How's it going?
This week has been awesome and crazy. I have such a new found respect for visitors center sisters. It's tough tough work.
Last Wednesday we had an amazing experience. All of us sisters went on a tour of the temple with President and Sister Walker and Elder Walker. It was so cool! Elder Walker works closely with President Monson and so he was able to give us a lot of interesting information and insight about the temple. It was a really spiritual experience to be in the temple together, especially after such a long time away. Let me tell you, this temple is beautiful! It is really small and so so nice! It turns out that our mission is one of only 5 in the world that will be having a temple open house this year so we are very blessed.
Elder Walker also gave us instruction on what we are to do while here. Basically, we're to look nice. We're not aloud to proselyte or anything like that. We welcome everyone to the temple and introduce the movie and then we greet the guests when they come back. We're not aloud to really talk about church topics unless it is brought up by the guests. For the most part, people that come are members so I've met a lot of members. (Chantell Martin: Donna Butler - Dallace and Utahna Butler's daughter says hello). We work 7 hour shifts and just smile, walk around, and talk the whole time. In the off time we're assigned wards to do work in. It's been neat to see lots of people come to the temple and to hear their reactions to it. A lot of people from St. David came up so that was really fun.
(One of my favorite gifts was this picture of Tommy)
My birthday was the best birthday ever because Angela and Dillon Ingram came up with one of our wonderful member missionaries. It was such an amazing experience to be able to walk through the temple with our investigators and to feel of the power and strength of the temple together.
It was fun to be able to talk about how we'll all come back to the temple in a year for Angela to go through. It was so cool! Speaking of the Ingram family, President informed us that we wont be able to go back to St. David for their baptism on Sunday. We're pretty bummed. It's especially sad for Sister Mackay because she always gets transferred right before baptisms and has yet to see any of her investigators get baptized. We keep telling ourselves that it will be ok and it will make it even better when we go to the temple with Angela. It was the best birthday present ever and it really was the best birthday. Friday morning I woke up and all of us in our apt were so excited and I opened up gifts from you all. Thank you all so much! You are all amazing! All of the sisters came over and sang to me and it was super nice. The day was awesome at the temple and then we got home and Sister Mackay and Sister Aquino had planned a surprise birthday party. It was so fun! 
Most of the sisters were there are we ate strawberry short cake and just had so much fun. All of the sisters are amazing!
Like I said earlier, most of the people that come to the temple are members. This morning I decided to pray for a missionary experience. Boy did I have it! I noticed some people in the reception area that I thought I needed to talk to. It turned out that it was a couple from one of the local wards and their 2 nonmember friends that they brought. Well their friends just loved the temple! For about 45 minutes I got to talk with them and answer their questions. It was an awesome experience. Someone else asked for a Book of Mormon! It was so cool and an answered prayer!
Sister Rodriguez and I just got a way cool phone call from Sister Walker. To preface it, we were teaching this person in the North East of El Paso that is our age. He is a Marines Recon man and has been to war quite a few times. Well, we almost got Tony baptized when we were there but he decided that Joseph Smith was "a con man." It was way sad and a few weeks later he got sent to Afghanistan. Well apparently he got seriously wounded while there and he had to make a split second decision to either have his leg amputated immediately or die. He decided to get it amputated and said that if he lived that he would join our church. Well he lived! But that's not all, I don't know how much later but he is now able to stand up. One day as he was getting up he was shot 3 times in the chest. But guess what?!?! He had his Book of Mormon under his clothes against his chest and the bullets grazed the Book and didn't harm him at all!!!! CRAZY!!!!! So so so so cool! When I found out I just started to cry because we knew that he had so much potential and now the Book of Mormon has saved his life and he's getting baptized May 23rd! I can't believe it, this is so so cool!
Anyway, I hope that you all are doing amazing! The Church is definitely true! The temple is the House of the Lord. There is no doubt about it! Go to it and feel of the strength of it! The Book of Mormon is the word of God! Read it and let it save you!
I love you all lots! Have a great week!
Love, Sister Anderson
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