I love you Dad. You motivated and inspired me to go on a mission. The way that you talked about your mission, with affection, encouraged me to take the step of faith and leave on a mission. You also showed me in your example, that your mission had truly changed you. I wanted that same change. I left on my mission without a testimony. I had always depended on yours and mom's. But in the MTC and throughout my mission I have truly begun to experience and use the gospel in my live and in the lives of others and it has changed me. But none of this would have happened without you so I just want to say thank you and that I will be eternaly grateful for all that you have done for me. Ahora entiendo que esto no es el fin, que es el principio. Voy a ocupar mucho de sus consejos para guiarme en esta vida. Tengo muchas metas y cosas que quiero lograr pero voy a ocupar su experiencia. Te amo y estoy animado para verte!!!!
This letter won't be able to sufficiently express my gratitude for you but I'll do my best. This is the THIRD birthday of yours that I haven't been home for... wow. But I"ll be sure to give you a giant hug when I see you to make up for it.
I love you Dad. You motivated and inspired me to go on a mission. The way that you talked about your mission, with affection, encouraged me to take the step of faith and leave on a mission. You also showed me in your example, that your mission had truly changed you. I wanted that same change. I left on my mission without a testimony. I had always depended on yours and mom's. But in the MTC and throughout my mission I have truly begun to experience and use the gospel in my live and in the lives of others and it has changed me. But none of this would have happened without you so I just want to say thank you and that I will be eternaly grateful for all that you have done for me. Ahora entiendo que esto no es el fin, que es el principio. Voy a ocupar mucho de sus consejos para guiarme en esta vida. Tengo muchas metas y cosas que quiero lograr pero voy a ocupar su experiencia. Te amo y estoy animado para verte!!!!
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Well this week flew by. We started the week with a conference on Tuesday in Hermosillo. Following the conference we headed up to Agua Prieta. We had a wonderful conference and after the conference we headed over to Nogales. We had a great conference on Thursday and after we returned to Hermosillo for the last conference. 9 conferences later we are done. Even though I was the one teaching I feel like I learned SO MUCH these last 3 weeks. Everytime we would travel with President he lets us ask him anything we want. So we would have these awesome discussions about doctrine, the church, life, marriage... etc. I'm so grateful for the chance I have had to serve the mission in this assingement.
This week we'll be doing all the transfers of the mission. Deciding which missionaries leave and stay, train, district leaders, zone leaders, everything.... in my power... scary right? Then on friday we'll have a meeting with all the new missionaries to see how they're progressing. Saturday we have general conference. Sunday as well. Monday we'll receive all the new missionaries to the mission. We'll have a last interview and dinner with president in the night. And then I'll see you on Tuesday:) This will sound really shallow coming over an email but I just can't express sufficiantly how grateful I am for the oppurtunity and privilge I have had to serve a mission. Going on a mission and serving a mission are two different things. When a person goes on a mission he leaves and comes home the same person. When someone serves a mission he leaves, serves, leaves the person he was before in the field, and comes home someone new. We've talked a lot in these conferences about the Atonement and the change that can happen in us if we apply it. In the end of every conference we share our testimonies. I would always share my testimony of the Atonement and the change that has happened to me. I want every missionary to experience the same. But the only way it can happen is if we forget ourselves and go to work. I learned so much. But what I most appreciate is this new relationship I have with my Savior. Now, as I'm coming home. I hope you can all help me make this transition smoothly. I've adopted the quote from shakespeare "Twas I but tis not I." I feel that Christ has changed me and I want to CONTINUE changing. This isn't the end. It's only the beginning. I love you all and thank you for the AMAZING and LOVING support you have given me. See you in a week:) This week we were able to do two more zone conferences. I was also able to go on exchanges in my old area in Hermosillo. I wasn't able to see my converts, but I want to go back next Saturday to see them. They told me that Ramses is still really active in the church and that he went to EFY this year.
In these zone conferences President gives a talk about the atonement. He breaks it up into four parts. I really like the part where he talks about the atonement having an enabling power. He shares 3 Nephi 27:14 "And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after thatther, to stand I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil". Christs atonement allows us to be lifted up to something we couldn't be on our own. Christ doesn't just want us to DO things, he wants us to BECOME something. But we can only acheive it through his atonement. Love you!!! So... This has been a crazy week.
I had special transfers. I'm now in the offices as assistant. I'll be finishing my mission traveling around the mission with President doing zone conferences I left Nogales on Wednesday at 9 and I got to Hermosillo at 12. At 4 we had a meeting with President to plan the zone conferences. Then we had the rest of that night to plan our presentations. He also invited us to eat dinner at his house, we ate cake and ice cream:):) That morning at 6 we left for Guaymas. It was so wonderful to enter into that city again. So many memories. We had a wonderful conference. After that we ate Burger King with President and then we headed up on a 9 hour ride to Penasco. We arrived around 1030 at night, ate some tacos of asada with president and he dropped us of with the zone leaders. That morning we had the conference with Penasco and it was wonderful as well. I was able to see Elder Peterson and he's doing great, we've both changed a lot:) After the conference we headed back down to Caborca. We just had the conference this morning. We are still here in Caborca and we leave in about an hour back to Hermosillo. I'm at the same store where I used to write you two years ago.... crazy. Being able to come back to my old areas has been a very humbling experience. It's the perfect way to end my mission because it allows me to reflect on these two years and everything that has happened. Lots of amazing memories, and not so amazing memories. But one thing is certain, the person that arrived here in Caborca two years ago and who I am today are two completly different people. Imense feelings of gratitude fill me as I think of everything that has happened these past two years and now I have the oppurtunity to travel the mission and teach all the missionaries a little of what I have learned so that they can be better than I ever was. I know that just as Christ was lifted up on the cross, he also lifts us up to a level we couldn't reach on our on. I love this gospel. I love Sonora, I love the Lord. Till next week!!!!!!!! Another outstanding week this week:)
The second counseler in the area presidency of Mexico came and visited us. His name is Elder Pino and he's originaly from Venezuela. He's acually good friends with the parents of Rodriguez. We had a wonderfull multi-zone conference with him. He explained that the call letter we got as a missionary is a powerful letter. Almost like our patriarticle blessing. He also helped us see that all of our success depends on our mental state, whether we believe we can do it or not. On Saturday we traveled to Hermosillo for a ZL meeting with him. It was really powerful and we got a lot of great ideas out of it. This week me and my companion felt like the Lord was trying our faith. We had a really succesfull week the week before but this week was a little bit harder. We had to drop a couple of people and all the people we were going to take to church didn't make it. We felt like we had given everything but we hadn't seen any results. But at the end of church we met a man that assisted that day that told us he would like to be baptized along with his family. Later in the day we where able to put two dates with some really cool investigators. The Lord gives us trials at times to test our faith and see if we REALLY want the blessings. I love the mission and all the miracles that happen everyday. EThis week was awesome:)
On Sunday night I was able to travel down to Hermosillo with all the Elders from my generation that are going home. I spent Monday with them and then we ate dinner with President and his wife that night. We had a testimony meeting and it was so powerful to see the all the changes in these amazing Elders. I'm so proud to have served with them and they will brothers for life (I'm tearing up right now, it was an emotional night). Then on Tuesday I headed back up to Nogales alone (it was really weird...). I met up with my new comp Elder Garcia. He's from Mexico City. He's such a stud and we've been friends for a while now so this is going to be a transfer filled with work work work and more mork. On Wednesday we had a zone meeting. We taught them a plan so draw upon the powers of heaven here in Nogales. Last month we had 17 baptisms as a zone which is a new record. This month we're expecting 40. All the missionaries are such hard workers and we're really expecting a miracle this transfer. Also, Elder Wakely is in my zone now:) On Thursady we did exchanges and I was able to work the day with him. He's an amazing missionary and has a lot of potencial ahead of him. Something I've seen this week is that acheiving our goals doesn't depend on our circumstances, it depends on our state of mind. If we truly beleive and have the desire, we can achieve anything. I've been studying my blessing a lot lately and it says that I will be able to overcome and obstacles in my life if I depend on the Savior and his atonement. I know thats true. I love you!!!!!!!!! I have a little bit of time so I'm going to write as much as I can.
This week has been amazing. I guess I haven't told you about any of the people we're teaching right now. We're teaching two ladys named Mirella and Dolores. They both have a date for the 17th of Sep. They're really cool and have desires to be baptized. We're teaching another lady named Elva. She's an older mom of two kids. She's AMAZING. She wants to get baptized so bad. She also has a date for the 17th of Sep. She just hasn't come to church yet. There's also another family. The mom's name is Arlet and she has 3 daughters of 16, 13, and 7. Shes also amazing. But her husband just got out of jail this Friday so we'll start teaching him this week and see how it goes. This week we saw a miracle as a zone. We had 13 baptisms as a zone on Saturday. I'll send you a picture late. It was so amazing to see all those people in white. Elder Schlappis parents arrived Friday night to pick him up. They've been touring the mission these past few days. I stayed in Nogales with my kid Rodriguez. It was really cool to see them hug and everything. I'm excited to do the same with you guys. My new companion is Elder Garcia. We've been friends in the mission for a while now so this will be an amazing transfer. He's from Mexico City. Tonight I'll be eating dinner with all the elders I arrived with and we'll have a testimony meeting together. I head back to Nogales on Tuesday. I'll try to send pics in the week. I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is going to be a short letter this week. We had a zone activity today. In the beginning of the mission I always enjoyed activitys but now I feel like the dad of everyone and Im too stressed out organizing everything that I cant enjoy the activity. But it was fun.
This week we had interviews with Presidente. He helped me realize the change that Ive been able to acheive in the mission. Before the mission I was incredibly prideful and seflish. But through the mission Ive been able to leave a bit of this pride and selfishness by serving others. My focus this last transfer will be studying these topics of the natural man, pride, and selfishness so that I can continue with my progresion after the mission. I love this gospel and the promise of change that it offers all of us. Love you!!! Another fabulous week in the mission has come and gone. This week we traveled to Hermosillo for the zone leader meeting. We also went to the temple for the last time as a generacion. It was great to see all the boys again from the MTC. We´ve all changed so much. Everyone bore their testimonies in the meeting and the spirit was very strong and we were all very emotional.
We didn´t have as much time as we would have liked to work this week, but we worked super hard in the time that we had. We continue finding amazing families that have so much potencial to be baptized. We just need to get them to church..... But they´ll come:) We had a zone meeting on friday and I talked to the zone about the importance of having a vision. It says in proverbs that were there is no vision, the people perish. I've learned the importance of having a vision on my mission. Before the mission my only vision was when was the next time I could mountain bike or ski or hang out with friends. But the mission has really put things into perpective and I now have a vision of what I want my life to be when I get back. I also love being able to help others find their vision again in this life and get back on track. My mission is coming to an end but I'm going to be working harder than ever before. Love you!! -- -Elder Anderson Hey,
So I'm traveling again this week so it's going to be a short letter. I'm absolutely loving Nogales. I remember saying at the beginning of my mission that I wanted to end in Nogales and here I am:) I've now been in every city in the mission:) Elder Schlappi and I are working VERY VERY hard. We're having a lot of success as well. It's just frustrating when people decide to exercise their agency poorly.... like not coming to church. I feel like I've gotten a little taste of how God feels when we make poor choices as well. It's frustrating. But on the flip side there's nothing more satisfying than seeing someone make the RIGHT choices and make changes in their lifes and see that change in their faces. That one life changed makes all the no's worth it. And by helping others change, I'm changed. I love this gospel. I'll see you next week!!! -Elder Anderson |
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