4 Months :)

Hello everyone!

Gosh 4 months already! Can you believe it?!

This week has been crazy. Things are going so much better than they were. We went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders this week and we both learned so much. I was thinking about why I wasn't happy.. I have been called of God to do this work and I wasn't happy and it was really bothering me. I was trying to blame everything on Sister Pyper and I was only focusing on the negative. I realized that I was being a little brat and if I wanted our companionship to change, I needed to change. Not her. So.. I had to flip a mental switch and get over myself. I just started talking to her and laughing and forcing it until it came naturally. Now.. weird.. we are like super good friends. Now we actually have fun together. I have been PRAYING and fasting and doing all that I could for this to happen and it has. Last night when I was praying, I just felt this overwhelming love from my Savior. I know He is looking out for me and that I needed to go through that to learn what I did!  

Also. I have been praying for more opportunities to meet new investigators and stuff like that and I kept getting all these signs that that's not what I should be focusing on. I read President Monson's message in the Ensign this month about rescuing the lost. He told of a story of a less active man that wrote him a letter saying he wanted to come back to church but he was afraid and just wished that someone would care enough to come visit him. That broke my heart. So these next few weeks we are going to be visiting less active and part member families. So far none of them have really answered... But that's okay. I have a really strong feeling that this is what we need to do right now. After all, our purpose as missionaries is to bring people closer to Christ, not to baptize. Although baptizing is essential, so is helping those who have for some reason fallen away. So that is what we will be doing this next week! We have been able to get into a family's home, the Hadleys. They are less active and he is actually excommunicated. But when we visited with them they both said it's time to come back to church. They both smoke and drink so we had members from the bishopric come and give them blessings to get over that, so that was really cool. They have a son that is 18 and had a baptism date at one point but it fell through, so we are hoping that this will be a big break and that we can start teaching him and get him dunked :)

Oh yeah. Last week I bought some yogurt... and on the lid it says "want to save a life?" So I thought, obviously that's why I'm here for the next year and a half... but it says to send in the yogurt lid and some company will donate 10 cents to the a breast cancer fund... SO I am currently saving my yogurt lids because I figure, if no one will listen to me so I can't save lives here... at least I can save a life somewhere else. Hahahaha I'm also going to send them a pass a long card :) Haha I think I'm so funny :)

So CONFERENCE. Holy amazing. I loved every minute of it. It was really cool because I didn't write down a physical question that I had, but I had some in my mind.. and they were all answered. Elder Ballard specifically said "To all the full time missionaries: If you don't have anyone to teach, talk to more people." DUH. So we are going to try to double our oyms this week and talk to 30 or 40 people instead of 20 everyday. We'll see how that goes. Also.. side note.. Did you guys notice Elder Hales eyebrow? He was the very first speaker but it looked like he had one eyebrow drawn on.. So I honestly don't really know what he said because I was so transfixed on his eyebrow that I couldn't pay attention! Hahahaha. Anyway, I loved the repetitive messages. Rely on Him, Be not afraid, only believe, Rescue the lost, Believe in miracles, and I loved loved LOVED Elder Holland's talk. I loved how he said "If the bitter cup doesn't pass, drink it." He is so profound, I was basically hypnotized while he was speaking. And as always I am so grateful for President Monson. I was bawling as he was talking about his wife and how today is their 65th? wedding anniversary. I was so heartbroken for him but so amazed at his strength. I just love him so much.

 How lucky are we to have him and the other apostles? I can't think of anything better to have. We are so lucky to be members of this incredible church and to be children of our Heavenly Father. We are so blessed and we all have such a divine purpose. I love being a missionary and being able to further my relationship with my Father and my Brother. I am so grateful for you and my whole family. You are all such an inspiration to me. Thank you for your prayers and letters. They have definitely helped immensely.

I love you all and hope you all have a great week!

Love always,

Sister Anderson :)