No Week 20 letter

Tyler only responded to a few emails and didn't write a main letter this week. Computer time was limited for him because it was New Year's Eve. :0

Week 19

Feliz Natal!

Bom dia meu amado amigos e família!

This new area is really great. I like it a lot. We live really close to the center of town so most everything is really close and accessible. The house here for the missionaries is huge, probably 2 to 2.5 times bigger than my first house on the mission. It´s great.

My new companion, Elder Villagomez is awesome. He's super funny, good at talking to people, wants to work, and is helping teach me Muay Thai. Super cool and fun haha. We´ve also played a ton of chess and... I still haven´t lost haha.

We had a Mission wide reunion the 20th that was awesome. I got to see a ton of people that I hadn´t seen in a while, hear great counsel from President Bangerter, and also play the part of President Bangerter in a skit that we presented (all the zones prepared and showed a skit/play) it was super fun and funny. On the way home, we saw a small semi truck that was flipped on its side. No clue how it happened but it was cool haha. The rest of the week was great. We contacted a ton, taught a ton, and had 2 new friends of ours who we are teaching come to church. I also gave a talk it was probably 8-10 minutes. It was a quick intro about me, my mission so far, and about faith. I related faith in Christ to faith in Santa Claus. we have to believe and have a good year to receive presents and in the gospel we have to believe and have a good year to receive blessings. It was super fun and a neat experience.

Below I´ve got a ton of pics from the Mission Conference and with friends in the mission.

Merry Christmas! Love ya all,

- Elder Anderson

My new companion, Elder Villagomez.

(Sorry about many of the below pics being the wrong angle...for some reason I'm having trouble with our computer and our pictures...very strange but it's not working like normal and I can't figure it out! :) - Kristy)

Week 18

Family and Friends,

I found out this past Saturday that I will be transferred to Hortolandia Zone, Guanabara area. I already forgot the name of my new companion but everyone has said he's cool. I will be in my new area Tuesday night of this week.

This past transfer has been incredible tough, but I have learned and grown a ton. It´s been an incredible opportunity to really stretch and push myself and become better. 

This past week was good. One of the young men in the ward left to the MTC (I´ve seen 3 youth leave on their missions and a 4th will leave in January), I got to sit on not one, but two(!) Honda CBR600´s, and I got to say good-bye to many of the people I have come to love here in Portal Bordon, Brazil. This area has been really great. 

Just one picture this week, please take a minute to try to appreciate the beauty of this machine hahaha,

Elder Anderson

Week 17!

Family and Friends,

This email will be quick, the computer I'm using isn´t working all that great and I don't have much time. 

The highlight of this week was definitely a direct answer in response to a prayer. It's a long story so I can't describe it all, but God absolutely answers prayers and helps us out when we need it. We have to have faith both to ask for help or a miracle but also have faith enough to continue to without receiving what we want. Sometimes, what we want for us is not what God wants for us and we need the faith to trust in Him and continue on.

I ate chicken heart for the first time ever this week and it was surprisingly good. We had Zone P-day today, and played soccer together and planned an activity we will do during our mission conference in December.

Love you all!

- Elder Anderson

Week 16!

Family and Friends,

Another incredible week in Portal Bordon, Sumaré, São Paulo, Brazil! Tuesday this week was especially great and for only 1 reason: I saw a Porsche Panamera 4S. Some of the views here are incredible but that car up close... man, it was incredible haha.

I had the incredible opportunity to give two blessings this week, one of comfort and counsel and the other for the sick and afflicted. They were really special, humbling, and spiritual. Blessings are incredible for the recipient and just as special for the person who is able to give it. Really great stuff (and they were in Portuguese). 

This week I experienced yet another miracle. Elder Reynolds (American with about 4 weeks in Brazil) and I were on divisions again this week and stopped by the house of Ioni (ee-o-knee) to say hi. She is not a member of the church and is a great friend and person. She invited us to come over later in the day to eat some bread she was making. We said we would return at 7 that night. After leaving, we remembered that we were fasting and shouldn´t eat the bread that she was making for us. We both sat down on the side of the road and prayed that we could explain to her about fasting and that we wouldn't eat her bread. We also prayed that she wouldn't take offense about us not eating it. We returned to her house a little before 7, planning to explain that we were fasting and wouldn't eat the bread. Her daughter came to the door and before we could try to explain the situation, she told us that the bread wasn´t ready and that another day would be better. We marked another time and left without ever having to talk about fasting. A Miracle. Truly incredible. A direct answer to a direct prayer. Man, the mission is great.

We had a fun P-Day today! The whole zone came to our ward building and played soccer and ate a ton of food. Great Stuff.

Love you all!

- Elder Anderson

(no pics this week)