2 Months to Enjoy...

I refuse to accept the fact that I just received my flight planes to go home... the good thing is I still have 2 months to enjoy. And I promise you I´m going to enjoy it. Rain, sun, hail, we´re making the best of it. Today we played kickball while it was pouring rain, and it was super fun! The entire week´s just been a joy. Maria Eugenia was baptized! And all her family even came to support. It was a beautiful event. We also have interchanges with some sister from Guadalajara and had some great experiences. My favorite was while we were walking down the street and someone starting talk to us. She said, ¨I just wanted to tell you girls how beautiful you are. You have some sort of special...light.¨ We introduced ourselves and asked if we could visit her. She excitedly agreed and said, ¨Who wouldn´t want to receive angels in their home¨ it made us smile. We were also able to knock on a door and find a family that happens to be exactly like my family. The oldest girl is 20, with her 18 year old brother and the smallest boy is 10. They showed a lot of interest and it was a special experience to explain to them the blessings that I´ve received in my family thanks to the gospel...and to help them realize that they could have the same. I love the mission so much. There´s nothing better than just forgetting about yourself and helping others. 

Yesterday we had our ward conference and after that, the members were super excited to help us in the work of the Lord. We´re working hard, and there´s a whole lot more to do. So let us all press on in the work of the Lord.

Les amo,

Hermana Anderson

Just a pretty landscape of my lovely Mexico

Marchas en Morelia-- we got caught up in one of the biggest demostrations in the history of Morelia... so that was interesting. It had to do with the teachers and education in Mexico and stuff

One of my favorite experiences...

This last week was probably one of my favorite experiences...watching my convert baptize my convert. Erik baptized Emily on Saturday and it was so beautiful! And it looks like my primary calling with the 9 years olds before the mission really has been a blessing. We do a lot of activating families which results in the baptism of their kids. And I love teaching these little children. They´re so smart and so receptive to the spirit. It was funny because after Emily was baptized, she went to go change and the rest of us were waiting while singing hymns. After about 15 minutes we were getting worried and went to see if everything was okay. But we couldn´t find Emily! We all went out to find her, and there she was outside running around and playing! When we asked her to come back in she told us, ¨But yeah I got baptized, what else is there to do?!¨ It made us all laugh. 

We also had a lot of cool experiences trying to find new people to teach. Lots of rejection but also a lot of people that let us in! We even found another family of 15. It was a good week. Lots of walking and lots of sun which means lots of sunburns, but we couldn´t be happier. My companion laughs at me cause my arm currently looks like nepolitan ice cream with tan, burned, and completely white, but that´s just how the mission goes. 

I´m just loving life and I´m enjoying the mission more and more everyday. There´s still a lot of experiences to be had and people to help these last two months I have in Mexico, so I´ll be sure to try to make the best of every minute. 

I love you all and I feel so grateful for your support and prayers and love. 

con mucho amor,

Hermana Anderson

It´s a strange thing, the mission

It´s a strange thing, the mission. We go out walking, knocking, and talking with people for hours on end, and you feel so happy that you never want it to end. There´s an incredible joy that comes from loosing yourself in the work of the Lord to help others. This last week in our Zone Conference, we talked a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I realized how blessed I am to have this knowledge of the Atonement, and I don´t think words could ever describe the peace, the joy, the love I´ve felt thanks to Him and it would be selfish to keep this wonderful gift to myself. This last week we were able to teach a family that recently lost their mom due to cancer. It was amazing to see, as they came to understand the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation, this light of hope that came into their eyes. I wish you could all just come out to the mission with me for a day to see what it´s like. The miracles, the Spirit that so directly leads and guides us, the rain and sun and doors slammed in our faces. It´s a beautiful thing. 

Today while shopping in Walmart, a young woman came up to us and asked where she could find a church. We gave her the address of the church and asked if she would like us to visit her. She happily agreed and we were able to set up an appointment. The missionaries had visited her once or twice before and she explained to us that she´d been praying to run into us to because she wanted another chance to accept the gospel and change her life. It was funny cause we never shop in Walmart. In fact, it´s in a completely different zone, but for one reason or another, we decided to go today, and I´m glad we did. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I´m convinced that there´s no such thing as coincidences. 

Well, we continue to work hard and I´m honestly sincerly super happy here. We´ve got a lot to do before August 18th...

I hope you know I love you all and I´m grateful for your prayers, and love and support. I too am praying for you! 

Hasta luego,

Hermana Anderson

Angela, Hna yañez and I...we went to play soccer at the church this morning with a bunch of the youth and missionaries

Enjoying the rainy season in Morelia!!

Hna Yañez and Me

Y los cambios han llegado...

Well, I´m officially with my 12th and last companion. Her name´s Hna Yañez. She´s from Tamaulipas, Mexico but lived in the United States for a long time and speaks super good english...which is good to be able to practice some before coming home. I have to admit, it was hard to leave Hna Vargas, but I´ll be seeing her soon, and changes are just part of the mission, and life. This last week was Leadership Council. As always, it was super good and I learned a ton. Hna Vargas and I spent a solid 2 hours talking about the role of Sister Training Leaders and how to help the sisters in the mission. With 17 new sister missionaries coming to the mission these next couple weeks, it was an important subject. I´m super excited for this next transfer. We´re seeing lots of progress in the stake and the work is progressing like never before. The members are excited and are actively participating in the work. I love this ward so much! I can´t even explain in words the love that I have come to felt for these people. Investigators, members, less-actives, everyone. This last week, we were out teaching like normal when we both received a strong impression to visit our investigator Alicia. When we got to her house, her daughter answered the door crying, and when she saw us she just starting crying more. We asked what was wrong and she explained to us that her grandma had just passed away. She said that when she found out, she said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to send her someone to help her feel better. That´s when we showed up, and three other youth were also acompanying us. It was a beautiful lesson with the whole family, explaining the Plan of Salvation and the power of temples. Day after day I´m amazed by the way that Heavenly Father guides us to the right people at the right moment. 

I also want to share my testimony of fasting. A fast with a purpose is a powerful thing. I´ve seen it change peoples´s hearts and help bring to pass miracles. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He gives us instruments to show our faith and receive incredible blessings, I love this church with all my heart. I know that it is true. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing someone become converted to this gospel. 

I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and love.

con mucho amor,

Hermana Anderson

The stake rewarded us for our progress this last month with Gourmet Hamburgers

Here´s a pic with Julio, Erik, and Sandy 

We made these for Relief Society to teach about working together as missionaries and members (M&M= missionaries & members) 

Family Home Evening with the Rodriguez Family

Hna Mortensen and Hna Guevara :)

Heavenly Father heard all your prayers

Well I guess Heavenly Father heard all your prayers, cause after only a couple days of medicine, treatments, and lots of rest, I´m all better and back to working as normal! Sometimes we just have to experience sickness to appreciate health, to realize how dependent we really are on our Heavenly Father. Not an experience I want to live again, but I´m grateful for all these learning opportunities. 

Well, the bad news is is that this is my last week with Hna Vargas :( With nearly 5 months together, and so many adventures, we´ve become really close. But I´m also excited to have the opportunity to have one more companion before heading home. 12 companions. And I´ve learned so many different things from every single one. The mission is something so beautiful...all these young people come together from all around the world, from different circumstances, educational backgrounds, cultures, and families, but we all have the same purpose to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to get to know so many distinct people. And I know that my Heavenly Father has placed them all in my path for something. There are no coincidences in the mission, or in life in general. 

This week we got to take a trip to Zamora for a follow-up meeting of all the missionaries in their training. It made me think back to when I was in my training, new country, unable to speak Spanish, scared out of my mind, but ready and excited to do the work of the Lord. I could see that same enthusiasm and energy in these new missionaries and they really motivated me to give all that I´ve got to this work. These last 12 weeks of my mission I want to serve with the same enthusiasm that I did in my first 12 weeks. There´s a whole lot of work to do between now and August. I was also able to do divisiones with Hna Mortensen and Hna Tupounuia. It was fun talking with them about the progress we´ve seen since we were in the MTC together. All that we´ve learned and how much we´ve changed. I knew that the mission would have it´s ups and downs, but I didn´t realize how much it would change me as a person. I´m just so grateful that I´m here. 

Yesterday I received a great surprise when I walked into the Sacrament meeting. One of my old investigators was there! She was one of my investigators when I was here in Prados Verdes the first time nearly one year ago! We stopped teaching her cause she didn´t really show any progress and never went to church, but yesterday she told me that she´s ready to change her life around. We´ll have to see what happens this next week when we go to visit her. Many of our other investigators are progressing as well. It´s not easy, but no one ever said salvation would be easy. So we just keep doing what we can to help these people really have this change of heart. I know that this is the work of the Lord, and it´s a marvelous work.

Thank you for your prayers and love. Especially this last week. I could feel an extra strength that I know came from all of you.

Les amo,

Hermana Anderson

One of the members literally lives in the middle of nowhere...this photo was taken in front of her house :) 

With Romi and Sofi :) 

Here´s a pic of Hna Tupounuia and I! Oh how I´ve come to love this girl these last 15 months! 

Trip to the Hospital

So besides the quick trip to the hospital this morning, it´s been a great week! Apparently I´ve got some sort of parasite in my stomach that´s been causing all sorts of problems, but thanks to modern medicine, by the end of this week I should be back to normal. I almost made it through my entire mission without visting the hospital...almost. But this week was an interesting one. We spent the majority of the week traveling with President, Hna Egginton, and the APs presenting a leadership training. It reminded me of our family road trips. Subway, McDonald´s, gas stations, talking, sleeping. Good stuff. And this upcoming week we´ll be taking another trip to Zamora for another meeting. But even with all these crazy meeting, Hna Vargas and I are working hard in our area. We have one family that was less active, that is now attending church and their 9 year old daughter will be baptized in these upcoming weeks. I just love these people so much that I want the best for them. We have a lot of work here. Sometimes I feel that there is so much to do and so little time, but we do what we can and the Lord does the rest. President informed Hna Vargas and I that Hna Vargas will be leaving me in two weeks to train :( It´s going to be hard after being with Hna Vargas 24/7 for 4 and a half months, to suddenly have her leave me. But it´ll be good to get to know one last companion too. 

Well, I realize that this letter´s kinda short and boring, but I´ll be sure to send pics to make it more excited. 

Thanks for your love and prayers,

con amor,

Hermana Anderson

Instead of traveling in the Magic School Bus, we like to travel in the Magic Mission Van

It was Hna Sutherland´s birthday this last week! Pobrecita spent her birthday in a meeting, but she was still all smiles

The Cosmes Family :) 

Just another week in the life

What a week. Between organizing emergency transfers, planning for a Leadership training, divisions, Mother´s Day, and everything else, we´ve been busy busy.  I have to say, I´m so very grateful for revelation, for prayer and a Heavenly Father that helps and guides us with His infinite wisdom. There were lots of things to do this week, and maybe number-wise it wasn´t the best week we´ve ever had, but I was amazed to see that the Lord´s plan isn´t always what we think we want to do. On Tuesday, which happened to be Mother´s Day here in Mexico, Hna Vargas and I felt the need to visit some sisters and let them know that they are loved.  We made little Mother´s day cards with scriptures and quotes and delivered them to various sisters in the ward. One sister latter told us that when she got home from work late that night, she was feeling discouraged and stressed as a single mother with 2 little girls. When she saw our card, she cried and cried. We heard similar things from all the sisters. One less active member, that has more than a year without going to church, went to church this last week with her four little kids and told us that it was because through us she was able to feel the love of her Heavenly Father again and decided she wanted her kids to receive the blessings of the gospel. Sometimes these people just need to know they are loved. Love, the pure love of Christ, works miracles. 

We´re also starting to experience the wonderful rain season. I still believe the best time to knock doors is when it´s raining, the people usually feel bad and let us in. Haha. And it just wouldn´t be a mission if we didn´t have to face extreme weather every once in a while. My companion and I realized today that we have 3 months and 3 weeks together...and we´ve only got 3 months and 3 weeks left in the mission. Craziness. I´ve honestly come to love Hna Vargas so much and I feel so grateful for everyday I have here in the mission to keep learning and growing along with my companion. This next week we will be traveling with President and the Assistants to give some training sessions. It should be fun. Everyday´s just an adventure. 

Nos vemos,

Hermana Anderson

Here we were just writing away in the computer cafe, and then this happened... 

Here´s a pic of a family home evening with the Delgado/Rivera family and the other is the Amante family. July and Angelina are from Salvatierra, Araceli, Damian, and Cosme are from Prados Verdes

The Priesthood bretheren put together this awesome Mother´s Day activity in the ward.