Week 52!

July 20, 2015

So this week I will officially complete 1 year in the mission. It seems like yesterday I was loading up my bags to go to the airport......

This week was a really great week filled with a lot of hard work!

Here are the answers to Moms weekly questions,

Weather? Its been raining. Cool story further in the email.

House? Hot water? Its a normal house. We have a bedroom and bunk beds along with an area to study..  We have a small kitchen and bathroom. We don't do a lot of cooking due to time. We do not have hot water. I am pretty sure during my mission I never have hot water.

Las Palmas? It is a really cool area. It is a lot like my old area. It has a lot more business though and a lot more big roads that go through and around the area. We are right in the center of Managua pretty much.

Traditions for the year mark? There are not any traditions for reaching the year mark that I know of.

To start things off, we were able to have another baptism this Saturday! She is a family member of some of the members here in the ward and is now officially a member as well. This Saturday it rained super hard! We got out of a lesson and the wind was blowing a little bit. My companion, Elder Presinal told me he wanted to go get his umbrella because it looked like it was going to rain. Just as he said that it started pouring!! And I mean pouring!  We hurried and ran to the nearest roof that offered enough protection. It was the hardest rain storm I have ever seen! We were stuck under the shelter for a little bit of time and we watched as the streets filled with water and carried loads of garbage down them.  We even watched as it took a small car down the street. The car was parked on the side of the road then we watched as it slowly drifted away. The next thing we saw was a very worried owner run down the street in sandals and shorts after his car. Haha!  It was pretty cool to see a rain storm like that.

This week I got to go work outside my area to go meet some of the investigators in our zone that got baptized on Saturday. I love going and seeing the change in peoples eyes as they accept to change and receive the gospel.

This week we got to go to a Multi Zone conference! Wow!  It was such a spiritually uplifting experience to listen to President and Hermana Russell speak to us. I am uplifted and inspired after they teach us. Elder Hironaka and I were assigned to teach a class on how to better teach the Book Of Mormon. I know that my testimony grew so much as I had the opportunity to teach this class. Its super important for our investigators to know how much of importance the Book of Mormon has. The investigator needs to know that its the most precious thing we have. I love to read the Book of Mormon and of the great writings that it contains.

As I look back on this past year,  it has been full of changes. Granada, Masaya, Managua, and Nicaragua all have a very special place in my heart. I never thought I could love these people so much. I have a great love for them and the work that I do. I have walked through cobble-stoned streets, markets, had areas that are overshadowed by volcanoes and walked through water filled streets to be able to share the gospel with others. But the biggest thing that I have seen is  lives being changed,  hearts softened and opened to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen people through all walks of life be baptized and make special covenants with our Heavenly Father.

But something even more special....it's not over. I have only begun on this great adventure to serve these people. I know that this upcoming year will be even better than the last. I know that through the power of our Heavenly Father, un openable doors will open, hearts will be changed, and many more people will enter into the waters of baptism.

I also know that I will have many other opportunities to eat more Gallo Pinto!! haha. I love the mission!

Con mucho gozo y amor,

Elder Morgan M. Anderson