Week 82!

Family and Friends,

We had a blessed week! We talked to 215 people and had a baptism. It was great. The girl that was baptized is the neice of our Bishop. Her family had been inactive but came to church two Sundays ago. Bishop called us over to them and basically said, "Hey Elders, teach this girl and baptize her." We did just that. It was a miracle!

Another miracle this week is that none of us got the Corona Virus and as of now, we are working normally.

"That's all for now, folks!" Amo vocês!

--

- Elder Anderson

Pics: One road in our area, prepping for the end of the world hahaha, and the baptism of Gabriella

Week 81!

Family and Friends,

This past week I had some health problems so we just went to the Doctor and stayed at home for the most part. It wasn't much fun but I got to catch up on sleep and we worked on the area book a good bit.

With health, I'm getting better but having tests done etc... just to see what's going on in my stomach/intestines. I think I've got the Corona Virus haha. (just kidding)

This P-Day we went fishing which was a lot of fun! I caught 2 fish and a friend that came with us caught an eel hahahaha. Super fun!

I bought a quad with real leather in Portuguese recently, I'm also going to buy a leather scripture case for it. I'll send a picture when it gets here!

Love you all! Have a good week!

Elder Anderson

(We were walking on the road one night and a kid with down syndrome, 10 years old or so stuck his hand out to give a high five. I stuck my hand out but he pulled his hand away and put the tips of his fingers on his hand together and laughed a ton. Its some type of game here. haha, it was super funny! Thought you'd like to hear. Love you Mom!)

Pictures: Fishing and an early sunrise with fog in the valley!

Week 80!

Family and Friends,

This week was another one for the books! We were blessed with 5 people who came to Sacrament meeting, and they all enjoyed it. Oseias, a 15 year old youth we are teaching invited his Dad and niece to come as well. It was really special!

We also had a great FHE with a family from the ward and Estefano, an investigator, came as well. We shared a message about the first vision and played some games that were a lot of fun! 

We also had a zone conference this week, President Barros is really funny and inspired! He's a great priesthood holder and a good example. I look up to him (but not in height, he's kinda short haha).

Have a great week! Love you all!

--

- Elder Anderson

Week 79!

Family and Friends,

This week we were blessed with the baptism of Taynan! He had lost interest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ but with the help of a friend from Church, God, and my companion and I, he decided to be baptized! After his baptism, he thanked us for not giving up on him. It was an incredible experience! The Book of Mormon has changed his life and given him a new hope, faith, and purpose in life. I'm grateful to have taught him. His friend Robervanderson baptized him. It was really neat.

The Spirit is real, prayer works, God lives and loves us!

Love you all!

--

- Elder Anderson

Week 78!

Family and Friends,

This past week we taught Estefano. We found his name in the area book, and he came to church this Sunday! He's a funny guy and we met his girlfriend as well, she is likewise interested in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We met and taught William this week. We met him at a  very difficult time is his life and he loved learning about our message. If he hadn't have moved back home this week, I think he would have been baptized. The Gospel and the Book of Mormon change lives. I know they do. We just have to study it, love it, and live it.

I maxed on Push Ups this week and did 85 in 2 Minutes! My max has gone up by 10 in the last months.

We worked a ton this week, talked to 118 new people, and marked to return and teach 18 of them! 

Taynan recently decided to stop learning about the Church of Jesus Christ, we will return there again this week and talk to him more. God gives us the chance to choose what we want and we are all free to choose, work for, and receive what we decide to. 2 Nephi 2:27.

Love you all!

--

- Elder Anderson

Pics: "This is Brazil" - Fast and Furious 5, D&C 4:2, William (on the right, his friend on the left), and P-Day with some other Elders!

Week 77!

Family and Friends,

My new companion is Elder Navarro! He's a Brazilian from Curitiba and played american football in Brazil before coming to the mission. We've been working hard and teaching a lot!

I had an incredible experience with the Spirit this week that I think saved our lives. We were going to an appointment and when we were about to cross a road, I had a prompting to skip our first appointment and go straight to the second (We were running a little late). I stopped for a second, thought, and decided against it. We started crossing the road to our first appointment and as we crossed the road, a car turned from the adjacent highway into the road we were crossing with no turning signal. The driver was going really fast and almost hit us. We then crossed the road and nothing bad happened. Looking back, I realized that the prompting wasn't for me to follow, but for me to listen and consider. In the end, listening to the prompting probably saved both of our lives!

Taynan is progressing really well! We have taught about baptism and he is preparing for it! The Book of Mormon is true and makes a difference in the lives of those who read it and follow its teachings.

Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Pics:

View from our house, the district, Elder Navarro and I, Taynan (shirtless) and his friend!

Week 76!

Family and Friends,

We have transfers this week! Elder Costa will be transferred to Hortolandia, a nearby city, and I will stay here and train a new Elder! I'm excited for it, it'll be my third time training.

We've been teaching Taynan (I have recently called him Claudio but he prefers Taynan haha) a lot recently! We had a special lesson this past Saturday focused on Alma 34, the atonement, faith, and repentance. It was really great. He is feeling the positive difference that the Book of Mormon is making in his life.

We had a brazilian barbecue this Saturday night with the four Elders of the house and two RM's in the ward. It was super good. Grandpa West makes some great BBQ but I'll still miss the BBQ from Brazil.

I now have one year and 5 months on my mission, I will likely have just four more transfers (6-week period of the mission) on my mission. Time is flying by and I will finish strong!

Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Week 75!

Family and Friends,

     This past friday we helped a couple pop the clutch on their car (the battery had died). It was cool haha, they were grateful for the help. We also saw two horses fighting, one was running behind the other and the horse in front was kicking the other with its back legs. Crazy... those kicks looked super strong.

     We had a mission zone conference this past week. Those who gave trainings talked about the power of the Book of Mormon and about our personal motivations to be missionaries. It was really good.

     Two Sundays ago we had a stake conference, one of the 70s was there and talked about the importance of obedience, the stake president spoke on self-sufficiency. It was really great!

     We played soccer again today. I scored a couple goals. I also dunked a croc we found in the parking lot hahaha, I also threw a football with one of the American Elders. It's been a while.

Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Week 74!

Family and Friends,

Ever since I've been in my new area, we haven't been able to drink the tap water in the house. This past week, we went in the attic with a member to clean the water tanks and they were really dirty. But we cleaned it up good and now the water is a lot better!

We visited Yasmin this Friday with the Young Women's president of the ward. It went really well and Yasmin went to a young womens activity this saturday and stake conference this Sunday! She brought her younger sister too. They liked it a lot and will continue coming!

We taught the Restoration to Claudio this week! It went well and we found out that his best friend is a member of the Church! He seems sincerely interested in what we have to say. We will return this week!

We have had a great P-day so far! We played soccer and basketball with some other Elders, and I scored a goal in soccer  It's been a while since I've played haha.

Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Week 73!

Family and Friends,

This past week I stayed in Nova Odessa (another city) for a day. I worked with Elder Britez from Paraguay. We had a great visit with a lady who was baptized just two weeks ago, we read 1 Nephi 8 together and talked about the symbolism and what we can learn from it. It was really great!

In our area we've visited a family with an 11 year old daughter named Yasmin who hasn't gone to church in awhile. She's super cool and is mature for her age.

One day, we were walking on the sidewalk (surprise, surprise haha) and we saw two shirtless guys (+-20 years old) passing by on a motorcycle without helmets. They were shortly followed by a police van with 2 cops. The cop in the passenger seat had his pistol in hand hanging out the window. The guys stopped the motorcycle behind a semi-truck and the police whipped the van around, and both hopped out after them (One with the gun drawn and aimed at them). The guys put their hands up and relaxed, the cops grabbed them and threw them against a wall. One of the guys back talked and got punched a couple times. It was like a movie haha. I'm glad to have policemen and women that risk their lives to keep others safe. I honor and admire their sacrifice. 

One day, we were walking in a neighborhood and I started a conversation with two kids in front of a house. Ends up, a few people in the house are members of the church and there are many who aren't baptized! The kids called their grandma who was home and she said we could teach and baptize those who hadn't been taught! We will return there soon.

Love you all!

-Elder Anderson

Weeks 71 & 72!

Family and Friends,

These past two weeks have flown by! Here are the highlights:

Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years! We stayed Christmas Eve night with a family from the Church, we ate a ton, and hung out. It was really great! On Christmas we had a four hour lunch with Brazilian BBQ. It was really good haha. On New Years, we stayed home but watched all the fireworks in the city from our houses garage haha. It was really cool. It made me miss the 4th of July parties in the USA. 

I was recently transferred to a new area in the same city as my first area here in Brazil! It has been really cool to come back and remember experiences from over a year ago. Time has flown by. My new companion is Elder Costa. He's from Fortaleza and is the only member in his family. His parents disowned him when he left on the mission and he hasn't talked to them since. His faith and testimony are astounding. We don't yet have a week together but we've gotten a lot done. We've been able to meet the Bishop, plan how we will work in harmony with him, cleaned and organized the area book, meet some of the members, and also meet some of the people here who are investigating the church. It's been great!

I have nearly 1 year and 5 months on my mission now, it has been an incredible experience until now. I have changed, grown, and experienced so much. Only those who have served understand. I'm am excited to finish these last 6 months or so faithfully and proudly.

Until next week, love you all,

Elder Anderson

Week 70!

Family and Friends,

Wow, time sure has flown by. 70 weeks now in the mission. 490 days.

Speaking of time flying by, it seems like yesterday that I was last typing a letter haha.

This week had three miraculous events which will constitute this weeks letter.

The first being our mission Christmas Conference. There were a number of Hymns, Presentations, and special thoughts about Jesus Christ. My district (8 missionaries) sung a mixture of 3 hymns about Christs birth, death, and resurrection. It was really special. Before each hymn, I read a correlated scripture. Isaiah 9:6 was one of my favorites.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The second event was the baptism of Altair! The sisters have been teaching him and I did his baptismal interview. His baptism was really special and the gospel of Jesus Christ has made an incredible difference in his life.

The third being the special sacrament meeting this week. Like the mission conference, there were many hymns sung and the Elders all sang (a group of us 5) The First Noel. It was super great!

Love you all!

Elder Anderson

 (Sorry the above pic is up-side down!)

Week 69!

Family and Friends,

João Victor came to Church this Sunday again and liked it a lot! He's a cool guy, and we've been teaching him a lot. He is progressing well. I'm excited for him! 

Two recent funny stories:

This past Tuesday, we had stopped by a store on our way home. As I had taken my money out of my wallet, I ended up leaving my drivers license and a picture I had in my wallet in the store! We returned the next morning and found them both!

I had a medical checkup this past Wednesday night. It was in the center of the town and we went there with an Uber. On the way back, we decided to walk to save money. We used a bridge over the big river in the city and we ended up behind a number of huge, old, and empty warehouses. We didn't see anyone for about 10 minutes as we walked and it was late at night but we made it out safe and I saw a wild (and live! I've only seen them dead on the road before) armadillo. It was cool haha.

We had transfers this past week but Elder Motta and I will stay here! In fact, our whole district of 8 missionaries stayed haha.

One thing that I've seen a lot lately is the difference in the lives of those who practice (yes, practice, not have) the Gospel and those who don't. There are many people and families I have known which are incredible, peaceful, and happy. There are also many which are the exact opposite. The main difference in the lives of these people seems to be the level of application of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who obey and keep His perfect principles are happier, kinder, and more successful in life.

Love you all!

-Elder Anderson