Letter #22

Hey Family,

Well, I can easily say this was my favorite week in my mission -- when you go through hard times the Lord makes up for the rest! We have seen many Miracles this week and I am so happy to be here!

 

We had Zone Conference with President Ashton, and we also had individual interviews with him. I had some very good conversations with him and asked him questions and he answered everything perfectly, (if I was one-tenth as spiritual as my president, I would have a good life!) He is the MAN!!!!

 

My favorite part of this week was a couple weeks ago we had talked to Josh Amezquita about him serving a mission. He told us that he wants to go; but he does not want to leave his mom because she has diabetes and his dad has passed away. He does not want to see her pass and he brings in some money for the bills. I told him that my mom has diabetes too so I can see his worry. But I shared with him this that since I have left on my mission; I can testify that my mom is in better hands (the Lord) with me on the mission than with me at home with her. I was just bearing my testimony and I was bawling because the spirit was so strong. He started crying and he told us that he was going to pray about it. We followed up on Tuesday this week with him and he made up his mind that he is going on a mission! After I heard that I gave him a huge hug and told him that I loved him because that is the best thing for him to do! He really loves me and we get along so well! After that experience on the way home, I just felt like my mission was complete! I feel like I am here for him to help him out. I do know that there are others for me to help; but I know I was here to help him specifically :)

 

President Ashton has given us some new training and I really took it to heart! I applied the training in my lessons and found a lot of miracles and new potential people. Every day I am here I love it more and more :)  Here is a sweet picture of Texas.

 

I love you all and pray for ya'll all the time :)

 

Love, Elder Andersen

Letter #21

Hey Family,

This week has had its ups and downs, like all weeks. However, I know that we all can grow from these experiences. We just need to rely on the Lord and keep doing what he wants us to do, and he will help us through all of our trials.

 

No, I did not go to the Football game! I really wanted to, but we had Stake Conference. It was AWESOME!!!!  Saturday at the Adult Session it was very powerful! One thing that I received revelation was for one of our members. She has told us that she really wants to get her Patriarchal Blessing. She needs to ask the Stake President for it! I know that I need to help her with this because she has a chavo (bum) husband that works and comes home and does nothing. He isn't progressing to the Melchizedek Priesthood so he can bless his 4 month old daughter. He is holding her back so much! She is an awesome member and they are active, but he just never prays or reads scriptures! So I feel like part of my reason here in Kemah North is to help that family because I know that they love me :)

 

Another other cool thing about Stake Conference was as a surprise the Missionaries sang in with the choir. The choir started singing an E.F.Y. melody, then we all stood up and walked to the front of the stage and we joined with them. After the meeting was over we had lots of investigators asking "What was that feeling they got when we sang that song!?" A ton of the members also came to us and told us that they feel the spirit so strong when we sing! I love singing, but I am not good at it! :p

 

But Miracle for this week! We meet this guy from the Dominican Republic (he looks like he is from Africa with dreads and everything... haha) He only speaks Spanish! We had a very powerful first lesson with him and we are going back tonight to extend a baptism date He has only been here for a week and he told us it's not an accident that we met him! He knows that we are the real deal!!!

 

Keep up the good work and I love all you!!!

 

Love Elder Andersen

Letter #20

Hey Family,

So the picture I am sending is a family my companion and I baptized! They are the hermanas converts (Sister Missionary Converts) but they asked us to do it cause they like us more that the other Elder companionship! I baptized Giovanni and Felipe. (to make it easier they have on gray shoes) I had the opportunity to play some basketball and football with them on Saturday night. While I played Elder Bushman was interviewing them one by one. These kids are sooooo cool!!! They were fun to hang out with. The last song we sang after the baptism was Familias pueden ser Eternas (Families can be Together Forever) and during it I looked at the Mother of the children and she was crying. I know the spirit was there! I know it was able to to touch her heart and tell her that this is the path she needs to take, and her family CAN and WILL be together forever.

This week I had a wonderful opportunity to listen to Elder Golden of the seventy. He came to our mission and gave us a very powerful lesson and lecture. Some of the revelation I received was that I need to be EXACTLY  OBEDIENT to the rules and not to assume things. When I teach with clarity, obey the rules, and do the things I am supposed to do I will have better lessons; and the spirit will be with me more as I teach! Elder Golden made some promises to us that were very bold, but I KNOW that if we do what he says, and follow what God whats us to do then we can obtain these goals. 

To answer your questions: 

Dad; No I don't have much beans and rice now, I have a lot of soups!! I am getting a bunch of different variety. I am starting to love the food here!! It's really good. Also YES I finally do love beans and rice!! And Yes I got the Package and it is amazing!!! We listen to the Vocal Point CD everyday in the car!! Where did you get it from?!?! The case was broken and the CD holder inside is broken; so it doesn't hold the CD anymore. I have another one I keep it in! Did you have it before of just buy it?!?! My favorite songs are Danny Boy, He is Born, and Holy Infant. All of the songs are good, I don't have skip any songs I listen to the whole thing!!!  

Miracles:

This week after the conference we had I decided to be "Exactly Obedient" and I saw many miracles! A couple of weeks ago we had a member call us and tell us she wants us to teach her niece Sharon. We set up that we would meet them at the English class that we hold every week. So we went there and the hermanas (sister missionaries) told us that she lives in there area so we told them about our plan. Then last Sunday Elder Bushman and I were going through the Potential Investigators and found a lot of names in there. We wrote a couple down in our planners to go visit. (we planned to bring the paper with us but we ended up forgetting about it) Luckily we had written down a few and this one address just stood out to us! So we put it in the G.P.S. and we went there. We were looking for a mujer (woman, wife) named Stella and guess who came to the door? . . . Sharon!!  We were like "Hey!" and introduced ourselves and asked if we could come back later; however we had actually set up to see her at the English class! Then we found out that class was cancelled so we called the member that wanted us to meet her and asked if she can bring her to church so she did. Then The member told us to come to her house after the baptism and we could teach her a lesson in there house. So we went to the Baptism and went the the members house and we had the BEST lesson ever! I felt the spirit so strong and I know that it testified that what we teach is the truth. It wasn't us who brought in the spirit ~ it was defiantly the members! We taught them but then the Aunt testified and was telling her how the much the church meant to her and why she is a member. She told Sharon that it was us that brings the spirit but Elder Bushman and I were like no it was defiantly the family! The Aunt and niece were balling and we extended a date for baptism and she accepted with ease! I know that she had been prepared by the Lord and then we were put in her path. 

Another short miracle is we were walking in Scarsdale Park and we saw this Hispanic walking and we said "Hi!" my companion just stopped and stared at him. The guy stopped and looked back and my companion and said "I don't know why, but I need to share our message with you." We ended up talking to him for a little and at the end he said "I felt some kind of attraction to y'all!" He wants us to come back and teach him too. 

We just need to follow the spirit, and he will guide us wherever we need to go!

Love y'all and I pray for y'all all day :)

Love Elder Andersen   

Letter #19

Hey Family,

Well to start this off, YES General Conference was amazing!!!! All the talks were amazing, but my favorite quote was from Edward Dube. His story about when he was in the cotton field struck me; he said "Never look back, always look ahead of what we have to do". When I heard that my eyes opened big. I have always reflected on how I was last week, and what I did. Always thinking of things that happened in the past, but after hearing that talk I was like; Man It's all about NOW!!! It feels the same that I can't look back and think of stuff, I have to act on things now. One of my new goals is to forget the past and focus on what I need to be doing now. One goal our mission set was to baptize 1000 people this year. It really hit me that I need to be focusing on hitting that goal and other goals too. Of course there are small goals I need to work on to eventually hit that goal, but we need to always be setting and trying to maintain our goals so we can achieve them.

 

This is something I can use for my investigators and the members. I have told you about Josh Amezquita before. He is 20 and he wants to serve a mission, but he is kinda "in the world" right now. He is trying to save up money for his mission, but all his money is going into the house and fixing his rice rocket car. Elder Bushman and I are trying to get him to set short term goals to obtain it. He is always bringing up things from the past, and saying he can't do anything. Some of his problems are that his family doesn't have money, and won't be able to afford for him to go. I am going to tell him that the Prophet just asked us to donate more so that we can have more missionaries serve. Hopefully that will help him, but he has some work to do. I just need to promise him blessings, and he will go; but it will take some work though :) I am excited to work with him and help him out! :)

 

I know that God puts people in our way, this week we randomly parked next to this guy and we started talked to him. He was saying that he wants to change. We told him that we didn't park there on accident; that God lead us to him. We ended up trading his beer for a picture of Jesus Christ and we poured out his beer and threw it away. He seems like he really wants to change and be a better person. I am really excited to go see these people that the Lord has blessed and prepared for us to teach them the gospel.

 

I love y'all and keep up the good work :)

 

Love Elder Andersen

Photo Fun!!

For my birthday (THIS IS MELISSA WRITING) I asked my siblings (the ones on missions) to write me ON my birthday and send me pictures from the mission... Elder Andersen knows of my LOVE for Duck Dynasty and so he took it to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL!!~~ LOL!

I guess the other missionary in the top picture (Elder Mastergeorge) asked his mom to send something FUN for them and she sent them these... Duck Dynasty Beards!!
haha! I LOVE IT!~ 
Elder Andersen and Elder Mastergeroge enjoying the mission life!!