Transfer News

Dear MOM and DAD,

Well transfer news is in drum roll... I'm staying in my area but going FULL-FIELD for the first 3 weeks, then my full-field companion is going VC for the last 3 weeks. Her name is Sister Stephens, I don't know anything about her other than she is narcoleptic, so I get to drive all the time! But that also means no bikes again... I really wanted to be on bikes :c oh well maybe next transfer.

 

We started teaching an Asian family, the Wu's, who are AMAZING.  During our lesson this week we went over and they had made us dumplings and pot stickers for lunch and then we left with a couple bags of Asian snacks. It was really nice of them, and Jay, the dad, has had so many good examples of the church in his life and that is why he interested now. So an added miracle to this fun story, Jay had met some missionaries at a friends house and told them they could send missionaries to his house, a week later we showed up but not because we had been sent. He said it must be a sign and that he doesn't believe in coincidence. YAY!!!! For miracles!!!

 

We spoke in church yesterday and I got to use dad's testimonies, because it was on using the Book of Mormon in conversion, so thank you again dad!

 

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!! For all the packages! It was probably the best week ever! Just got your email, LOVED the pictures, looks like you had a ton of fun. We got to go to a neighborhood carnival and that was really fun!

 

I'm kind of distracted so my email isn't very long. I love you all! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

Love Sister Anderson

 

 

Dropped

Dear MOM and DAD,

Well its official we dropped Isabel, she canceled yet again on us and when we asked her if she wanted us to come teach her still she didn't respond... She was so ready, but we think that she decided that she received the answers to her prayers and that she didn't need to learn more. We think this because that is what happened to her sister who was taught last year.  Her family was so prepared too... well I guess they aren't fully prepared if they don't use their agency to accept it.

 

We've been teaching and in-active man named Tony, he was baptized about 8 years ago and went in-active just over a year after his baptism. He has great respect for the church and refers everyone to it if they are looking for a church.  He has some concerns that we are now working through . Our first lesson with him was really cool because through the lesson you could see his continence change and by the end he wanted to resolve his concerns. I was so proud of Sister Everette, she was bold and loving and because of her following the Spirit his heart was touched.

 

There is also another in-active man that we've been, slowly but surely, working with.  His name is Gary. If you knew where he was when we first met him you would be amazed at how far we've come. We don't have formal lessons with him and for 2 transfers we never really talked about gospel things, we'd just see him on the street and talk with him. Then last week we read some scriptures to him and ended with a prayer. Through all this we found out that he never really had a testimony, so he may be stubborn but you know me I'm probably just as, if not more stubborn than most people. So we're an interesting pair but I think that Lord knew what he was doing when he sent me to Gary!

 

So even though this transfer has been a bit of a downer when it comes to work, I feel like I've been growing so much because I have an amazing companion. She has taught me so much about being humble and loving and happy, and as I work to be more like her and pray to receive help (Because Heaven knows I can't do it alone) I'm finding that I am more happy and loving and humble. Just the last week I've been in some really good moods and nothing has really changed other than lots of prayers to know how to be a happier person. 

 

I'm glad everyone is doing well (except grandma, who I told to take it easy... yes that was an I told you so Grandma) I love you all.

Miss you much, Love you more.

Mosiah 4:10 "See that ye do them!"

 

Love, Sister Anderson

 

Sister Everett and Sister Anderson

 

 

Just another day in Paradise

MOM and DAD,

Well it's not quite Paradise yet, the temperature went back up to 105 degrees this last week, but they say that's the last of it. They've started putting up the Christmas light on the trees. It does not feel like the Christmas season is just over a month away (I guess I'm still waiting for fall to come).

Well Isabel is not getting baptized this week, we've only seen her once the the last 2.5 weeks and we don't have a lesson with her till the 20th. She is so prepared but now life is getting in the way, it makes me sad, but in the process of trying to catch her at home we have been able to talk to her Husband and her older children and we now have high hopes for the whole family. Which has been an answer to our prayer to know how we can get the family involved and realize it's not just for Isabel.

Jihad didn't come to church this week, so we've decided that we'll leave it at that... he has the knowledge to continue if he wants to but for now he's not ready for the change.  So Sunday was not a good day, none of the recent converts I've taught came to church... One of which was Alex who was going to receive the Priesthood... that worries me. I'm finding it really hard when I get to see people find the gospel and accept it, then give in to the advisory...  I cried.

Even though Sunday day was not the best Heavenly Father blessed us with a really neat miracle that evening. So Saturday we were hitting all the town homes because we had a list of potentials a mile long for that complex, as we were we found that most of the people did not still live there, so it really turned into tracting (It was nice to have a reason to be knocking on their door and then get the chance to tell them why we were looking for those people, it's makes it alot less awkward). We knocked on one door and a man answered we ask if he was the person we were looking for of course he wasn't but he did invite us in to have pizza with his family, we had already eaten but asked if we could come back the next day. So Sunday evening we head over there not knowing quite what to expect... most people don't just invite you into their home unless they're members, Brandon answered the door (this is Jay's son) and invited us in, well to shorten this already long story Jay wasn't home but Brandon wanted to learn more and his dad and step mom were totally okay with it. We had  a really good lesson and set up an appointment for Wednesday. His step mom actually said she was glad we came by because he had just moved in and was taking online classes so he didn't have any friends and the youth program for the church was just what he needed. We have the Deacon's quorum president going over tonight to invite him to mutual. 

So last week was hot and rough but this week is cooling down and we have a bunch of lessons planned. It's going to be a good week!

I Love you both! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! for the package. 

Miss you much, love you more!

Mosiah 3:19

Love Sister Anderson

P.S. Brittany Long (old roommate and one of my BF's) got her mission call to Toyko Japan!!!  Congrats Brittany!!!

Sister Everette

Slow Week

Dear MOM and DAD,

 

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! I hope you got my card.

This week has been pretty slow as far as missionaries go... All of our lessons with Isabel fell through and she made plans on Sunday so she didn't come to church either. We did get to talk to her husband for about 15 min on Saturday and invite him to learn with his wife he said probably and that he would talk to Isabel about it. Fingers crossed!!!

 

We've mostly been trying to contact referrals and formers and inviting them... no real luck so far. We did get to do some service this week. I've never been so excited to do yard work... yes I was excited to do yard work and it was AWESOME. The temperature has been around 80-85 degrees all week and the day we served it was about 75 degrees, it was beautiful and we got a potential investigator from it. We had borrowed the neighbors lawn mower and so we mowed her lawn as well, she has a non-member son-in-law whom we started to talk to and asked if we could come back and teach him, he said yes. We have yet to set up a time but we are excited. It has been a huge testimony builder of service as a tool for finding people, and I've gained a huge love of service being on my mission.

 

Probably the most exciting thing to happen to us this week was TTI-ing a drunk woman, so here's the story.  We were headed to contact a referral and my companion saw a woman hunched over sitting by a wall, and because my companion has a very tender heart, we went to see if we could cheer her up. As we were talking to her a man from the half-way house we were in front of came out and asked if we could take her to a detox hospital. We can only have missionaries in the car, so that was a no go but we said we'd find someone to give her a ride. She not wanting us to call anyone and get her in trouble (the police) started walking away so we, not wanting her to get hurt went with her. About 1 mile and 45 min later, we determined to call President Ellsworth because we still hadn't been able to contact anyone. His advice was to call 911, so we did and waited for them to show up. After they showed up we found out they had already dealt with her once that day and that they had tried to take her home but she wouldn't go. As we headed back to our car Sister Everette exclaimed alright no more drunks and homeless people, you pick who we talk to from now on. ( A little back story, I always give her a hard time for talking to all the homeless and drunk people on the street, I know I should be more like her, she truly does love people as the Lord loves them) We had a good laugh and had to go home to change because Sister Everette smell like alcohol from Amy (that was her name) hugging her so much... Funny night!!!

 

Well not much else to tell, other than I REALLY REALLY REALLY want your conversion story mom!!!

 

Miss you much, Love you more!

Jacob 7:25

 

Love Sister Anderson

How Exciting

Dear MOM and DAD

I don't think this will be very long because my mind is still swimming on finding out I'm an aunt for the 7th time.... That is so EXCITING and it's even cooler that she had him in Fillmore. He is a doll, I'm really sad I can't be there to hold him!

 

Evan got baptized this last week. It was a really neat baptism too. He was a bit nervous before but after he was dunked he said "Is that it?" so funny! He will be confirmed this next Sunday because of conference. Now the goal is to get Kate to the temple and Patrick (Evan's dad) to take the lessons.

 

Isabel is still on tract to be baptized. She came to the Sunday morning session of Conference with us and it was just what she needed. She had so many prayers answered through the talks. She really is the most amazing person, we just have to ask inspired questions and then she talks herself though them and the spirit testifies and then she knows it's true. We are really excited for her, and I'm really excited that Sister Everette gets to be a part of this miracle her last transfer. That's an answer to my prayers.

 

Yesterday we started teaching a really cool guy. His name is Jihad he's a black Muslim that grew up in Idaho. He studies religion and wants to learn more about "Mormons" but he also said he was doing some soul searching. I know as he reads the Book of Mormon he will find the answers he is looking for, then all he has to do is take action. (That's the hard part for most people) He is really respectful of the Book of Mormon and really respects Mormons. It will be fun to teach him.

 

Well that's all for now. I love you both so much. Hope you enjoyed conference, I missed the whole family all weekend. The new grandbaby it beautiful.

 

Miss you much, Love you more!!!    1 Cor. 1:27

 

Love Sister Anderson

 

Sister Everette, Sister Dyer, Evan, Sister Anderson, Kate

Evan, Sister Anderson

Evan, sister Anderson, Evan's little sister