When We're Helping We're Happy :)

Another week is gone! Time is going way way way too fast.

So listen. This week was another toughy. Our dumb district leader made us feel like poop and was actually pretty rude so that didn't help... But Sister Allen (Her name is Breanna and she said people always called her Breezy Bre so I started calling her Breezy this week hahaha) and I are truckin' along. She's great. Transfers are … next week? And I hope we stay together :) We'll see though!

This week I had an epiphany of one of the reasons I came on a mission. We helped a less active sister clean her house. Maybe that wasn't the best of my ideas so far.... It turned into a huge project that included the whole Ward. Her house is teeny tiny but had more stuff in it than you could even imagine! I don't think her house had EVER been cleaned. Ever. It was fillllllled with dust and grease and nasty nasty stuff everywhere. We spent one day dejunking everything and then the next day we cleaned and we didn't even get half way done. I literally spent an hour cleaning just the microwave. Super nasty and we were exhausted afterwards but at the end of it we had fun. But I realized I have to do these things so I know what I don't want my life to be like after the mission haha. Yikes man.

I did everything I could to not pull my hair out this week cause I was so frustrated. Appointments cancelling, things not working out, not finding anyone who is interested. This is tough work! And it kinda starts to eat at ya after awhile. It's hard to keep up the faith. It's hard to be motivated. It's hard to trust that this is happening for a reason. We come on missions to teach people the gospel and to see lives change, and when that doesn't happen you start wondering why you are even here, what's the point? But then you realize that this is changing your life. That I am a totally different person than I was 14 months ago. That I have learned more about my Savior and about His Atonement than I ever would have if I didn't come on this beautiful journey. That I have learned how to love people and forgive people and deal with people. I have learned how to be more responsible and how to rely, listen to and recognize the Spirit. I have strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and learned the life skills that I otherwise wouldn't have. I have made multiple lifelong friends and relationships that I would have never found if I stayed home. I have laughed harder than I ever have before and have had the absolute time of my life! When I realize all of that I realize why I am out here. That, oh yeah, the Lord does have a plan for me and, oh yeah, it's different than mine! I realize that I am out here for me. Not sounding selfish but I needed to change myself. In the process I get to help others and teach them the truth, but as a result I am a much stronger person, and that's why it's so worth it :)

I read a talk that has become my favorite. It's "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. I HIGHLY recommend reading it. I think it has truly changed my life and my perspective about things. Take a look at it :)

I love you all and hope you have a good week. You are all in my prayers!

Sister Anderson :)

The Faith Test

Well. This week was an interesting one.

I think Sister Allen and I are losing our minds. Like completely! Sister Allen hit her 1 year mark this week and you would think we got all this under control since we have both been out for a while, right? Wrong. Our minds were shot this week haha. Everything we have said has been off. We kept forgetting our scriptures or the phone or our planners… and in lessons it's like we can't remember anything. Our bodies are acting like they are 80 years old! YIKES.

Things are getting frustrating around here. It gets really old after a while when you don't have anyone to teach. The football boys had to cancel because the member who invited them got in a car crash on the way to pick them up! Dang Satan. People kept canceling or rescheduling and it's so annoyinggggggg. It's hard to keep the faith and trust that Heavenly Father has a purpose for all this. But I still do it. I still do what we are supposed to and trust that we will see miracles. Gosh this mission stuff is tough work, let me tell ya! 

We had interviews with President Mullen……….. Interesting. I don't know how I feel about him yet. He was super fast paced and I didn't feel a whole lot of love from him. I know that he is in a huge transition state but it's hard to switch from President Smart who I ADORED and go to this totally different guy. Things will work out but it's a little difficult.

So we have been meeting with a lady named Denise since the whole time I have been here. She has been inactive for about 20 years and another missionary found her in the parking lot and got her address and since then she has let missionaries come over (that's been within the last year). Anyways, she got cheated on and abandonded by her husband and left with four little chillins so she got burned pretty bad. She is really bitter toward the church and angry with God, but since we have been coming over her heart has been softened completely. So anyways she came to church yesterday! She was walking up to the church and I saw her and my jaw dropped i think to the floor. I was not expecting her to come, but she loved it and she said she is coming next week. That was a testament to me that even though we don't have a ton of investigators, that we are still helping people change their lives and come closer to Jesus Christ. That was a pretty cool miracle yesterday :) 

There is unfortunately not much else to tell this week. Sister Allen and I were talking about our prelife… And we got on the subject of rolling our eyes and I was saying how much of a stinker I was.. WAS being the key word right? ;) But anyways, she said "I think I rolled my eyes at my parents… Once. I wasn't a very good child.." Hahaha I just laughed. That should tell you how completely different we are :) She is seriously an angel. And I'm……not. Haha :) 

Well sorry this is a shorty! Hopefully I'll have loads of miracles to share next week :) Let's all pray for that, yeah? Okay well have a great week and I'll talk to ya later!

Love you!

Sister Anderson

They Call Me Sister...

Another week is GONE! Sheesh time is going way too fast!

 

We got to go to the temple again this week! We are so lucky to do that :) Sister Graves came and picked us up and we went to Café Rio, then the temple! Oh actually at Café Rio I saw a Sister that I was in the MTC with, but got switched to the Redlands mission! So that was kinda fun. Super random but it was good to see her! Café Rio is always so good, but especially when it is accompanied by the temple :) How lucky are we to have that place to go to and to just find solace? Beyond beyond lucky, let me tell ya!

 

This week was a repeat of last week I feel like. Nothing really new happened. The only exciting thing was that we picked up 5 of the community college football players :) And they are all black :) So I am determined to convert the whole MSJC (Mt. San Jacinto College) football team :) You just watch :)

 

It was actually kinda cold this week. It got down to 90 a couple days ago hahaha. And I actually think it rained last night! And it's 75 today so it's super cold. I think I'm going to die when I come home in the middle of winter … Yeah let's not think about that. haha.

 

My headaches were killin' me this week. If ANYBODY has any remedy hit me uuupppp. Cause this is NO BUENO.

 

We taught Relief Society this week.. (blah). It's weird, you would think I'd be used to teaching by now, which I am, but when it's in front of a group it's a lot harder! Haha so missionaries still get nervous :) But it was about the Holy Ghost which I love teaching. I used a talk by Elder Packer called "The Candle of the Lord." It has become one of my favorite talks and I highly recommend reading it! But anyways after our lesson was over, the lady said the closing prayer, but ended in a way that I have neeeever heard before! Hahaha she said "We are grateful for this Sunday that we have had together... aaaand we'll see you next week! Bye!" and sat down. HAHAHA everyone just looked up at each other and you could hear some ladies say "amen...?" Haha it was freaking hilarious. I think I just started laughing. It was seriously the best! Man people are so weird.

 

Oh! Also the news you have all been waiting for... I saw Elder Wesche :) Haha it was super weird! Just weird seeing someone that I grew up with! We talked for a while, he is doing good. He is the same Levi that I have known my whole life!

 

Well that's about it for this week. We need some excitement around here for sure. And for my headaches to stop. That'd be nice. But I still love what I'm doing. It's the greatest!

 

Love you love you love you!

 

Sister Anderson :)

The hardest thing I've ever LOVED to do!

Feliz Quatro de Julio!

 

Man, America is great, right? We went allll out for the 4th of July. Since some missionaries were dumb in the past we couldn't do anything.. We couldn't even do anything with other sisters.. So we had to go home at 6 so we watched 17 Miracles and Ephraim's Rescue. Party hard right? Haha but we dressed for the occasion in our patriotic outfits :)

 

Wow okay. So we met our new mission president, President Mullen....... He's good. He is a lot different than President Smart and I'm trying not to compare him to President Smart but it's kinda hard! He'll have to grow on me for sure. But we just met him as zones, not as a whole mission. The only time we get together as a whole mission is at Christmas time. So he did a mission tour sorta thing and we had a little meeting with him. Interesting :) Haha I guess I'll have more to say about him in the future!

 

Something I thought a lot about this week was the song God Speed the Right. We sang that song multiple times this week and I have found that I love the words!

 

Now to Heaven our prayer ascending, God speed the right;

In a noble cause contending, God speed the right.

Be our zeal in Heav'n recorded, With success on earth rewarded

God speed the right. God speed the right.

 

Be that prayer again repeated, God speed the right;

Ne'er despairing though defeated, God speed the right.

Like the great and good in story, If we fail we fail with glory.

God speed the right. God speed the right.

 

Patient, firm and persevering, God speed the right;

No event nor danger fearing, God speed the right.

Pains, nor toils, not trials heeding, And in heav'ns good time succeeding,

God speed the right. God speed the right.

 

Aren't those great? I just found them super personable right now. Never despairing though defeated: People reject us on the daily but this is the best time of my life! I am by far the happiest that I have ever been, but I don't have any reason to be other than we are being obedient (yes I must have changed if I am being obedient right?) and diligent and making the best of every situation. We had a lesson this week and the boy that said the prayer said "help us to find new ways to improve our righteousness." I thought that was so great! First of all who says that? Haha and second, how brilliant! We have to always be finding ways to do better and to improve ourselves! Sister Allen and I are trying to be 100% obedient. It's really hard but it is so worth it! I have been able to tell a difference already. I am so much happier, even though we don't have a lot going on right now. One member told us at dinner that he thinks the dam is about to break and we will have floods of investigators :) I hope that's true!

 

Life is good. Life is REAL good. I am truly livin' the dream out here. I have 5 months left which is way too short, but they will be the best 5 months of my life, tell you what :)

 

Love you all! Have a great week and GOD SPEED!

 

Sister Anderson :)