Stolen Camera, but Great Attitude

Ok....quite the week.  I will just get right into what happened today...my camera has been stolen. We were at an activity with the zone playing volleyball, futbol, and ultimate frisbee in the mud (I am very, very dirty right now - ha ha).  I put my camera in my companion's bag, which he and I accidentally left in another area.  And it was gone when we were looking for it.  I was devastated. But it's okay.  I don't need a camera in order to save souls!

Let me testify to all of you that a mission is worth it. Why? Because when you see your converts growing in the church, you feel joy that exceeds any other that you have experienced in your life. Nothing tops it. We had a lesson with Junue, and brought a member with us from the Relief Society. I sat there in absolute joy as I watched Junue highlight her Book of Mormon and talk to us about the answers God gives her in response to her questions. I watched the member promise Junue that she would visit her every month. I feel we are transferring Junue from our hands and into the hands of the ward. This is very, very good. I am very happy. I made her a promise that I plan to keep. I told her that I would return to Mexico and visit her after my mission. Already I have one vacation trip planned... ha ha!

This letter has to be short as well. The robbery threw off the whole day. Our keys are stolen, so we need to receive copies. We have a lot to do and need to work hard.

I want to testify to every soul that this church is true. God has a plan. I am learning things all the time. Every day can be the best day of your life. Today, I am happy and filled with joy. The mission is hard. But it is worth it. It is possible to ask God every day if my day was acceptable in his sight, and have him tell me yes. You can do it too, and right now. Make every day the best. I hope to have more time next Monday. Love you all.

DIOS VIVE

More pictures!

These are members of two families Chase has Noche de Hogar with:  

Angeles Family and San Vicente Family

Glad to see he's getting some exercise... although I think he's supposed to lift up his legs. :)

Short, but sweet!

(This is how I feel about short letters:   Imagine Erica sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry!!)

Hola!

TOPIC: Don't Look Back

CHAPTER: Genesis 19

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

1. What is happening in this chapter?

2. Who is Lot? Was he righteous? How do you know?

3. Sodom and Gomorrah was a very wicked city. What symbols can you find about how Lot and his family fled from this city? How can that apply to your life?

4. What happened to Lots wife? Why? How can we avoid doing what she did in our lives?

CHALLENGE: Pray for strength to keep yourself from looking back at bad memories and sins from your past. Pray for strength to not dwell in the past. But repentance is first. Repent, and then stop dwelling on the past.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Good week this week. We had "divisiones".  I was with Elder Long from our district, and he is new like me.  We were in my area, so this was the first time that I was legitimately in charge for one day, without having someone who is more experienced with me.

We've been working with the Damas family. They are a less active family.  The father claims that he doesn't go to church because of work.  Elder Long and I invited him to fast for a way to go to the chapel.  He said he would.

We told the father of the Villanueva family that if he read scriptures every day, prayed every day, gave a missionary pamphlet to someone, had a Noche de Hogar with his family, and went to church, we would buy him dinner.  He didn't go to church.  Ay! Ay! Ay!

There are more but these are some of the highlights.

Elder Cardona will leave and go home in 2.5 weeks or so. Thus, transfers WILL affect me. 

I got two packages: one with batteries and one with lots of treats and letters.

I am sorry but this letter will be short.  Trey, here is something you'd think is really cool...there are policemen here, and they guard stores, and have actual shotguns in hand and everything.  Ha ha!   It is pretty cool and different!

Please, all of you, do all you can to continue forward in the faith.  It is always worth it.  Sorry again that the letter is short.  I love all of you.  Do work and serve!  Be missionaries!  We need to!  It is a commandment.  Family history as well...please make this a priority.  Not just for older people.  It is for everyone, and we must do it or we cannot receive all the blessings of God. Again, I love you all and hope for the best in your lives.  Pray for strength in your troubles. There is incredible power there.

Elder Anderson

Pictures from the country he loves!

Chase's apartment bathroom.  Uhhh... where's the shower curtain?!?!

He's fitting right in!

 Elder Ramirez - an Elder in Chase's district - working on a service project.

In an earlier letter Chase talked about men that would push garbage carts down the 

street and yell to have people bring their trash to them.  This is one of those carts!

Handsomest missionary ever!!!

Elder Cardona, Chase's companion.  We absolutely LOVE this young man.  He has been 

so good for Chase and has trained him well.  He's part of the family now!!

The "Red Sun".  This is one of the first things Chase sees in the morning.  I know it's probably 

caused by all the pollution, but it's still a stunning sight!

This is the most precious picture to date.  This is Junue and her daughter, Abril.  

Junue was baptized a few weeks ago.  Chase did the confirmation.  

It's amazing... I just love these people!!

Chase's apartment building.  Elder Cardona is just outside their door on the fourth floor!  

Bet hauling groceries up all those steps is super fun!

Miracles

Hola! 

Topic: A LIFE CENTERED IN CHRIST

Chapter: ALMA 4

Questions to Consider: 

1. Why and when did the people become wicked?

2. Read verses 4-6. What was the time difference in between the time of righteousness and time of wickedness?

3. Why was the time so short?

4. What were the wicked people doing?

5. What did Alma feel would help save the people?

6. How can these principles (what Alma felt would save the people) be applied to you individually?

7. How can you center your life in Christ? And your family as well?

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////It was a great week. We have been working so hard, and God has blessed us with success. Leonore was confirmed yesterday.

Junue is reading the Book of Mormon every day. Still a little casual with gospel stuff, but progressing very well.

Villanueva Family: The father doesn't go to church. He played basketball with us today, though.

We are still visiting active members, less actives, and investigators.

I have a question for all of you. Do you believe in miracles? Maybe all of you could say yes immediately. But I want you to pause and think about this. Really...do you BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? Do you KNOW that there are miracles to see and find every day? Do you pray for them? Do you recognize them? Do you write about them? Do you search for them? If not, I invite you to start doing it. I have begun doing it in my life and I cannot describe in words the miracles I have seen. There was one this week that was incredible.

I had woken up and exercised. I then went into the bathroom to blow my nose. My nose began to bleed a little, but was not a big deal at all. I got some toilet paper and tried to take care of it. There was VERY little toilet paper. But, I felt confident that the bleeding would stop and I could continue with my day. Well, it didn't stop. It got worse. It started to bleed more. I had nothing to take care of it. Still, it wasn't much of a problem, but I did ask my companion for normal paper, and he slid some under the door...but the blood continued to flow. Blood was running down my hands...I started to get a little freaked out. It wasn't disastrous, but it was a lot, and it wasn't stopping. I began to pray for help that it would end so I could get back to working. It still wasn't stopping. It was a little serious, this bloody nose. Maybe in reality, it wasn't that bad, but I panicked because of the amount of blood. I asked my companion to call the mission president. I continued to pray. The president didn't answer. I really began to worry. And then....the miracle began to evolve. A thought flashed through my mind. It told me to tell my companion to pray. So I did...."ELDER! HAGA UNA ORACION!" Say a prayer! He did. Soon after, he told me to put my face in the shower water. I did not want to....I was losing blood and did not want to put my face in the shower and let the blood run free. But I did it. I turned on the water in the shower and let the water run over my face. I was crying a little because I was scared. My companion told me to make sure that it is cold water, not hot water. So I adjusted the water likewise. After, he told me to lie down on the floor. I said no. I didn't want the blood to run down my throat. But he ordered me to do it. HAGALO! Do it! So I did. I lay down for maybe 5 minutes. My nose was fine. I thanked God. I got back up, slowly, as my companion instructed. Still all was well. Then I asked the Big Question. I said something like "Elder, how did you know that that would work?" My companion responded by telling me that he didn't know it would work. I asked him if he had tried doing that to stop a bloody nose. He said he had never tried it. I was amazed and thanked him. He responded by telling me that he knew who REALLY provided such a miracle. I thanked my Heavenly Father for such a miracle. My companion prayed for me, and as a result, his mind was filled with knowledge concerning what I needed to do to stop the bleeding and to calm down. My companion did not have a clue that such things could stop a bloody nose. But Heavenly Father did.

I believe in miracles. Do you?

I love the food. I love the people. I love the language. I am praying for help to be fluent in Spanish by the end of this cycle. I believe that is possible (God's will trumps all, though!). I refer to the word "fluent" as meaning that I can speak and everyone understands, and I can listen and understand almost all. I am getting pretty close, but still got a lot of work to do.

Avocados continue to haunt me. I am trying to like them...ok; I am more or less trying...maybe a little less! I am in love with the rest of the food here, though.

Answers to your questions: Last P-Day was fun because we played soccer and basketball. We do this a lot. The bread varies from donuts, to cheese, to sweet, to cinnamon, to whatever type of bread...it varies a lot. A lot of churls too. Tortillas are often made on the streets, and they smell really good when you walk by the shop. I have tortillas almost every single day. I have rechargeable batteries too, so those should last my entire mission. I could definitely use those other batteries that you have sent as well. I have not received the package quite yet. 

I've been thinking about some things.  What can you learn from your trials? Look for PATTERNS in your life. What keeps happening? Look for these patterns in your life. God works in ORDER, so there is a method to the madness we face in life. What is He doing? Continue to seek His help. Read the child's song, "A Child's Prayer". "Speak, He is listening." REMEMBER REMEMBER...God only does WHAT YOU NEED! He does what is beneficial for you!  2 Nephi 26:24

(Chase challenged us, as a family, to do the three things below.  However, I felt that ALL could benefit from this.)

1. Study a story about Christ in the scriptures for two weeks, and learn about how to improve and love others and serve them. This challenge is similar to a challenge the Liahona Magazine gave.

2. Every single day, each of you write down one thing that you like about every other person in the family. Do this for one month or longer if you want, and then in one family home evening, share what you wrote for every person during that month.

3. Missionary work! I love to continue to hear about your missionary efforts.

I love you all so much.

DIOS VIVE, Y EL ES UN DIOS DE MILAGROS.  (God lives and He is a God of miracles.)

Love,

Elder Anderson

Lots of Spiritual Thoughts

Hola!

I want to start an introduction to all my letters. It will be some spiritual ideas to study and such. Like the following...

TOPIC The Peace of God

SCRIPTURE CHAPTER Alma 1

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER AS YOU READ

1. What was happening to the people of the church?

2. Why was this happening?

3. How did the people feel about it?

4. How did the people find peace amidst all of their persecutions?

5. How can you find peace in YOUR life, using the same methods as in this chapter?

CHALLENGE TO EVERYONE 

1. Make a list of ideas of how you can maintain the peace of God in your life, and apply these ideas to your life.

2. Invite one friend or family to church this week.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above intro is just some ideas. If ya´ll want to study these things, I know it will bless you. But don´t feel obligated to do it.

Junue and Leonore didn´t go to church last Sunday. Lame. We will talk to them and help them realize that their baptism meant that the gospel is officially THEIR LIVES AND A PART OF ALL THAT THEY DO. :)

Luis and Julio are doing very good. They are hosting family home evenings that we can attend.Aaron is very prepared, but we have a very hard time trying to meet with him because he works all day.

Ian, I think, is doing better. He played basketball and football with us today.Sorry, I need to be brief. Today was absolutely nuts...and a BLAST!!! 
Yes, the cabeza meat was weird. No, it wasn´t an actual animal head on my plate, but it was meat from a head and ears, so it was kinda chewy at times... haha.
Tacos are incredible. I love them!

THE BREAD!!!! Oh my gosh, the bread is heaven. I love it!

I have batteries and I will take pictures. Getting the batteries was not easy. I had to go to a whole different area in order to get cheap ones and to withdraw my money from my card without paying a fortune. So I have them now. Expect many pictures next week.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT
TO THE YOUNG WOMEN

I hope all of you had a great time at Girls Camp. I know that it was a wonderful time, because my mom was in charge, and she is just a few steps away from perfection, haha. (You notice that I didn't edit this out... hee hee!  Obviously, I've pulled the wool over my son's eyes!)   I hope you had many spiritual experiences. I would recommend writing down the things you learned and experienced, so that you can cherish them in the future.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT
TO THE YOUNG MEN

Young men, it seems that every fiber in my soul is urging you to go on a mission. If you have doubts, then congratulations... you are normal. I had doubts too. But let me tell you, if you are worthy, but decide not to go, you are making one of the hugest mistakes of your life. Please prepare now!! Start reading the Preach my Gospel book. Get worthiness settled. And go and serve. I cannot express the inner feelings of my soul. I want to cry at the very thought of a man who does not want to serve a mission. MY MISSION HAS CHANGED MY LIFE. And it WILL change yours. You will learn so many things. I have seen and worked miracles because of the power of God. I have touched heaven. And I will continue to do so because of the grace of my Savior and Redeemer. If you have doubts, you must pray and ask your Father in Heaven for help to get rid of these doubts, and to have the desire to serve. You can talk to your parents and church leaders. And I would also like to throw in that you should write Elder Chase Anderson here in Mexico City, and I will be overjoyed to personally help you. I know God lives. There are miracles every day.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT
FOR EVERYONE

I have learned something. It is possible to make every single day the BEST DAY OF YOUR LIVES. Today can be the happiest day of your lives. Tomorrow can be even happier. The day you die should be the happiest you have ever been. I am trying to do it. I have had some of the happiest days of my life here in Mexico. I have felt Gods love. I have seen miracles. He lives, I promise you. And I challenge all of you to make every day the happiest in your lives. I promise you can do it.

Also, a reminder to be Member Missionaries. There are people who need the Gospel. Be their angels and invite them to listen to the missionaries. 

Adios todos, les amo con todo mi corazón.

DIOS VIVE

Elder Anderson

Leonore is a member!

Hola!

I have concluded probably the most difficult two weeks of my entire life. And I don't think it is over. But I am learning a lot and we are working hard.

The confirmation went great. I was extremely nervous, but it went alright. Guess what I did after church that day? I baptized Leonore. That was really, really cool. I prayed for miracles that day, and felt the Spirit very strong during and after these two ordinances, and I know that that is a miracle...to feel the Spirit. I was so, so, so nervous. But I said the prayer right, and the actual baptism was good, but not perfect. I kinda forced her into the water a little bit too hard...whoops! But all was well, and it was valid in the first try so it doesn't matter!

Pictures....ya still have none. Batteries are not easy to get. No one has card swiping machines. The only place we can go is Wal-Mart, as far as I know, and P-Days are so busy that we sometimes do not go. But we will try. Buying things with a debit card is sometimes a near impossibility.

No transfers. But yes, our district leader will be transferred, and now my companion is district leader. He is a little nervous but I know he will do great.

Ian: We have not had a chance to visit him. I hope as well that he has kept his goal.

Junue: Doing well. Shared a really awesome testimony at the baptism. Still kinda struggles with the whole "conversion concept". I think she treats the gospel more like a side job, something to do on occasion when there is time. We are trying to get her to understand that this is HER LIFE. And she has to make it her life. She is doing very well though. She can't bear the thought of us leaving and being transferred. By the way mom and dad, she really wants all of us to move to Mexico, so keep that in mind...haha, just kidding.

Alvaro: Struggling. But there is a lot of hope and potential for him. Have not had a chance to meet with him.

Aaron: Has told my companion that he REALLY wants to listen to our lessons. He hasn't listened to very many because he works all day. But he has gone to church I think every week since the first time, and he even went to a devotional thingy in Aragon where Elder Christofferson taught.

Lourdes: Very good desires to continue and listen to us. She is doing well.

Juan Pablo: Openly shared his lack of desire to keep his commitments. He can only meet with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays....or something like that. If we can only meet with him two days a week, we may not baptize him because that is a very slow progression. We prefer daily or every two day visits, because then we can have baptism set within 3 weeks. We will continue to help him.

Ishmael: Ah! A little disappointment here! He isn't keeping his commitments. He cannot go to the chapel because the government requires students like him to do service on Sundays. This is a requirement for graduation. So, if he cannot go to church, he cannot be baptized. But we will continue to teach him.

Roberto: Recent convert. Trying to help him understand that God has a body.What I see and hear and feel in general every day:

Wake up. I hear this weird horse/rooster making noise every morning. My companion turns on the boiler. We work out. I shower first and shave. I come out and finish getting ready. I can see the sun rising, and when it is low, it is deep red. And then after awhile, it turns orange and then yellow. We eat. Usually cereal. We study. We eventually leave the house. In front of the house is a church, the Christian Church. Sometimes we see them singing and dancing in there. The street is very busy and loud. It is a constant noise to hear cars rushing by. We go about our day and serve. I see shops everywhere. I smell tortillas sometimes. I see dogs everywhere. It is hot. It rains at night. I see people cleaning sidewalks, selling water, collecting water, occasionally trying to chase me and my companion down to sell us gum. I see people drunk in the streets and see kids playing soccer. It is a unique place and I am falling in love with this country.

Food:

I have had Cabeza (head meat and ears of a cow). Weird taste. I have also had cow tongue. Also weird, haha.

Need to go.  It is summer break so go and invite people to listen to the missionaries!! Please don't think that I am being ignorant and disregarding the fact that all of you are very busy still. Invite, invite and invite. Be friends with the missionaries. They need friends. They will want to bless your lives and convert your friends and neighbors. I know this work is true!

Thank you for all that you do. I love you all.

DIOS VIVE

Elder Anderson