sunday everyone was saying that this area is changing and that they're so happy to be a part of it. It was so good to hear that. People are starting to want to be missionaries and to help those in the community. I love it!

Yesterday a lot of the missionaries in our zone were getting together for lunch. It was kind of one last hurrah before some went home. Sister Thomas and I really wanted to go but decided that it was a good thing but not the best so we stayed here and we saw so many miracles. When we got to Candy's house she had her daughter Alissia waiting to learn more. Alissia turns 8 two days before Candy's baptismal date so we plan on her getting baptized then as well. I have a strong testimony that when we give up our will and do what the Lord would have us do we are blessed. Sometimes it's hard because we want to do "good" things but they're not always the "best" things. We have to keep everything in perspective.

Last night we stopped by a ward FHE and the brother giving the lesson said, "You can't stand still in the Gospel. Either you're going forward or you're going backwards but you don't stand in place." So true. What are we doing to make sure that we are going forward?

I just really love the Gospel. It's so simple. When we do what Heavenly Father asks we are blessed. When we don't, we aren't. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way. Yesterday we visited with a sister who had lots of issues with going to church but it boiled down to tithing. I know that sometimes people just get overwhelmed and think that they aren't doing enough/can't do enough and just give up. All Heavenly Father asks is for us to do our best.

One of my favorite scriptures is 2nd Nephi 31:20. It says, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I know that I want to live with Heavenly Father, Christ, and my family forever and all that Heavenly Father asks is for me to go forward. Heavenly Father is merciful as long as we are doing are part. We just need to take things step by step, little by little until those things that we used to think were so hard become easier.

The Gospel is definitely true and we are so lucky to be able to take part in it. I hope that you all have a great week and remember who you are. We're children of a king and entitled to so many blessings. Act the part.
I love you all! Bye!
Love, Sister Anderson
Remember, come what may and love it!

The Snake Slayer

Hey everyone! I hope that you all are doing amazing and had a super happy Halloween! I can’t believe that it is already November! It’s crazy!

We had a really great week this week. It was like we saw one miracle after another. The Lord really blessed us.

On Tuesday night Rycca, Nick, and Dylan all went to the Primary/Mutual activity. It was awesome because we’ve had such a hard time getting them all to the church and they finally went. It was so easy. We simply just asked them if they wanted to go and they were like “of course!” It was so cool. The young men and young women put together lots of little games for the primary and everyone had a lot of fun. We were so excited about them actually coming and enjoying themselves.
(Sister Thomas and I, the Bishop and his wife prior to a competition. I told them it wasn't quiet dignity, but they still made me do it.)

This week Sister Thomas and I decided to really focus on finding. Not just tracting but doing smart finding. We decided that we needed to work more with members and part-member families. There are so many people in this area that need to be united with their families in the Gospel. I swear, a lot of these part-member families have been contacted by missionaries countless times but you never know if it will only take just one more time or just that certain missionary. You'll never know until you try. So many people say things like, "those people have been tried so many times. Visiting them might be pointless and a waste of your time." Well, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and we all chose to follow Him before this life so you never know if they will accept it again if you don't ask.

One of the people we decided to visit was this man named Jerry. I'd met Jerry before but it was during NASCAR so we didn't really get a chance to really talk. Like I always say, the Lord's timing is perfect and it definitely was perfect this week. We got to Jerry's house right as he was trying to kill a rattle snake.
His wife wasn't home and he said, "Sisters I have a rattle snake! Run and get your cameras!" He wanted us to take part in this experience with him. So basically after we took a lot of pictures he informed us that he had killed countless snakes during his life and that he thought that one of us should have a chance. I decided that I would do anything to win the trust of a potential investigator so you guessed it, I killed the snake with his garden hoe. The whole time he was saying "harder Sister, harder."
(After I killed the rattle snake with holding my weapon),
It was so funny. After that excitement he invited us to sit down on the porch and to talk with him. It was great! He totally just opened up and shared with us all about his life. At one point I said, "Jerry, I know that you've been asked this a lot but have you ever been interested in joining the church?" It was great because he was totally open and said that he had been thinking a lot about it lately and thinking about surprising his family by doing it. We told him that it was simple to get an answer if he should do it or not. All you have to do is pray. He was shocked for some reason.

So many people think that getting an answer to your questions is so hard and almost impossible but I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants to answer us and guide and direct us. We just have to do our part by getting on our knees and praying. It's simple. God isn't complicated. We complicate things.

Shortly after that his wife pulled up and we ended the conversation. I'm just praying that he decides that now is the time to change and accept the Gospel fully into his life. It was funny because he said that his wife brings them good luck because she's living the Gospel. Jokingly we informed him that it's time that he starts to bring good luck into their lives as well. We'll see where things go with Jerry but I'm excited.

At church yesterday his wife, daughter, and son-in-law sat in front of us. They were calling me the snake slayer and said that Jerry has told everyone about it. He even showed them pictures. I know that the Lord really does give us courage as we're trying to bring others unto Him because there is no way that I would ever have done something like that back home.

Another great thing that happened this week is that a brother in the ward called us and said that he had gone and visited with a different part-member family and invited them to take the lessons. They accepted, went to church, and we had a lesson with them yesterday. It was so simple. Candy, the girlfriend, now has a baptismal date and is excited to have her questions answered. It's amazing because it was all so simple. A man was in tune with the spirit, followed its promptings, and now someone is drawing closer to Christ. I love it!

I always think about the quote from President Hinckley in PMG. It says "So many of us look upon missionary work as simply tracting. Everyone who is familiar with this work knows that there is a better way. That way is through the members of the church..." We can go out and knock on every door in town and have zero new investigators. But when members are involved, we get so much more done.

I read talks from Elder Bednar and Elder Ballard today about "becoming a missionary" and having gospel sharing homes. Both talks taught that when we truly know who we are, missionary work is not a burden. It's one of the greatest desires in our hearts. It becomes instinctive and who we are. Missionary work is not a program but it truly is a way of life. I love being a missionary because it brings me so much joy. I know that the lessons taught in D&C 15, 16, and 18 are so true. How great will be our joy if we bring just ONE soul unto Christ. It makes everything worth it when you help others. I just love it. Missionary work needs to run through our bloods because it truly brings salvation.

Yesterday was amazing because Rycca and Candy both came to church. They're now progressing and seeing more blessings in their lives. It's so great! We are so blessed to be a part of the TRUE church of Jesus Christ. He is the only way. He is everything. As we truly come to know that our lives become easier and more meaningful. I love the Gospel. It is definitely true and makes me so happy. I hope that you all have a great week and look for the blessings that come from the Gospel. You'll find them. Look to God and Live!

Love, Sister Anderson

Who Is Your Master?

Hey everyone!  I can't believe that another week has come and gone.  Time is just going by so quickly!  It's crazy that next week it will be November. 

So this week of course was another great week.  No matter what happens throughout the week it is a great week because I am serving the Lord.  Nothing brings greater happiness than helping others come unto Christ.  I just love it!
 

I had quite a few realizations this week.  Sometimes when I realize things I feel so dumb, like why didn't I think of that before.  Oh well, if we knew everything already there would be no point to life.  Well after last weeks emails, I was a bit concerned about Reed and his health situation but I realized that if we don't have trails there is no way that we can demonstrate our faith.  Everyone can be faithful if they want to when life is just a walk in the park but it's when we're tried that our true faith and character are shown.  If we just spend life all worried about every little thing, we won't learn and we definitely wont grow.  The Lord lets us struggle so that we can become something, so that we can become better than we could ever imagine.  I'm thankful for trials.  

For the past few months, there has been a media campaign going on in our mission.  Basically there are tons of commercials on tv about people's lives and they always end with "my name is .... and I'm a Mormon."  They're pretty neat and are on mormon.org.  So we've been hearing a lot of different things about these commercials and what not.  Either people love them or they hate them, but they really have caused quite the stir.  Even all of our pass-a-long cards go along with the commercials.  They just direct everyone to the website.  Well, a few weeks ago (I don't think I've told you all this) we were at the grocery store and I gave a card to our cashier.  He looked at it and thanked us and said, "you know, I love those commercials!  They tell me that you're normal."  I thought that that was great.  It's time for us to stand up and be proud of who we are.  We're Mormons!  There is so much that always goes around about us, but until we stand up for who we are, people will continue to ignorantly make assumptions about us. 


As we were out tracting this week these men pulled up and said, "are you Mormons?"  I was like "of course!  are you?!?"  They said no and I was like "well why not?!"  They just laughed and said that they were Jehovah's Witnesses and weren't interested in changing.  It's just great to be able to boldly tell people who you are and help change their perception on Mormons.

While tracting we met this man named Jay.  He knows all about the bible and religion and everything, or so he thinks.  He kept trying to convince us that we are blind to the truth and need to change.  I think that it's so funny because people always try to out smart us and show us that we are wrong.  It would be easy to prove to people like Jay that the church is true through bible bashing but what good would that do?  Our most powerful tools are the Book of Mormon and our testimonies because that is was brings the spirit and we all know that the spirit is what teaches and convinces of truth.  Not us.  If people are open to the truth than they'll hear it and understand it.
  
So all week we did all that we could to have powerful lessons with our investigators so that they would come to church and progress towards baptism.  We created environments that the spirit can be in.  To do this we went to members homes and helped investigators clean their own homes.  We had members involved.  We tried so hard.  Unfortunately no one came to church.  It's sad because people are missing out on so many blessings.  Heavenly Father is just waiting to prove His love and honesty, but if we don't do our part, we can't receive His part of the bargain. 

I've been thinking a lot about this this morning.  What can we do more?  It really just comes down to us all having agency.  Unfortunately we don't always pick the right side.  In general conference President Packer said, "The Lord is voting for me, and Lucifer is voting against me, but is is my vote that counts."  So true!  What or who are we going to vote for?  In 2nd Nephi 2 it says that we can chose eternal life or captivity and misery.  It's pretty obvious what we all would rather, but why do we chose to disobey God?  I think that it all comes down to what it says in Matthew 6:24 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  Who is our master?  Is it our video games? sleep? nfl football? etc, etc.  I've heard about every excuse for not being able to go to church.  My favorite excuse came yesterday.  A less-active sister called and us and said, "I can't come to church because I've been sneezing and sometimes when I sneeze I have an accident."  I couldn't believe that she was telling me this over the phone and felt like telling her to get a diaper, but I decided that that wasn't very compassionate of me. 
If we really understood the first commandment and what Christ said when He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."  All of our choices wouldn't really be all that difficult.  We would understand where true happiness comes from and do all that we can to achieve that.  Christ needs to be our master.  Nothing and No one else can save us.  Do we want eternal life or eternal captivity?
     
So yeah, that is basically what I've been thinking about lately.  The Gospel is so true and if we just cling to it and our covenants we'll be safe and happy.  It's simple.  Satan is the author of complexity. 

Anyway, I love you all.  I love being a missionary.  It's so much fun and so rewarding.  Even if nothing goes are way at times we can still be happy because we are confidant that we are following the Lord. 

I hope that you all have a great week!  The Church is definitely true! 

Love, Sister Anderson

(Halloween in San Manuel)

Hola Como Esta?

(Sister Thomas did a fabulous job cutting Melissa's hair today. She cut off 2 inches and then layered it with some layers up to 10 inches off.)

Hey hey! It was so good to hear from some of you this week! Like always, this week was a good one. I just love being a missionary so much!

I came to learn something really important yesterday during Sacrament Meeting... I was just sitting there writing something in my planner and I heard this elderly woman sitting probably 5 feet behind me whisper to her husband, "I didn't know that Sister Anderson is left handed." Of course this wasn't meant for anyone but her husband to hear but since she was elderly all of us could hear her. I was just so thankful that I wasn't doing something inappropriate (not that I would be). But what I learned from dear Sister Kincaid is that everyone really is watching and it is up to us to make sure that we are doing what's right. We need to follow the direction in Matthew and in 3rd Nephi 12:14-16 which ends by stating, "Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Now, I wasn't doing anything that is worthy of glorifying Heavenly Father for but hopefully one day someone will catch me doing something good and be thankful for seeing it.

Yesterday we saw a huge miracle, someone that is confused about church just showed up to church. Before church I saw this girl that I just knew wasn't of our faith. So after sacrament meeting I went and introduced myself. This girl is 20 years old and going from church to church looking for the right one. Apparently she noticed the example of a teacher at her high school and decided to see what our church is all about. This teacher wasn't even her teacher but she noticed that she was different. It was amazing as she shared with us her desires. She sounds just like Joseph Smith. Unfortunately she lives in Phoenix during the week and comes home on the weekends so we have to wait until next Sunday to talk to her again. Another miracle is that the ward mission leader's wife recognized her as one of the girls in her kindergarten class and was able to talk to her. There is no such things as coincidences with the Lord. I'm so excited to talk with Gabrielle again on Sunday!

Things are continuing to go well with Sandra and her family. Some people you can find, teach, and baptize in 3 or 4 weeks but this family just isn't one of those. They're going to take a lot of time and I'm ok with that. I don't think that it matters how long it takes for someone to make it to the waters of baptism as long as they're progressing every day and putting forth their best effort. Don't get me wrong, I know that it's important to do it with urgency and as fast as possible but sometimes there are just some obstacles too big to overcome in 3 or 4 weeks. Since the missionaries met Sandra back in June she has refused to pray with us. Well, since we've started getting her sons involved she has started to make some great changes. She's realized that she needs to be a better example because they really know nothing about Heavenly Father and Christ. At the beginning of last week both boys had prayed and they really put some pressure on her to pray. It was amazing because she gave up her desires to be an example for her family. At the end of her prayer I think that I must have yelled "amen" out of happiness and I jumped in the air and gave her a high-5. I was so happy because I knew that she was one step closer to Heavenly Father and making commitments with him. Every little thing counts. Just thinking about how she prayed makes me want to cry. I was and am so happy. I can't even explain to you in words how amazing it was.

Grant an 8 year old from aninactive fam that got baptized.)
I love the Gospel so much and I just know that our Heavenly Father is so happy every time we talk with Him and show Him our faith. It's incredible. I think that I've really started to come to understand our Heavenly Father's love. I can't comprehend how amazing it is but when I feel something for someone that I don't even know and just want them to be happy I know that Heavenly Father is teaching me something. I'm so thankful that He's letting me serve a mission so that I can learn these things.

After church yesterday the yw president approached me because none of our investigators came to church. She was so worried because she knew that I must be discouraged. I thought a lot about that and how I wasn't discouraged. I think that as we come to understand agency and that it is a blessing not a hindrance, we don't get discouraged. We may be disappointed because we know that people are missing out on blessings but we don't get discouraged. Discouragement is one of Satan's tactics. He wants us to feel down but we can always feel uplifted. We have a Savior and as we follow Him we can not and will not fall. There's not a chance. We will be safe and we will be happy. We have to remember the promise in Helaman 5:12.
This morning we got a phone call from a faithful brother in the ward. He stated that he thought that we needed to go visit this part member family because we left an impact on the wife. A few weeks ago we went to their house and the wife said that she had a testimony of the Book of Mormon but just didn't see how the church could be true. We just looked at her for a second and then I read to her the last 2 paragraphs of the introduction to the Book of Mormon. After pausing for a second I just looked at her and boldly stated that I knew that she had a testimony that the church was true and it's up to her to follow that testimony. Afterwards I was a bit concerned that maybe it came out too harsh but I'm excited to go back and to see what she has to say. Sometimes we have to be really bold to put the point across.


(Best of friends after volleyball)
Lastly, I've been thinking a lot about Ether 12:27 lately. It talks about making weak things become strong. My whole mission I feel like talking to everyone has been one of my weak things. I've really prayed and put forth effort to change that. Well, I'm starting to see this weak thing become a strength. I'm so thankful for the prayer because it is only through prayer that I've been able to work at overcoming this weakness. I still have a long way to go but I know that as we truly apply the scriptures to our lives we can and will see miracles.

Well, I hope that you all have a great week! The church is definitely true. There is no doubt about it. There is nothing more liberating then the Gospel. Live worthy of the blessings that come from it and don't let Satan subtly pull you down into discouragement and sin. I love you all lots!

Love, Sister Anderson

Time Sure Is Flying!

(Doing a little service this morning)

Well, another week has come and gone.  I just can't believe how fast time flies by.  It's incredible.  San Manuel is all decorated for Halloween.  I've never seen a place with more Halloween decorations.  It's crazy, especially since there are hardly any kids in this town.  It's fun though to see all of the decorations.

This week was definitely a miracle week.  We just saw miracle after miracle.  I really believe that you receive a lot of blessings when there is a new missionary in an area.  It was like new investigators were just falling into our laps.  It was such a fun week! 

We picked up 3 more of Sandra's kids.  This family is so disfunctional and the Gospel is what will bring it together.  It's the only thing that will bring it together.  Yesterday we ran into one of her daughters and just flat out asked her if she wanted to get along with her family and if so what was she willing to do.  Well, the thing that she is willing to do is to start meeting with us and come to know our Savior.  I'm really excited to work with this family.  The biggest struggle is finding them all at home, but when there is a will there is a way. 

Some other people that we found were this couple named Billie Anna and Raynoldo.  Apparently Billie Anna's mom is a member of the church, but super inactive.  The ward mission leader took us to her house to find her mom and she mentioned that she had been meaning to meet with us.  So we met with her and she informed us that she's been wanting to get baptized for over a year and a half now!  There are some issues that we'll need to overcome with her, but nothing is too out of reach or impossible.  It was so funny because during the lesson her 9 month old baby just sat back and put her arms behind her head like she was just relaxing, like the message and feeling were so familiar to her.  It was pretty cool.
     
In San Man there is this really great trailer park.  I've come to love trailer parks.  It's in them that miracles happen.  Well, last night my companion was kind of sick so we went to the house for an hour for her to rest.  After an hour she decided to show her faith by going out even though she didn't feel well.  Well, I was just one contact away from my goal so we decided to drive around the park and talk to whoever was out.  Well, we saw this man that we met over a week ago and decided to go visit.  In front of his house is this floating device from a boat and on it is painted the words "Party Marty."  Marty obviously likes to party.  Well we got out to talk to him because he was outside and he just poured out his heart to us how he felt like something is missing and that he's so confused.  He then told us that when we walked up that we were the answer to his confusion and that we had what was missing in his life.  We got there just in time because he had just got himself a beer, but hadn't drank from it yet.  He said that he just drinks to fill the gaps that he feels.  

(I Love Power Tools)
The Lord's timing is always perfect.  It's incredible to me.  So often we want things to happen on our timetable, but the Lord's is always right.  He knows what needs to happen and when.  We just have to trust in Him and know that His ways are not always are ways.  Thank goodness!  We just need to remember Proverbs 3:5-6
     
I've been thinking a lot about the atonement lately and how it affects every aspect of our lives if we let it.  Christ is just waiting to bless us and to help us, but we have to do our part.  We have to accept Him.  I've really come to know that I can't do anything on my own.  If I try to do things on my own, it's just a waist.  He knows how to help us.  Why don't we let Him?  What's holding us back from receiving His blessings?  The only thing holding us back is ourselves.  The Savior is who can make us better.  He makes us stronger.  He gives us confidence.  He gives us peace.  We all need to find ways to strengthen our relationship with Him.  It's amazing because things with the Lord are simple.  We just need to do the simple things:  pray with real intent, read and ponder about the scriptures, take time to be holy, etc.  I'm convinced that as we take a little more time each day to worship the Lord he will gives us so much more in return. 

I love in Malachi where it says, "Prove me now herewith if I will not open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing and there will not be room enough to receive it."  Prove Him!  Make Him show you that He is always faithful!  When our investigators have issues with the commandments I always say "Prove Him!"  He wont leave us hanging.
  
Well, I hope that you all have a great week!  Remember to trust in Him who is mighty to save.  Prove Him.  The Gospel is definitely true!  Live it!

Love, Sister Anderson
Alma 26:16

There Not Just Old Men

Hey there everyone!  Didn't you all just love conference?!  It was so good!  It is amazing to see how every talk seems directed towards you.  It doesn't matter what stage you are at life, each talk can be applied to all of our lives. 

I loved how President Monson started the conference by talking about the new temples and missionaries!  2 subjects that I hold very near to my heart.  There really is so much power found in making and keeping temple covenants.  I love this months Ensign about temples.  They truly are the house of the Lord.  And missionaries... I love being a missionary!  I want to be a missionary for the rest of my life! 

Something that I've really come to know is that you can't prepare for a mission by just going to the MTC.  It is something that needs to be prepared for throughout your whole life.  You can't fake a testimony and a love for the Lord.  You need to be a missionary before you even put on the name tag.  Being a missionary is so great!  It truly is the best thing that I've ever done. 

So I want to talk more about conference, but first, I want to share part of a lesson that we had yesterday.  Sister Thomas and I were teaching Hunter and BJ Parry.  They're 8 and 11 yrs old.  Well, we were talking about conference and I said, "The speakers aren't just old men."  Hunter (the 8 yr old) quickly cut me off and said, "You're right.  They're men that want to say something before they die.  We have to be mature about this."  So funny!  I was trying so hard not to laugh.  But, Hunter does have a point.  Our church leaders are men who have so much wisdom and are full of the spirit.  They know what we need to hear.  They know what will bring us happiness and joy.  They know our Savior and how we can draw closer to Him.  This really is something that we need to be mature about.  I love D&C 1: 38 which says, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my voice shall not pass away, but shall be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."  We can feel confidant that as we study the words of our living prophets that it is the voice of the Lord and that we will hear what He wants us to hear.  It's up to us to listen, internalize, and heed their words. 

I think that it is so sad because there are so many people who are searching for the truth and they have no idea that our loving Heavenly Father has called another prophet to lead and guide us. 

We tried to tell everyone about conference because we knew that it would give people answers to the questions that they've been searching for.  Unfortunately, some people chose not to listen.  We have to make a conscious effort to listen to the prophets.  We were really excited though because some people did come.  During the Saturday afternoon session, 3 of the Parry boys (ages 8, 6, and 5) showed up.  They knew that it was important to listen to the prophet so the 3 of them rode their bikes to the church to watch it with us.  Thank goodness that Aunt Jolene sent me conference games last conference time.  Those games kept them occupied.  It was so funny to hear what they had to say about all of the speakers.  They really liked it.  Yesterday we went to their house and their parents had turned on conference for them to watch at home.  For just learning who the prophet is, they sure do have a great love for him. 

Yesterday, we were so excited because Rycca came to the morning session.  We made her breakfast to make sure that she would come.  It was really cool because we had asked her to pray about some of her questions and promised her that they would be answered as she watched conference.  She was a little hesitant but took the challenge and said that President Monson answered her questions.  She loved it and was so glad that she woke up early to watch it.
  
Things are going great with Sister Thomas!  I love being her companion!  We get along really well and she definitely has been preparing to serve a mission her whole life.  She is just so excited to go out and help others come unto Christ.  It's been way fun because we've made it a goal to get out of the truck and walk and talk to everyone we see everyday.  I love talking to everyone.  For the most part, people are always nice and if anything, we can have a nice conversation with them.  We've talked to tons of people and have seen many miracles.  I feel like talking to everyone is a demonstration of our faith.  As we show Heavenly Father that we want all of His children to come unto Him, He'll put them in our paths. 

An example of this came while we were doing service for our investigator, Sandra.  We were waiting outside of her trailer for her and her 19 year old, drug using son, showed up and told us that he really wants to change his life and wanted our help.  Sandra told us that he is now reading the Book of Mormon and she is so happy because she knows that this can be what makes this difference in him.  The Gospel changes lives as we let it.  But, it wont change someone if they don't know about it.  We've talked to Chris so many times and he's never showed interest.  This just showed me that we have to keep inviting people even if they don't really respond to the invitation at first.  The Gospel is true, and we need to be continuously inviting others to take part in it.
     
Well, that's about it for the week!  I hope that you're all doing great and make this the best week ever!  Come unto Christ and invite your friends to come along with you!  The Church is definitely true! 

Love, Sister Anderson
Moroni 10: 30-33

Hola

Hey there everyone! Another transfer has come and gone. I can't believe how fast time flies. It is absolutely crazy! Sister Rust went to Thatcher and I'm training a really great sister named Sister Thomas. She's from Kaysville, Ut and seems really great. I'm really excited to work with her! I think that she will teach me a lot!

Well this week has been really good! I love being a missionary! On Saturday Roy got baptized! Woohoo! He is such a smart kid and was so prepared. It is amazing how the Lord prepares people and then directs us to them. If you don't remember, Roy is the kid that we just felt like we needed to go talk to his less-active mom and she asked us if he could be baptized. There is definitely no such things as coincidences. Roy was prepared and we were directed to him. It was amazing! The spirit was so strong at the baptismal service. There was no denying that Christ's church is back on the earth and that the authority to perform saving ordinances is back as well. I'm so thankful for the spirit. I would be so lost without it and have no idea of what is and isn't true and what direction to take in my life.
The Gospel is so incredible. I've been thinking a lot this week about how we are so blessed to have the gospel. It just makes life easier. It brings purpose and direction to our lives. It's so sad to think that there are people searching for the truth but just don't know where to find it.

I think a lot about Doctrine and Covenants 123. We need to "waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherin we know them..." I know that nothing brings more joy than wasting and wearing out our lives for the Lord." Nothing! I feel like my body and mind has aged so much since I came on a mission but that's ok because I know that I'm doing the right thing. Being a missionary makes me so happy. There is nothing like seeing others come unto Christ and feel of His love in their lives. I love to it!

We had a really neat experience this week while teaching Rycca. Rycca is 15 and we felt strongly that we needed to teach her the Law of Chastity. As we taught she was very contemplative and thought a lot about what we were saying. As she prayed she promised the Lord that she would live this commandment. Well, the next few days we weren't able to see her because she was really upset about something. Finally, we were able to talk to her yesterday. She informed us that she had broken up with her boyfriend because the prophets have taught that we don't date until we're 16. How neat is that! She really took it to heart! Even though she was fighting back the tears (she really liked this boy), there was a new light in her eyes and she knew that she was following the Lord. I'm so proud of her! We read with her one of my favorite scriptures, Mosiah 2:41. It says: "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in ALL things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it." It was so great to be able to testify to Rycca that she will be blessed with "never ending happiness" as she continues to follow the commandments. The Lord doesn't lie.

Oh, I really loved the Relief Society broadcast! It was so great! I loved how President Monson talked about not judging. This is SO important! There is one lady that has said to me multiple times, "we would fellowship the new members if they were more normal." Can you believe that? We all are God's children, brothers and sisters and all deserve to be fellowshiped. I often think about how President Monson reaches out to the one. I think that we can and should do the same!

Well, that's about all from here! I hope that you all have a great week and find ways that you can be better missionaries. It truly brings the greatest joy. The Gospel is definitely true and we all need it in our lives!
Love,
Hermana Anderson

Be diligent and heed the word of the Lord

hey there everyone!  I can't believe that another Monday is here.  Time goes by so quickly when you're working hard!  Thanks everyone for the letters this week!  I love mail so much! 

This week has been really good!  We taught quite a bit and saw miracles!  Thursday was really neat because Elder Paul V. Johnson on the 70 and his wife here for a mission tour.  They were so nice!  Before it even started they took the time to meet us all.  They had 2 conferences, one for the Tucson side of the mission and one for the other.  I always love being with huge groups of missionaries.  It's always so neat and the spirit is always so strong.
 

Elder Johnson taught us about the importance of being diligent and "heeding" the word of the Lord.  He talked about how we can have a super powerful lesson but that that wont do anything until our investigators act.  If we don't act, we're not going to get anywhere.  None of us can progress in the Gospel without acting. 

We've really seen that here.  I can't remember if I told you last week, if I did please forgive me.  Well, our investigator Sondra just didn't seem to want to progress.  She would never "heed" the word but we just have felt like we couldn't drop her.  Well, about a week and a half ago we decided that we needed to do all that we could to help her read the Book of Mormon.  So every day we would go over there and read with her.  Well, things are really starting to change.  There is a new light in her life and she is now reading it on her own and has gotten her sons to join her.  I know that that Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it truly does save lives.  She was struggling with a lot of issues but it seems like since she's started making reading more of a priority those issues seem smaller.  Sometimes when we get to her trailer she's out smoking and we've really come to know that there is no point in sharing the Gospel when that is going on.  It's amazing because as she's smoking we never know what to say to her but when she's done, our mouths are filled and we're able to have great lessons.  It's too bad that everyone doesn't see the way we do.  Sometimes I just want to shake people because the truth is so apparent but they can't see it.  They're not "heeding" to the word.  

During the lunch break of the zone conference we were eating and having a pleasant time and then the assistants came and told me and Sister Aquino that Elder Johnson wanted to meet with us individually. 
Well, needless to say, we got a little bit nervous.  It turns out that we picked a few missionaries that he wanted to have interviews with and we were some of them.  It was really neat to be able to have a one on one conversation with a member of the 70.  Pretty much he wanted to get to know me.  One question that he asked me was how I felt about serving a mission.  For a few seconds I just stared at him.  I have no idea how to put into words how I feel about being a missionary.  I started to cry and shared with him how it has changed me.  I'll always be grateful for what serving a mission has done for me.  I don't even know how to express it but to say that it has made me better.  It's made me know who I am and be confidant in that.  I've come to trust more and to love more.  It's amazing how being gone and serving the Lord for a few months can do so much to someone.  I'm so thankful.  I'm so glad that I'm here in the heat rather than in a classroom.

Well, we saw some great miracles yesterday!  2 investigators, 2 less-active families, and 2 less-active sisters that we've been working with came to church!  Woo!  Ben, one of our investigators is 11 years old.  Well, he decided that he was going to come to church no matter what.  His family is a part-member family and very very less-active.  Yesterday morning came around and none of them wanted to come to church.  Instead of using that as an excuse, Ben got up and ready and rode his bike to church by himself.  He was even there a half hour early.  He is such a good example.  We have to do the right things even if they are hard.  Roy (10 years old) came along with his mom.  He had his baptismal interview yesterday and is going to get baptized on Saturday!  Woo!  I'm so excited!  I love working with part-member families because I'm helping them become closer to becoming eternal families.  Eternal families is what it's all about.  The whole reason that we're here on the earth to be tried and tested so that we can live with our families forever. 

Yesterday in church I also got to teach Gospel Principals.  The lesson was on obedience.  Part of the lesson talks about being obedient even though things seem meaningless or small.  It reminded me of Elder Bednar's talk last October about how the small things make the biggest difference.  He talks about how testimonies are grown one scripture study, one prayer, and one family night at a time.  Those things all seem pretty minor and small but when you add them up they become big things and make all of the difference in the world.       
A few days ago we met these 13 year old alter boys from the Catholic church.  They were so nice and really want to know that truth and live it.  Well, we taught them the first lesson.  After sharing the first vision we of course asked how they felt.  I really liked their answer.  They said that they felt "free."  It reminds me of the scripture that says that the truth will make us free.  People often are worried about accepting the Gospel because they say that there are too many "restrictions" but this really isn't the case.  The Gospel liberates us.  It makes us free.  It brings light, joy, and meaning into our lives.  We all desperately need to Gospel!  It is definitely true.  

Well, I hope that you all have a great week!  Look to God and Live!
Love, Sister Anderson 
 
FYI ~ Melissa will be released December 18th and will be speaking in Sacrament Meeting December 19th at 10:50 A.M.

Do some good in the world today!

Hey everyone! Sounds like you're all doing great! Thanks so much for the emails and letters in the mail! I love hearing from home. I'm sorry to hear about our cougars. Hopefully they'll be able to pick things up this week.

So this week has been really really good! We taught a lot! It was amazing, I don't think that I've taught that many lessons since I was in El Paso. It was so much fun! I love teaching the Gospel. Every time I teach and have the opportunity to bear my testimony I feel so much stronger and happier. It is amazing how the Lord blesses us for doing the things that we should be doing. From Tuesday night to Thursday morning I had an exchange with Sister Howard. She came up here to San Manuel with me and we had so much fun together! She and I teach really well together. She's been training (for the 3rd transfer in a row) and kind of needed a break so she came on up. Also, our companions don't talk much in the lessons so we thought that it would be good for them to be together and be forced to talk. I think that it did them a lot of good and us a lot of good. Sister Howard goes home in 2 weeks so it was good for her to come up and refocus for her last few weeks. While on that exchange we made it a goal to talk to everyone we saw and it was so fun to do that. We even pulled over the truck a few times to talk to people. I love talking to everyone. Sometimes it's kind of awkward but that's ok because every time I talk to someone I know that Heavenly Father is happy with me.

(Last week I had over 27 bites on my right ankle and foot)

Sister Rust and I had a really neat experience on Saturday. We were out and about and I felt really prompted that we needed to visit a sister that came to our Gospel Principals class on Sunday. So we immediately we went to her home. She invited us in to talk for a bit. Well, after about 20 mins of us talking to her she said, "I have a 10 year old son who isn't baptized. Do you think that he should be baptized?" Of course! He must be baptized! So Roy, her son, comes out and she asked him if he wanted to be baptized. He asked us what that meant so we taught him what it meant to be baptized. He then said, "can I be baptized on October 9th?" Seriously?!?! So cool! We told him that we would be happy to oblige with that. It was amazing how it all happened. What a miracle! When we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost miracles happen. It was amazing also because the 9th was the day that we had been setting baptisms for and he just picked that date out of the air. It was incredible. He and his mom came to church again yesterday so that was really neat. We're excited because not only will Roy be baptized but his mom will be reactivated. I have a dream of the primary being full in this ward (right now there are about 5 kids that go) and we're well on our way to that. We're also working with the Parry family. Just like with Roy's family, we wont only be baptizing kids, we'll be reactivating a family.



Last night we had dinner with this wonderful elderly couple. After dinner, the sister took us to show us where her friend lives. She didn't have any intention of getting out and talking but Bobbi, the friend, saw us and came out to talk. Well, in the middle of their conversation the friend said, "My husband and I have been talking and we think that it's about time that we get baptized..." Crazy cool! I was smiling so big but trying not to look too goofy. The member invited them and us over for dinner and a lesson on Wednesday. We're way excited! The member said that Bobbi has said this before and not to get our hopes up yet. We're choosing to believe that this will be the time that Bobbi and Jon really go through with this desire. I'm so excited to be a part of it!


So yeah, that was kind of this week in a nut shell. Lately I've been listening to General Conference talks from last October and I really love Sister Dibb's and President Monson's from the Sunday morning session. President Monson talks about doing good and serving others. At the end of his talk, he quoted the song "Have I done any Good in the World Today." I LOVE this song! I think that it is one of my new favorites. I love the words!
"Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad? Or made someone feel glad? If not I have failed in deed. Then wake up! And do something good..." Read the words to the song. They're powerful. Everyday I think about this song and ask myself if I've done any good in the world today. It's made me really think. I love how it says to wake up. I feel like so many times, we're just going through our routines and forget what is really important. Lets all wake up and do some good in the world today and everyday!

I love you all and hope that you have a great day! The Gospel is definitely true! Do good and be happy!

Love, Sister Anderson

Hey!

(we heart attacked a sister who had her knee replaced)

Hey everyone!  I'm happy to hear that our cougars were victorious! 

I realized this weekend that I've come a far way.  Last year at this time I was dying to know how the football team was doing.  There were members who would even call me and let me know if the cougars won or not.  Well, I'm happy to report that this year it hasn't really even phased me.  Of course I wore blue and white to show my support, but I didn't even feel a twinge of wanting to be there.  What a difference a year makes.  Of course, things will be back to normal again next season. 

So this week has been really great.  Sister Rust and I saw a lot of miracles.  About 2 weeks ago we were out looking for this less-active man and found this 15 year old girl named Rycca.  She said that we could come back and talk to her. Well, it turns out that her grandma who she lives with is a member of the church!  I love part-member families! So we started teaching Rycca.  She is an awesome girl who is super busy.  It's so funny because her friends aren't interested in changing religions, but they sit in on all of the appointments to hear what we have to say. 

On Tuesday we taught the first lesson (the Restoration) and really focused every part of it on baptism.  At the end we shared in 2nd Nephi where it talks about Christ being baptized and that in order to follow Him we too must be baptized.  Well that kind of hit Rycca.  Her friends were like "I've been baptized!" and she sheepishly said that she hadn't. We informed her that that was ok because it is our job to help people come unto Christ through making covenants like baptism.  We invited her to be baptized and without hesitation she accepted!  Woohoo!  We're so excited about Rycca.  The only issue is that she's so busy and it is hard to see her every day but we're working. 

We also started to teach these 2 boys this week.  Their names are Hunter and Benjamin and they're 8 and 11.  Their parents are members of the Church and the boys have been wanting to go to church.  It's amazing, they're spiritually super mature for their ages.  They've really been prepared.  Well, we talked with their dad and set up an appointment to teach the boys.  We got to the appointment and the 2 boys came out and both said, "I want to be baptized!"  What a miracle!  And the dad is super supportive of it.  We gave them both Books of Mormon and every day when we go over we are amazed about how much they've read. They truly want to learn everything.  They're like sponges just soaking everything in.  Unfortunately their mom is also less-active and lives in a different town so they wont be able to come to church with us every Sunday, but one of the great members here is friends with her so we're going talk to her about the situation. 

I love working with members and part-member families. 

In PMG there is a a quote from President Hinckley that says that so many of us see missionary work as simply tracting but all involved know that there is a better way and that is through the members.  I tract when other plans fall through, but I agree with President Hinckley, there are so many better and more effective ways to do missionary work.
   
As I was reading the Book of Mormon this morning I came across something that I thought was really interesting. It is 1st Nephi 15.  Well at this point, Nephi had just come down from the mountain after learning the interpretation of his father's vision of the tree of life.  He comes down and everyone is all upset because they don't understand the vision.  Nephi asks his brothers if they asked the Lord for the meaning of it all and they said that they hadn't (too bad, ask and ye shall find...).  So Nephi began to explain it all to his brothers. Well in verse 24 speaking of the iron rod it says, "And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction."  What a great promise!  If we hold fast and cling to the word of God we'll be safe and Satan wont be able to get us.  It reminds me of Helaman 5:12.  As we hold on to the word of God we are building on our Rock, Christ.  This is why daily scripture study is so important.  It's not just a nice thing to do, it's something that we need to do! 

He said that he exhorted his brothers with "all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things (vs 25)".  It made me think about if I do that.  Do I exhort everyone with all that I have to study the word of God, to feast upon the Book of Mormon?  I mean, we're talking about salvation here. So I think that I finally am starting to understand why our leaders keep saying that the Book of Mormon is salvation in our hands. 

Elder Holland says that if people don't read the Book of Mormon we need to be "devastated" and read with them.  But in PMG it says that if people fall back into old habits we need to be understanding and help them get back onto the right path.  I wondered about this and have realized that this is because the Book of Mormon helps us to overcome those old habits, to overcome the "natural man." 

Elder Ballard said, "In a world ever more dangerous... the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ has the nourishing power to heal starving spirits of the world."  What an amazing promise!  The world is full of starving souls and we have what will give them nourishment. 

I love the Book of Mormon!  And I have one more quote about it.  This is from President Hinckley.  "Each time we encourage others to read the Book of Mormon we do them a favor.  If they read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, they will know by the power of the Holy Ghost that the book is true.  From that knowledge there will flow the conviction of the truth of many other things. for if the Book of Mormon is true, then God lives.  If the Book of Mormon is true then Jesus is verily our Redeemer, the Savior of the world.  The great purpose of it's preservation in coming forth according to it's own statement is to the convincing of the Jew and gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations. If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God... for he was the instrument in the hands of God in bringing to light this testimony of the divinity of our Lord.  If the Book of Mormon is true then the Church is true... for the same authority by which this sacred record came to light is present and manifest among us today."  He also promised that if we read the book, "There will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strength and resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."  Wow!  What great promises! 

So what is stopping us from reading, studying, and loving this book? 

I'm doing you all a "favor" today and I'm encouraging you all to feast upon the words of Christ.  I promise you that as you do so you will be changed and you will see miracles in your lives.  Prophets don't lie.  

I hope that you're all doing wonderfully and made it down to the end of this long letter. 

Remember that true happiness only comes from Christ. He is the only way.  Accept Him into your lives and feast upon His words.  I love you all lots!  

Love, Sister Anderson