August 19th Hitting the Brazillian Streets with a testimony, a loving heart and VERY little Portuguese!

Hola Familia! My preparation day turned out to be today because we have to be cleared by the police on Friday. hahahah I love you all!!! Mom, Dad, Andrew, Clarissa, Clark, Austin, Isaac, of course Nolan, God bless you all, I'm soo glad to hear about the good things that are going on back home. I pray for you in your trials- Dad you are hanging in there ya? Things starting to cool down with school? Just remember to sing a hymn if you feel discouraged. :) love you. Well, I I am reminded every so often of the name I wear on my chest which is Jesus Christ. I know that because he died for us we can be with our families forever. WE HAVE ETERNITY. I want to share this hope with others here in Brazil.

I feel like my Portugues is coming well, I'm trying very hard to be a good senior companion to Elder Goodsell, but most importantly a good friend. I know that each challenge I am experiencing now can be an opportunity for me to learn and grow if I endure, living the teachings of the Savior.

I just ate soooo much food, my favorite meal fajoando( if that is how you spell it) basically rice with beans in a meaty stew, wow, I feel like i set a record. haha. This Wednesday our District is going to hit the streets of Brazil with Books of Mormon and Proselyte! I hope to bear my testimony in a simple loving manner, listening for the promptings of the Spirit to guide my companion and I.

By the way I have sent some letters, have you received any of them? I should be sending one for Andrew and Clarissa today. :)

Hey Austin, I hear you pretty much a grown man back home? awesome man. Don't you just love Seminary? What is the news about the play? I love you Auzy.

Mom thank you so much for telling me about the talk you were preparing with dad "Love- the Essence of the Gospel." I studied it last week and I really needed to reset my focus. I think that is part of not "running faster than I have strength", without a smile and love in my heart, this work is very difficult. How did the talk go by the way?

Isaac, how is the ant farm, and wow your birthday is coming right up huh! I may need to send you another letter huh? Are you going to Lava Ridge yet? No, one more year at Coral Cliffs huh? How are your piano lessons? I get to use my piano skills alllllll the time hear in the CTM, in fact I get to play today. I have felt such a peace at times while playing sacred tunes on the piano, what a blessing. THANKS MOM.

Clark, you'd be glad to hear that I wear your plaque every so often :) I feel pretty awesome actually :) oh I think I purchase some index cards or something today for that idea you had about putting them on objects, my companion didn't like the directions idea though ahhahaha.

Andrew and Clarissa, hopefully you will receive my letter soon. Please let me know what is going on in you Job world and Family world :) How is the book coming Clarissa? have you started the next one yet?

Well, my family. I'm going to smile much more this week, speak no English (okay probably a tiny bit), and I hope as I strive to be 100 percent obedient, I will be able to set an encouraging example and my companion and I will become friends and colleagues in the work of the Lord.

Love, my family, Love, that is what I have for you,

Elder Anderson

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August 15th, 2014 "Dear Family"

Dear Family,

 

Today I went to the Campinas Temple, I listened to the session in Portugues and actually participated in the prayer, and with some serious help finished out with the Portugues language. I am so glad to speack with the people of this country, I already feel a great love for them and a desire to serve them and share my testimony with them. On the bus ride home, I felt the need to humm/sing some hymns to my self; I know that as the scripture says in Doctrine and Covenants 25, "the song of the righteous is prayer unto me, and shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." The Spirit comforted me and sanctified the area around me, I felt this. Shortly before our arrival the Spirit taught me some very specific things I can do to fulfill my calling as a missionary, as a senior companion, member of a district, and Leader of a Zone. This was a special blessing for me, yesterday I experienced the culmanation of some serious stress. I know that God will answer our prayers if we will humbly seek him.

 

I'm sorry my time is running short. I'm glad to hear Austin is excited for Seminary. IT IS SUCH A BLESSING. Farmer Isaac, how are the ants :) Dad thank you for your letter, I have felt some of those same feelings before, especially yesterday, but I do know that The Lord has called me to serve, so that is what I will do. Oh I hope everything works out with Andrew and Clarissa, that is some exciting news! Clark soooo good to hear from you! I will definetly talk to my companion about some fo those ideas. Today I met an elder from Chile whose 20 year old sister died 5 years ago and he testified to me that he knew she was serving a mission in Heaven, I told him that I believed the same thing about Nolan and I know that he is helping me on my mission.

 

Farewell, I love you all,

 

Elder Anderson

August 7,2014 "Hello my dear family"

Hello my dear family,

OHHH I miss you soo much, I am often over come with emotion and love for you all and find myself wet in the face :) Thankyou Austin, Clark, Isaac for you "Flight Letters", Isaac's letter cut me to the quick on that one, wow, I LOVE YOU ISAAC. Clark your letter really became meaningful after the first few days of the CTM (MTC, it is backwards here in Brazil). Austin you are such a good young man and fantastic brother, elchubracabra ;) Oh my dear Mother and Father, thank you for helping me record some of the Blessings I received from President Bowden when I was set apart to serve; I carry that paper with me to remind me of my call to serve. Andrew and Clarissa MOuaAH, that is a kissing sound. I love you both.

Well my friends, Domingo pasado I was called by Presidente Barros to serve as zone leader. Our zone is fairly new in every sense of the word, yet I'm very grateful for the call to serve in this important calling. My most important responsibility is to serve my zone with love and humility while setting the example of an obedient missionary. I find this fairly difficult. Often times, I may allow pride to work in me which causes problems with my companion and my district. However, I am praying muito that God will help me and my companion fulfill our callings.

Domingo pasado, I played the piano for our morning missionary devotional which included all of the missionaries and Presidente Swensen and his wife. I have had the opportunity to speak with them several times and this past Tuesday when they entered the auditorium for our devotional, I felt the spirit tell me that they were called of God to love and help the missionaries be obedient.

I've made many friends here at the CTM, the Instutors are "mutio bem" and help our district to learn our purpose as missionaries which is the Doctrine of Christ, how to become better teachers, and how to qualify for the divine of "O Dom de Lenguas" The Gift of Scrounges. My companion and I pray for this gift everyday. Recently my companion and I taught a new investigator our instructor Irma Bueno about the Restoration of the Gospel. It was our first visit and following the meeting and later in class I realized I had made a mistake. "We teach people, not lessons", I was more concerned about the lesson than who the person was, what problems they had, and how I could help them. Perhaps I should continue to follow this pattern with my companion? Yes, I think so.

Less than an hour ago our district returned from the Campinas Templo. It was a great opportunity to seek guidance from my Father in Heaven and I did receive the Spirit's witness of some things I can do better- Pray. The temple was beautiful, the people were helpful; I met some people from Brasilia, that was cool. Oh a little bit about my District: we are all from Utah besides Elder Neeleman from CT, he is acquainted with the Rosdahls. Elder Patterson is his companion and we share a room with them. Elder Labrum is a trio with Elder Josephson and Elder Numbers. Elder Labrum is the cousin of Harrison Labrum. My companion Elder Goodsell is very funny, he loves to laugh, loves his family, loves being active- he is crazy athletic.

This is our first P-day, I will try to send you some letters today depending on how crazy things are, I have some written. I try to only write on p-day.

I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World. He has called me to serve here in Brazil for a wise purpose, which purpose I know not, yet this I know; that I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He stand at the last day upon the earth and though skin worms destroy this body, yet in the flesh shall I see God- JOB

Love, Elder Anderson