The Windows of Heaven are Opening up!

Whose got the blessings?! Well my dear family I am very happy to report
that I couldn't be more satisfied with the work that is happening in the
timing of the Lord here in Santo Antônio. This week in accordance to a
challenge from the zone leaders to mark 3 baptismal date, my companion and
I marked 4 and found some wonderful people who are really ready to receive
the restored gospel. Yesterday alone we found two couples that are just
starting up families- really cool. Quick stories with yesterday, we went to
the homes of two less active families both of which have been to the temple,
but whom haven't been going to church because of the hurt feelings, or lack
of enthusiasm about the ward, but my companion was able to share a great
testimony especially because of the experience he had returning from the
mission for 8 months and many people in the church judging him, but never
giving up his testimony that the church is true. Both of these families are
going to church Sunday. One family we blessed their sick child before we
left- the woman of this household has a rock hard faith in the Gospel,
great example for the family. The other family we spent a bunch of time
with the father who served a mission in Sao Paulo, looking at pictures from
the mission and everything, played a little football americano with his son
and sang them a Christmas song. The blessings of attending church are soo
apparent- these people are soo sad and are missing out on the sacrament.
COME HOME MY PEOPLE!

Speaking of Church, it was absolutely amazing Sunday. A recent convert
Junior, received the Priesthood, I can't express the special feeling of the
spirit and body as I had the opportunity to place my hand on his head as he
was conferred upon the power of God the responsibilities that are in
accordance. He is a great man, and will marry and serve many people
including his future children. He will baptize his nephew this next week.

Oh one other experience that happened yesterday, we were entered a
neighborhood we had never worked before and I 10 steps into the street we
found a man stricken with pain for the loss of his wife several years ago,
I felt prompted to invite him to be baptized and he accepted, we will be
returning to his house this week, it is really incredible how God places
people in our path who we must talk to. Another example that happened
yesterday, I had wanted to find this guy Mateus for the longest time, but
he was never home. we was the first contact a made in Brasilia, and we were
passing by his house so I thought to knock. And low and behold who answered
the door Mateus! but it wasn't the same Mateus that I had talked with on
the bus that day. But no matter this Mateus skates with our ward missionary
leader and was looking to be baptized, but wasn't sure were. He has 15
years, but you wouldn't believe it he is an elite.

Well, all I can say is that I hope I can stay here one more transfer to
baptize a lot, but it sure is great to see the blessing after the trial of
our faith.

Well got to go

Elder Anderson

Hello Loved Ones!

Wow, what wonderful emails, 

Andrew, good to hear from you, how wonderful that you have found a friend to enjoy and share the joy of the Gospel with, with your beloved wife in whom you mentioned you love quite a bit. Remember the talk by Elder Bednar from Conference, this part is what is most beautiful about the Gospel, sharing the Gospel with a friend so their family can enjoy the blessings of the gospel. Our ward had a baptism this weekend because of this very thing. A family sharing with another family the remedy that they have-the restored Gospel. How wonderful to have a friend which really is basic to the Gospel as my stake President spoke this weekend the working together as friends in the spirit of love and understanding is how our father in Heaven would have us do. Thanks Andrew

Isaac, hey man your the one that was asking for fasting tips man, callin me a tubber. no just joking, how is your fasting by the way? are you applying some of those ideas? Fasting for a purpose? It isn't easy, that is for sure, I'm trying to apply the principle of fasting more effectively in my week. 

Which reminds me, Mother! Thank you for the scripture in Exodus and also the scripture about fasting a while back, I could feel your love and concern from a mile a way. . .or many miles. . . away. Oh ya and I knew it I knew it I'm going to be an Uncle! oh by the way I prefer Uncle Louie, or Lewis, Uncle Hayden doesn't have the ring to it. Just so you know. Oh and I'm sorry, but I haven't received the package yet, it may be at the mission office by now,  I'm not sure when I will obtain it, but I'm sure I will enjoy it, or some one will. Oh and your idea about the food thing around the world is amazingly awesome, you guys are so creative. Not to mention the Christmas Card, just like your mother, mother, :) I too and baking, sweltering what ever word has more sweat in it that is what I would pick. But I don't think that goes well with baking...  Oh and my missionary friends and I are also singing spreading Gospel Cheer at this blessed time, it is really cool, we all sing pretty well. HAHA we have a mission Christmas party, training, dinner, day and we prepared a number singing feliz navidad and merry Christmas, it really was golden afterwards we threw candy to everyone. 

Hey Did Matt Moody serve a mission in Chile or not? if he did he baptized the parents of my companion- please get the scoop. Cool connection.

Clark, hahaha sim mande, mande meu amigo, possou assistir sim. Que legal, obrigado. Você aprendeu como fazer arroz na missão frita em olho e alho? Muito bom o arroz aqui espero que poder mostrar a mai porque arroz salgado eu acho e muito melhor. Oh and did you receive my letter yet? I hope it arrives in time. Love you man oh and how is Hilary? eh? Possibilities, returned missionary? Go my son the time is now hahah love you man. 

Well, my time is short, my face is fat, my waste is wider, I'm still tall, and I'm growing in many many ways haha joking, I'm learning how to joke more with my Chilean companion the other Brazilian and Englishman- sorta ( he was lived there for five years after is birth, but it is cool to say anyway)

We will talk more on Thursday, but so you know my testimony was strengthened a whole lot this week on my purpose to find families to baptize on the mission because that is really where we experience the most joy, applying the principles of the gospel in our families, the most growth, and learning, and eternal joy, we could ever have, my companion and I have this focus and we are working with the friends and family or our ward members, helping them fulfill their purpose as servants in the kingdom of God. 

Much Love, 

Elder Anderson

Story Time

Hello Dear Family, well first thing i have to say mother is "it is not fat. . . it is just poofy." hahah name that movie. what a great one. well the truth is uma senhora told me i have gained weight this week so i guess that seals the deal doesn't it. . . well at least i'm not starving right! oh and the people are quite friendly the majority that is some turn their heads or walk faster but that is understandable, i really am kind of a giant here especially on the bus, zack wouldn't make it here i think public transportation would be the end of him, but it is just kind of funny really. Many opportunities to share the Gospel we will put it that way. But, it is the truth, today we went shopping and I can feel these people are looking and wondering, and I really just need to open my mouth and give one of those "He is the Gift Cards"- courage to follow the promptings of the spirit- do it now- don't procrastinate. 

Well I had wondered why people shoot fireworks during the day here, my companion tells me it is drug trafiking, so that makes a lot of sense now. But, we are quite safe here, just have to avoid certain locations in the night time. Our area is quite large, but we are going to get to know more areas in search of the lords elite.

Dad the Christmas letter was absolutely wonderful, inspired in deed. thank you for the pictures. Mother I love you way to go serving all of these people, such a nice experience for you to hold the little baby thinking of Jesus, He is the Gift. Many people here think more of the mother who bore him and it blurs the purpose of the Savior a bit, Christ is the Redeemer, He is the Savior, who rose from the dead and loosed the bands of death,   

So I guess there was a special conference for all of Brazil, but our ward kind of missed the majority of it because we didn't have power, but I got to talk to the Bishop a lot, He is such a swell guy, I'm excited to work with him more. 

We are helping the sister of a recent convert prepare for baptism and it is wonderful to see the example of these young women for their parents and this week we were able to teach with the mother present and I feel that one day they will accept the restored gospel- the gospel blesses familes- I know it. I was able to share some photos of you my beautiful familiy serval times this week and bear testimony of the gospel path for families and how baptism is the gate in which we enter to receive these blessing together as a family. I really feel the power of the priesthood as a preach the gospel with boldness and clarity and with love for those I meet. This is when I feel the gift of tongues when I realize this purpose. 

Which brings us to the next story, The language, yes mother it has been a struggle and this week I realized how much I have yet to learn and that only in the spirit of humility and hard work, can I become fluent in this language. I have rededicated my effort to learn new words and study grammer so I can really embrace the language and so I can talk with Clark at Christmas :)

Oh so I talked with this 88 year old man for a while this week whom every one thinks is crazy and just listened to his stories of life and I really felt the spirit and how important it is that we learn from the past of our ancestors and take care of them in their old age. This guy to me is the like the centinal of his family, the only one who really knows what is going on- I took some time to study my family history because of this experience and going to look to help the recent converts to get started and prepare to serve in the temple. 

Well the next time I talk to you there will only be a few days left until Christmas I will get you more details about skype then. Oh and Clark I sent you a letter should arive in a week. Dad I was wondering how is work? 

I can't send more pictures today, just the one. Love you guys

Merry Christmas,

Elder Anderson

Dearest Family I Am Near You

Hello dearest family, welcome to the Elder Anderson report of the Santo Antônio do Descoberto, Brasil, Brasilia mission!

Elder Arias is my new companion from Chile, his parents were baptized by a Matt Moody from Utah, I'm quite certain that it is the same we know, PLEASE confirm this, he served in Chile right? Elder Arias loves soccer and sings really well, he is an amazing missionary, we had an amazing week. 

People I'm teaching- Elisioneide e Reimundo, this is the couple Elder Mattos and I were teaching but weren't able to return for a long time, but Elder Arias and I were very pleased to find them reading The Book of Mormon all of this time and with a testimony of it's truthfulness, this family is by far the most prepared and most leadership type family that I have yet encountered and it makes me happy to know that my first week in the mission because of talking to a 11 year old boy about his special name Gabriel that the Woman next to him would be able to meet with us and have a date for baptism the 10th of January after they marry and they determined that even before we arrived. 

We also committed 2 other senhoras to baptism whom I have previously known and one of them Solande, all of here children are members less active, she serves the community by coaching soccer teams for various ages, she is amazing, and what's more is that Elder Arias and I invited some of the children to return to church and they accepted, it was wonderful to see the joy on the face of a less active as she saw her children return from primary with smiling happy faces. 

My companion is wonderful at contacting in the street with pamphlets setting return appointments and preaching to the gospel. we made 30 contacts this week with 15 return appointments. we carried the district in novos this week. 

Speaking of my companion it is his birthday today so we threw eggs and flour ate him when he woke up. strange huh? a custom in brazil, we took a video, some of the eggs were a little frozen, but oh well, 

Lifestyle, with each passing month on my mission the apartment has gotten cleaner and cleaner until last week Elder Schinigoski of Parana, Elder Brown de Great Britain, well he was born there, my companion and I went at it, cleaned the floors just about everything. It is pretty awesome. Order, Cleanliness, all do Senhor. 

Hey I have Clark for Christmas right, I will make his present today and send it this week. And that day I said I could send a box to you guys I think I was day dreaming it is really expensive, but maybe I can use my card? no worries Clark it will be a great letter! I promise.

Speaking of my card is everything good, isn't more expensive to use to make purchases, well I used it a few times one time at the bank to get some dough to help out the zone t-shirts, good thing that worked out. 

Oh our ward is getting more excited every day, the Bishop is returning to work in Brasilia, the leadership is really picking things up this hole in the ground town is really fulfilling the promises of the lords church. And geographically it really is a hole in the ground by the way, kinda cool, like a valley you know. 

Well, I never felt so much like a missionary in one week I think, this transfer will be wonderful, my companion has already taught me so much. 

Did I mention it rains here a lot!? ya it does, but it is really cool. 

I like playing the organ in church. I've been thinking more about my musical talents and how I would like to develop them more and share them with others. . . there are so many wonderful things to learn on the mission, in school, in the family, in life. . . make a goal, say a prayer, and hie ho away we go, off to never land. I love this Gospel, a Gospel of progression, Eternal Progression, we have an almighty God we created us, he loves us, and wants us to be like him, he sent his son to die for us that we may live again free of sin and pain and death. Families can be together forever, I know this. I want to study my genealogy more, the Book of Mormon is true and the key stone of our religion and whoever will test this book of sincere intent shall receive a witness through the power of the Holy Ghost. This is true. I testify of it as a representative of Jesus Christ and say unto every one, of my family, friends, seek this Jesus, and share his LOVE, through obedience to the commandments of the Father we can have joy in this life and the next. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Merry Christmas family, Clark I approve this one, yes you may, top my friend top, returned missionary, de ouro cara, de ouro, não posso esperar até falamos em portuguese cara no natál vai ser chique, te amo!

Só Isso vou enviar photos,

TCHAU

Elder Anderson

Juntos todos Juntos!

Hello my lovelies for lack of time I'm putting the answers to Brother Ence's questions here with you because I think you guys would like to know too.

What could I share with the young men? My companion was transferred today no it wasn't an emergency it is all cool, and now I have a new companion from Chile who has 10 months on the mission, I can already tell that we are going to be able to a lot of work together, where as my other companion had many problems with health and had 2 more months on the mission than me. This just shows me that God has things he wants us to learn on the mission, not just working our brains out. With my first companion, I learned a lot about humility, patience, and things that i may not have learned otherwise had it not been for the difficult circumstances we had at times. And now, I feel that there is a change and I will be able to learn more yet and serve more people and lead people to the path that leads to Eternal Life. One thing that my other Companion taught me is to be a friend, a came to earth to walk the path together, not alone, and we should strengthen each other with our time, service, and our example, and when I think about Jesus I think of him as an example and did his example shine before men, YES! BE AN EXAMPLE MY YOUNG MEN! 

HEY I want to hear from my young men! TELL them to write to me and tell me how they are doing please Brother Ence?

Okay my dear family first of all I have pictures of the transfer, but this computer is a bit odd so we'll see about that, 

Mother I just about cried with your letter, yes I love you, and no my Thanksgiving wasn't very special, actually I forgot until the afternoon, I recall thinking some thankful thoughts, yes I know it is shameful. glad to hear you are working on a box for me! Happy 50th my dear one, Dad way to be smooth with the surprise, nice!

Dad you are a rock and yes I'm trying to manage my email time for you my parents. 

But this week I learned more about patience as Elder Mattos was sick again this transfer he had a urine infection, water virus, and a cold, but we were able to find some new investigators and Elder Brown and I did a service project while the others stayed at home, we did Capinando, basically taking out the grass, Cutting it down, hoeing it out, all for this school's beauty it was pretty awesome, and I got some pretty awesome blisters. Afterwards we ate a churasca and torta de maça,and yes that means apple pie! It was amazing! oh I also ate sugar cane this week, super tasty. 

Two of the most special moments that have occurred on my mission have been after a companionship inventory and when my companion said the prayer before we left the house this morning. I don't think that hug appropriately names it because of the incredible spirit of companionship and support that I felt, but I know that we suffered together and we laughed together and we worked together and prayed together and I believe we are better because of it.

Love you family,

Elder Anderson   

p.s. sorry this computer won't let me send the pics from the transfer.

oh and did i mention that 70 percent of the members of the church in Brazil are non members, that is a major part of our work to, strengthening the stakes!