November 4, 2014

Well, in 10 days I hit my 6 month mark!!! 1/4th done already - wow, time is flying by!

So, I hope I get to spend another transfer in pride and celebrate Christmas with all these amazing people I have met!! I just found out my recent convert went to the temple her first time!! Wow, I got so much joy after hearing that. I swear if you can just get to the temple your faith increases so much! This woman has gotten so knowledgeable so fast. The Holy Ghost is a powerful thing.

I sure love my mission! I have been doing so so so so much better. I'm able to get up on time and keep going through out the day - what a miracle! Before it was a drag to be alive and to get out of bed. I'm so glad the Lord is merciful to me. I love you all so much!

We got to do trunk-or-treat and it was hilarious! I dressed up as a grim reaper and my companion acted dead in the car. We played scary music. The kids were too scared to come over and get candy from us. Haha! And the ones that did we scared them till they pee'd! They were super cute, though! We got one of our members sister Bibb really good! She was talking to some people and we came up behind her and screamed and she screamed like a banshee! Haha! She said she was going to make us pay for that! but it was great!

God bless the Bibbs! Cause they have given us so much meat! i don't know how missionaries survive without getting fed! I sure love these people. They all are so Christ like!

Also i never got to show y'all what I helped them build!! It's insane!!!

- Elder Anderson

October 28, 2014

Bo sent this meme to us. For as long as ever he's wanted to get married. That's why it's funny!

I sure love that little stinker!

- Brooke

October 27, 2014

Hey everyone! It's been an amazing week!

What a miracle it has been! We have on average like 5 lessons a week. Our area is really slow... but this week we had 12 lessons!! We almost tripled it! We met a lot of less actives and went with some members of the ward and wow you could feel the spirit. We committed 3 people to come to church, 1 of which is our brand new investigator. He truly wants to change his life. He told us - I am so sick of hurting, I have had a hard time for the past 3 years, and I'm ready to change. I was just so impressed by this man. That's a hard thing to admit. We were teaching this lady who suffers a lot of health problems and has back pain and something miraculous happened. It was weird - it wasn't me.

I shared a scripture in Malachi 3:10 which states.

10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

I added a little twist: I told her, "Come to church and prove to me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

I made her this promise. I told her Satan will not make it easy for you, especially when you start going to church. I promised her in the name of Christ that if she came, she would see miracles take place in her life. She suddenly just burst in tears and joy. That moment in the mission field really made all this hard work worth it. When you can see the burden lifted from a person and you promise them a blessing. You can just feel the power of God. I never ever do that. but for some how my tongue was loosened and I spake words that were not mine, but of God.

What a miracle, to be a tool for the Lord. God truly loves his children.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


- Elder Anderson

October 20, 2014

Well, transfers are almost over!

It's crazy! I'm probably going to be moved out of the area which is sad, but I know that it will be because I am needed somewhere else.

Elder Stewart keeps telling me I'm going to be an AP (Assistant to the President) which would be so dope! I would love to do all of that! I can't wait for the future of my mission. I hope I can keep trailing and going on. The mission sure is hard but it is most definitely the best thing I can be doing for myself now in my life.

So, the missionary work is starting to pick up now. We are seeing more people and we are starting to coordinate better with the bishop and ward mission leader. Work was really slow and that's probably why I felt down. I'm excited to see all these less actives. One thing that they have in common for their reasoning is because they don't understand. By that I mean they don't understand how important the Scriptures are. A lot of them stop reading and then stop going, or someone offends them. Then they forget the importance of turning the other cheek. Remember we can never ever learn enough of the Gospel. I thought I knew everything before I came out but boy was I wrong. Through studying hours everyday I have learned so much. These truths have become knowledge for me. I wish I could share that love with everyone i come in contact with.

I love you all so much! I hope you all take every chance you get to open your mouths and proclaim the coming of the Messiah.


- Elder Anderson

October 13, 2014

This week has been the hardest week for me in the mission so far.

I have been to lowest of the lows and it has been consistent throughout this entire week. I wonder why i am going through these trials... As I lay in my bed completely paralyzed with the burdens that I have to do, thoughts race into my mind saying - How am I going to do this? Am i ready to do this? Why am I out here? How can I ever hope to overcome this? Why am I going through this?

With the pondering of these questions, I realized I already have the answers. I just forgot how much I needed hope. Sure, I have faith and charity, but without hope you lose all desire. I'm glad i was taught the importance of hope this week. Without hope, as Moroni put it, there cannot be faith; and without hope and faith, there cannot be charity. Hope is the desire to do all things.

I know God is giving me these trials because he knows that I can handle them. He will make the weak parts of my body (which are many - physically and mentally) strong. I am a rough raggedy stone. Slowly my Maker is carving me and shaping me until I am made smooth. As Elder Holland put it in the talk, "Like a Broken Vessel", he said, "We are all pots with cracks and bruises all over. Slowly and carefully our loving maker is piecing us back together." Because of the Love of God we can do all things.

We got news that one of our less actives fell down and is now in the hospital. Shocked and scared we prayed for him. An overwhelming feeling of peace came over us and we knew that everything would be fine. We told his home teachers. One who had not yet received the Melchizedek Priesthood expressed to me that he was useless, for he could not give him a blessing. I then responded - You are wrong. You are not worthless. You have the love God about you... with that you can do anything! I sure hope he realized how important he really is to God.

On a happier note, we have found our go-to family when we are having a rough day. They are the Marbles. We went over last night and just laughed and giggled. It made me feel like I was back at home.

One last scripture I would like to share with y'all:

Romans 8:35-39

35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Nothing can separate us from the love of God.


- Elder Anderson

October 7, 2014

This man is learning to cook! Oh, and, Mom wanted to see my ripped body! :p

"Somebody call the vet! These puppies are sick!"

- Elder Anderson

[As his sister, I agree. His biceps are as big as my head! Dad says his muscles got that big when he was a young weightlifter.]

October 6, 2014

So, this week we got to go around and tell everyone including the Less Actives about Conference! I sure hoped they saw it! Cause it was just amazing.

We went over and visited this Less Active name Ruby Cade. She's an old black grandmother who takes care of 7 grandchildren by herself. Their parents didn't want them, so she took them and has been raising them ever since. She's an amazing woman! We discussed with her the worth of souls and how much her Father in Heaven loves her. We invited her to see conference and come back to Church. Tears flowed in her eyes. She's just an amazing woman!

General Conference soon followed after this. I really enjoyed it!

One talk that i really want to focus on that makes me better in the one given by Elder Jorg. He explained some very important principles that I personally need to take to heart and do better at. He reminded us to see where we were at spiritually with god. He told us to stop making excuses on why your right and someone else is wrong and then he gave us these 6 points.

1. Be honest enough to admit your faults and then TAKE care of YOURSELF!!!! 
2. Embrace Obedience - you can't love God and break his commandments. 
3. Become good at repenting! Haha! 
4. Establish a HAPPY on-going-repentance and become good at forgiving - don't hold grudges. 
5. Don't think you don't need apply to these commandments. 
6. EXPECT setbacks. Trials happen because you are being faithful. Acknowledge your weakness and DON'T let them immobilize you. 

There was one other talk that I took to heart, given by Elder Carlos A. Godol. He talked about how can we make the best choices.

• Think about the future consequences. 
• Prepare for the challenges that come along with your choice. 
• Share your vision with others that you love. 

I really liked this because it gave me a better outlook on how to deal with my depression.

I really enjoyed General Conference! I hope all of you got to experience what I experienced.

- Elder Anderson










[The 184th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (October 4-5, 2014)]