I'm Happy!

Well it is with great love and graditude with which I speak with you today and I would like to say that. . . I'm happy, I'm happy, I'm happyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Anyway let's get down to busniness. . . to defeat the huns. . . okay for real. . .

So we had a super week, lots of new investigatores, we like to do a thing called "estante" if that is how you spell it. And basically you get yourself a table and some mondern literery gospel resources and place them all perrrty-like on the table. Next, you get your table and you place it in a stratigic location where their is a surplus of people- nuf said. I think i made my point. 

This way we end up finding loads of people who are interested in our missionary messages. Including a nice family with whom we marked a baptismal goal for 2 weeks from now. They really liked church on Sunday and made some comments about needing to leave their old church and join ours. Well not ours, but the church of God. Speaking of which what an amazing Sacrament meeting! We had 5 confirmations and I was able to participate in 3 of them. I really felt the importance of these saving ordinances, there was such a strong spirit present. And the speeches were on the Day of the Lord, Jejum and Avoiding pride, bitterness, and gossip. It was a super special day. We also had choir and began some disorganized piano instruction which is why I'm without a voice today, yah not sure how that happened. Oh so I sent you all some pictures of baptisms just now and we baptized a nine year old girl whose uncle is a member of the church, she is so incredible and seems to have a inapt capacity to recognize truth and act upon it. Her family is a working progress, but her uncle received the priesthood that same day and is super awesome. I told him he reminds me a bit of my uncle Brandon Jarrett- you know awesome and all- shout out to the Jarrett family!!!! Love you sooooooo much!!!!!

Oh I watched Meet the Mormons almost 2 times completely this last week, ya my companion has the film and we ending up watching it with some recent converts- great stuff. "It's like a symphony, just keep listening, pretty soon you'll start, to figure out your part.". . . 

Oh I just remembered some bad news I need to tell you guys. . . my flash drive last we picked up a virus. . . ya you know the story, cleaned it, I'm pretty sure i won't get it back, but the good news is is that you have half of it all in that little pin drive I sent you a while back and the other fourth I have on my camera currently, so I just ended up loosing some picture from the last part of my time in São Sebastião, but if you guys are saving the pictures I'm sending you in the emails, maybe we aren't even missing that much- wow when I made that realization monday afternoon- that was just another testament that God exsits let me tell you. That much I know. 

Well my dear ones, I really must be going. Today I played soccer and my companion and I got supplies for our zone and spent about 5 hours on the bus, hence I'm writing email so late, Oh Élder Costa is going to talk to us next week, super excited, love you all have a great week!!!!!

ÉLder Anderson

3 Baptisms....Arise and Seize the Day!

Dearest Family I am writing you! 

This week we had 3 baptisms here in Planaltina de Goias! I'm currently loading the photos for you to see the proof! I was privileged to baptize Maria, the lady who found us in the street and man that was special to teach her and get into the water too- yah! I also was able to interview the 8 year old son of the other lady that was baptized. I was so surprised when I began to talk with him and he mentioned that he had some scary experiences with evil spirits and how excited he was to be baptized so that these bad things would go away. We talked about light and how when light is present, darkness is as he said- "destroyed". He is going to receive the light and presence of the Holy Ghost next week and he is super excited to pay tithing and keep the word of wisdom as well. . . wow my companion is awesome. . . he just bought me a Coca- Cola. . . . okay now that I'm refreshed where was I. . . oh yes baptism, salvation, eternal happiness and satisfaction. That is my work you know, or rather The work of my God. 

This week I had some special realizations of the importance of the Gospel as I studied the first chapter of Preach My Gospel this week. I love this quote from Élder Oaks in which he explains that the preaching of the Gospel is literally opening the gate of salvation for the children of God, we don't preach for any other reason other than this- open the gates.

"Open the gates and seize the day, don't be afraid and don't delay, nothing can brake us, no one can make us, give our rights away. . . 

ARISE AND SEIZE THE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Thank you Newsies! wow I got the chills all over while writing that.

Anway so I have set a goal for the second half of my mission, a number of people to whom I will open the gates of salvation, the path to eternal life. My goal is to baptize 2x's more people than I baptized last year and I know that it is very possible. Our mission President has reminded us to 1. Baptize 2. Rescue 3. Strengthen. Yesterday my companion and I spent a few hours helping with the branch choir and I began to teach the youth piano, we are going to start for real next week and I'm super excited to see the benefits of the this work, including English class that we had on Saturday. My area is super great and I'm learning a lot about the importance of service, love, and The Gospel of Jesus Christ! I love you family, share you light with the world!

LOVE ÈLDER ANDERSON

"Killed a Missionary" (Took to Airport-Finished Mission)/Most Inspired Talk

Okay so I understand if you are a bit disappointed with my last few letters, it has been a bit hurried lately, sorry about that.

This week my companion and I did some serious traveling to do some baptismal interviews, Oh and I "killed" a missionary this week, that was really ruff, I think I was more trunky than he was. He went home on friday and that night my companion and I went my bus to Posse which is a 4 hour bus ride. We arrived there 4 in the morning and returned on Sunday. 

Sunday during the meeting I was asked to give a talk. I felt I should talk about the Restoration and how Joseph's Smiths prayer was answered and I ended up including the Liahona from March 2008 if you know what I mean. It was one of the most special talks I have ever given in my life, I really felt guided by the spirit and I felt the gift of tongues on my side as well. This week I felt the same way when we were teaching a young woman about the commandments in preparation for her baptismal interview. Super cool feeling, so thankful for it.

I was happy to see in church yesterday a woman that stopped to talk to us in the street this week. She shared some interesting experiences which other churches and how she kinda flipped out in the catholic church and prophesied that it would be destroyed and stuff like that. What was super interesting was when she saw the name Joseph Smith on the back of the Resoration pamphlet she new the name and seemed to recognize it from somewhere. I invited her to be baptized and marked a date for the 23. She is progressing, we just have to find her house and teach her before her baptism. During the entire sacrament meeting she was just holding her bosom and seemed like she was really recognizing te Spirit, super cool.

We are having choir every Sunday and I feel a bit like dad trying to help these guys with their singing abilities, trying to apply what the big pa taught me, that's all. The youth are excited to learn english and sing as well.

Well, sorry if it is a bit shor today, too, but I gotta go, Love you all and will hope to improve my letters more each week. hahaha, busy, busy!

LOVE YOU

Èlder Anderson

Started a Choir/Companion;Great Missionary

Hey family I hope you saw my pictures that I sent you right now. 

My companion is from São Paulo. He is a great missionary, suffered cancer in the blood as a 13 year old, his parents are separated, and working on getting back together while his dad is living in Brasília! Ya that is nuts, but he doesn't contact him or anything it is just a bit interesting. He is a great soccer player and he wants to learn English so he can maybe play on the BYU team. Ya we jumped on the English train already if that is what you were wondering. We played soccer this morning so that was awesome, I'm having more fun, and not ruining the games so that is good and all hahah.

We married and baptized a couple this week, that was super cool. Élder Ellis is another ÉLder that is staying with us until he goes home on Friday. He was the former Zone leader here and it is nice to get some advice from him. . . . 

oh my gosh. .  some one is listening to the numa numa yeah song. oh my gosh that is a blast from the past. My brothers know what I'm talking about, oh my gosh that is so funny hahahahha, numma numma yeah,

anyway so I am well, my area is big and awesome, I returned to the state of Goias and I feel at home here. They members are great and we are excited to work with the youth then branch president. We started a choir yesterday and I was able to give some vocal tips to the women, we are also going to have English class on Saturday so that is cool. This time I think it will work even better. 

I love you all, but I have to go 

TCHAU

Transferred/Satan Worshiper

Well I have news, at not every day of the week news. . . 

I HAVE BEEN TRANSFERED. . . ya I know who would have thought, 

However, what is funny is that I was feeling when I arrived in Paranoá that I wouldn't stay very long. Well, it was a great time there and I learned really important things:

1. References and working with members is the greatest and most effective form to help people enter into the fold of God. I was able to see the difference between the two and the fruits of member missionary work. By the way you guys remember that really cool story I told you abou the boy who raised his hand on the bus, ya so sadly he decided that although he believes in The Book of Mormon he wanted to continue going to his aunts chruch. 

Which reminds me I don't know if I have told you about all of the apostasy that exists here in Brazil, churchs on every corner and let me tell you Satan has got a hold and many people because of "craftiness of men". But then there are others that are like straight up Satan worshipers, this last week I asked someone for directions and mention that I was a missionary of Christ and he showed me a strange looking ring, and said- Satan. Ya that freaked me out and what's more is that this young woman passed by after and entered into the house where that guy was- man the world is a crazy place, anyway moving on. . . 

So my time is short because while my companion and I were going to our new area Planaltina we discovered that our cell phone was lost and we had to go back to discover it and we are waiting to receive it until now. My companion is Élder Pincovai, he has 21 years and is from São Paulo, we will be Zone Leaders together and I am ready to rock!

Clarissa I got the letter of Linus's pictures thank you so much!

Sorry but I will have to go Love you all

Élder Anderson