Transfers, Bikes & Miracles!

Dear MOM, DAD, and GRANDMA

 

This week has flown by. It's been a great week and I LOVE my companion!!!! We laugh all the time, maybe it's because we are on bikes and we're tired all the time, but still there is a lot of laughter and a lot of hard work (e.g. during our end planning prayer we just burst into laughter, we were REALLY tired last night). Sister Parker is a great missionary and I've already learned so much from her. We work hard and have fun and it's the best!!!!

 

Things I love about bike:

• It's easier to talk to people on the street (without looking like a stocker because you pull over in front of them and then got out to talk to them)
• People honk at you (for better or worse they do, but it's fun to think it's for better)
• Members pull over and talk to you (I think it's because I've been here for 7 months, but we talk to members even more now, there is just a lot more talking to people when you are on a bike)
• The weather is beautiful!!!
• It just feels good and improves my mood when I'm outside
• I sleep amazing every night
• Mandatory exercises!

Bikes are so fun, the only down is my hair looks aweful all the time (good thing no one cares huh?)

 

So Julia has canceled on us twice. We don't think she really wants to learn so we are giving her a week and then probably dropping her. Hopefully it was a seed planted and she will come to want to know more later.

 

Alex is not all there, we think, so we're holding off on that one too. But we have seen so many mini miracles this last week:

• People being home when we swing by
• People scheduling lesson (I've never had so many lessons scheduled in advance)
• Members taking the incentive to fellowship our investigators with out us asking (that is the best!!!)
• Members helping get our bikes all worked out
• etc

The Lord is blessing us so much right now, it's true when they say the Lord blesses bike areas.

 

I got a call at the VC this week from mormon.org.  A lady wanted to know about the programs for children. She was going through a rough divorce and wanted her kids to have some support. She had done research on the Mormons in high school and was really interested in learning more. So to make a long story short I got her the info on what time her ward would be, I got the missionaries her info and called her the next day to find out she had gone to all 3 hours of church, met the missionaries, and was meeting with them again. I love seeing those who are prepared!!! Sometimes it's really hard and you want to ring peoples necks but the Lord has prepared so many and it is our job as members and missionaries to find them. The church is true and I thank Heavenly Father every day that I know that. So many people are lost in this crazy world but all can be found!

 

Love you all,

Miss you much, Love you more!!!

 

Love Sister Anderson

My bike "Mustang Sally"

Old picture of Sister Parker and I

No e-mail???

She actually did get her email this week.  I was just doing it on the Kindle and it was almost late.

Dear MOM and DAD,

 

I got your letter this week, but no email again today... I guess you must be busy.

 

The White's are driving home today and will probably be stopping by, they may have something for you if they have room. It's just a box of extra stuff I got here. I'm so excited for you to get to meet them. They were my parents on the mission and I love them so much!!! Elder White helped me through so much and I know that I needed them for the beginning of my mission! We meet the new Visitors' Center Director and his wife today. They are awesome and I already like them, it doesn't help that we are both Millard Eagles =D They knew who dad was, so that was cool. I was worried because I was so close to Elder White that it would be hard with Elder Beckstrand, but Elder White gave me a blessing and blessed me to have a special place in Elder Beckstrand's heart so I know that all will be good.

 

We had a really good week! I know that Heavenly Father was just blessing us left and right because I don't think we did anything different than we had done before (other than more service, which increased my testimony of service, not that it came from service but the Lord was blessing us for doing service). We got 3 news investigators this week! I've never got 3 new investigators in one week, and we have a whole bunch of potentials to contact still.

 

Make sure and tell Boston Happy Birthday tomorrow! Let me know as soon as you hear about the job! There is more I could write but I'm not in much of a writing mood. Just know that the week has had it's polar ends but I've come out on top and am in a really good place. I love you all, I don't know what I'd do without you in my life!!!!!!

 

Miss you much, Love you more!!

Love Sister Anderson

Well...

Dear MOM and DAD,

 

We did more service this week, we raked leaves, it was a lot of fun!  But with all the service my pants are wearing out, could you when ever you get another package to me send my light blue jeans with it. They are light blue flared legged Maurice's.

 

I'm glad you got to meet Elder and Sister Young, I love them so much!!!! You'll have to let me know when you go see them.

So just yesterday we had a couple potentials pop up out of no where and earlier this week we were contacting a referral who ended up not wanting to meet with us. But we ended up talking to his daughter, who has lots of member friend that "teach her a seminary lesson every day at lunch" and we set up a time for this week to come back. We are excited about that.

 

We were having a lesson with Kayla this week and we were reading in the scriptures and the spirit taught me something really cool. In 1 Nephi 9:6 it's talking about God providing a way for his works to be accomplished and as I was reading the spirit put in my mind "What are his works?" Well to bring to pass our eternal life and glory (Moses 1:39) So God will always provide a way for our eternal life and glory to be accomplished. Which in turn goes along with God never giving us anything we can't over come with Jesus Christ. How cool is that?

 

I guess that's it for this week, didn't get an email this week but I'm sure I'll hear from you next week!

 

Miss you much, Love you more!

Love Sister Anderson

Service, Service, and Hiking!!!!

January 3, 2012

Dear MOM and DAD,

Well this week was full of service. I LOVE SERVICE!!!!!! Just so you know. Probably one of my favorite things to do on the mission because you get to know people, help them, and work hard!!!! Thank you MOM and DAD for teaching me hard work, I love it and then I am tired and sore which reminds me that I did something for someone else.

The first service we did was helping a less-active family prune some trees in their back yard. Now I know that pruning clipper are not meant for anything much bigger than an inch but when I came to some 2+ inch branches I couldn't back down. I conquered!! With minimal bruises... 5 or 6 at the most.

The next day we helped the Phelps (sister Phelps is active and brother Phelps is getting there) paint the apartment in their back yard for four hours. It was great I love painting and my quads hurt so bad the next day from all the squatting. We also found out the Sister Phelps has a very similar back story to Misty's (investigator). Tender mercy for doing service, we wouldn't have found that out any other way.

We read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon with Kayla and she came to sacrament meeting even though she was sick. So we're thinking she's on the right track to getting back where she was. We can just see the potential she has and how if she lets Heavenly Father assist and even take the reins He will get her further than she can herself. (I guess we are all that way though)

Yesterday we hiked Camelback! It's about 1.2 miles to the top and it is up all the way, climbing over boulders and rock, never really flat. It was a struggle the last quarter mile but I did it and I even helped encourage the sisters that were with me to finish. I didn't know I could motivate so well... lol It was so fun and now I'm sore from that, but it's great!!!!

We had another lesson with Misty yesterday and Sister Phelps came. It was a good lesson, we talked about the Doctrine of Christ and the importance of Reading, Praying, and Going to Church, she committed to come if she wasn't working. I'm excited to see her figure out that it is true, I think it will just hit her like a wave.

Well that's it for this week. I'll probably have more next because we are headed back to full field as of today!

Miss you much, Love you more!

3 Nephi 18:24 with Hymn # 335

Love Sister Anderson

Hiking Camelback

"Hold to the Rod" so you don't fall down the mountain

Part way (maybe 3/8 of a mile)

Hole in the rock

The top (1.2 miles up boulders and rocks)

Christmas Tree at the top

Sister Lamb and I (hiking buddies)

Ring out the old, ring in the new... hey that's repentance!!!! =D

Dear MOM and DAD,

I LOVE our family soooo much! It was the best getting to talk to everyone! And guess what I didn't cry when I got off, I went and helped Sister Vance finish getting ready for dinner. I was a little worried that I didn't cry but as I was thinking about it and I came to the conclusion that, I didn't cry or get homesick because in a way I'm always "homesick" meaning I love and will always want home but since being on my mission I've learned (for the most part) to put that aside and focus on the task at hand, and because of that practice I did good on Sunday.

On Christmas Eve we ate with the Senior Couple Missionaries in one of our wards, the Phippins, they were really sweet to feed us and that morning we had a Prep meeting where some of the Sisters preformed cultural dances.  We have a lot of diversity at the VC so it was fun to watch. 

The pictures are Elder and Sister White (the VC director) and me, Sister Holliday and me, Sister Parker (she came out with me), Sister Holliday, and me. And the luminaries were from Christmas Eve, the whole neighborhood puts them out and lights them, we drove around a couple minutes and saw them all before we came home. 

This year didn't really feel much like Christmas, for several reasons: no snow, no family, no traditions, and as missionaries we do missionary work all the time and we were at the VC so it was like another day... except on Christmas Day we got 80 Top Boxes (people who accept to have the missionaries to their home), 40 was a record high two days before.... and we got 80! I couldn't think of a better birthday present for Christ. =D

We had our second lesson with Misty this week. It was really good, she doesn't have a lot of religious background other than what people have told her about their religion, so it's fun to see when things click for her. We asked if she had prayed to know if the Book of Mormon and Church were true she said she had and felt like she had received half  an answer but because she had only really half prayed about it... which is really good she recognizes that if she wants a full answer she need to pray sincerely. She said she would this week. We have a lesson with her tomorrow, so we'll she how she did. 

Kayla had a rough week... her less-active boy-friend, who is in jail broke up with her and that just threw everything off, but in the long run it's good because now she has to decide why she's doing it, if it was for him or for her. I think she'll be okay but it will take some work on her part. She could use some extra prayers right now.

One cool thing the spirit taught me this week was that he talks to me a lot more than I thought. For the longest time I wasn't sure how the Holy Ghost communicated with me and just in the last few weeks I've realized that the little random, good thoughts I have are him telling me something and since I've started giving him credit I'm seeing more and more of the Holy Ghost in my life. I bet he's glad I figured that out... it just took me 24 years! Haha

Which makes me even more grateful I was raised in a home where that was just natural everyday stuff. I think part of the reason it took me so long was because I had always had it, not that I'm anything special but I was taught and raised in a loving, Christ centered home! Thank you mom and dad, you're the best parents I could have!

Oh and let the Mace's know I will be at the VC both nights from 6 to 10. And did you get my priority envelope with your Christmas present in it? That's it for now.   Thank everyone who sent me a Christmas card I was really grateful for them thinking of me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Miss you Much, Love you More 

3 Nephi13:34

Love Sister Anderson

Twas' the Week Before Christmas... Really?

Dear MOM and DAD,
12:30 will be great, I'll be at the Vance home. Brother Vance said he was going to call you yesterday so that you could get all the kinks worked out, because I only have 40 mins to talk and I don't want to be trying to figure anything out and wasting time.

This week hasn't been too exciting, we've been at the Visitors' Center a lot (which I love) and I'm finally starting to feel tired and I LOVE that too!!!! Everyone says that Christmas Lights is hard and you get warn out and tired, but I haven't experienced it yet, till this week. I love it because I know that I'm working if I'm dead at the end of the day.

A couple days ago we were taking some sisters home, which caused me to think. At some point I will move out of the house I've been in and it will be hard because it's change... but then the Spirit gently reminded me... "Sister Anderson, I know that change is hard for you, so I called you to the Visitors' Center, so you would always have a constant!" How cool? Even if I go full field again (after this transfer) I will still get to come back to the VC, Heavenly Father knew that always having the VC would help with whatever changes happen outside of the VC. Tender mercy

The Wu's "dropped" us, it wasn't a don't ever come back, more of a we'll call you when we aren't so busy... very sad day, but people have their agency for a reason.

The miracle/answered prayer lesson is with Misty last week.  She is finally an investigator and we have a lesson this week with her. The area is a little slow so we are praying for miracles which means repentance and more obedience! 

SOOOOO excited to see you all this week!!! Can you belive Christmas is 6 days away? 

Miss you much, Love you More!!!

Love Sister Anderson 

Double decked bus with beer by the temple, kind of ironic

Me on my birthday (it rained all day)

Angel Tree Baby stuff

 

 

 

 Grandma and Mom sent money for Sister Anderson's Birthday so she and Sister Stephens could do an Angel Tree Child.  This is one of Sister Anderson's  favorite traditions.

A Santa that reminded me of dad

Santa that reminded me of mom

12 days of Christmas from Family

Dec 12th

I just got the package, it's beautiful. I love you all more than words can express!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Sister Anderson