comida NUNCA falha

March 10, 2015

Here in Irajá it blows my mind how filthy rich the members are. Everyone lives in these huge gated neighborhoods in grand mansions and then the other half of the ward lives in poverty pretty much.

We always have a lot more success as missionaries with the people who have little or nothing wordly wise but are rich in spirit. Just this last week we found about a dozen new people to teach!  It's hard to get baptisms in this area though because in order to be baptized the people have to be actively going to church and everyone works really hard just to live, and don't make time on Sundays to go to church. BUT we had a miracle this week as we called for members to pick up investigators. Only one, Vera, showed up but she loved it! What's really special as a missionary is when you see people you've grown to love progressing spiritually.  Its almost like you can literally see the spiritual growth in a person as they take all the lessons and share their testimonies not only with you but with their family and neighbors and all the stray dogs and the bus drivers... :) That's the best part of being a missionary: the people. People are so wonderful and different and special and valued by our Father in Heaven. As we teach people who have little to nothing in worldly possessions and people who are wealthy beyond belief, we still get to come to know beloved sons and daughters of God who are willing to humble themselves to repentance. More than a few times this week I felt prompted to share Words of Mormon 1:7, that says that only the Lord knows all that will happen and the necessity to put our faith in our Father and in our Savior and then to ACT on that faith!

I'm really happy with my new companion Sister Andersen and we have a lot of fun introducing ourselves to people here and explaining that we are not sisters nor in any way related! hahaha

Missions are hard but for all the hard times we see daily miracles and we still get to laugh and enjoy the everyday little beauties that the Lord constantly blesses us with!

Até mais
com Amor
bjo

Sis Anderson

Food for our 1st district meeting here in Ribeirão Preto!! Sister Soares

Ward baptism :)

This cool Greek looking house in the middle of normal houses haha

TRANSFERS!!!

March 3, 2015

So after 3 transfers in the end of the world where it is SO unbelievably hot, I got transferred to Ribeirão Preto :)  I'm excited for a new area and companion because guess what, her name is Sister AndersEn. hahahaha  She is an American that just finished her training so I'm the senior companion....with 5 months..... BUT I'm really excited because if the Lord knows I can do it then I can do it!! I actually am progressing really really well with the language, but that's partly because I dedicate at least AN HOUR AND A HALF EVERY DAY TO STUDY.  WHEN WE DO OUR TINY LITTLE PART AND SHOW THE LORD WE HAVE FAITH, HE MAKES UP THE REST! I see so many miracles every single day (and so many things that i never wanted to see too haha).

Thought I'd share some things I love about Araçatuba now that I'm gone. sad.

• The amazing members that gave us wonderful (fattening) lunch every single day
• The surplus of ice cream parlors 
• The people in the same spots on the same streets doing the same things every single day that we stop and talk to and care about because they're sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father too!
• Sister Sperry, Sister Young, Sister Kelly.....LOVE THEM
• The chapel. It's the house of the Lord first of all and also I love that no matter where you are you can recognize a Mormon church!
• Walking for hours and hours up hills both ways in the rain and sun AT THE SAME TIME. :)
• My sweet sandal tan
• Mostly I'll miss our investigators though and the every single less active that we visited....this work is driven with love and its a good thing that I love to love and I love to learn to love too... LOVE LOVE LOVE its all about love in this world. Love for the blessings and the trials. Love for the people that show us love and the people that don't. Love for our Savior and our Heavenly Father even when we feel far from them.
• Love.

I'm in Irajá with Sister Andersen now, and our area is a bunch of mansions and really rich people so this will be a little different for sure!!! I'm excited!

LOVE
Sister Anderson

Sister Young going home :(

Bishop in Araçatuba

Oi Família!

February 23, 2015

So its the last week of this transfer and there is the possibility that I stay here at the end of the world close to the hot place where Satan lives OR that I'll be transferred. We'll see! I already have 3 transfers here so anything is possible.

Last week in our district meeting and then again today we had a training that talked about "What are our Dreams?" that we have to set more than specific goals but actually have dreams for our lives (and right now for our missions).  We talked about the "Why" behind the dreams, that if there isn't a motive for the dream why would you ever complete it? And then the "How". The How really is the most important. God expects us to use our free agency and make our plans and then show them to him. We show God our plans and dreams through our actions and most importantly through our daily and divine communication: prayer. On of my mission dreams that I'll share is to find, teach, baptize, and then accompany to the temple to make the highest covenants with our Heavenly Father. I delight in seeing miracles and change and the hand of God actively working in the life of someone who before, barely had a seed of faith. But to achieve this goal I HAVE TO talk with as many people that I can! I only have 5 months on the mission and while I speak really well for people to understand me I still struggle with the fear that they won't and that because of my inability to communicate they wont receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in there lives. But as I've been praying and reading and studying and trying I've learned that the only thing that will make the fear go away is my confidence in my savior and Heavenly Father. Elder Bednar (a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) said once in a talk he gave that if we do what we have always done we will have what we always had. That really made me think, because I don't want to settle just for what i have right now, I want to get the closest I possibly can to becoming perfect like my Savior.

This week we had a farewell of young man that will leave to serve in the very south part of Brazil. (people say it snows there but i think its impossible to have snow in Brazil) haha  We had lunch with his family and it was so neat to see and here some of his goals and dreams for his mission and how much his parents love and support his decision and yet don't what 2 years apart will be like. Made me think about my family. How much I love you guys and how happy it makes me knowing that I will be with you forever in this life and into the eternities; that families are forever.

One of my favorite young women here in the Santana ward turned 13 this week and instead of going out with friends on her birthday she told us that she wanted to come with us and teach...how awesome is that! 13 years old and shes already preparing herself to serve a mission. We always joke about how she'll be called to Colorado and that one day shell knock on my door (hahah), that would be too cool!!!

Well.....I'm tired but I'm so very happy and I'm working hard. Only one request: PRAY. Pray for me and my companion and the mission and for you too. Everyone needs the strength that comes from prayer.

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Sis Anderson

JuJu Birthday Girl!

taking pictures because we were waiting for Noah and his arc...

swinginggggg

Valentines day.....

Monday, February 16, 2015

So I forget when holidays happen in the US and didn't realize until the morning of the 14th that it was Valentines Day :) BUT, I made cute little valentines for the sisters I live with and my companion so phew!

Also shout out to BIG COLE ANDERSON!!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOO 16 YEARS OLD!!!! I would say little brother but he is far from little now with 16 years of age and I don't even know how tall haha BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him! Man i love my family! That saying that says you don't truly appreciate something until its not there (or something like that, i forget English) is so true when it comes to how i feel about the anderfam...

Before I tear up I wanted to talk about love in honor of Valentines Day! Reasons why I LOVE serving a mission and being a missionary. I love to love and I love to serve. I was called to be a missionary before this life and I know my Heavenly Father is pleased that I'm fulfilling that calling.

God is hastening the work of spreading the gospel and the prophet has told all young people who are worthy and have a desire to serve a mission. I want to be obedient to the prophet of God because he is God's mouthpiece on the earth. I love building relationships with other missionaries and finding people, like my trainer Sister Kelly, that I'll always have to support me throughout this life and the next. I've seen the blessings of the gospel in my life and my family and I am SO BEYOND HAPPY when other families are able to enjoy those sames blessings.

I get to walk! i love walking! I'm completely submerged in a new and very different culture with new food and customs and language and I'm lovin it! I love being able to dedicate my whole self and all my time in thinking about others and their needs above my own. Most importantly, I love being a missionary because I love my savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. He is the reason.

My mom sent me a quote a while back that says:

"Someone has written "Love is a verb". It requires doing-not just saying and thinking. The test is in what one does, how one acts,for love is conveyed in word and deed."

Love your family above anyone else on this earth and love God above ALL else that exists. For He created you and me and put us in families to learn and grow and progress until one day all His children can return to His presence and live with Him again.

ALL MY BRAZILLIAN LOVE

Sis Anderson

My throne

Are there limits in what we are willing to do in order to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

I have a lot of quotes and scriptures that I thought I'd share as my weekly email because I loved them so much!!

"Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words."

"And blessed are they who do HUNGER and THIRST after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" - 3 Nephi 12:6

Humility isn't a sign of weakness, its a sign of spiritual strength.-Preach My Gospel

Mormon não diz o que sabe, presta testemunho
Mormon não afirma, testifica
Para Mormon não existe mentira, existe apostasia
Mormon não paqueira, procura um parceiro celestial
Mormon não casa até o morte e separe, sela para toda a eternidade
Mormon não pensa, pondera
Mormon não cuida da saúde, guarda a palavra de sabedoria
Mormon não tem intuiçaõ, tem o dom do espírito santo
Mormon não tem energia, tem fogo nos osos
Mormon não tem problemas, pasa por provações
Mormon não supera dificuldades, sobrepuja fraquezas
Mormon não morre, vai para mundo espiritual
Mormon não peca, fubeca
Mormon não lê só a biblia, estuda as escrituras
Mormon não reza, conversa com o Pai Celestial
Mormon não aconselha, exorta
Mormon não faz acord, faz convênio
Mormon não chama a atenção, quima
Mormon não é mormon, é Santos Dos Últimos Dias!

I realize its in Portuguese, but the message is clear: being different from the world in these times means to me following the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and humbly recognizing the Lord's hand in EVERYTHING we are blessed with. All he asks in return is humble service to the rest of His children who are searching for peace and happiness.

My love all the way from Brazil!!!

Sis Anderson

I GOT A BUNCH OF PACKAGES THIS WEEK!!!

SUNDAY RAIN!!!!!

OBEDIENCE

Monday, February 2, 2015

"Sim desde aquele ocasião até agora tenho trabalhado sem cessar para conseguir trazer almas ao arrependimento; para fazer com que elas experimentem a intensa alegria que eu experimentei; para que também nasçam de Deus e encham-se do Espírito Santo." -Alma 36:24

WE NEED TO DO OUR BEST TO SHOW OUR SAVIOR WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE KNOWLEDGE WE HAVE BY SHARING IT WITH THOSE THAT WE LOVE!

So i know the scripture is in português but thats the only language I read now :)

I've actually been pretty physically sick lately BUT this has helped me to have really good meaningful studies the afternoons when we don't leave the house. I was reading a talk by President Thomas S. Monson (the prophet of the church) about obedience. (My wonderful guardian angel Judy sent to me!) and these are some of the thoughts i had:

• Obedience is and forever will be the 1st law of Heaven, it is absolutely ESSENTIAL to our eternal salvation.
• The Lord requires our hearts and minds to be WILLING to follow the commandments and then to repent when we mess up. Never put off repentance.
• Most importantly our Father in Heaven asks us to follow Christ's example: refusing to deviate from what we know is right. There are going to be decisions we make where one option might be a lot easier. But we need to choose the option that is right and fulfills the will of the Lord.

I'm realizing more and more and more each day how imperfect I am and how much I have to work on, but also how powerful the atonement is and the love from our Father.

"Except in the case of His only Begotten son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we." -Elder Holland

One more week here in beautiful Brazil! I love it here and I'm grateful I still have a lot of time to learn and grow!

Até Mais
Sis Anderson

Faith (like a little seed)

Monday, January 26, 2015

I studied faith and pray this week :) As I was reading and pondering over the scriptures I came across a talk in the Liahona (a church magazine) and I felt prompted to share my study, or at least a part of it. In Alma it talks about our faith being like a seed and that just our hoping to have faith is enough to bring to pass miracles in our lives and be a part of the miracles in the lives of others.

"...exercedes uma partícula de fé, sim, mesmo que não tenhais mais que o desejo de acreditar, dexai que esse desejo opere em vós, até acreditardes..."
Alma 32:26-34

I realized that more and more each day I need to exercise my faith and then take my findings and questions to the Lord in prayer. Prayer is our personal sacred time to really converse with our Father in Heaven. And I know that He hears us and he answers us; maybe not in the time or manner we want, but he always answers.

"The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue-it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know"

"Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another...don't let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle."
Lord, I Believe, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Apply your faith in your personal prays and in your daily actions! You WILL see miracles!

com amor
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Sister Anderson

Sister Silva!

On the bus!!!!!