IT'S GETTIN' HOT.... already

April 23, 2012

Dear MOM and DAD

I think most of my letter homes mention something about the weather... tis the nature of the beast! But it reached 104 degrees yesterday!

Well this last week has flown. On Tuesday we went to the mission office to pick up Sister Soifua, she spent her first night with us. Totally brought me back to my first day in the field, 115 degrees and quite homesick. Still really hot but I can't believe that I've come this far. I love and miss you all so much but I'm good and even though my mission has thus far been very hard (and will continue I'm sure) I wouldn't trade all I've experienced and learned for the world!  Anyway back to our greenie, we saw miracles all night, people being home and getting to talk to random people. Miracles always happen when new missionaries come in and it was a huge privilege to get to "day train" her. Most of the other missionaries who got to do it were Zone Leaders or VC Trainers (Their the ZL's of the VC) so we felt pretty special. 

Yeah for being back at the Visitors' Center! The Lord really knew what He was doing when he sent me there and I thank Him everyday for it! One day we were on phones and I was teaching my phone investigator Menilik (who is AWESOME) he was referred by a member in my old area who is preparing for a mission. He is the reason that Menilik is reading the Book of Mormon, praying, and trying to go to church (his family goes to a different faith). I had committed him to pray to know if the Book of Mormon was true and when I asked him this week he said he was praying and that he didn't think he'd gotten an answer yet. So we talk about how he feels when he reads and when he goes to seminary (he went 3 times last week, how great is that!) and it helped him to see that he was getting his answer and I think he knows it's true now. He looks forward to the calls and he love reading the Book of Mormon, this boy will get baptized, I just know it! 

Serina went to the hospital yesterday and is still there (prayers for her would be wonderful) but she still wants to be baptized THIS week, we asked if she wanted to push it back and she said now way, so today we get special permission to go to the hospital and teach her, we're on a tight deadline so president was willing just this once to let us go! I love that family so much, they are a huge miracle of my mission and an answer to my prayers to teach someone who was prepared. This work is the best. They make all the junk we missionaries deal with worth it! I'll send pictures of the baptism next week! 

Sister Dashjav experienced her first EVER 3 digit weather and it toasted her apple she left in the car! Thank you for my package I LOVED it and I did get the card. I named the monkey Lucy Jr. because she hangs in our car, who's name is Lucy. We're excited to have a water gun fight too. I love you all more than I can every express! 

Miss you much, Love you more!

Love Sister Anderson 

P.S. Mom did you get my "un"talent? And still wondering on my boxes... anyway that's all =D

 

 

Transfers are here again

April 16, 2012

Dear MOM and DAD, 

Well we got transfer news, I don't really have much to report, all is staying the same. It will be a good transfer and I love my companion, we are back at the visitors center and that will help me get my bearings again. I've been off since Easter Pageant and being sick, but a new transfer is always a good time to do better.  

Serina, Kyana, and Michael are all doing well. They have a new baptismal date for the 28th of April and they are determined to work toward that day! It will be a good few weeks. 

We had choir practice this week at the Visitors' Center and Sister Beckstrand told me I have a good ear, it made me feel good because I've been trying to sing alto all the time and it's hard picking it up.  Also this week I had a Bargs root beer and I guess if you aren't in Utah it has caffeine. Well it taste way better in Utah... that's all I have to say about that! 

We ate a members home who had 38 tractors!!!! What kind is yours dad? It was crazy. Yesterday I was reading about the sons of Mosiah, when they first left, and I thought of dad. King Mosiah died while they were on their missions, that's like you dad, your like the sons of Mosiah, pretty special I'd say! =D

We also got a new car this week. 39 miles on it when Elder Nilsen (Elder over cars) gave it to us, he literally drove it off the lot, and I got to drive it!! Probably the only time I will get to drive a new car, so I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Well I'm kind of scatter brained right now so my email is a little crazy. I'll do better next week! Thank you for the emails I love you all!!!!

Miss you much, Love you more! 

Love Sister Anderson

Still wanting to know if you got my boxes...

Arizona

April 9, 2012
Dear MOM and DAD,

I couldn't see the picture of the cup, my computer didn't have the correct program to open it because it was a .odt file. I also have not gotten a package... and I have not seen Rita. Was she coming to the pageant? If so she forgot to bring it because I never got it... oh well I guess, there's not much I can do about it. Maybe she just hasn't dropped it off yet...

Well the pageant is over. It was really good and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it. I did get to see a huge miracle. As you know at the VC we get to call people and teach them about the gospel. (I may have already told you about Cole, if so bare with me) Well Cole is one of those I get to teach. Last week I felt prompted several times to call him and invite him to the Easter Pageant, so I did just that, he seemed really excited about it too. I told him to look for a Sister Anderson, me, and then say "hi" (He knows me as Karmin, because I use my first name on the phones) That I would be in the Visitors' Center and have a name tag on, he said he would. Well on Tuesday night I was talking to the Birch boys, from my first area and this kid walks up and looks at me like "you should know me"... then says "I'm Cole!" To which I responded "The Cole Sister Anderson has been calling on the phone?" YUP He came (Picture below) How cool is that? I was so excited and he enjoyed it so much. He also got to watch God's Plan for His Family, and then had questions, but only had time to ask one, which was about the temple. So I got to testify about temples and eternal families and the Plan of Salvation. I told him I'd call him this week and to write his questions down. God is a God of miracles! It was the neatest thing and I was on cloud nine all night. I also had one of the Senior couple Elders tell me I did very well at answering his question. 

Serina and her kids are doing well, we still haven't got to teach them in over two weeks because of Easter Pageant and then she's been pretty sick this weekend. But it will happen! We talked to Kyana and Michael and they've both been reading the Book of Mormon and really enjoy it. Other than that our area has been pretty slow because of Easter, so it should pick up this week. 

Mom, did you get my birthday text? I had a member send it. Also I'm still wondering if you got my two boxes of stuff yet? It's kind of precious stuff to me (letters from people, Christmas gift. etc.) so I'd really like to know if it's made it home yet?

Well, that's all folks! 

Miss you much, Love you More! 

Love Sister Anderson

Better... Mostly

Dear MOM and DAD,

Well not much to report from the last week because I spent it studying, sleeping, and then working at the Pageant.  Being sick and all I didn't have much ump to do anything during the day so I slept when we weren't at the pageant or morning study. It made it possible for me to feel semi normal in the evenings, so that was a blessing and I've gotten over my cold quit fast so that is a blessing also. We haven't actually been in our area in a week and it will be very similar this week. We will get a couple hours a day because I'm felling better, but those hours, sadly, are when no one is home... but the Lord will provide! 

The pageant is so good! If I wasn't here now I would say you should check it out but with the way it is you'll have to wait until next year... sorry. It actually hasn't been as busy as we thought it would be, so we're thinking it will be crazy this week because everyone thought it would be crazy last week so they all waited. 

Conference was really good, as always it made me homesick, but not too bad. Serina and her kids watched at least the first session on Sunday which was PERFECT because our lesson tonight is on the Plan of Salvation, that's what everyone talked about. They are still doing wonderfully despite not being able to meet with them, the Lord does bless our area when we can't be in it. We had lunch with Sister Christensen (a ward missionary) and she had family come. They were from Utah (Bountiful to be exact) and they are bring another box of stuff home for me. It's mostly my winter stuff that I don't need anymore. But the cool thing is,  that she remembers having dad as a teacher in high school... her name is Julia Barnett but was Thornley. They will be stopping by on Wednesday or Thursday I told them if it was late to just leave it on the front porch, but just a heads up. You'll have to let me know how it goes. Did Sister Phelps parents drop off my first box yet? 

I guess that's it this week, hopefully I have more to tell next week. I love you all!

Miss you much, Love you more! 

Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement! 

Love Sister Anderson