Big News

To my dear friends and family, this past week was the baptism of a sister Cida legally married to Ramon as of Friday and baptized Sunday in a beautiful chapel not far from our area. In attendance were Weverton and Flavia with whom we have a family night this evening, they who are to be baptized on the 5th of April after a marriage for all time. . . and the following year for eternity, they are making plans already. The man of the house we found fasting this past week. . . wow he is amazing- the Gospel changes lives, he used to drink a lot and stopped going to school the first year, but is going to return to study- I've never seen an investigator with such a hunger for the gospel truths that are available to the faithful seeker in this Church of God.

With the encouragement of the bishop and councilors. We are going to start up the English Class again this Saturday, with plans to start the choir the following week, which may include a music fundamentals class with focus on piano provided by me; could be a great prep for a ward talent show this month. Activities are kinda scarce here as of late so we are going to get moving there. 

there are many baptismal dates for this month some are more firm than others, but we also have many new investigators that seem promising. It is soo great to talk to people about the Gospel and life and help them with life's questions and talk in Portuguese. yah

Wow how wonderful, my dear family. serving ad mist illness, hosting the suffering in your own home. My family is incredible, I can see Clark Farnsworth returning a powerful priesthood holder. Can't believe he is back, but then again I almost have 7 months. 

Yes Isaac you are very funny and I love you man. good to hear from CLhoe. Soccer rocks, lets play when i get back. 

Austin that is nuts that you are dunking, keep working your leg muscles! oh and your throat muscles too. How is Seminary, I hear things are changing a bit in the curriculum. 

Oh dad I'm going to help the ward get a choir started and the Bishop wanted me to help people figure out their range- do you have a hint. 

Thank you for helping Sis. Delucio really you are serving those whom need the most help and for this you will receive the greatest blessings. 

So my companion is going to finish the training of an Élder who is a recent convert and seems like a very powerful missionary. My companion is sad to leave the area, but was concerned about his relationship with you guys and I told him that you all had forgiven him, but he told be that he hopes that when we see each other that I want have to think about what he did wrong against me, but for me it is just fulfilling prophesy and I'm thankful for the opportunity to forgive a brother of mine that the Lord is trying to save for himself as his servant. My Patriarchal blessing says that some of my most challenging assignments will be in behalf of others, and I would be amazed at how the Lord would inspire me to resolve difficult circumstances. Certainly I felt your prayers supporting me in the trial, and I was able to see the power of the Atonement working in my companion and me. What a blessing. 

So the blog of the mission is a facebook thing, so if you guys still aren't getting it look up Mission Brasil Brasilia on Facebook and request. 

Mom I shared your story from the Ensign with a sister who has a son with speaking problems. reminds me a lot of Nolan when he was young, little blessing. He has got the same hair, too. 

Well I must be going. Oh, but tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my companion who reigns from Rio- going to train him and simultaneously be district leader. 

Love you all,

Lots of opportunities in life- make the best of them and enjoy the gifts of the Spirit. Serve your fellow man.

Élder L. Anderson

Carne

Well where is the meat the meat I want the meat. Be careful what you eat, especially if there is too much meat #wordofwisdom

Well my dearly beloveds, which is quite appropriate because this Friday there is going to be a marriage! and no it isn't Clark. . . yet. But of Ramon e Cida!!! and who will be baptized the following Sunday? CIDA! how wonderful. I'm really quite excited and excited to teach them a little bit more about the laws and ordinances of the church this week- that is really important you know. In Preach my Gospel usually we teach the 5th lesson after baptism, but there is a thing going on that we are supposed to teach the 5th lesson before baptism as well- these things must be important then: Service, missionary work, Eternal Marriage, Temples and Family History, Service in the Church. I think I mentioned that the friends of this couple are also preparing to marry and be baptized as well right?

So this last Sunday we made a plan to make a plan. . . For the English class, to be the real thing it has to be supported by the ward and supervised by the leader so we are going to talk about that. Also, the short looking man in one of the pictures i sent you asked me if i would teach his son some piano whom frequently stays in the house doing nothing, so my gears get turning in my brain and I get to thinking you know I love the piano, I know how to play the piano ( yes I'm getting physiological here) so I should teach people how to play the piano so they can love it and bless other peoples lives, too. So long story short, I think I'm going to work up a class of piano slash music theory slash basics slash no one has a piano here slash we are going to get creative if you know what I mean. yah- found a paper with a written key board and chords written on the paper and I think that will be the foundation, everyone make a keyboard, you know draw one. practice the basic chords and learn the melody for the top hand. 

So I've got to go, the President says I shouldn´t be surprised if I receive a "promotion" this next week #transfers. 

Love you all, I love the mission, I'm changing, I'm an Elder Anderson

Hope you like him

TCHAU

Time time

Oh my dearest family please forgive me, but my time is gone and, because we had technical difficulties here today and I was trying to get some pictures ready for you because a member of my ward Erico and his wife are going to visit Utah next week and they said I could give something to them for you guys so I got some photos ready. I will pass your number to them dad, but I think it is actually 2 weeks from now so I can get you more details, but they will pass the st. George temple and you guys can meet them there. 

Mother the package is in the office and I asked them to bring it tomorrow- again. But thank you soo much for you letter and the scriptures you shared, you are quite impressive. 

Dad sorry about your toe, that is unfortunate, but maybe it will let you stop and think a bit too, so it isn't all bad right. 

Today we missionaries went to a waterfall that was sooooo awesome i attached one with me and another missionary. I felt like i really was in the jungle because I was. 

My companion and i have a bunch of baptisms marked for this Sunday many of them are young, but we are working with the members and the ward is really great.

I am super happy and supper sorry this letter is soo short, but we have to help people prepare for baptism. I love you and will write better next time

Please send some type of contact for Alex P. for me, my companion has almost 25 years because he was inactive before the mission, but returned and left to serve God it is incredible. 

with Love

Elder Anderson

Transferred

Hello my dearest ones, I am glad to hear from you- basketball is going
well, scouts, painting, fellowshipping, everything, how wonderful.

I am also very well, this past week was  wonderful, yesterday my companion
and I were able  to bring some wonderful people to  church with the help of
the members. Yesterday I discovered I would be transferred and was able to
here some wonderful things from the family of the bishop and the family of
the high priest group leader. It is so gratifying to see them so excited
and the members making plans and serving the ward and getting excited about
home teaching and fulfilling their callings and really sharing the gospel-
the Bishop is a great example of this. That ward is going to grow soo much
and will be the source of much service and joy.

Last week we had a family home evening with a family and watched "Together
Forever" The Husband of a member expressed afterwards his desire to be
baptized and be sealed with His family forever- what power and spirit I
felt in this statement. However at the end, and I knowing the the mother in
law had recently separated from her husband after a life time of raising
their children in the church, struggled through tears to say the prayer.
Afterwards I asked her if she would accept a blessing of comfort and
blessed her with power and authority. I feel the power of the priesthood so
strongly on the mission because I love these people so much and I know that
plan that God has for each of them. Yesterday we ate lunch with this family
after church and received many references from this faithful woman.

I'm so excited to meet new members here and work with the Bishop and
everyone, it will be a great experience, oh and I can't express the love I
feel for my fellow missionaries and I finally feel like I'm begging to
express it well. like the Prophet quoted Shakespeare, He who is not
demonstrate love- doesn't love at all.

Sorry it is a little sort. my companion is from Rio Grande do Sul Gauchu-
likes to eat meat and stuff has 24 years, he is legal. Vamos LAAAA! he says
we have a bunch of baptisms already marked, so that is awesome.

Te Amo

Elder Anderson

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

Christmas, 6 Months and Golden Baptisms

Dear Family. . . "And a jar of hazel nut spread!!!" thank you sooooo much for the Christmas package I had Christmas eve and Christmas yesterday so I could tell how much I loved everything to you all today. I loved all of the testimonies and Austin's ring, but I don't know what it is will little Isaac, but the tears start a gatherin' when I read the perty litl' hand writin du mer little blossm. Oh and I looooooved the book covers 'Are you my mother" and the other one two, I was quite impressed with mom's drawing and coloring yeah mom! Sorry to hear you are sick by the way. i took a video of me singing the song so one day you will get to see the joy you brought me this Christmas. . . belated Christmas :)

This week we were able to baptize the sister of one of the boys who was baptized this past week. It is so great to hear from the families of this converts how they have changed so much for the better and the desire they have as well to join the Gospel and become converted as well. This week my companion and I had an appointment marked that we didn't go to at the scheduled time and heard from the other Elders that he was disappointed that we didn't go. We immediately stopped our wicked ways and crossed half the city to get to his house where he as his family where waiting, he especially wanting to be baptized. We taught the Gospel to them and necessity of marriage and already started making plans. We discovered in the visit that his cousin is a member of the church and was already planning on bringing them this Sunday. The member has been inactive for 3 months, but at church this Sunday it was great to see him and his cousin be fellowship ed. I had an accompanist on the organ this Sunday, during the final hymn oh how lovely was the morning a little boy came over and was playing notes and adding voices and even turned off the organ at one break and it was really quite funny and i just kept playing until a member picked the little boy from the organ. 

Well I am glad that we will be starting an English class in the church this Sunday and the missionaries will be giving the first class and we are going to include the members a lot in the classes. It should be great, it will be my first experience with a class, but we are putting into place plans that i received from a member in Santo Antônio. 

My companion and I were listed as "The First Golden Baptizers" on the monthly bulletin this month with our picture of the 7 baptisms on the front, it was quite exciting and what is even more exciting is that we have one more date marked for this transfer still and more for the next. The mission President is happy with us and he told me that we were going to baptized a lot together and low and behold we are leading the mission right now. 

Well we went to the waterfall again with some missionaries from the desk today, I wanted to read a little of the book of Mormon there because I feel like I'm in the story in that place, I preached to them a little bit too, like in the movie the testaments. 

i told Clark already, but my companion sent a card together with the envelope that I hope you will receive tomorrow, he will need to translate it and there is a letter for Sydney that would be nice if you could send and a flash drive with a bunch of pictures for you guys, I really hope you guys get the package. 

Well, my time is up, I love you all and I will continue to work hard and intelligently, and with patience, and humility, and the Lord will continue to bless my companion and I and the rest of the mission as well. 

With Love                                  

Elder Anderson.