Sunday, September 6, 2015

I'm almost 12 months old!

Monday, August 31, 2015

We had a really good week this week for a lot of reasons, one of them being that people gave us cake almost every day. hahah Last week was Sister Humanais birthday (I'm living in the same house with her and she was my companion in Franca for a transfer, too cool!) Today is Sister de Oliveiras birthday and mine is on Friday WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!! I like cake a lot but its making me so fat. Our lunch on Saturday was with a family that owns a ranch so they came and picked us up and took us to their house that they built together and we got to play (carefully) with some horseys and then as a surprise they told us because of the three birthdays that we would be planting trees! I've always wanted to plant a tree! Now I have my very own tree here in Brazil!

It was so cool this week to see the power of the fast. Me and my comp fasted that we would find new people to teach. Because of Gods loving hand and a lot of faith, the Lord led us to 8 MORE PEOPLE this week! It truly is amazing to see how the Lord works in mysterious ways. We started our fast with a scripture in Helaman 3:35 (which you'll have to look up because I have no idea how it is in English) If you have never fasted and seen the miracles that it brings in your life, FAST!

We are teaching English classes here and I'm liking it! Its crazy how fast the time goes by as I'm approaching 1 year but i feel like i still have so much to do here! Good thing I have a little more time still!

Love you all

Sister Anderson








Pics

Monday, August 24, 2015

So nothing huge to report so ill send pics! hahaha

I'm starting to teach English classes and that should be a lot of fun! I've found that I actually really enjoy teaching english! And.....ah, I don't know... This week nothing too huge but still so awesome because the Lord is wonderful to me!!

com amor

Sis Anderson

my gift to me: new sheets!!!


"beijinho" = little kiss
suprise partyyyyy

11 Monthsssss

Monday, August 17, 2015

I'm now in my 5th area and we have our work cut out for us here! The work is just rolling forth and the Bishop told us that he hopes we can help him divide the congregation of members and form another ward to then be able to form a stake! (a group of congregations) Lets do it!!!!! I'm way excited and everyone her seems to believe that we can do it so that helps us get excited.

Our house has this wicked alarm system that I have yet to figure out, and is actually an old beauty salon haha We live RIGHT NEXT TO huge train tracks so that means we sleep very little and with lots of noise. Oh, also this city has a huge orange juice factory and the city smells like oranges and I love it!! We walk sooooo much here and the other day I woke up and my feet were all swollen, :( but that's one of the joys of the mission!

We started teaching Valdecir this past week and he went to church and we were so happy!! Then we went with another sister who was recently baptized this year to visit him after church. Basically it went like this:

New sister: Are you single?
Valdecir: Yeah I am, but I have a son, his Dad passed away when he was three. I'm looking for the love of my life before I get baptized.
..........
He basically proceeded in asking her to marry him and I had to look away.  hahaha Yes! Way to go!
I love Brazil and I love the people here! I hope that I'll be able to report about some baptisms and other wonderful news!

Love you all!

Sister Anderson

my new comp - Sister Lima da Silva

my new alarm

my new car

The Feet of God

Monday, August 10, 2015

I had one of my most powerful spiritual experiences this week as we were visiting people in a neighborhood really far from our house and at the end of our area. We were walking with a sister in the ward that was with us when we came across a woman that was crying uncontrollably begging us to save her. I took both her hands in mine and she continued wailing and crying and shaking. I grabbed her hands and told her "sister look into my eyes and i promise everything will be alright" she looked at me and slowly calmed down and we told her that as representatives of Jesus Christ we were there to help her and that the Lord would bless her in her suffering. I said a prayer with her hands clasped in mine and I prayed with more intent and concern for this woman than I ever have in my life. I looked down at her feet and saw the skin opening revealing the sensitive flesh underneath and I felt such a sadness and pain that I knelt down at her feet, removed my own shoes that I've used every day for the last 11 months, and carefully put them on the feet of my new friend. I walked around the whole rest of the day with the worn out flip-flops that she had been using and later that night we found the shack of old clothes and umbrellas that she was living in and left her shoes there at the opening.

I know for certain that she walked with God that day as did I. I am my sisters keeper but I am also my sisters sister, and in that tender moment when it wasn't expected of me, no one was around, and no one had asked for it, I felt the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so strongly that as we were leaving her in what appeared to be an only slightly better circumstance, I felt the Savior comforting her and testifying to me of the divinity of this work and the importance of simple Christ-like acts of Charity.

I love my Savior and no matter what happens and what I choose, he'll never will stop loving me back.

até mais
com amor
Sister Anderson

1. The Feet of Sister Anderson
2. My recent convert from Franca that i saw on Saturday!
3. #10 thanks mommy!!!
4. the transfer....again.... :)





"Be kind and be grateful that God is kind."

Monday, August 3, 2015

Family!

I'm really enjoying my new area even though it reminds me of how hot the sun must be. :) We are teaching a lot of families here that are part non-members and part less-active members. We are teaching two boys right now with their less active parents and every time we go there they tell us how excited they are to be baptized! haha When we call to see how they are doing and if they are reading and understanding, they always ask us when we will come back and teach them so that they can be baptized as soon as possible. When we marked their date they got all excited and said "that's my Daddys birthday!" Just goes to show that the Lord knows his sheep and knows what will make them happy. I see the hand of the Good Shepherd in my daily life. He assures us that the race we are in on this earth isn't against each other, and is really against sin. That the formula of faith is to hold on, work on, see it through and let the distress fall away in the abundance of our final rewards. Our final reward, if we abide by the commandments and endure well is eternal life with our families alongside our Father and Savior.

Im grateful for the testimony I have that the Lord loves us and watches over us and needs us to be strong first in order to lift the burdens of others.

I love the mission!

com amor

Sister anderson

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Transfers in our Transfer...

Monday, July 27, 2015

So we had an emergency transfer out of our area but I know that the Lord will watch over his beloved children there. I also know after repeated experience that the Lord knows A LOT better than I do where I need to be and for how long. With these last two weeks of Sister Rose's training (my comp had to change her name bc no one could say it..) we are now opening a new area and life is one big adventure! We changed districts and zones and cities and my companion her name and all that's left is that I go blonde! haha But I won't, no worries, because the sun already does it for me!

We were transferred from one night to the next morning and when we got to our area president was there waiting for us because he and sister Brum bought beds and desks and all that jazz for us :) We went out to dinner with the Presidente so that was pretty exciting! and also because we are poor and have no food :)

The chapel here is actually a house made into a church that we affectionately call "casapela" (casa=house, capela=chapel) I'm excited to be here but of course missing the area that I loved so much and had to leave so quickly... But something that I say to myself, just as the Savior did, "Father, unto you I deliver my life." I love the Lord and I know that he knows what's best for us.

com amor

Sister Anderson

The Birthday Girl!

The last picture w our housey

Music in our personal lives

Monday, July 20, 2015

I love the mission because while it doesn't help me with my English, it helps me so much in my personal life for after the mission and for my future family. I've realized and developed many talents that I didn't know I had or that I wrongly thought were weaknesses of mine. While I in no way want to say that I sing well, I feel a very strong connection with music that has grown as I've been here in Brazil.  The lyrics that are so beautiful. In the church hymnbook, the First Presidency says that, "Hymns can lift our spirits, give us courage, and move us to righteous action. They can fill our souls with heavenly thoughts and bring us a spirit of peace." Every morning as part of our spiritual preparation we sing a hymn as part of our studies. One hymn that especially touches my heart as I'm sure it touches others as well is "Be Still, My Soul".

I am a personal witness to the power that the atonement has to change and purify lives. I am thankful that while my life has been more than relatively pain free, I have felt my share of heartache, and disappointment and distress and discouragement. I truely believe that the atoning power isn't just for people that have committed grievous sins before the Lord, but also for people who have striven continually to live the laws and ordinances of the gospel. The atonement is for everyone. When we give our free-will to the father and let HIM lead us through ever step of our lives, we are actively applying the power of the atonement in our daily lives. That is why he suffered. That is why he died. For me and for you. Even though we are all different, the Savior´s love for us is the same. His love is undying; just as He is. He rose from the dead never again to feel the pains of death. I love Him and trust Him and know Him well enough to know that His power is real and wonderful and necessary in our lives. We cannot and won't want to stand in the presence of God at the last day without our Savior and friend by our side. This is my testimony: THAT HE LIVES.

com amor

Sister Anderson

this one time this huge field was on fire and no one was worried....

leather scripture cases :)

Açaí on Sister Mcmakin´s Birthday!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Wormsssss

Monday, July 13, 2015

I may or may not have passed the worms curse to my companion as she was VERY sick this last week from Wednesday to Sunday. Kinda "fun" to be able to reflect on that one time I had worms at the very beginning of my mission too. Poor thing, the medicine is really strong and makes you super tired and you never want to eat and its an all around bummer. But the Lord has a purpose in everything just as the Sister was concerned about getting fat, well the Lord took care of that problem haha

Anyway this past week Sister Mcmakin received "Meet the Mormons" a movie that came out to theaters while I was already on the mission, so I took advantage of the time we were having in the house and watched it on our tiny DVD player. Then I watched it in Portuguese. Then I watched it with the director commentary. Then I watched the making of the film. And then I watched it all the way through again with my companion :) That's not ALL I did but I would play it and draw as well (something i haven't done for about 10 months now) and it was nice to be a able to relax and talk to myself while she slept and slept and slept.... I was also able to read about 3 Liahona magazines (published by the church with talks from the apostles and leaders) and it was such a wonderful and spiritually enlightening experience. I really enjoyed it! One talk I loved in particular was given by Elder Quentin L Cook. He said something like "The members of the church, together with other people that have similar moral values, represent an island of faith in a sea of doubt and disbelief." I liked that because I am a living witness of its truthfulness. But even against the odds, the Lords people always manage to overcome the odds and beat the temptations of the world. This week I had the pleasure to see a sister that was recently reactivated into frequenting church- after the Lord working in her and us as the sisters and many wonderful members working along side her- receive a calling in the womens organization. I love this sweet friend and mother and warrior against the feelings of discouragement as I have seen a new light enter her light and that she has finally made it to "the island of faith" like Elder Cook talks about.

The Lord is good!

com amor

Sister Anderson

My cool outfit I wore for a couple days because we stayed in the house while my comp was sick... :)

I finally bought a rope so I can sleep in my hammock!!!!

hammock bonding time