HE is our Hope and our Cure

Monday, December 7, 2015

This week we were visiting a couple that was baptized this year and brother Aissa is really sick. He has cancer all over his body and huge tumors that grow and spread rapidly. He got released form a hospital in another city and the next day we went to visit them and all I could think about is that part in Mosiah 18 that talks about the covenants we make at baptism to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort and how real that promise is as I serve as a missionary for the Savior himself. When we saw the physical condition and pain and agony when we got there, we immediately called Brother Irving who lives close by and in 5 minutes he was responding to the call and arrived to give him and sister Domi a blessing. We entered the tiny room where we was twisted on the bed in pain. I could see all the bones in his body and the shallow breaths he took as he tried not to move to much. Sister Doni just keep crying and saying "he has turned himself to the Lord" Brother Irving anointed and blessed him with a beautiful blessing. When I opened my tear-filled eyes I couldn't help but weep when I looked to the small night stand by the bed with the scriptures open and a picture of the Savoir on top of the open pages. I wept and hugged and kissed sister Doni and promised her that the Lord was by her side in her time of need and that his servants are sent to comfort and guide the weary and broken hearted. I felt so close to my Savior and knew that what I said wasn't a lie and that God stands by us, but often through other people...

On Sunday we got together a ward choir and put on Santa Claus hats and in the afternoon sun went to her house. As she opened the door and then the gate stood dumbstruck she heard and saw 30 latter-day saints singing Christmas hymns and announcing the birth and life and love of Jesus at Christmas. It was truly touching to see men and women and children and young adults one by one hugging and offering there support to this divine sister who is in a moment of suffering and need.

I absolutely LOVE the Christmas season. I love the HOPE that it lights in peoples lives and hearts and I love seeing how it changes and makes people better.  That same day we went to a large local hospital close to the church and sang various hymns and songs about the Christ child and Christmas as patients left there rooms to come and see and smile and take pictures. It's truly magical--the power that music about our Savior gives to people who have little or have already lost all their hope. HE is our hope.

Love you all!
Sister Anderson

Sushi!!!!! 

"Pão de Mel" with Lusia

Thanksgiving!!

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Its not a holiday that they have here in Brasil (obviously), but I made an effort and made a small portioned Thanksgiving dinner for my companion and the other two sisters in our apartment. It was yummy but nothing like in the states :)

IM SO GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING!

• I'm so grateful to be a missionary
• For my family
• For the friendships I have planted and nurtured
• For my Mission president and his wife
• To be in Brasil!
• To walk to run and sing in the rain
• Ice cream and Açaí
• The prophet Thomas S. Monson
• Inspired music
• Wonderful people in the church in every ward that I serve in
• MY SAVIOR

I'm so grateful to have this short time to get to know him and to learn to understand His unending love and compassion for me. I'm grateful for my trials because I become that much closer to Jesus Christ and I learn how to love people and places and situations just as He did and still does. He lives!
He was born. He worked miracles, taught, cured and blessed. He suffered and died for my sins and for yours and then, he was resurrected! He rose from the grave so that we too can overcome the physical and spiritual death. I love Him. I love His love for me because it is perfect and never dies just as He will never die. I thank my Father in Heaven for this perfect gift that we most remember during this Christmas time. I thank my Heavenly Father not only in prayer but in "good works" like it talks about in the scriptures. The best way to show our love and gratitude is really to love all of Gods children, especially when its not easy. I can say that I love to love :)

Yesterday was my last of 7 conferences with all the missionaries in our mission and as i stood and bore my testimony and testified of Gods love I felt his love for me so powerfully. He is not only my Savior and Redeemer but my friend. He changes me and helps me when i can't help myself. I'm so grateful for this Christmas Season and hope that we can all reflect and express our gratitude to Him who saves us through our service to others.

Mosiah 2:17
When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God!!!

Live with Gratitude in your hearts!

até mas
com amor
Sister Anderson

Josiane´s cute puppy Freddy!

Learning to sew with Lusia! We had to read the instruction manual :)

p.s. pray for her to go to church!!

Sister Anderson and Sister Andersen

Miracles are real!

Monday, November 23, 2015

I'm so grateful for all the walking and rejection and sun an sweat because this week we found Josiane!! She is what we call "a golden investigator" because its like God already taught her everything she needs to know and has prepared her to to come into contact with the church at this time! I love her so much because she literally glows with the light of Christ and she was SO EXCITED to meet us and learn about the restoration... I cried with my companion, happy tears of course, after the lesson we had with her on Saturday. Then on Sunday she went to church! No one goes to church when we invite them! God is truly a God of miracles who loves us and blesses us according to our faith and diligence and patience with His timing. I've learned how to rely 100% percent on the Lord and his timing and His love and His power. I can honestly say I'm grateful for everything that I see and am a part of every single day because I know that God is working miracles in my life and in the lives of others!! Pray for her that she can receive answers to her prayers! I pray that God can do the same for all of us!! Ahhh she is wonderful and I know through her that God loves me.

Have an awesome Thanksgiving an awesome week!! I love my life and I love my mission and I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ!

Até mais
Sister Anderson

Ssiter Araújo made me Brigadeiro when I was a little sad :)

Birigui with the Sisters!

It rained A LOT

14 MONTHS ON THE MISH

WE DECORATED A CHRISTMAS TREE!!!

You know who its for :)

Love you Mom! Happy Birthday

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 FELIZ ANIVERSÁRIO!!!!!

Picturessssssss

Monday, November 16, 2015

Package from my mommy Sister Kelly!

Me and Sister Araújo!

With all our stuff after the leadership counsel haha

We make friends with the birds

Super hippie missionary

BIRIGUI!!

Monday, November 9, 2015

I am pleased to announced that I have now passed through or served in, for at least a day, all the areas for sisters that exist in my mission. hahahahah I'M TAKING AFTER THE FOOTSTEPS OF MY TRAINER, SISTER KELLY, THAT HAD 9...IM ON MY SIXTH SO WE´'LL SEE :)

I'm loving my time and I love the sisters I take care of and I feel so close to the Spirit and the Lord. This week we went to Birigui, which is a city close to Araçatube, which was my very first area when I got to Brazil. It is SOOO hot there. haha I forgot how hot that side of the mission gets... Anyway I went on splits with Sister Andersen that was my companion in Ribeirão for one transfer and it was fun to relive funny moments and turn bright red together after walking in 120 degrees all day. It was pretty intense. I love that sister and love seeing how we all grow. Actually, that might be the thing I love the most about being a missionary: seeing the spiritual growth in myself and in other missionaries and especially in the people that we teach. I love looking back to the first days of meeting someone and evaluating some time after how that person or situation has changed because of lots of faith and prayer and fasting, and because miracles happen every day. I've seen that and can testify to that beautiful fact: that miracles are random but are daily blessings from our Heavenly Father. I continue to recieve daily miracles and hope that you all can recognize them and then be grateful for them. I love a bookmark that my wonderful, insightful mother sent me that talks about gratitude. It says:

Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent. It forges bonds of love and fosters loyalty and admiration. Living in thanksgiving daily is a habit that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we love. -Joseph B. Wirthlin

THANK YOU!

com amor
Sister Anderson

Our zone!!!

Sister Anderson and Sister Andersen round 2

My hair..... no comment, but it was necessary

Me :)

HALLOWEEN AND "FINADOS"

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

So Finados is a national holiday here which is basically "day of the dead" or memorial day in Brasil. We went to the cemetery as a huge group of missionaries and walked around talking about the Plan of Salvation and bearing our testimonies that life after death is not the end and that we will see all those that have passed onto to the other side. We will be united as forever families one day if we chose to live according to the commandments that our loving Heavenly Father has put in place for us.

I love the gospel and how simple it is. I love being able to share it in a language that is not my own but that I now and forever will hold near my heart. I love these people here and feel at least a little portion of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me and for them. I hope every day to convey that love in my words and in my actions and in my heart.

My new companion Sister Araújo is from Recife and she also speaks fluent English. She is actually really helping me a lot because I have forgotten a lot of English. haha I'll have to start studying English before I come home I think. It's so funny I tell people I'm from Colorado and they ask me what state that is in Brazil...and then I have to explain and then we all laugh. haha

This week I pondered the scripture in Mormon 9:21 that talks about relying on the Lord in our fervent prayers and that he ALWAYS answers us! It's a promise that he gives to all of His children as long as we are willing to act upon the answers that he sends us. God doesn't simply answer prayers because we ask in curiosity. He has to know that we will act upon the answers he sends us.

I love Brasil. I love my companion. I love my life and the knowledge and testimony I  have of God's plan for me and my family and all those that choose to follow him.

até mais

com amor

Sister Anderson

Chuva! (rain)

Sister Muniz hit 3 months on the mission!

For my Daddy :)

Halloween! we dressed up as Elders :)

And we went outside like that

Transfers....

Monday, October 26, 2015

This week I killed my companion....."killed" as in she completed her mission and today she flies home to Manaus, Amazons!!!!! I love her so much and I'll really miss her and all we learned together, and all the moments we almost peed in the road from laughing so hard. hahaha I hope that my last companion loves me and kills me kindly...

Anyway, I stayed in my area and I'm now companions with Sister Araújo who is from Recífe, Pernambuco! She is wonderful and I already love her a lot! Way excited for the transfer that will includes a lot of fasting and prayer to find new people to teach! It's SO HOT here and we often have to go home in the mid-afternoon to take a shower so our organs don't melt,  :) but I'm lovin' it and can't complain! We do what we gotta do and go back out again!

I love the mission and I love all the friendships I'm able to build with people that I'm sure I met in the life before this one! It's crazy how we see and meet people that we somehow "already know". Love that!!

Shout out to my daddy who with be 48 this week!! Love you! Thank you for being my friend, father, protector, teacher, and much more.... I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boa semana!!(good week)

com amor!

Sister Anderson

Traveling to Ribeirão with my companion as she was dying....

MY FAVORITE!

THE DAY OF HER DEATH.....

Me and Sister Araújo!