Noe got baptized!!!

So we have been working with Noe for quite a while. He is 17 years old and lives on his own and has a great head on his shoulders. The problem with him was he was fighting with the decision to get baptized.  He got baptized in the evangelic church so he didn’t understand the need to be baptized again and only wanted to receive the Holy Ghost. We explained to him a 100 times about authority.  On Wednesday we had a lesson with him in the house of the mission leader. The mission leader in Bougambilias rocks. He was the helper of the other mission leader when I was in the Esperanza. But anyways, the mission leader explained about authority and baptism and his testimony was so awesome and after that Noe was like from what you said, I have to be honest with you I feel a peace and I want to get baptized! It was so awesome! Mateo was with us and he literally jumped in his seat. So we got everything ready for the baptism. And it turned out beautiful. The baptism was at 8pm because of the women’s conference. We were a little nervous because Noe was being a little weird but he was just a little nervous. When he came out of the water the spirit was just so STRONG and the confirmation was awesome as well.  He was so full of the spirit and was so happy. 

His conversion story was such a testimony builder for me. Because I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers but he answers them in his own due time. I know it was true with Noe and it was true with me. If you are waiting for an answer have patience. Heavenly Father WILL answer your prayers. 

We also had the awesome experience taking two investigators to the temple. They loved it! The Hermana named Karla is like 15 days away from having her baby, but she loved the temple and at the end of our visit she was like. Oh I just want to go again. She asked us how she can enter. It was an awesome experience. And I felt so happy to be at the temple. 

The fun thing that happened this week was we were cleaning out the other house and getting everything all ready for the elders to take the stuff out and we still had things to bring to the other house. We borrowed the bike of our neighbors which has a spot in the back to carry stuff. So I rode the bike and we went to the house and Hna Gonzalez rode in the back. It was so fun. I will have to send the pictures so you will understand it better. All in all it was a wonderful week. Even though I have a cold :( 

But anwyays thanks for all your love and support. Have a wonderful week

Hermana Anderson 

The Weirdest Change of my Life

So like I told you last week they called Hna Gonzalez saying she had changes and on Tuesday we had all of her suitcases ready to go. The Zone Leaders called and told her something that I knew was going to happen. She is the companion of Hermana Lopez now who is in the other ward. I knew that was going to happen. But afterwards we called the Zone Leaders and asked them about my companion?  Well it turns out my companions are Hna Gonzalez and Hna Lopez. Yup that’s right. I’m with them in a trio again like when I started my mission. God works in mysterious ways. And he totally answered my prayers! It rocks being with them! Especially now that I understand Spanish. There is a purpose we are together again and it’s amazing!!  We didn’t even have to change houses because Hna Gonzalez and I were living in the area we are now serving at. So crazy. I really still can’t believe it. (Only Hna Lopez had to move in with Hna Anderson and Hna Gonzalez).   

And the awesome thing about this is we can baptize Noe! He is fighting a little bit with his answer. He wants to get baptized but at the same time he doesn’t. We explained that Satan attacks when you are about to do something good. Like 2 days before my mission I was scared out of my mind. But yesterday he went to the stake conference with us, which a little but wonderful miracle that happened yesterday. The stake building is super far away so we needed to take the bus.  Noe lives in front of the highway where you take the buses and we had a recent convert and their brother with us as well. Buses weren’t passing and I was praying that we would be able to take one without problems and get to the conference on time when a bus stopped on the other side of the road and flagged us down. It turns out it was the bus for the members from the branch in a neighboring area. So they took us to the conference it was awesome!!!! 

Yesterday we also visited a less active family and we helped the lady fill bags of popcorn. She sells lunches at a school.  A recent convert was with us whose name is Mateo and he is INCREDIBLE. So amazing this kid. He is 18 years old and only wants to go on a mission. While we were helping the lady prepare her things for the next day Mateo was talking to the son of the Lady and when we left Mateo said, “Yeah, I invited him to mission prep and he is going to go with me”. This kid has been inactive for years and just with a few minutes with Mateo he is going to go to mission prep at 6:30 in the morning. So awesome Este Mateo.

Today the p-day was awesome because Hna Adela, Emanuel, and the little girls came to Xela to visit us. We went to the park and ate soda floats and then ate at Wendy’s and just caught up on things. It was so great to see them again. Also Emanuel works with graphic design and stickers and made all of us something. He gave me a really pretty bottle and Hna Lopez a box. And they didn’t know that Hna Gonzalez was with us until yesterday so he made her a sticker of hello kitty, her favorite. 

But in general this week ROCKED!  I am so happy to be with Hna Gonzalez and Hna Lopez - it is such a great blessing. This gospel is amazing. Heavenly Father really does love and care for us. Even if at times we can’t feel it. But he always answers our prayers. Just trust in his timing. 

Love you all and thanks always for your love and support. 

Hna Anderson 

What a Weird Week

So this week was flipping crazy because it was the last week of the changes.  As my companion and I were walking to a visit we saw the AP’s.  My companion was like because the APs saw you they are going to call you to train and I was like - no not true.  On Wednesday the zone leaders called me and said I was going to train and I have been freaking out all week.  I was hoping to have another change with Hna Gonzalez. The AP’s called me Thursday night and told me I was going to train because the sister I was going to train went home. So I had what we call an abortion and I was totally ok with it.  I thought that I would now have another change with Gonzalez but they called last night and said that Hna Gonzalez has changes, which sucks really really bad. But her and I don’t feel like it’s real and we don’t feel like she has changes. We stopped by a member’s house today to eat pizza with them and they don’t feel like she has changes either. Recently they have been messing the changes up a lot. And I feel like tomorrow we will be in the terminal and they will tell us that we really don’t.  Anyways it stinks. It was the honey moon change with the Gonzalez.

P-day was coolish today. We went to a country club that is in our area as a zone. We played miniature golf and I sat next to the swimming pool with my hand in the water. I just wanted to jump in! Afterwards we ate pizza hut with the Castillo family and played games with them.  My companion said goodbye, even though it doesn’t feel like she is going. Then we are going to finish up packing and cleaning and go say goodbye to people.

Anyways we were hoping that Noe would get baptized on the 15th but he isn’t ready yet. We are still hoping that he will get baptized this month. This week was really weird. It was like no one was in there houses and all of our investigators are progressing but really slowly. Anyways I can’t really think of anything more. Hope all is well with you all. Love you all and thanks for your prayers and support. Have a wonderful week.

Hna Anderson

I survived March 4th

Let me tell you March 4th at 6pm was the worst day ever. Well cultural wise anyway. March fourth is the dia de carnival. It first started out adorable.  There was a little parade of little kids in the street in costumes. It was so adorable. This day is the day when they use the confetti filled eggs. So my companion and I bought two huge bags of confetti and after district meeting we threw it at the elders and sisters. It was fun. But we went about our day. And we were walking back to the house, because the other Hermana’s are in a trio now and needed our extra bed and stuff. And as we were walking back towards the main part of the Esperanza everyone was covered in flour and eggs. White as white can be. A group of girls were like the gringa - let’s get her. It was raining earlier that day so I had my umbrella and I was like don’t you dare touch me and raised the umbrella. As we got closer and closer more and more people were covered in flour. There was a poor group of gay guys covered in flour and they told us to take a different street. But it was about as bad as the other street. There was a huge group of like 20 boys with their hands full of flour. My companion and I ran to a store so the couldn’t get us. And when the guys passed by they had of face that said - I’m going to get you. And I told them que le valle bien, which is like hope all goes well on your travels. We left the store and a guy on a moto threw flour at me. But he got a little scared so it only got a little part of my arm. Then we ran to the house and we got permission to not leave that night because it gets worse at night because the guys start drinking. So I did yoga to relax a little bit. 

But last p-day and this p-day was super fun. Last p-day we went to a member’s house and played four square and beach volleyball. These members are super awesome and way down to earth. This p-day we went roller skating. I fell 3 times. But it took me a while to get the hang of it, but eventually got it down. It was all the Hermana’s here in Xela. And then a bunch of school boys came and they were falling down every two seconds. Poor things. Then afterwards we ate at subway. So that’s why I’m writing later than usual. 

Yesterday we had a super awesome lesson with a young couple we are teaching. We brought a young couple from the ward and it was super great. We watched a segment from together forever. The couple we are teaching are having some marriage problems but they want to change. Hope all goes well with them. We don’t know if we can baptize Noe, which stinks because I love that kid. He is so awesome and I know he could be a leader in this church. He just has such a good head on his shoulders. So we will see what happens there. He still has a few doubts.

But yeah, that’s about all I can think of this week. Hope all is well with you all. Miss you and 

Love you all 

Hna Anderson 

Yesterday...

                                                              

They divided the ward finally! This ward was huuuuuuuuuuuuge. When they blessed the water they needed to put another table in front of the sacrament table. But nothing much changed for me and my companion. The bishop will be the same and everything. But our area is smaller and we were teaching a young man named Noe. We have a baptism date with him for the 15th. But now he doesn’t live in our area or our ward. So the Hermana’s are going to have to baptize him. It’s a hard fact to swallow. He is so prepared for this gospel. Yesterday he went to church and loved it. And after the meeting he told his friend (that’s a member) that he wants to get baptized on the 15th. But the Hermana’s also have an investigator that has a baptism date that is now in our area. But is sooo hard to give up Noe. Because you learn to love the people you teach so much.

But I’m happy about the divisions because now it will be easier to get to know the members and to work with them. We only had like five members in our old area. So it’s kind like starting over again. A little bit. But it also shows how the gospel is spreading so much throughout the world. They are hoping to grow more and more so that they can have another church building to be closer to the members that live far away.

This week my companion and I really focused on finding new people.  This week we found a family we had a visit with and returned to visit with them. We rang the bell and no one answered so we went to knock on their house. Because the doorbell is above their house in a little street. There were a lot of houses so we didn’t know which one was theirs. And we were looking around and out of nowhere a dog came running to attack us. My companion hit him with her back pack and we ran for our lives. Then a grandma came out with a metal stick and was like, did the dog get you? She was ready to smack them, it was so funny but scary. But we are fine! Thanks to Heavenly Father.  He 

really does watch out for us!

That’s about it. Hope you have a good week! Thanks for your support!

Hna Anderson