4/23/2012

Hi mom and family,

 

Great to hear all the great news from back home.  Love hearing that the family is sooooo close and sooooo big!!!!  I hope school finishes up just great for all of you.  Mom and Dad, how is Centerville life treating you?  Is everything still really normal?  Have the neighbors changed?  What is going on in my home!!!???

 

So second week in my new sector...this ward is incredible.  First off, it is one of the first areas of Ecuador that the missionaries arrived to, and so a bunch of the members already have a lifetime in the church.  The leaders really know what`s up--especially the priesthood holders.  Our bishop is like a clone of Bishop Wadley.  Really young and full of energy and all of the youth love him.  It is also the first ward where i have really seen members visit the less-actives and fulfill with their responsibilities as Home Teachers.  And the best part of the ward is that their are five preparing missionaries.  This week we have someone assigned each day to help us out in the work!!  Everything starts with organization.  It the leader is organized he can organize his "sheep" and if the "sheep" know their responsibilities everything is soooooooo much easier!  The ward mission leader is very organized and very willing to help us out.  I am so excited to really jump in and be a part of this ward.  I have a feeling and I pray that I can be here for a good chunk of my mission.  We shall see what the Lord has in store for me.

 

Well I got my in-grown toenails taken care of--all 4 of them.  The doctor decided not to give me anything to numb it so he just dug in.  Haha it hurt but he did it really fast and really effectively.  And the next day I could walk completely normally.  FINALLY!!!! I hope I never ever jamàs nunca have to deal with feet problems for the rest of my life.

 

As for the investigators and the baptism.  Well second baptism in a row, we had everything ready and last-minute something happened with the investigator`s family and they got scared.  We still haven`t been able to meet with Eduardo to see what`s up, but I feel like he shall be ready ONCE AGAIN to be baptized very soon.  I have gotten to know the majority of my sector and I am still very excited to find more people to teach because there ARE so many people to teach.

 

Mom-I still haven`t seen any monkeys.  There are tons of iguanas and such, but that is about it.  I hope to find a monkey soon.  They still haven`t told us anything about the phone call, but i promise that I will let you know.  No te preocupes.

 

Well, Elder`s Quorum was awesome this Sunday.  Yes...we talked about moms.  It is a pretty touchy subject for any missionary, but when they ask you to share what you feel for your mom when you are on the mission, that just isn`t fair.  Mom, I love you.  You brought 6 children into this world and did everything necessary to make sure they had a good future.  I don`t think I could ever really understand all that you did for me just like I willl never understand all that Christ did for me.  I love my mom.

 

And that just about wraps everything up. 

 

I shall talk to you soon

 

Elder Anderson 

4/16/2012

Hellooooooo!!!!!!

Ah things are sounding so great back at home and so glad to hear that everyone is soooo busy.  Finals week... holy cow I wish everyone the best of luck.  That is so awesome to hear about all the missionaries in our ward.  I have grown up in the midst of just outstanding people.  Wow dad... big shot, eh?  I hope everything is going well in your new assignment, and I don`t know....it might be completely great if you wrote me.  Love you, Dad.  Sounds like Kyle is just about ready then?  Slow down, everyone!!!! I have only been out 9 months and the family has gone up by 4!!!  Good to hear it, though.  I know that you all are happy and that everyone is on the right path.

 

Haha I would like to see Ryan Francom-my tallest friend-climb out the window.  Travel is very different outside of the states.  I am sure Ryan is experiencing the same thing that I am.  Last Monday, we got on a crowded bus with all of our groceries.  I had to set them down or else I wouldn`t fit.  When I went to pick them up my back pocket got caught on the sensor thing that the bus companies use to charge the Bus Drivers.  The Driver got way mad because he was losing money and it was just an all-around great experience. 

 

So I guess I am still a district leader.  It`s different though.  In all 9 months of my mission I have never had Sister Missionaries anywhere near me, and now I am their District Leader.  Wish me luck, I guess.

 

And my new ward is way, way different from the wards I have been in so far.  Lots of worth priesthood holders and such.  It has a lot more members.  Then only problem is that sacrament starts at 8 so that makes it a bit harder for the not so faithful to wake up on time.  Really, though, we are going to see a lot of success in this area and I am super excited to get going.  I`ve been a little held back by an in-grown toenail, though.  I had to go to the hospital to have it looked at and the doctor told me to rest and take some pills and such.  The swelling went down on one side, but I have to go back again tomorrow to get it taken care of once and for all.  Wish me luck, haha.  I`m sure it will all be fine, just super annoying because I have always had this problem. 

 

So we should have a baptism this coming Saturday.  His name is Eduardo.  He is 22 and his girlfriend is a member of the church.  And that is about all I know so far haha.  We brought an investigator to church and she was going to leave after Sacrament meeting, but the Relief Society President saw her and helped her go to the investigator class.  It was sweet because I haven`t seen much of that in my mission.  The members are so important to this work and it is very easy to recognize that in my new area. 

 

We had Zone Conference this past Friday.  I left so inspired to work hard and be the best missionary.  The President is such a stud.  I just can`t believe how inspired he is.  Missionaries face a lot of difficulties in the work and some really fail in their responsibilities as a companion.  He said something that just hit me so hard about companions.  If we can`t settle problems with our companion on the mission."pobrecita su esposa" (poor little wife), because there are no transfers in marriage.  I really have come a long ways in the way I approach a problem.  Ususally I just ignored everything and isolated myself.  That is pretty impossible in the mission so something had to change.  I hope I can keep it up because everything I am doing right now has everything to do with everything I will do in all of my life.  I really feel like I am progressing, even if I won`t be able to walk for a couple days.  I love my companion.  There is so much work to be done in my new area.  I am a representative of the Lord, Jesus Christ.  I have a family back at home who supports every move I make.  Everything in my life is a gift from God, and I am willing to show Him a little gratitude.  I love you all and I hope you now that I am praying for you. 

 

Elder Preston Michael Anderson

I think conference made him a little home sick!!

hola familia

I really don`t think you guys will ever understand how incredible I feel as I read about all the great things you are doing.  Conference was so powerful.  Can you say "family".  Holy cow, our leaders really know how to pound in the importance of a solid family.  The one from Cheryl Esplin really got me good.  Then the story of the little boy who started singing "I Am A Child Of God" underneath a collapsed building.  How we should take advantage of all the spontaneous moments to help teach our children.  As the choir sang, "Love is Spoken Here," so many feelings of gratitude and pure love came to comfort me.  Mine is a home where every hour is blessed by the strength of Priesthood power.  My mother kneeling with my family each day...Mom-do you remember when for a couple months you would come pray with Paige and I every night before bed? I never ever will forget about that.  Dad-all the priesthood blessings before the beginning of a new year at school, I don`t think you will ever know how big of a blessing that has been in my life.  Every six months where all the boys could head out at 6 o clock and hear our Priesthood leader counsel us.  It brings tears to know that the tradition continues in the Anderson family at the Priesthood Session

So many emotions come into play in the mission.  Right now, I feel comfort.  I know we are guided by inspired Prophets of God.  We are part of an eternal family.  So yep.........I love you all.

This week was a good one.  I, personally, had lots of chances to teach.  Me and my companion, Elder Castañeda, are still working like crazy to get some people to progress.  Genesis went to conference and really enjoyed it and she is still excited for her baptism this Saturday.  Jessenia, who was just recently baptized is still progressing like crazy.  She had her temple recommend interview on Wednesday, and the headed out with the a bunch of members of the word to visit some less actives.  For some reason she wasn`t able to go to the temple on Friday, but she shall be going soon.  She pretty much learned everything there is to know about the gospel in 2 months.  How cool is that? 

We headed out to a place called Mexico Lindo which is about a hour away and to get there you have to get on a Ranchero.  It was way fun and I really want to go back again haha.  So we got there and started looking for more people to teach.  It went well but then the last Ranchero headed back out to Ventanas so we were pretty much stuck there.  We thought the members of the ward who were visiting some less actives would be on top of things, but we all ended up being stuck together.  We started walking back at 7 when it was already night time and another Ranchero happened to pass by to give us all a ride back.  It was really cool walking back, though.  There were tons of fireflies-something that I had never seen before. 

This week, we saw a lot of progress.  I am definitely a changing person and all my dumb little personality traits are changing bit by bit.  My companion does lot of things that bother me.  But their things that really don`t matter.  I finally understood that and I hope to be able to start focusing on what matters.  Mom and Paige-you guys are definitely the winners as far as writing me goes.  Keep it up.  Every word in your letters is another help to keep pushing forward.  I`m doing great.  I am still really healthy.  And even though I can`t afford 485 dollar shoes(hahahahaha Tracy) I am still very happy

I am not sure how Easter goes down here but lots of people are starting to talk about the Pascua and I am pretty sure there are going to be lot of parties and lots of drinking.  But.... I hope you all enjoy the Easter Season, reflecting on the life that Christ has given to us.  I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. SIGAN ADELANTE CON EL AMOR PURO DE CRISTO. LES QUIERO MUCHO. OREN POR MI.  ESCRÌBANME HERMANOS.