October 27, 2014

Wow I can’t believe October is almost over. This month has gone by fast, but slow at the same time.  A lot has happened.  Conference, baptisms, changes, a lot......

On Tuesday we had a meeting for all the new missionaries that came in the same time with me and our trainers. It was great to see everyone from the CCM and talk with them about their experiences and their Spanish J. Everyone is good.   I learned a lot from the meeting especially when President spoke about what we need to do to be good missionaries, and how a mission can change our lives. One of the ways a mission can help us to improve better is to learn to love our families more. I definitely have learned to love my family more!  I miss you guys like crazy but I am where I need to be. 

With Elder Jimenez on October 25th

Tuesday night we got a call that we needed to go to Managua.....again. Elder Jimenez had to do some stuff with the group of  missionaries that arrived with him.  Something to do with obtaining residence in Nicaragua. I will have to do the same thing in a couple weeks. We were in Managua twice this week which made it hard for us to get a full day of work in our area.  I prefer being here in Granada and in my area. 

Saturday we had baptisms! We were able to baptize 4 people this week which was fantastic.  I have worked a lot with these people, to help them prepare to be baptized.  One was a 14 year old boy which reminded me of my brothers.  His family are members but he was not.  He is a super cool kid!   I loved teaching him, and I am so glad he is now a member of the church!  I love the people of Nicaragua.  

During the week I was able to go and work with the zone leader for a while.   Elder Jimenez went and worked with the zone leader’s companion while he gave interviews.  That was fun. 

Spanish is slowly coming. Yesterday, they asked me to give a short talk in sacrament meeting. It was an on the spot talk which was exciting - I guess. I just shared my thoughts on D&C 4 and missionary work then shared my testimony. It was only like 3 minutes.  

Thank you for the emails and pictures!

Elder Morgan Anderson

October 20, 2014

The word for the week is change. My life pretty much changed this week......for the good I think. The thing about a mission is it is all about change. Mark Anderson wrote to me while in the CCM and told me to be ok with change. It’s normal on a mission. Were always changing investigators, companions, houses, areas, everything. 

Oh, I guess you want to know what changed...haha!   I got a new companion. Both Elder Jimenez and Elder Martinez are in new areas. On Tuesday when I learned I was getting a new companion I got really sick to my stomach.....I was so scared. Elder Martinez my trainer was my best friend.  We got a long great I could understand his Spanish. We joked and had a great time!  Elder Jimenez was like me brother and is a really great missionary. But I knew that the Lord would help me and that it is revelation to President Russell. So I had no problems with it I was just scared.  But it turns out I got one of the best missionaries in the mission.

His name is Elder Jimenez. He is from the Dominican Republic. He has only 3 months in the mission. He arrived in the mission the day I got to the CCM. He is the new District leader for my area. He is a way good missionary. He kinda reminds me of my cousin Chris. I met him the very first day we got here when we went on splits with the other Elders. He is 23 years old and is way cool. He is very different from Elder Martinez but still a way great missionary. I learned that Elder Martinez is the new zone leader in Managua and I don’t know where Elder Jimenez is.

So Elder Jimenez likes to work out. YES!!!!  He has these work out routines that really work.  I am so out of shape right now. All the fried cheese, soda, and rice have made me out of shape. But I am so excited for these work outs every morning. It helps me not be so tired during the day and be healthier. I have also committed to eating healthier foods. It’s easy to eat unhealthy here because it’s cheaper.

It has rained so much this past week. Every night it pours rain. Last night as we were walking home I knew we had to walk through a low spot at the bottom of the hill. I knew there would be water but I didn’t expect it to have so much.....it was up to my knees walking through it. We were so soaked when we got home. My shoes are still drying. 

So our investigators are good. We are looking at 4 baptisms this week. Which is good because it’s been about a month without a baptism and I don’t like that very much.....one is a guy who has taken the discussions before and has a huge testimony. Last night we actually changed his baptismal date from the 8th of November to this weekend. It’s amazing to see how the Lord has prepared people to receive the gospel.

My testimony continues to grow every day. I have to rely on the lord every day. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. The atonement is real. It can help us through any trial or hardship. Thank you so much for your love and support. I love you all. 

Your missionary, 

Elder Anderson

 

October 13, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

So this week was really rough. I don’t have a ton of time to write today but it was a rough week. Every day it has rained and turned the streets into rivers and made it all muddy......But the hardest thing was teaching Investigators. Nobody wants to listen and to exercise faith. We had an investigator that we thought would be baptized this week but she decided she didn't want to and she wasn't ready. We know she is ready. She just needs that little bit of faith to change her life. Her whole family is members and she is ready to take that first step. I think she is waiting for a huge answer. She says she knows that our message is true but wants a definitive answer......The fruits of the spirit are, happiness, joy, peace, tranquility, etc.....The spirit usually doesn't work with a huge answer but in small ways and feelings that give you a sense of happiness. 

This week we were walking back to the house at the end of the day and a rock hit me in the leg. I looked around and didn't see anybody. Then Elder Jimenez got hit with a rock. WE don’t know who threw them but we just quickly walked home....haha another day in the mission I guess. 

At Lake Nicaragua

This week was fast Sunday. As we fasted I had a few things on my mind. One of them was how I could better understand the spirit. As we were in sacrament meeting I took the sacrament and just thought about Jesus Christ and the atonement and the covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father. I was filled with the spirit as I felt peace and joy. I love the opportunity to take the sacrament each Sunday and I now have a greater testimony of fasting. 

This week also we started running. Our house is back on a dirt road from the main road and we do sprints up and down it in the morning for about 20 minutes. I feel so much better during the day now that I exercise. Today for pday we went to the lake and played soccer kinda on the beach. It was a lot of fun. After we went to Kathy’s waffle house where I got a burger. It has been a really good pday. 

This week is changes and we don’t know what’s going to happen. Elder Jimenez is done with training now so we don’t know who will be changed or what will happen. The other elders in our district are in the same situation. Who knows I might be in a new area next week.....I will let you know what happens. I have faith in the lord that he will put me where I can work and succeed. 

Thank you for everything. I love getting your letters.  I am glad all is well  I will write you next week. I love guys!

Love,

Elder Morgan Anderson

October 6, 2014

This week we worked on finding new investigators as all our recent investigators were either baptized or decided they didn’t want the gospel anymore. So we had a lot of contacting and just talking to people which I really enjoy. Some people are receptive and others are not. You can tell the people who have been prepared to receive the message and who has not. We constantly try to rely on the spirit as we teach and find people. Last night we were on the edge of our area and I just kept feeling like we needed to go to the very edge and contact in the street. We slowly made our way over there and contacted people, some we set up appointments with. I don’t know why I felt like I needed to go over there I just felt like that was where we needed to be. We didn’t do anything spectacular just talked to people about the gospel. But we trusted in the spirit and followed his guidance. That brings me to General Conference!!!

Well it was all in Spanish. I was only able to attend the priesthood session and all of Sunday. It was hard to understand but I could get the overall message. I like it in English much better. I took notes and prayed to have the gift of interpretations of tongues. I felt like I benefited from the messages as I wrote down my thoughts as they spoke. 

Between conference sessions
with Elder Jimenez and Elder Martinez

The overall message I got from conference was to rely on the spirit and do the simple things like reading your scriptures and prayers. I loved the talk by Elder Christensen in the priesthood session as he talked about gaining a testimony. As he spoke I reflected back on when my testimony has grown. As I thought about it most if not all have either been when I was alone or with family. One instant that comes to mind is when Dad, Jaren, and I were out in Yost last year deer hunting. I remember we climbed over the mountain and sat and spotted for a while. I was totally focused on the deer but I felt the spirit so strong. As we sat in silence and just watched. It is so beautiful in that area. I felt the love of my Savior as we just sat there. It strengthened my testimony of everything. It’s amazing how some things are so simple but can strengthen a testimony so strong. Feelings of peace, happiness, and joy are the fruits of the spirit as it says in the bible. I used to think it was some strong feeling but most of the time it’s just calm and peace. President Monson and President Eyring also gave way good talks on Sunday morning.

With Love,

Elder Anderson