Hola!
Ok, so first of all, Mother's Day. Mother's Day here in Mexico is Friday. And, and my companion says we will Skype on Saturday. He says we can't do it on Sunday. So, we have to do it at 6pm on Saturday. I believe this is 5pm in Arizona. I hope this doesn't mess up any plans but it has to be on Saturday. Also, on the day I last emailed, I found out it is actually 45 minutes, not an hour. So, ya, these are the changes, but I hope all will still work out.
(Note from mom: If you're wondering if I'm having a hard time containing myself over the prospect of SEEING and TALKING to my son on Saturday... well, YA!! I mean, DUH! Of course I am.)
Junue: Still as stressed as ever! We have taught all the lessons, except for a few commandments that we need to go over. Otherwise, she should be ready for baptism soon. We have 3 new investigators that we found in the last week or so. Eva, who we found in the Area Book as an Old Investigator. Aaron, a young man interested in the church, and Lourdes, the sister of another one of our investigators. We have about 13 investigators, and with the progress some of them are making, some of their futures look very bright.
Ian: He is spiraling downhill. He is not doing well. We talked to him and told him that he has a chance to go on a mission, but he has to get worthy. He took us seriously, so we will see what happens. If he acts now to change, he could leave on a mission before I return from mine.
Luis: Recently found a job, and is doing very, very well. He was more inactive before, and is a lot better now. Lots of trials in his life. He is a returned missionary. He is more active and is helping us in missionary work. Luis has become one of my best friends...not just a less active, but a sincere and true friend.
Alvaro: Working to overcome alcohol. We will catch up with him to see how he is doing.
Juan Pablo: He is an investigator who was losing interest in his church. We visited him and tried so hard to recommit him and reanimate his desire to learn more. It worked. We have another appointment with him on Tuesday I think and we will do what we can to help him.
Fernandez: The "Potipher's wife" family. They are going to church so we are seeing progress with them.
The language is coming along. I will admit, it is hard. It is weird, because in the US everyone told me that Spanish was easier than English. Here in Mexico, many people say the opposite. My companion says that Spanish is the 3rd most difficult language in the world, and that English is easy in comparison....well, I really have no idea, but I will admit, Spanish is not easy. I am getting there, and I am understanding so much more....but truly it is difficult. Rolling my Rs still is a work in progress. Pronunciation is difficult. Some people have a hard time understanding me. Grammar, in some cases, just blows my mind, haha!! Why this? Why that? My companion just says I DON'T KNOW!!! IT JUST IS!!! hahaha!! So it is a struggle. But I love it. I am learning so much and it feels great when I can speak it easily without worry. Spanish has become more natural to me than English in some cases. On Mondays, we speak English (it is a mission rule) so that our companions can learn. I don't know if I have ever gone one Monday without saying something in Spanish. It just slips out. So obviously it is coming along.
I have had some really good foods. Nothing too out of the ordinary yet. We are given lots of fruit from members so we often give this fruit to homeless people.
In John 9:1-3, we read about a blind man. The disciples of Christ wanted to know whose fault it was that he was blind...his, or his parents. Christ, of course, said neither. But rather, he was sick so that God could show his power to that man. I interpret this to mean that God let this suffering occur to the man - let him be blind - so that God could show the man that He has the power to heal him. Christ wanted to use the man's suffering to show him that He is his Savior. That He is who He says He is. That He can redeem us from all things in the world. In our lives, God sometimes lets suffering and trials occur so that during or after them, He can show forth His power and show His children that He loves them and that He can help them. Have you ever suffered a lot and later received comfort or a tender mercy from Heavenly Father? Maybe some of these experiences reflect this principle. When we suffer, God takes the opportunity to show us His power, and His love for us. So during trials, we can always be sure that God will help us. Why do we have trials? I don't know all the answers. But one answer may be that God wants to show us that He can save us from our sufferings. In the story in the Bible, the suffering was allowed so that God could show the man that He could redeem his sight. Today, our suffering is allowed so that He can redeem OUR SIGHT....so that He can show us just how much we matter to Him. We need to fall in order to be lifted up...and I believe that a grand part of the glory of God is His joy in seeing the smiles on our faces when we ARE lifted up.
I love you all and pray for you. Thanks for all you do.
DIOS VIVE!
Elder Anderson
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