Long Week!

March 16, 2015

Hey everyone!

Well this week seemed like a really long week and just about everything that could go wrong with investigators happened......

On Wednesday I went on divisions with the companion of the District Leader in his area while the District Leader was with my companion in my area. It was good. We worked really hard during the day then at night stopped to buy dinner at a members house that sell food. They are called fritangas. They sell all sorts of really traditional Nicaraguan food. They gave us so much food. It was really good though.

Elders Anderson and Gomez

On Thursday night we got a text message from one of our really positive families that said they don’t want to listen to us because of different problems. I have been worrying about investigators all week and the area. We still have a lot of investigators. We are going to try once again to baptize the teenage grandson of the counselor in our ward. We have been trying to baptize him since the start of the month. He has told us that he has not yet received an answer, but likes the church and seminary. We have taught everything and shared so many scriptures with him. We are working really hard right now to be able to have his baptism this week. He is a really fun kid to be around and is super nice.

One of the things that I have learned a lot about this week is how to keep pushing through the hard times. During every part of our life we will have hard trying times. Work, school, everything, but it is how we decide to take the challenge of our faith. I love the pioneer song about putting your shoulder to the wheel, push along, push along......the song is playing in my head right now as I am writing.

Sorry I don’t have much time to write. I love the work and I love the mission.  I am sorry that I did not get to write everyone individually this week, but thank you for everything. I hope all is well and I will write next week. Always remember that I love you and am constantly praying for you guys.  

I love you,

From Nicaragua Managua Sur,

Elder Morgan M. Anderson

This week is all about work.

March 9, 2015

Wow, so this week has been all about  work. It has been one of those weeks where you just put your head down, square your shoulders and just give it all you got until it’s time for bed. I love it.

This week was a great week as I mentioned before of working. We have so many people that we are teaching including 3 families. We go and go and go until we are super tired by the end of the day. I come home and my feet hurt because we have been walking so much. I love it. Our area is producing a lot of good work that we have to do.

Elder Anderson's desk

With a lot of work it also means there are lots of problems and trials that our investigators are facing. One of our really positive families now has a lot of doubts about the church. Last night as we walked away from their house I was really sad to know that they are having trials and doubts about the church.  The whole night I couldn’t stop thinking about how we can help them. As I was reading my scriptures this morning I once again read in Ether 12:6. We will have trials, but after we act with our faith, our faith will grow into something that will stand strong in the winds of the adversary. I hope I can teach my investigators that even while we have trials we need to always have the faith to push through.

A rare Subway treat!

This week my testimony was also strengthened of the Book of Mormon. I generally use a lot from the Bible as I teach people, but now I have a goal to share more out of the Book of Mormon. I also have a goal to always have a Book of Mormon in my hand while working. As we were in a lesson with a man and his son, my companion shared a scripture from the Book of Mormon. I don’t even remember what the scripture was, but I was blessed to feel the spirit testify of how powerful and important the Book of Mormon is for us. I know it was written for us in these latter days.

This last week we also had a lot of dinner appointments with members. Haha wahoo!!! Gallo Pinto, fried cheese, bread, and always fruit drinks. We also eat a lot of chicken. Something else we eat here a lot of is plantains. Fried, boiled, cooked. I don’t know how else they cook them, but we eat a lot of them. Haha... Sorry, Jaren asked about the food. We always eat a lot of rice and beans. I miss the beef from home. Its not the same here........I need some Angus beef.

I am doing really good right now. I had the amazing blessing to talk with my trainer Elder Martinez this week as everyone was waiting for their regular 3 month interview with President. He is always helping me with advice and telling me how I can better help my investigators. He is an amazing example to me. I really enjoyed my interview with President. He is a great example to me and I know that he is always supporting us as missionaries in the work. I know that he receives personal revelation for us and the mission.

I love the mission. I feel more and more everyday like Nicaragua is my home. I love the people. I love the food. I love this mission. I love the gospel. I am so very grateful for this opportunity to serve. I am so grateful for your love and support.

I love you guys!!

Nicaragua Managua Sur,

Elder Morgan M. Anderson

Not fun getting a cold in a hot, humid climate!

March 2, 2015

Yep............I guess February of 2015 is gone. It went by really fast.

So this last week we had a ton of work! Which is great. Obviously. Haha. This last week we found 2 families that are super positive that we are currently teaching. One is a young family that has a son that is 3 years old. Elder Quesada and I contacted them about 2 weeks ago and Elder Gomez and I started teaching them this last week. Wow they are one of the families of gold!!! Every time we go over to teach them they have read the pamphlets and have prayed and everything. They also went to church this week and  said that they really enjoyed it. After church they told us that they have read part of the Book of Mormon and then wrote down their questions.  I am super excited to teach this family.

The other family we found while contacting on Tuesday night. They are a really young family as well and have a daughter that is like 3 months old. They are also ready to learn, but before they can be baptised they need to get married first.

We spent a lot of time running around this past week trying to get ready for the baptisms. We had one baptism on Saturday. She is the daughter of a less active member. The other two we had planned for will hopefully be baptised this Saturday as we continue to work with them. This month is really looking like it will be a good month. Hopefully we will reach our goal for baptisms and baptize these two families we are teaching.

How are things with your own missionary work going? I hope to hear of some of your missionary experiences this week.

So this last week I got a really bad cold. On Friday it was super hot and it wasn’t very fun sweating and having a running nose, but I am pretty much better today. I still have a little bit of a sore throat, but I am doing good. I noticed that it affected my spanish as well....haha more people had a hard time understanding me. It was a bummer that I couldn’t really go running in the mornings as well since I was sick.  

I am doing really good. I have attached a picture of our baptism and of me and Elder Martinez. I saw him this past week. He got called to be the new Assistant to the President. I am really grateful for him and all he taught me in our 6 weeks together. I learned a lot about how to be a good missionary in my time with him.

I am sorry I don’t  have much time to write. I hope all is well. Mom said that it is snowing. I hope you get  snow in the mountains to have water for the year. Take care. You guys are always in my prayers. I love you.

With love,

your missionary Elder Morgan M. Anderson