Hi mom and others,
So with the whole Christmas thing...I don´t want to skype. It is a huge hastle and I would rather talk to everyone individually. It will be just like Mother´s day. I will call one of your phones and you can work it all out. The difficult things is that Christmas Day is Tuesday and we have District meeting at 9 until 12ish. I am thinking that 12ish would work best. How does that sound? If not it can be Christmas eve or even the 26th. Just let me know.
I have had an awesome week. It is so true all they say about the plateau affect on the mission. We jump on a rocket at the beginning and get to a point where things all start blending in and we stop progressing. I caught myself before it could happen and I feel a really strong spirit blessing my life as I understand more fully the scriptures that I am reading. In the Book of Mormon I read that
And whoso receiveth athis record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know ofbgreater things than these.
There are so many things out there for us to discover. Even more than those that are written in the scriptures--but we must accept the scriptures before they shall be revealed to us.
This week we will be heading out to Guayaquil...again haha. I love the four hour bus-ride....We should be meeting with a huge group of missionaries and we will be able to go to the temple. It has been almost exactly a year since I last entered the temple so you can imagine that I am pretty excited.
It has been a good experience these last few month with my companion. I have learned how to control myself and to stand my ground when the investigators start to attack. I don´t want to doubt anything. I know I have been sent here by a prophet of God and it is my responsibility to share the gospel in all of its fulness--even if they don´t want to accept the truth. Yesterday an ex-member of the church listened to us along with her Catholic husband. He is a good person. He is a good dad. But he fails to understand the never-failing virtue of obedience. He said he likes the Catholic church because it doesn´t make him do things he doesn´t want to do. Things like drink coffee or a beer every now and then. Things like a bishop who helps us stay obedient and worthy enough to enter into the temple by asking if we pay a full-tithing.
Sometimes I don´t like walking around in the sun. Sometimes I don´t like when the people on the street say something offensive. Sometimes I don´t like waking up at 6:25 to exercise. But then I remember that a God who doesn´t require sacrifice is not a true God. He would be a God who does not ask us to progress. Being good would be good enough. But that is not the God that I serve. I am so grateful for the testimony that I have in this Gospel that I am now sharing. It all comes back to Christ. We strive to follow a perfect being. He, who without flaw, showed us the way. It all is so worth it. I feel such a strong peace as I see others who really have understood these things and cause others to see the light of Christ in their lives. I remember my family who has that same light. May we like the children accept the commandment to bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
I love you all. Have an excellent week.
Elder Anderson
So with the whole Christmas thing...I don´t want to skype. It is a huge hastle and I would rather talk to everyone individually. It will be just like Mother´s day. I will call one of your phones and you can work it all out. The difficult things is that Christmas Day is Tuesday and we have District meeting at 9 until 12ish. I am thinking that 12ish would work best. How does that sound? If not it can be Christmas eve or even the 26th. Just let me know.
I have had an awesome week. It is so true all they say about the plateau affect on the mission. We jump on a rocket at the beginning and get to a point where things all start blending in and we stop progressing. I caught myself before it could happen and I feel a really strong spirit blessing my life as I understand more fully the scriptures that I am reading. In the Book of Mormon I read that
And whoso receiveth athis record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know ofbgreater things than these.
There are so many things out there for us to discover. Even more than those that are written in the scriptures--but we must accept the scriptures before they shall be revealed to us.
This week we will be heading out to Guayaquil...again haha. I love the four hour bus-ride....We should be meeting with a huge group of missionaries and we will be able to go to the temple. It has been almost exactly a year since I last entered the temple so you can imagine that I am pretty excited.
It has been a good experience these last few month with my companion. I have learned how to control myself and to stand my ground when the investigators start to attack. I don´t want to doubt anything. I know I have been sent here by a prophet of God and it is my responsibility to share the gospel in all of its fulness--even if they don´t want to accept the truth. Yesterday an ex-member of the church listened to us along with her Catholic husband. He is a good person. He is a good dad. But he fails to understand the never-failing virtue of obedience. He said he likes the Catholic church because it doesn´t make him do things he doesn´t want to do. Things like drink coffee or a beer every now and then. Things like a bishop who helps us stay obedient and worthy enough to enter into the temple by asking if we pay a full-tithing.
Sometimes I don´t like walking around in the sun. Sometimes I don´t like when the people on the street say something offensive. Sometimes I don´t like waking up at 6:25 to exercise. But then I remember that a God who doesn´t require sacrifice is not a true God. He would be a God who does not ask us to progress. Being good would be good enough. But that is not the God that I serve. I am so grateful for the testimony that I have in this Gospel that I am now sharing. It all comes back to Christ. We strive to follow a perfect being. He, who without flaw, showed us the way. It all is so worth it. I feel such a strong peace as I see others who really have understood these things and cause others to see the light of Christ in their lives. I remember my family who has that same light. May we like the children accept the commandment to bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.
I love you all. Have an excellent week.
Elder Anderson
