Getting Ready to Leave the CCM                             

                                                                                                                                                                                  August 27, 2014

Wow time continues to fly. I am doing very well right now. Early this week I got a little bit of a cold from one of the elders in my district probably. Here in Mexico it takes a little bit longer to get over being sick so I decided to just run to the doctor and get some cold medicine. I feel a little bit better today. The medicine works well. 

As I told mom and dad I leave Monday from the CCM at 230 in the morning. I fly out of Mexico City at 620 Mexico time to El Salvador. Where I will fly to Nicaragua at 842 El Salvador time. Wow all this time changing is getting really confusing. I can’t express how excited I am to go. I am so ready to get to work. I love the CCM but I want to be in Nicaragua.

This last week on pday we played the Latinos. ya it wasn’t really a game. We won by a lot. I scored like 4 goals and had 2 assists. The Latinos say they all like the way I play so I feel pretty good about that. 

On Sundays we watch a church video at the end of the day. This week was an older video on temples with the story based around President Woodruff and the building of the Salt Lake Temple. I loved watching it. It reminded me of the sacred covenants I made in the temple and how much I miss seeing the temple every day. It also reminded me that we are sealed for time and eternity and that we can do the same for the dead. Temples are definitely such a blessing. 

Also on Sunday I realized something I can work on in Priesthood meeting. That is being more meek. I think of meek as like quite dignity with being more happy. It’s a pretty broad idea but it is something I am working on. Also the sisters in my district told me to be more happy............ya I am working on that to. haha they told me I should smile more. I told them that I am always happy even if I’m not smiling. I remembered what you guys told us when we would pass the sacrament. SMILE!! 

I also learned that this mission is a time where I become a man. I will be blessed with a lot of hard things. But that’s ok because it is going to shape who I am. The counsel from our branch president is to face down the hard things. It’s like facing down the best forward when playing soccer. You always have to be aware of what’s happening. Use your the corner of you eye to watch and see how you can make the situation work in your favor. Then when the moment comes you have to take the ball and run. Take the opportunity to help your team and yourself. Kind of a long shot analogy but hey.

Kami shared with me a quote last week that I really liked from john Wayne......Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyways..... That was so great to hear that quote. I am a cowboy, and all state soccer player, but most importantly a member of the Church and an Anderson. No matter what I can do hard things!!! Sometimes during when times are rough I feel the presence of my ancestors helping me along. Especially Arlo and Alba Anderson, and Erastus. Idk why but I think about them a lot and about their lives and how they did hard things but they lived an amazing life based on the gospel. Grandpa and Grandma were always serving missions. I love how great of an example they are to me. 

Spanish has slowed down a little bit. But hey it’s all good. We are learning about Present Sub. Noun clauses. ya I have no idea what they are talking about........

This is the lords work and I am his servant!

Your missionary,

Elder Anderson