November 17, 2014

Wow this week I will have completed 4 months in the mission. Times is going fast. This term of transfers is almost over. It ends the 26 of November. Next week on Wednesday. I don't know what will happen. I can see myself being here and also going to a new area. I don't know. I have faith in Heavenly Father and President Russel to know where to place me where I can be a successful missionary. 

So this week we contacted a lady that has a bunch of kids. We talked with her for a while and she isn't very interested in the gospel. But, she likes to talk with us and we continue to invite her to church hoping that one day she will come or want to learn about the gospel. Her kids love talking to us.  We always have mints with us that we give to them. Maybe that's why they like us so much..... She gave us two fresh coconuts one day. She has a couple coconut trees that are way tall. I have no idea how they get the coconuts down from the tree???   For breakfast we had fresh coconut milk and fruit one day.  I like the fruit a lot but not the milk very much.

This week we had 3 baptisms. This was the mom and 3 kids that I previously told you about.  The family that we watched the movie "The Restoration" with. I was able to baptise them as well which was a really neat opportunity!  I felt the spirit testify to me of the importance of Baptism and how it is a commandment from our Heavenly Father. And, how it cleanses us from sin and how after we are able to receive the most amazing gift that we can have; The Holy Ghost. What a blessing the Holy Ghost is in my life!  I rely on the promptings and feelings daily to help me be successful. 

We also were able to contact a new family this week.  They are a great family.  It is only a lady and husband but they ask great questions and want to learn more and more every visit.   It was great to have them be in church yesterday with us and feel of the spirit more. 

My companion,Elder   Jimenez is a great missionary!  He helps me a lot.  I am really grateful for him.  Not much other than that to write about. This week was good. I continue to enjoy the mission more and more each day. My Spanish is getting better. It is getting harder and harder to write and talk in English.  Mom mentioned that you guys can see a change in my writing the more time I spend here. 

From your Missionary,

Elder Morgan M. Anderson

November 10, 2014

Wow this was a really good week!  It has been so hot though. Every day while we walk to where we eat lunch we get there and are drenched in sweat.  They say that December through April is the hottest time of the year.  In spite of the heat everything is good. I am really starting to enjoy myself here. I also have had a lot of neat experiences with investigators. 

Last Tuesday was a really good day. During a lesson we were working on setting a date for baptism with one of our investigators. It was during the first lesson and we were explaining why we are baptized and were teaching about priesthood authority. We were also teaching about the Gift of the Holy Ghost. After we extended the invitation, she declined the dates the first time and we tried to explain more about why we set a goal for baptism. Then someone came by the house to buy ice and she went and helped them and quickly returned. When she came back, she sat down, looked at me, then said she wanted to be baptized and accepted one of the dates we had set for the goal. She told me that I had said something that made her want to be baptized. She said she didn’t remember what I said but that it made her want to be baptized. It made me feel so good to know that I had followed the spirit in what I should say.  And that I helped her to realize the importance of baptism. I was smiling the rest of the day knowing I had followed the spirit and had communicated effectively in Spanish!! But I know that it was the spirit who testified to her. As a missionary we must follow the spirit in everything and realize the Holy Ghost is the real teacher. 

Later that night we watched the movie The Restauracion, with the family that I previously told you about. Elder Jimenez made his famous juice and we watched the movie with them. It was a really fun experience to share with them the Joseph Smith story and the Book of Mormon.

Elder Anderson with Elder Jimenez on P-Day

One of the people that we taught and baptized during October is a young man about 14 years old. He reminds me a lot of my brothers.....I really enjoy going and teaching him.  Maybe even more now than before his baptism.   He already has read the entire Book of Mormon!! Each couple of days we stop by to talk to him and give him a chapter or two to read in the Book of Mormon and then we talk about it the next visit. 

Yesterday was a really difficult Sunday. We worked really hard to get our investigators to come to church. We walked so much! We walked back and forth to our investigators house helping them get ready for church or making sure they were coming. By the end of the day my legs were so tired. Haha! It’s a good thing I have been exercising more this week.  I have to remember that everyone has their agency and has the privilege to choose for themselves. That is what is so great about our Heavenly Fathers plan.

Other than these experiences it was pretty normal week.  I really worked on enjoying the small moments like kicking a soccer ball around with little kids in the streets, or stopping for 5 minutes to buy a cookie or cracker. I also have seen that eating healthier has made me feel much better.  I am doing really good!  My Spanish is coming along. I contribute a lot to lessons now and have a lot more confidence in speaking.  Elder Jimenez is a great companion. He knows a lot of English but never speaks it with me....haha!  That is good because I need to learn Spanish. He constantly is helping me become a better missionary whether we are studying or out working. 

Sincerely, 

Elder Morgan Monroe Anderson

November 3, 2014

Wow it’s already November. I will have been out for 4 months this month.....time is going kinda fast. 

So Halloween was just another day haha. We didn’t do anything special. I looked at the card you sent and said Happy Halloween to my companion but that’s about it. Haha! Oh ya, and some kids in the street were running around saying Happy Halloween at about 8:30 which made me laugh, but other than that nothing really. 

So this week was better than the past weeks. I was able to bury myself in the work and worry more about my investigators instead of myself. I am slowly learning how to think more like a missionary. We have 3 investigators that are really fun to teach. It is a single mom with 3 kids. The older 2 are over 8 and the youngest is 7 I think. She sells fruit drinks (frescos) en la marqueta. During our visits they always ask great questions and want to learn more. One night they surprised us with dinner, spaghetti. Not sure how to spell it but ya....haha. It was really good with a lot of different spices and different things to make it taste really good. They have a date to be baptized the 15 of November. I am excited to see what happens in these next couple of weeks as we continue to teach them. 

Elder Anderson with a new haircut.

So dad asked about the food....I eat pretty good here. For breakfast I make oatmeal. I make it at night and then place it in the fridge over night.  I put in oatmeal, raisins, granola and a little bit of honey and then stick a banana in it in the morning. I enjoy my breakfast. Or sometimes I just eat a graham cracker with a banana for breakfast. Then for lunch we eat rice, beans, meat, potatoes, plantains, bananas, all sorts of different foods. I eat a lot of rice everyday at lunch. That’s probably why I am gaining weight. Then for dinner we stop at a pulpuria and buy a bread and juice. I have tried to eat healthier this week and I bought a lot of fruit in the market today, oranges, limes and bananas. Elder Jimenez has taught me how to make this really good juice with limes and milk. We made it for breakfast this morning. 

So this morning I had a chance to read the talk that dad sent me by Elder Andersen about Joseph Smith. I loved it! 

I taught the first vision a lot this week. Always as I share the experience of Joseph Smith in the words of Joseph himself  I feel the spirit testify to me of the truthfulness. 

Oh ya this week or the next our new chapel will probably be finished. It’s a really nice chapel and its right next to our house. We are super excited to go to it. 

I hope all is well at home. Thank you for everything.  I love you guys so much. Everyday I am grateful for a loving family that supports me. I love you guys. Stay strong!

Your missionary,

Elder Morgan Monroe Anderson