"This better be good if I'm gettin off my couch for it!"

Hello my loves :)

 

Well... IT'S ONLY BEEN ONE WEEK. Yikes.

 

This week was honestly pretty rough. It has been extremely hot and I have not been feeling well all week long. I have had a consistent headache for four days (actually it took a break for one day but then came back) and I have swollen lymph nodes? Yeah I know. The sides of my neck are swollen like under my jaw, and the lumps are very sore and tender. It's awful. I called the mission nurse to see what was up and she said that it is probably just a viral disease and this is how my body is reacting to it? But now I have a swollen and sore throat as well... So it's pretty poopy. I think my headache might be from the sun because I also have zero energy, even if we take naps to try to catch up on sleep. It has been pretty hard to be motivated this week.

 

We still don't have anyone to teach, so all we do everyday is try to find people. We make lists of people that were in the area book as former investigators and then go visit them. So we are out on our bikes, biking a ton everyday. We have only talked to a good 7 people that will even listen. We did knock on this glass door and this teenage black girl came to the door, didn't say anything to us, but just said "Mom I don't know who they are!" She and her mom proceeded to have a conversation about us basically right in front of us … I eventually told them that we were Representatives of Jesus Christ, and that we weren't selling anything haha, and we just heard the mom in the background (you can tell she is BIG) and we hear her say, "this better be good if I'm gettin off my couch for it!" Anyway, she's "got her own Jesus" and all that and wasn't interested. But it was so interesting to see that whole situation play out! People are cray.

 

I am struggling. Truth comes out. I have no idea how to be a trainer, I hardly know what to do myself! I try to be an example but especially this week has been hard since I haven't felt well. Seriously my headaches are killer. (Maybe send my iron pills?) Sister Pyper and I are very very different. I am struggling trying to find areas where we have common ground, because there are multiple times throughout the day where we don't say anything to each other and that's not good. We are not very unified and I don't quite know how to change that. I had requests for details about her.

 

She never wakes up first, always waits for me to get up first … even if it's past 6:30 (i'll test her sometimes).

 

She hardly eats food … when she does she eats a spoonful of peanut butter and a glass of water. Period.

 

She is extremely messy. I told her she was messy and that she needed to clean up a little, like her desk and her side of the closet, and she argued with me on how that is "not messy." (There are pictures to prove it.)

When we are out, mostly at meetings or church, she never stays with me. I am constantly looking for her so we are both companionless. And yes, I have told her a million times.

 

I will give her responsibilities, like calling people on the phone, taking the lead, etc., then she complains about it.

 

And she is still sassy.

 

ANY advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

I was able to fast this week for some new investigators, miracles, personal help … and Sunday night I was able to receive my answer. I prayed for what seemed like an hour, got kinda emotional. But now I know that this is where the Lord needs me. That this is what I am supposed to be doing and that HE TRUSTS ME. I am so glad that I was able to get a small simple answer. I know I have to be more obedient, more diligent, more Christ-like, more excellent. I pray every day for those things, and I know that we are just going through a rough patch right now. But I know that the Lord will provide.

 

Also a HUGE miracle. I thought so anyway :) One of the days I was very unmotivated and felt awful — we went to look in the mailbox and I had a letter from mom, grandma Connie, Brenda, and grandma Bronson :) All 4 letters in one day! I don't know if that was planned on your part, or if you even knew, but I knew that the Lord knew that I needed them that day. All 4 made me cry and helped SO much. THANK YOU, thank you, thank you!

 

I am so grateful for my family. I would not be able to do what I am doing without all the letters, prayers and support. I am so glad that our family on both sides can live together for ETERNITY. It helps so much to remember that every morning. I also want to apologize for all the heartache that I put you all through. I know I was a little brat growing up and didn't give you all the time of day. Now I completely 100% regret that. However, I know that by me and all you going through that, that is why we are all so close now. I know I personally had to go through that for myself so that I could feel this way about my family now. I love you guys :)

 

I do love this gospel. That's why I'm still here :) I know it is true with all my heart. I know that Heavenly Father does hear our prayers and if we give all we have, He will bless us. I know that we are given trials to grow stronger and to learn and become better, so I am focusing on finding out what I need to learn from this and focusing on being a better tool for the Lord.

 

I know He lives. I know He hears us. I know He loves us.

 

Love you all with all my heart.

 

Sister Anderson

 

p.s. Oh yeah, our lights from our bikes got stolen too, so that's cool. Dumb kids. I hope they needed them more than we did.

 

p.s.s. I also cut and maybe bleached my hair again today. Sorry dad :)

 

p.s.s.s. just kidding the camera isn't working. I'll send the pictures next week :(