Wickedness Never Was Happiness

First of all … 3 1/2 months left. HELLO.

This week … was long. Super long. But good.

We had multizones (more like single zone conference with president) and it was really interesting. A while ago, President Mullen told us to watch all the PMG videos again because we were going to talk about it at multizones. So we got there kinda expecting it to be all that, but NO! President told us of 4 elders who were super disobedient and did a bunch of things against the rules (ya know just going to the Newport Beach Temple … and just to find it was closed). So the whole meeting was on obedience and not having bad habits and putting the Lord's will before anything else. It was really interesting. It makes me sad that even though we are missionaries, Satan still can have control over us if we let him. IF. Actually I think Satan works harder on us than on anyone else because he knows what great work we are doing. It's unreal. But over the course of my mission, there have been times where I have not been as obedient as I could have been, and times like now where we are striving to be as obedient as possible. It's insane how big the difference is! I am so much happier now and we are seeing so many blessings. There are people who are so eager to accept the gospel and we are having a good time, and I know that is because we are doing everything we can to be obedient and diligent. Thus 'wickedness never was happiness.'

Also this week I got to see a huge miracle! In Eastvale we worked with the Jenkins family. I don't think I mentioned them that much because they weren't progressing and nothing was really happening. The parents are both less active (active now) and none of their kids were baptized. But I got a call this week that one of the boys, Josh, was being baptized! So I got to go back to Eastvale to see that :) There were 8 sister missionaries there that had all worked with him! And there were 4 more and 2 elders that had also worked with him. It just goes to show that these things take time. As missionaries we get in this big rush to baptize everyone we see and forget how big of a commitment it is for people, and that they truly want to invesitgate and make sure this is what they want to do. But it is times like these that build my testimony and let me know that my time has not been wasted here. That I have been able to make a difference in people's lives. I mean, the mission has been the hardest time, and we all know Eastvale was a huge struggle for me. But it's ALL WORTH IT. Every last minute.

We are still working with some solid people. The beautiful black man (Malik) has a lot of good questions. There are so many prepared people here! I hope I spend the rest of my mission here. This is a good ward filled with good people. 

Oh, something cool last night. We were laying in bed, it was probably 10:50? I wasn't asleep yet and all of a sudden I heard a knock at our front door. Obviously I'm racking my brain to think of who the heck would be at our house at 10:50. They knocked again (Sister Staker didn't hear … remember she's deaf? hahaha) and I was scared to get up by myself but I heard the other sisters get up so I did too. I opened our bedroom door and saw them standing there with their keys in their hand. I asked who was at the door and they said "No one, but our keys were in the door." Literally no one was at the door but they had left the keys outside in the door. We came to the conclusion that it was an angel who knocked on the door :) It seems so simple but I thought it was neat that we are protected, whether it was an angel or not. We easily could have been robbed or who knows what. The Lord protects His missionaries! (When we are obedient :))

Well that's about it. Things are good! Super tired but good. I've honestly never been this tired in my entire life. But it's okay! Keep up the letters and prayers :) Greatly appreciated! You could throw in a package or two also ;)

Love you all! God Speed!

Sister Anderson :)

p.s. Sister Martin comes out with us all the time! And we go get Thrifty's ice cream. THE BEST.