Letter #2

Hey Dad and family,
I do love the pictures! Me and Sharon definitely have the best pictures up on the board! And yes, I did get your DearElder message, and I loved all the ones from my family and Chante! So they don't give us the DearElder messages on Saturday and Sunday so mine all accumulated till Monday and guess how many I got.... I got 12 DearElders on Monday!!  I felt so loved!! And Chante also sent me some pictures of her and 2 written letters also!! So I was around 15 letters that day! My whole zone was so jealous; they were like, "really, Elder Andersen, you pretty much have the world writing you!!!"  I loved getting letters from all you guys! I love it so much!!! Keep them coming! Might as well take advantage of it while I am in the MTC cause I cant receive them out in the mission field!

Chante sent me a package and it was super sweet! I should of taken some pictures of it but it was awesome! I got a couple ties, sodas, pistachios, cashews, 2 hand written letters, chocolates, and a bunch of COMFY socks :))))! And I also received 2 hand written letters from the rays and the birds :) I love the pictures I got :) I showed the pictures Melissa sent me and the drawings I got from the Rays to my district and they are like, "your family is so cute" and they were sooooo jealous that my family loves me so much!

And I have a story that had happened to me on Sunday!!! It was the most spiritual day of my life!!! So it was fast Sunday and I fasted for the gift of tongues and I am feeling a lot of help  by the Lord! But that's not the story! It was a very good sacrament meeting! Lots of people bore their testimony and then the people leaving on their missions sang a song -- A Child's Prayer -- half in English and half in Spanish! That was very powerful!!!  Then I went to class and had personal and companionship study time, then language and we had some district meetings that were good too :)  And then we had devotional that night and it was Ted Gibbons and he played a role of Willard Richards and at the end of the role or talk, he told a story of how Joseph and Hyrum were dead and the medic came in, who is an anti-mormon. He asked Willard if he still believes that Joseph is a prophet? And he said, "no, I don't think he is a prophet.... I KNOW he is a prophet of god!" And when he said that I felt the spirit really strong!!!! Then after his talk we sang "Praise to the Man" and in the song it says "we will know Brother Joseph again" and my heart felt like it exploded!!! The spirit testified to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet of god!! It was the best time ever!!  Then I went to go listen to a talk by Elder Bednar that he gave a while ago during Christmas, and it was about "characteristics of Christ" and how we can have a testimony of Jesus -- that we have to be converted to him! So after that talk, I was all pumped to go do what he said!!! And when I got home, I started to undress and I asked my companion about the day and how good it was and I also asked him if we are going to go to bed on time and he said freak, he forgot his journal in the class! And he had to go get it!!! So I was like, "let me change and we can go" and he was like, "no, let's just go now and hurry and get it!" So I agreed to go then; so I got my tie back on and we left! And when we got there, here were our sisters in there and they asked me and my companion to give her a blessing! It was Hermana Ivie that wanted a blessing cause she was leaving that night to go to Peru! So we happily gave her a blessing! And on the way home we were very happy and very content about what we have done that night! And when we got home, another person in my district got sick and I was asked to anoint him and stand in on the blessing! That was the day when I felt like the Lord guided and taught me the whole day!! It was amazing; I stayed up till 12 writing in my journal about it and was so filled with the spirit that I barely slept that night!!! But the next 2 days were a trial of my faith! It was very hard and it was a humbling experience!!! But I am very thankful I am here and I know I am in the right place!! :)

But how is the family doing?! I want to know everything! I want to know all the good and the bad; but i know there isn't much bad! :)  I love you all and am glad to hear from you so keep the letters coming :)))

Yo se que la iglesia de Jesucristo es verdadera. Yo se que Jose Smith es un primero profeta. Yo se que nosotros tenemos un amoroso padre celestial. Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es el palabra de dios. Yo se que Thomas S Monson es un profeta de la iglesia. Esta creencia me ayuda a sentir dios amor. Esta testimonio me bendice a vivir feliz! Digo estas cosas en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen.

(I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is true.  I know that Joseph Smith is the first prophet.  I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven.  I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I know that Thomas S Monson is a prophet of the Church.  This belief helps me to feel God's love.  This testimony blesses me with a happy life.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.) *translated by Steven Ray, he said he can see improvement in Preston's Spanish over last weeks letter! :)

Love Elder Andersen :)))  

p.s. make sure you forward this to family and Chante :)