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 of^bgreater 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  

October 8th

Hi everyone.  Wow flip´s sounds so fun right now.  It has been more than a year since I last did a backflip.  I am really looking forward when we get to go to priesthood session once more all together. 

This has been a week of revelation down here.  We had a conference with the president and he talked a ton about virtue and how it is what will most give us spiritual power as a missionary.  The mission down here is doing awesome-so close to having 300 baptisms in one month.  So many amazing missionaries.

We also were able to have 2 baptisms.  Juan Medina was chosen so long ago to be the next member of the true church.  He is a fisherman (50 percent of Manta are fishermen) and was so submissive and believing as we taught our message.  He has such a sincere heart and was so ready to receive all that the Lord has prepared for him.  We will now be working with his wife and his daughter. 

Conference was incredible!!  Did I see John Ford in the Priesthood Session Choir?  That was cool that they mentioned Centerville, also.  I´m the only North American missionary in the city so everyone kept bugging me asking how it feels to be in the conference center and asking who I know.  It is always fun to say that I know Brother Russon in the choir haha.

So many inspiring talks, and such a strong spirit right off the bat with that huge announcement.  Did you not feel an overwhelming spirit of excitement?  I felt so........good about all that he said.  I can´t wait to see all the new missionaries get on the next plane out.  I thought of Blair and Doug.  They could be out of there before I get back.

I love you very much.

Time ran out.

Elder Anderson

A piCTurE UpDATe

October 1, 2012

Hello, hello, hello!!!!!

Wow mom all is well.  That is so cool that you were able to go from temple to temple.  I appreciate now more than ever how special the Salt Lake Temple is.  Haha you met Sister Dalton?  I will be waiting to hear her message in conference about the Lakeview Ward young women.  Nathan Kapple will be seeing his parents tomorrow?  Tracy has gotta be going crazy haha.  Well tell Nate hi for me when you get the chance.  I haven´t heard from him the whole mission.  And the last time I heard from Bennett was last year.  Two years later he has got to be a whole new person.  I would also love to hear from him.  Maybe you could forward me some of his e-mails?  Happy Birthday´s to everyone; Kim, Bennett, Charlie and Katie.  We are all getting older here.

It has turned out to be an excellent week, once more.  I am still on a spiritual high thinking of all the people that gave heed to the promptings of the spirit back in Babahoyo and for the amazing people that continue to hear our message in Manta.  We fought and fought and ended up having 4 baptisms this past week.  Rosa is the Elder´s Quorum President´s mom and has been visited by many missionaries.  She is 82 years old....way old haha.  She is beyond funny, though.  She makes us laugh like crazy every time we visit right in the middle of the lesson.  This week we visited her everyday, and everyday she told us she wasn´t going to get baptized.  We encouraged her every time, and every time we ended up leaving with her saying that she would get baptized.  She passed her interview on Friday and the baptism turned out awesome.  The Bodero family had their final child, Joel-9 years old, get  baptized.  Mario, a recent convert, was able to baptize his little nephew and everything turned out even better because the whole ward showed up to support the great event.    

This next Friday we will have three more baptisms.  Two weeks ago we found this guy named Juan Median.  His heard was so prepared to hear our message and from the very beginning he has showed so much faith as he fulfills with each one of the commitments we leave behind.  He and his son, Ruben, will be baptized this week and the mom two weeks later.

The ward here really got together on this fifth Sunday to hold a special moment for an 18 year old girl named Andrea Chisa.  She was in the hospital with a really rough Dengue.  Before the bishop got up to conduct sacrament meeting he got all choked up and made the second counselor conduct.  I thought a lot about all those times when Lakeview ward got all in the gym to say a special prayer for those who were sick.  It is really quite an incredible event to see so many faithful latter-day saints fulfill with their responsibilities as true followers of Christ.  So the doctors had given awful news that there wasn´t even a chance of life, but later on Sunday, two specialists came and she is on a different treatment.  All in all, it was such a sweet and tender mercy to see how the faith of so many was able to bless the life of this sick girl.  The church is true.

Well that is my life as of now.  In the zone here, I am the only North American out of the 17 missionaries.

I love and miss all of you.

My little thought for the week from the words Abed-nego and his comrades while placed in front of the fiery furnace to be burned.  They showed grand faith in the power of the Lord but just to shove it in the king´s face and really make a statement said, "But if not (if God does not free us), be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."  

May be serve God even if it means suffering is the only path.

Elder Preston Anderson

10/24/12

Mom!!

I didn´t know you were going to get released so soon.  Good luck with
the last few moments in your calling.  That is awesome that Brad and
Tracy are going to hang out with Nate for a while.  That is going to
be the most incredible experience for all of them to meet some of the
people that Nate taught.  Wow he has gotta be such a grown up big boy
now.  I can´t wait to talk to him.

Well, I am doing so super great.  This past week we had so many
teaching opportunities and things are really on the way up in the
mission.  We are so deeply focused on reaching goals and our President
has forced us to look for ways to strengthen our faith and open our
eyes to all of the amazing possibilities.  I know that this is the
Lord´s work and He is the only one that will help us succeed.

The ward here is super nice and they are all so willing to do what is
necessary to help the missionaries out.  The fish really isn´t that
bad and I have already gotten used to it anyway.  I might even like it
a little.  I also have been trying a lot of different things to make
in the house.  I can´t stop thinking about how happy dad would be to
be in a place where the only fruit there is literally just taken off
the vine.  And yep, I put in the hot water.  It has made life so much
easier haha.  You have now idea how big of a difference it makes.  I
am really fortunate in my sector right now.  Very, very, very few
missionaries have the chance to live in such a nice house.

Me and my companion are getting along really well and we have lots to
do.  There are now 17 missionaries in the zone so it is a lot to take
care of.  It has been fun to get to know a lot of the missionaries
that I am working with.  They all have such amazing stories of how
they made it out here and how it changed their lives.  It got me to
remember all of the amazing people back in Centerville who helped me
make it out here.  Everything in my life is so much more meaningful.
I would be nothing without the mission. My life started here and I am
a forever grateful for my two brothers and my amazing dad who set the
example to serve a full-time mission.

Well Paige sent me an e-mail and told me that the family back in
Babahoyo got baptized.  Never ever ever ever in my entire life have I
felt something so fulfilling.  I know that I have a loving Heavenly
Father who truly listened to my prayer.  There hearts were so prepared
right in that perfect moment.  The Jacome family is part of who I am
and I just can´t believe it, really.  They are so close to eternity
because they finally took the first step and were baptized.

Well that is about it.  Tell everyone I say hi.  Tell all the young
men to go on missions.  I love you.

Elder Anderson

9/10/12

Thank you so much for the package.  I love all the pictures of Jacksonand seeing all of those smiling faces.  Grandpa looked very content in

his beach chair with his cute wife.  So crazy to think that Charlie is

hanging out with mom at school now.  AH, I will be seeing him when he

is almost 7 years old????  Can you believe how time goes by?  Nate and

Bennett will be getting home so soon.  I hate to think about the end

but I am so glad for the many months ahead.



Changes changes changes!!! I had the most incredible four months in

Babahoyo.  We had so many inspiring lessons and it all came to an end

so fast.  One of the members of the ward could not show up to give his

talk at church and so the bishop roped me into giving a message.  I

felt so comfortable in front of all those people.  I felt like a whole

new person and I know that I am.  I feel the power of my message every

time I testify of it.  Many thought that it was my last Sunday because

I gave a talk, but I told them no because the change ends in two more

weeks.  I got on my knees to pray before going to bed and Elder Hancey

(the Elder from Centerville) called and told me I had changes.  It was

a pretty big blow.  I felt so at home for that short time and I know

that the Lord guided our steps.  I had to take a deep breath and keep

moving on.  I got to packing and 12 hours later received my new

companion.  Our zone is super far away from Guayaquil and the bus ride

was forever long.  My new companion´s name is Elder Medranda.  He is

from Santo Domingo, Ecuador--my second Ecuadorian companion.  He is

just a little guy haha.  I hadn´t really known him before so I am

excited to see what the Lord has waiting in these next few months.  I

have had tons of luck so far with companions and I know it will be

just as good with him.



And I finally saw the beach of Ecuador.  After a year down here they

finally sent me to las playas.  It looks very beautiful for the short

time I have been here (two hours). Our house is REALLY nice.

Everything is set up to have a great next couple of months.  Also, the

Elder I trained-Elder Castañenda-is in my zone again.



Things are going great and the mission keeps taking steps forward.  I

know my Savior lives and we will all meet with Him again someday.



Les quiero a todos



Elder Preston Anderson

9/3/2012

Dear Family,
I wish you could understand how good it makes me feel to know that you
guys are spending so much time together.  The other day my companion,
Elder Hernandez, asked me what makes me the most happy.  I told him
that being able to say that I love my family is what most brings me
joy.  Entonces..I love you.  In preach my gospel it says that our
spiritual power is manifested in the way we express our love towards
our Savior, towards our family, and towards the people we teach.  I am
just beginning to understand that concept but applying it has brought
forth lots of miracles.  Family, I feel so good right now.  I have
never felt such a sincere love for anyone.

This week was more than I could ask for.  I have stood in awe as a
Loving Heavenly Father continues to bless our efforts.  The power of
the book of Mormon has softened the hearts of so many.  I told you
about Christian Jacome´s family last week, but I don´t think you guys
really understand what is happening here.  Everything is fitting right
into place.  Just to make it a little weirder...They have a son on the
mission who also is a twin.  The dad has a cousin named Paige, which
is beyond rare.  Christian´s mom´s name is Karen..and just on and on.
I have never felt so strongly the connection that my heart has with
this family.  I would do anything for them.  Jorge, the dad, has made
amazing progress.  They had been married before but were separated and
divorced for a few years.  They got back together but never have tied
the knot again.  We had the most inspiring lesson on Tuesday.  He has
his doubts about the gospel but a undeniable spirit has softened his
heart.  He says that when his son gets back from the mission in two
years, they will get married.  We talked and talked and that little
seed in his soul stirred more and more.  My companion decided to pull
out the general conference video of Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Waiting on
the road to Damascus."  It brought him to tears at first and after
said that those words were spoken by the power of the Holy Ghost.  He
expressed his love towards us and said that we were the only
missionaries who have been able to convince him.  I could not hold in
the emotions as he offered the most sincere prayer to end it all.  If
God has ever blessed a family for having a son in the mission field,
it is this family.  He gained a testimony in that moment and is
beginning his journey on the road that will lead his family to be
sealed for time and all eternity.

So yesterday they told us they were determined to get married and that
now is the time.  Tomorrow they will be getting all the papers
together.  I love this work.  I am determined to be the best I can.

And to top everything off I got to shake an Apostle´s hand.  So many
inspired words were shared on Saturday morning as hundreds of
missionaries listened to the voice of the Lord´s special witness.  He
spoke of the love he feels as he has the opportunity to assign
missionaries to their different missions.  I know that I am in the
right place and that certainty was sealed in that moment.  He spoke of
the first moments as an apostle when he entered into his first meeting
in the temple as his new leader, Boyd K. Packer, looked him in the
eyes.  Very intimidated, he got up the courage to ask why the
observant expressions.  He told him that fue una mirada de
complacencia.  Just as God the Father stated after His Beloved Son was
baptized, "This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Imagine that day when we will be able to stand in front of our
Heavenly Father and feel His eyes and hear His words of love
penetrating and telling us job well done.  Do all you can to get to
that day!!! Read the Book of Mormon and cherish those words.  We
belong to the true and everlasting church of Christ.

I love you more than words can say.

Elder Anderson