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