Junue's Baptized!

(We Skyped with Chase for Mother's Day.  He looks good and sounds good.  He's happy and loves the work.  We got to "meet" his companion.  Chase even bore his testimony in Spanish for a full 3 minutes!!  And his Spanish was "buenismo"! )

Hola!

We are happy and we are doing so great. We are working very, very hard. The work is continuing onward and we are trying hard. Got some cool news from the President....if we have time, we can contact in the streets. YES! For those of you who don't know what that means, it means that we can stop people in the street and talk to them about the gospel. This is not the focus of the mission. It is only something we do on the way to lessons when there is time! Awesome!

Junue: Junue was baptized last Sunday! My companion baptized her. I will confirm her in 14 days, two Sundays from now.

Victor: We lost victor. He feels that God has called him to be a pastor in another church. He says this church is called "Christian Church". So, it is weird because we as missionaries need to be careful with this term. When we tell everyone that we are Christians, or people that believe in Christ, many people immediately connect this to the "Christian Church" here. We need to clarify that we are NOT of this church but that we DO believe in Christ. Victor is joining this church.

Leonore: Investigator. Progressing so well. Going to church, except for one time. She is doing very, very well.

Angeles: We had a noche de hogar with about 15 people! That's a lot! I was so nervous. But it went very well.

I've had more avocados...I will never escape them! A lot of chicken. A lot of cereal. haha! A missionary's favorite food.

My friend Luis gave the following example to describe the Gospel of Christ. I have added some parts of my own, and am applying it to revelation.

Revelation is like a gigantic chocolate cake. And it is delicious. But we have a choice. We can receive it with a clean plate and fork, or we can receive it with a filthy napkin and muddy hands. Obviously eating a cake with muddy hands is kinda disgusting. But the cake is the same....so what changed? THE WAY YOU RECEIVE IT. If we receive revelation with an open heart and no doubts (or with a clean plate), the revelation will be so great and we will want more. But if we receive it with doubts and hard hearts, (or muddy hands) we will not enjoy the full value.

Okay, I have no time so I need to go. Bye!

Elder Anderson

I Get to Talk to My Son...I Get to Talk to My Son... I Get to Talk to My Son... Oh, and here's a really great letter too.

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

This is Where I Live

Apartment Pictures!!  

Really?  THIS is the kitchen?

Chase's desk

Puchako the Wonder Dog (belongs to a member of the ward)

Chase in his apartment showing off some of Tess' work

To the Deacons

Hola! 

I am excited about this week! I have pictures, but pictures are limited...I can't go crazy with pictures for two reasons...ONE, I look like a tourist, and that is not good when you are a missionary, haha. And also, my camera could be stolen. So I don't have it with me often. But yes, I can try getting pictures of investigators. It is hard because we are so focused on working, but I will try. 

We get about 1,800 pesos every month. But, you have to realize something...dollars are extremely different than pesos. To understand the difference (according to my mission president), take the number of pesos, and times it by 8, then move the decimal over twice. This is about the dollar value. So 1,800 pesos is about 144 dollars. Weird huh?  They are quite different. Our budget is for laundry, shopping, food, and whatever else we need, as well as fast offerings. 

Junue: Still has the desire to be baptized but is not keeping her commitments. We are shooting for this weekend for baptism. She is adamant about how she wants us as the missionaries to baptize and confirm her...no one else! She has a member in the family, but she wants us to do it! Exciting! 

Ishmael: I was on divisions with our district leader (for those who don't know, divisions means that two companionships split up for one day so that different companions can go to new areas and learn to work with another person in the district). Well Elder Ceballos is our district leader and he is intense. We went to a recent convert's house and he just drenched their grandchild, Ishmael, in the gospel. My companion and I will follow up with him for baptism. 

Victor and Rosio: Continue to struggle with recognizing answers to questions. 

Spiritual experience: One day I was praying about something. During personal study I was looking for the answer. I received one and it was very confusing, unusual, and scary. I went to my bed and prayed for help to understand. Why was God doing this to me? I want a straight answer!! Well a thought came to my head..."How do you feel?" I thought to myself "Horrible. Confused. I don't understand what you are trying to tell me." And then another thought passed through my head. "It wasn't me that answered." BOOOM. Holy cow that hit me so hard. I later had another thought that clarified this "I allowed Satan to answer first so that you could understand the difference between how he answers you and how I answer you". That day was filled with peace once I got past Satan's confusing answers. God truly knows what is best for us.

To all Deacons Quorum Presidents in the stake: As you all probably know, there was a General Conference talk addressed to all of you. DO GOOD. Your role is one of the most important roles in the church, in my opinion. A faithful and loving Deacons Quorum President can really help young men. Because if a young man is inactive in the church as a 12 year old, you can rescue him early so that he can live the rest of his life in activity. I promise all of you that you can receive revelation on how to help the people in your quorum. HELP THEM! They need you! Find every single young man, or at least do all that you possibly can, and help them! I have seen what happens when young men go there life without good friends...and the result is devastating. God will guide you as you strive to help everyone in your quorum, active or not. I love all of you and invite you to live in greater adherence to the principles of THE PURPOSE OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD. These will help you prepare for a mission and more! God loves you and will help you. Have no fear. If you seek to call for the ministering of angels, they really will surround you. God will help you know that you are doing what he wants you to do.

Poems I made up...I know poems are a little weird but I love them so here ya go!

Though dark be your room
And shadowed be your sight
The fear only lasts
Until you flip on the light.

Though your Troubles invite the frown,
It will only hang around
Until you flip it upside down. 

One last interesting tidbit about Mexico... Dora the Explorer is the opposite! Instead of being in English and teaching Spanish every once in a while, it is in Spanish and teaches English!! haha! I thought that was interesting.  I'll write next week!

Elder Anderson

An Invitation

Hola familia y amigos! Espero que todo esta bien y que cada persona tiene buena salud y felicidad.

What a week!!! I want to start by sharing an awesome experience....

I was at a Noche de Hogar (family home evening). We join other family's family home evenings to teach and strengthen the people here. Often, the people invite new investigators, so we have the opportunity to teach them with members present. I was at a Noche de Hogar with a family that is less active. There is Ruben, his sister (who is not a member), his mom, his brother, a member friend of the family, and Luis and Julio (two members that my companion and I know very well and have become great friends with). We wanted to watch the video "The Restoration", but the DVD player did not work with the disc so we taught the lesson instead. As we were teaching, I got extremely dizzy. The room was spinning. WHAT IS GOING ON!?!? My head was spinning, my sight was blurred....I am going nuts. I am a little freaked out. My companion looks at me and says something like ELDER! DO YOU FEEL THAT?! I realized what was happening...I was experiencing my first earthquake. I flipped out!!! Not so much with fear, even though I kinda was afraid, but mainly with excitement!!! The building rocked gently back and forth and I was giddy with excitement...and everyone else was so calm!!! We sat there in almost silence and we felt the building sway back and forth. And then it stopped. I was asked WAS THAT YOUR FIRST EARTHQUAKE? And I said Si!!! Everyone had a really great laugh as I made fun of myself a bit and how excited I was. It was a great time and we all shared some laughs....and then we went back to the lesson. Haha!!

Language: Coming along great! My ears are getting used to what is correct and what is not in Spanish. Just a little, not a lot. I can kinda pick out things that are incorrect in Spanish. For example the phrase LOS VIAS (the ways) is very, very weird to me. Not because the textbooks tell me it's wrong, but because my ears can pick out that it sounds very awkward. LAS VIAS is the correct way...so Spanish is becoming more natural...that is very exciting!

Our success, when determined by our number of lessons (and really, success should never be determined by this, but rather by our efforts), we have had little. But we are happy and working SO SO SO HARD!!

Familia Romero: The mother of this family talked to us outside her door. I did not understand everything she said, so I asked my companion as we left. He said she doesn't want to meet with us. My heart shattered. Tears filled my eyes. NO! WHY! Oh my gosh it was devastating. I said a prayer as we left that God would bless that family.

But, our successes are what I want to talk about.

Alvaro: Accepted the invitation to be baptized!!! Yes!! He has such a strong desire to change.

Junue: Also wants to be baptized!! Yes!! But I am worried. This family recently moved, and they are very, very stressed. Satan knows full well that she wants to be baptized. Today, my companion and I are going to try and help her understand that she will face trials, but if she perseveres, she will be blessed and her family will be blessed.

Doing very well with Less Actives. Visiting Visiting Visiting!

I had a cool experience. I felt inspired to visit a certain family. So I told my companion this during a nightly planning session. He said he did not feel this inspiration. I kinda got a bit flustered and wondered why. Why would God only inspire me? I must have missed the revelation, and it is just me talking. The next day, we went to this family. I was so nervous!!!!! What is going to happen? Why did I feel led here? We found that this sister is struggling. We gave her a blessing. She began to cry, and we were able to teach and comfort her. Wow.

I want you all to know some things. Missionary work involves missionaries. Now, what am I talking about?  There are people in the neighborhood in Mesa that have been blessed by our religion....but have not talked to the missionaries. There are also people that we probably have invited to talk to the missionaries, and they have refused. For everyone that reads this, I invite you all to take those next steps. Talk to all of these people, even if they refused in the past. Ask them if they want to talk to the missionaries. And then CONTACT the missionaries and have them visit them. And GO WITH THEM!! The missionaries will love you for your referrals and will love if you go and teach with them. They will probably love you forever! There are people who need them. Be persistent. Do not take no for a permanent answer...just a temporary one. This is my invitation! Be involved with the missionaries!! Have family home evenings with them and nonmembers! Do other things! Invite them over to eat!! I promise it will bless every single one of you if you do this.

I love you all and will talk to you next week.

DIOS VIVE

Elder Anderson

To All Young Men in the Stake

Hola mi familia y amigos!

Ok, so first things first. I am better. To clarify, we were never really sure if it was pneumonia, but I think it is safe to assume that it was. The infection was very small, and it was in the tube that connects the lungs to the mouth...so TECHNICALLY it wasn't the lungs. But yes, I'm pretty sure it was pneumonia. It is pretty much gone. Doing simple things was absolutely exhausting, and my breathing would be really heavy when I was outside. I rested for Monday, Tuesday, and much of Wednesday. On Tuesday, we had a class we needed to attend, so we went...and it really affected me...I was exhausted. During the beginning of this week, my throat hurt, head hurt, eyes hurt, chest hurt....everything hurt! But now, I am totally fine except for a little cough. Wednesday, I rested and worked because I went to the doctor again and he said I am so much better. I'm still not totally better, but I am back to full working hours and am fine. So Thursday was the first full day this week.

First, two weeks ago, I learned some more about this mission. Mexico is very, very unique. Here is what has happened. In the past, missionaries did their jobs...they baptized, and they baptized, and they baptized. And Mexico is just thriving with baptized persons. But, maybe less than 10 percent are active. This is very bad, because they are breaking their covenants they made at baptism. This is worse than not being baptized. So the focus here is threefold....rescue inactives, retain actives, and baptize investigators. We don't contact and tract because we are focusing on the inactives. We need to save them because the Second Coming is very close...and they aren't ready for it. So, no tracting and no contacting...this is only for Mexico, because of the greatness of the number of inactives. We did, however, receive word from the mission president that if our plans and our backup plans fail for a one hour block, and no members live close, we can contact in the street for 30 minutes...but absolutely no tracting....ever! We get new investigators from referrals from the ward. So that's pretty interesting!

Okay, here are updates on people:

Ian: Haven't met with him since, we might today. I will tell him that you are praying for him. He has broken the Law of Chastity and is not doing good. Ah! We need him to understand how important it is to follow Christ! We will keep working.

Ruben: Ruben is inactive. We had a Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) with him and his mother and wife, and others. It was very powerful and he is ready to be more active.

Julio Cesar: Active. His mother is Catholic. She is so sweet, and it is funny because she sees us all the time! We taught her once and she humbly accepted the offer to pray about this church. Then she saw us help her son move into her house. AND, she came to the Noche de Hogar, so we are basically drenching her in Mormonism.

Freddie and Junue: Oh the success here! We spent almost all of Saturday helping them move out of their house, and into the house of Freddie's mother and brother...his brother is Julio Cesar. We hauled things out of the house, into a pickup truck, drove to the new house, unloaded, and repeated 3 more times. It was very, very tiring, but we got it done and it was great. They thanked us with tacos....oh my gosh, I think I fell in love when I ate those tacos...they were absolutely incredible....oh my goodness, it was so good!! Man! We are going to convert the whole Cesar family! And you know what? Junue says she might want to be baptized...we didn't even ask, she just said it! Oh man, there is success in the future for this family!

Refugio: Brother of Martha, who is active. Refugio has arthritis and it is pretty severe. So we talked to him about the Book of Mormon and stuff like that, and we have given him a blessing.
Josue: New investigator! Met him today. He is very humble and has graciously accepted the invitation to pray about the Book of Mormon. 

By the way, Martha has this awesome dog named Pochako!!!!! He is a Men In Black Dog and he is so funny! He has this massively chubby face and his eyes are huge!!! I love Pochako!

Victor: Still the man with tons of pointless questions. It is so frustrating when he says...OH, BUT THIS IS NOT IN THE BIBLE. OH, BUT I DON'T READ THIS IN THE BIBLE. OH, BUT THE BIBLE DOESNT HAVE THAT, OR IT DOESN'T TALK ABOUT THIS.... ah!!! Yes, it is because the Bible has been changed for a thousand years by men!!! Of course it is missing things!! It's why we have the Book of Mormon! Ah!! We have one more visit with him and we will invite him to be baptized again. If we don't see improvement, we might have to stop working with him.

Obispo (Bishop): We met with him again...once again, nice and easy! I don't know what the other missionaries are talking about...our bishop is great! He hardly ever lets missionaries attend ward council.... so, we came to his house to see if we could change that. I suggested we talk about unity. So my companion and I shared scriptures and then I asked the dreaded question: COULD WE ATTEND WARD COUNCIL? The Bishop said sure, and that there is no problem! Yes!!

Food:

On Sunday, I was so hungry after church!!! I wanted dad's roast beef and potatoes! Guess what we were fed for lunch at a members house???? Steak and potatoes!!!! Ya buddy! Steak and potatoes in mexico! Hahahaha!!!

I still continue to be fed absolutely incredible food. I have eaten, not this week but in the past here in Mexico, shrimp and mushrooms. My first time for both, I think. I will be honest, they weren't terrible...haha! Not my favorites though!!

The mission has changed my life. It has been, what, like 12 weeks? That's it. But I can say with absolute surety that the mission has turned me into a new man. My desires, my understanding, my views, my actions, and everything has absolutely changed. All I want to do when I get home is serve, make my family so happy, and be the missionary's best friend because I always invite them over and give them referrals. I am serious. I know it sounds cheesy and dramatic, but I am not the same. I now have a real sense of urgency to work and serve. The second coming is close. No time to lose! And I now look at life as a truly temporary state in the eternities. Video games, sports, and other stuff like that have become almost nothing in my view. People are what matter. People, obedience, and Jesus Christ. I am a new man, and will continue to become so. I have testified up and down about the gospel to other people, and I have promised God that I will never depart from it. I am locked in the gospel. This mission has sealed my destiny and it is impossible for me to turn back.

I do not have the words, nor the time or eternity or means to describe what God has done for me in this mission. He has prompted me to do things through His spirit that leave me standing all amazed. Helping a lady move stuff across the street. Visiting Refugio. Both of these were inspirations from God to me. I have been sent to my bed in tears, thinking of myself as nothing more than a stump of a tree. And then I would get up feeling like a man of God, having received His comfort. I have never been so close to Him. My tears almost begin to flow as I merely write about it. I cannot believe the things He has done. The miracles I have both seen and worked. I think that before my mission, I was converted. Now, there is no question. The gospel is my life and forever will be. I have changed.

To all young men in the stake. I testify that a mission is worth it. I testify that there is no "doubt" strong enough to keep you from a mission. A mission will change your life, and it will transform everything about you! It will work wonders for you, and you will work wonders yourself. I cannot tell you the mere fraction of what God has done for me. He has taught me things that I never thought I could learn from Him. He has given me so much peace and comfort, and I cannot deny He lives. He does live. And he is calling you now. Go and Serve! I promise, in the name of Jesus Christ, that if you go and serve with everything you have, He will bless you more than you can imagine right now, and you will find satisfaction and joy that is lasting and complete. I promise you this thing.

I learned a new word: PLANCHAR. This means "to scold". It also means to iron, like iron a shirt. So, when my companion and I say that we want to scold someone and tell them what's up (which by the way, we are wanting to do, in righteous indignation of course, to Julio y Vania! Oh, watch out! OK, no we won't scold. But we are going to be a bit more stern with them), we make a hand motion like we are ironing a shirt and say TTSSSSSS like the sound of the steam. Haha.

Language is still coming along. I understand a lot more. By Mother's Day, we can probably have a conversation in Spanish... haha.
I love you all. Words of wisdom for this week. There are two. First: NO TIRAR BASURA! I saw this on the sidewalk. It means DON'T THROW TRASH!! Haha. And second: DIOS VIVE. 
I know that is true. 

God lives.

Love, Elder Anderson

Pneumonia!

Note from Mom:  Elder Anderson's letter came much, much later in the day than I was used to.  So - tongue in cheek - I wrote this little tidbit about what it was like waiting for his email today:

3:03 p.m. Monday, April 8th - Come home from work, give snack to Tess, sprint up stairs... almost trip, open email, waited with baited breath... no email from Chase. Oh. Well, that's okay. His last email was a little later too.

3:30 p.m. - Trey comes home, say hi, sprint up stairs again, gleam in my eye, open email... no email from Chase. Mmm. He must have had a full day. I'll check later.

3:45 p.m. - Go to bank to get Chase new debit card, wait impatiently in line, taking too long, must get home to check email, finally get new card, go home, jog up the stairs, open email... no email from Chase. I'm not panicked. I'm not panicked. I'm not panicked.

4:45 p.m. - Check mail, go through mail, do not check email yet... you can wait, no I can't, power walk up stairs, check email... no email from Chase. Oh no! Has the time come? Is this the day when we don't hear from Chase because he's so busy?? Should I call the mission office?? Should I call the SWAT team?? Should I walk to Mexico, find Chase, and tell him that he's grounded?? No, just give me a paper bag to breath in. Besides, I need to make dinner.

6:22 p.m. - Crawl on my hands and knees up stairs. Must. Get. To. Computer. Breathing is shallow. Sweat beads on my forehead. No Tess, I can't get you your 60th snack of the day, I'm too busy trying to get to the office. I reach the threshold. Trey wonders what I'm doing. Not now Trey!!! My LIFE is on the line!! Tess thinks I'm playing horsey. She climbs on. I fall flat. Tess, no horsey right now. Get back up. A-L-M-O-S-T there! Climb into chair. With shaking hands I open email... THERE'S AN EMAIL FROM CHASE!!!!!!!!!!!! Everything goes into slow motion. Mom is doing ballet moves in the air. Roses are falling from the sky. Angels are singing! Can you hear them? Aaaaaaaaaah! Tears come from the shear joy and rapture of the moment. Reality sets in. Time to read. WHAT?? My son has pneumonia!?!?!?!?! How DARE he get pneumonia so that his letter is late. Must remember to tell Chase to time his serious illnesses better. Heart softens. All is well. Calm down. Enjoy letter. Walk around the rest of the evening with a goofy grin on my face.

Now on to what ya'll are REALLY reading this blog for:

Hola!

This week was very, very good, and very, very crazy! First I will talk about General Conference:

I watched most of conference in English, with the only other 3 people in my zone that speak English. We went to the stake center and watched it in a separate room. On Sunday morning, however, I watched it in Spanish because we had no TV and we could not watch it on the Internet. And Ben, to answer your question, I could not understand very well!! I am still not very good at understanding Spanish...yes, sometimes I think I asked something like OH MY GLOSH (Note from mom... again:  "Glosh" is an Anderson Family word.  It's a variation of "gosh"), WHAT DID THAT GUY SAY!!!!??????? The prophet told a funny story but I did not understand it...my companion explained it to me later. :)

Conference was crazy because we kept having to run back and forth from the stake center, to the house, to lunch, and stuff...it was so tiring!!!

Here are some updates on other people:

Ian is not progressing. He went to conference, and I think my companion said that he was a little drunk. He went to a party right after conference, and texted the entire time at conference. He is not going anywhere good right now, or at least not progressing very quickly. I don't know what to do. But God does, so I will seek His wisdom. Please pray for Ian.

Luis is a less active member. He is relatively young and a return missionary. I love Luis! He has become such an amazing friend. He is progressing incredibly well. He is going to church and he watched conference on the Internet. He has a great desire to be obedient and to change. I have felt the Spirit work through me as I have taught him.

Julio y Vania: Less active. Oh boy, this situation is quite the complication. Julio used to be the ward secretary. He no longer is. He is living with Vania, who is not his wife...so he is breaking the Law of Chastity and needs to be excommunicated....but you know what? He still has the keys to the offices at the chapel....and yet he is not the ward secretary....What The!!! This is MaMaMaMaMaMaMa Madness! We taught Julio about the Plan of Salvation. We talked to him about how the Second Coming is very close, and we need to repent...I think we scared him a bit! Hopefully, he will have the desire to change.

Junue: Investigator. We are still teaching her. Oh my gosh, I absolutely love teaching the Plan of Salvation. It is amazing to be able to tell her that her sister, who passed away, is being taught the gospel in the Spirit World. This is probably my favorite of all the lessons.

Fernandez Family: Remember this family? The Potipher's Wife family? Well, we taught the Law of Chastity here...awkward!!!! But it was okay. I felt the Spirit. We were clearly targeting the Potipher's Wife woman - haha.

Alvaro: No lessons since our first one :(

Rosio: Investigator. Haven't had a lesson with her for awhile.

Victor: He is not progressing much. We might need to give up on him. I know this sounds terrible, but when someone is not progressing, we cannot waste our time. We need to find someone else who has been prepared. He is doubting his answers and has many doubts that, in reality, are not important for baptism. We will have to ease off if we don't see any signs of progression. He did not go to General Conference...few of our less actives went. I think none of our investigators went. But we are still happy and still trying!

There are many other people that we are working with, but I can't write about them all.

Okay, a little bad news now:

I have not been feeling well. I have had headaches, sore eyes, and I have been throwing up for the past two nights. I also have a cough and a weird pressure in my chest. This pain climaxed today when we were playing basketball with the elders in our district...my breathing was heavy and I had to sit down. I went to the doctor and he gave me a check-up. He says that there is a rattling sound inside my chest when I breathe, and I have a fever of 102.8. The pressure in my chest is an infection in my lungs, and probably means I have pneumonia. He is not certain. It is not very serious. What is more concerning is the fever, because it is a result of the infection, as is all the other sickness symptoms I have been having. So, I am stuck in the apartment, with the exception of sending this email and shopping and a class tomorrow, until I get better. No missionary work. I have antibiotics, and will get better soon. But I just need to wait! Don't worry. All will be well!

Language:

Still learning! Understanding is still difficult. But, speaking English is so weird now!!!! I am not used to it!!! We speak English in the apartment and Spanish outside, so that my companion and I have opportunities to learn the languages. Oh my gosh, I cannot get into the English mindset. There are just some things that come to my mind in Spanish first than in English! It is so weird! hahahaha! Once, I taught a lesson and they wanted me to say the prayer in English....man, I had a hard time! I had to pause and think sometimes because I didn't know what to say! Spanish is just becoming a part of me I guess!

What is going on with Korea? People are telling me about a war? What is this all about?
Food:   Mole. Mole. Mole. Mole. Mole is this very gross sauce stuff that I hate. Ah! It is nasty! I have had that twice. I love tortas!!! Tortas are basically sandwiches, and they are really good! Daylight savings time is throwing me off - haha!! 

My companion is so funny. He says that the answer to many of my questions is "IT'S MEXICO"...for example...

Why are there dogs everywhere?
Why do people sometimes park their cars on the sidewalks?
Why are the roads so crazy?
Why this, why that?

The answer? It is Mexico!

I am loving it here! I am very happy and doing very well in general. Yes, I can Skype on Mother's Day.

Mail. I get it every week, or at least I should. The timing is kinda weird.

I can print emails. I do that because I have little time to read them all!

I want to do spiritual thoughts like those I sent last time every week.
Until next time, 

Elder Anderson