Missionary work is hard. I don´t think I have ever been pushed to my limits like I have this last week. physically mentaly and spiritually. I have really had to re-evaluate myself this last week and get a new focus. So much has happened this last week and it seems like I have been here much longer that a week and a half. The days seems so long like a week and then all of a sudden Monday is here again and I find myself trying to find the words to explain to you all that I have felt, seen, and experienced in this last week. Its tough.

Well lets see you remember the woman Elia I wrote about last week? Well we are going to have to drop her because things are just not working. She isn´t keeping her commitments and everytime we see her its just a big cry fest where either me or Hna. Pelton end up getting our faces, hair, legs, arms, etc. stroked by her. Its pretty funny we really have to try and keep straight faces during the lessons and then end up laughing after we leave. We did however find some news this week and we have been really trying to turn the ward around and gain the memebers trust. Its working they are really responding well to us. We had some lunch apt. with some members and we eat pasta and bread that is like a staple here. Everytime I eat I feel like I am going to barf after because I eat so much its terrible! But thats ok. So this week I think I may have been a little de-hydrated I felt like I was going to pass out while tracting in the intense heat!! But I re-hydrated and was ready to go again. Yesterday a miracle occured. We went to see this recently baptized member named Maruca and her roomate Ana. Ana had been taught before but felt really pressured so she didn´t want to get baptized. So we would just go visit with her and her mom got taken to the hospital cause she isn´t doing good and so last week Maruca asked us to go and help her feel better so we went a shared a message about the atonement and I was able to share my testimony about prayer and the comfort I have recieved from the atonement through that. Then we left. Then yesterday we stopped by to teach her and she is just like Hermanas I want to be baptized! We were like what?! How sweet is that!!! So we taught her the first lesson and we set her Fetcha for the 19th of Feb. we have a bit to go with the commandments she needs to stop smoking etc. But I really feel good about her. Then We got a new bishop on Sunday and that was good and the Stake Pres. stood up and was like you will get blessings if you feed the missionaries so now we have lunch apt. every day this week! haha. Pretty funny. This Hna. Named Hna. Fabris came up to us and was like do you need sugar? Hna. Pelton was like sure? Then she pulls out this bag of sugar and we are like what the heck and she opens it up and there are two huge peaches inside! haha. She just smiles gives it to us and says see you! haha. I love the people in our ward. So our old bishops daughters birthday was yesterday so Hna. Pelton and I made her some Brownies.....as best we could. And stopped by their house. She was having a party so we gave her the brownies and a card and had some cake. Holy cow it was soooo good. Dulce de leche and cream and peaches and cake ahhhhh......delish! Then we got a pic with her and had to get back to the pench cause it was getting dark and we were in a red area. It was so sweet I think it was Friday we were finished everything and had like 10 min. So we went to the park and they had this puppet show thing on for all the kids and so we sat by the fountain and watched that but behind us on this gazebo thing there were these people doing the Argentine Tango! It was really cool and this guy comes up to Hna. Pelton and I and is like chicas want to dance? We are like no. Hahaha. He was kinda creepy so there ya go. I also almost got besoed by another man this week. ( Thats kissed on the cheeks) But we beso every woman we see here pretty much.....its just lovely. haha. I have really come to apprecaite the simpleness here in Argentina the simpleness of life. Its funny I don´t remember if I told you last week but they have siesta here from like 1 till like 4 where everything is closed and everyone sleeps so we come home eat and do our studies and then go back out. Its so funny. There are so many things that I have seen from the culture here that I totally want to bring back.

So here in the Mendoza mission there are 5 curses. 
1. Falling in a Seykia
2. Getting bit by a dog
3. Getting besoed by men
4. Not making it to the bathroom
5. Getting pooped on by a bird

Luckily I have not been cursed yet. Almost though those men I tell ya! haha. I really wish I could tell you more about whats its like here its just so tough. One thing I love though is the Spanish. Its not like a mexican Spanish where they talk really fast they speak like Italians with passion and feeling but in Spanish. I love it! haha. So when I come home......don´t think I am weird. We had zone conference this week and that was cool to see all the zone and get taught by Prez. and his wife. We learned lots and it gave me that boost I needed. We had a safety meeting about earthquakes cause this area is a place where they experience a lot. So that was kinda funny. One of the things we were told to do was if we were in bed to stay there cover our face with our pillow and stay there.....I am thinking in my head at this point I wonder if they thought about the possibility of suffication.....nope. haha. I am really seeing the lords hand in the work here. I feel like he has put Hna. Pelton and I in this area to change it and to really help the ward be strengthened. the old bishops wife last night said to us. You too are angels. I trust you completely! We were like SWEET!!! So she gave us some names! That is one thing that missionaries need more than anything so please if missionaries every ask you for a reference please help them out! Don´t be afraid! By not giving them a reference you are inhibiting someones possibilty at salvation!! Haha. I know that sounds harsh but really its true. I love you all and hope your doing well!

Te Amo!

Hna. Anderson

I don´t even know where to begin here. From the begining.

So I left the MTC excited and really nervous for this new adventure. I was up around 530 because another Hermana left and we were saying goodbye to her and then we just finished last minute packing ect. So we got to the airport and litterally just caught our flight there was a huge line up and everything for security so that took some time. Being the travel leader I was stressed cause I didn´t want to miss the flight and have everything messed up. But we were blessed. So we flew into Atln. Goergia and it was so weird landing there and knowing that Scott was there too! I went to get some food and I remember seeing people and just thinking Scott is going to be teaching these people! I got really excited for him. Then I called all of you! It was so good to hear all your voices and know your all doing good. We were able to give a man a pass along card in the airport cause he asked for a Book of Mormon for his friend but we only had spanish so we gave him a card and told him to call the number. So the plane ride wow......lets just say the longest flight of my life but it was seriously so sweet cause we had like 25 elder/sisters on the flight all flying into Buenos Aires and it was just really cool to see! I remember this man when we flew into Georgia was like oh good missionaries on our flight we are going to be safe. I kinda laughed inside because I was like oh ya!!! So the flight to Argentina. It was about 10 hrs. a Red eye flight did I get much sleep? NO haha but thats okay I got a few hours. Before I slept though we had some really really rough turbulance and we were looking out our window and we saw these huge thunder heads and tons of lightning! It was so sweet! Then the sunrise! WOW! It was huge and red and sooooo bright! I loved it! So ya I looked and felt disgusting after that flight but was that all? Oh no haha. So we landed in Buenos Aires and I remember thinking Oh my word I am in Argentina!!! I looked around at the people and just got this sense of love already for the culture and the people. So all of us missionaries filed through the gates with our bagagge and everything and there was like 3 mission pres. there! Cause there were missionaries from like 4 or 5 missions in our flight. So that was a cool sight. We were met by a guide who took us to this little bus and we borded that (more like a van) and we drove about an hour to a smaller airport. Lets just say it was HOT!!! And humid. Coming from Winter in Provo to Summer in Argentina.....yaaaa. My body has been adjusting ok though. So then this guide takes some of the other elders to their flight and leaves my group there for like.....3 hours yep. We had no clue what was going on or anything so we just ate some stuff an talked to some people. Hna. Crapse and I got into a conv. with this boy (I can´t remember his name right now) and we talked for like an hour in spanish and english. He knows some English. So that was cool. He asked for our e-mails..hahaha. So I gave him our mission address and asked for his and I am going to give his address to someone so they can refer it on and send the missionaries over sneaky I know. hahah. So then we get in line to get tickets with our guide that finally came back and that took about 45 min and come to find out they didn´t have all our tickets bought mine was and 2 others so he rebooked us on a later flight....ya...So then we waited about another hour and got on the flight to Mendoza That flight was good I fell asleep on that flight for about 30 or 40 min and woke up and we were almost there. Landing and getting all our stuff was once again part of the routine by this point and we were all just exhausted. Pres. Lindahl His wife and the Assistants were there to meet us. And yes from the pic I look pretty sick I know hahaha. I seriously was so tired and yet was still going. 36hrs. Ay ay ay. So we drove to pres. house and it was about 730 by now the day later and we ate lasanga salad bread fruit and ice cream and this cake thing. It was really good! Then they took us to the mission office and Hna. Crapse and I slept there all by ourselves. hahaha. I remember driving up and being like okaaaay. There are bars all over the church and mission office but we were totally safe. The assistants gave us a cell phone in case we needed anything. The first night was good I finally got to sleep and woke up and got ready for another day. We did a bunch of orientation stuff and Pres. interviewed each one of us. It was good to talk to him and he is very protective of the Hna´s so don´t worry mom! We finally got to meet our trainers. My trainer is Hermana Pelton! She is from Seattle Washington and has been here about 9 months. She seriously is exactly like me so much so that is freaks us both out hahaha. She is great though I love her. So we ate burgers (argentine style so different but good) Then all the newbies and their trainers we out into the street to contact! ya....I was freaked out!! Its called ALB Abrir la Boca open your mouth. So I was scared but Hna. Pelton pushed me to do it and helped me a lot. So that was really good. We came back and then we got into a taxi and drove to the bus station. Lets just say that is is sooooo hot here. AHH. especially compared to provo. So we waited in this sticky hot bus station where dogs come in and run around and little boys come and try to sell you things and they are just so dang cute. Anyways we get on this double leveled bus and drive 4 hours to my area. 
SAN RAFAEL!! It is beautiful here. We are at the bus station get off and have to walk to our pench. (Pension is spanish for our apt.) So me with my 3 pieces and my tracting bag that weighs like 30 pounds because of all my books drag our luggage about 8 blocks to our pench. This is through busy streets as well and heat. Just picture me sweat pouring off my face my muscles feeling like they were going to rip and struggling to not look like a total gringo. Epic fail. hahaha. it was good though. We finally made it and came up to our pench. Oh on a side note Hna. Crapse and her trainer live with us too. Just a different area. So thats kinda cool we are still living together. So we come into our pench and kinda just take a deep breath and start unpacking and then we go out to get some ice cream with the elders. A place called Gridos. SOOOO good! Bed time that night was interesting. I have a hard time sleeping already and all this stress and time change etc. really is messing me up haha. But its good. that night I slept a bit and the next day we went out to work and finished unpacking. The rest of this week has been a rush of work and heat and tiredness and faith etc. We had the sweetest experience though we went and knocked into this woman named Elia and she is Catholic and she let us in and we start talking to her and she just starts crying and I don´t really know what she is saying so Hna. Pelton is mostly talking to her and she looks at me to bare my testimony a few times which was really cool. But I was so blessed to see her and understand her body language and listen to the spirit and know how to react with my body language and she was so cute she is starting at me for like the whole lesson and then she reaches our and grabs my nose like you would a little kid. So smile and laugh and we just continue. Hna. Pelton committed her to read the book of Mormon and guess what! We got a fetcha!!!! Thats a baptismal date. Ya! out of the first lesson! I was so amazing the spirit was there and after she gives us a hug and kisses our foreheads. Everyone here kisses eachothers cheeks its called Bosa. So we do it with the women obviously and not the men. So we were done teaching her and left and Hna. Pelton is like Hermana do you understand what just happened in there! That was so amazing! I said ya I know I felt the spirit. So then she proceeds to tell me this woman was like telling her about all this crap that happened to her and that she got robbed and beat up and her daughter is in prison etc. And she said I am more and more convinced everyday that the Mormon church is true! I was like YA!!!!!! Then she said she has been praying this whole week for God and we knocked her door and she was like I know you came from god. You are so pure you are so innocent. I see it I feel it! So I am really excited about her! We have had tons of people that we teach and they are just like no I am catholic and some are interested but we just have to talk to everyone. Its incredible.... Spanish is tough and its coming slow. Hna. Pelton is awesome and very patient with me and she helps give me tips she used so that is good. The more I open my mouth the more the Spanish comes so I just HAVE to have faith that God will fill my mouth... So at the moment we have 4 fetchas for February! we are stoked! The missionary work here is so tought but so amazing too. We walk all day in the heat. We have Siesta here in Mendoza from 1 till like 5 so we come home eat lunch and do study time and then go out at like 4. Its killer hot here seriously! We went to meet the bishop (obispo) and his family but he wasn´t there so we just met his wife and kids. We walked about 20 mins to get to his house out in the country it was long and hot! hahaha. I am going to have some strong legs when I get home! So we have zone conference this week and Hna. Pelton and I have some great goals and plans this week so we are excited! Oh on church on Sunday we had 3 new investigators there and we both went to bare our testimony. I was freaked out! But I bore my testimony and just said what I could in Spanish it was really cool. 
Its hard to say in e-mails all that happens because there is just soooo much and you really can´t explain it all. Oh here is some more stuff we went to a catholic church today just inside to look. Very cool. And we do our laundry by hand here......yep! haha. So we do it all by hand in the sink in our pench. So......ya...... 
I can´t think of anything else but I took some pics and will upload them here. ENJOY!!!! 
Te Quiero! 
Hna. Anderson

P.S. I just remembered! As I was unpacking I found a cockraoch in my bag!!! YEP! SO SICK!!!!!!! Also I have fallen in love with Spanish Music.....yes its happened and I never thought it would but I seriously love it so much so after the mish....yep! Also sorry no pics this week the comp is messed I will put some on next!

Hey Family!

Well this week has been really crazy!  but anyways. I have a couple of really funny experiences so just yesterday we were on our way to a Dinner Apt. and we were driving down the road and there was this guy on the side walk waving a sign that says Jesus Loves You! haha it was so random and hilarious and we noticed his hat said the same thing so we rolled down the window and he was like Hallejiah! haha it was so hilarious I dunno Iam started to see how crazy stuff is down here in the south. Lindsay will understand. Also there was this huge billboard by our Apartment that said The Wise Men knew you can too! and then it was like He is Coming again! May 21 2011 hahaha so aparently the 2nd coming is on May 21 so be ready. But it has been up for like 8 weeks and they just took it down yesterday! haha We had exchanges this week and so I went with Elder Morris another Elder in our district. (we have 6 elders in our district but im only living with my companion and 2 others. The other companionship is in a place called Smyrna where I went for exchanges) and we had about 8 apointment on Saturday and so we started off the day and all but one apt fell through! It was terrible but we got to tract a ton but seriously it was so wierd. I had an old lady freak out at us because we cant teach her by herself for our safety we always have to have a man present so she was like theres no place in the Bible that is says you cant teach without a man! Do you think Jesus stood outside peoples doors and was like I cant come in! This went on for quite some time and we tried to explain that its out of safety and respect for her as weel because some women feel uncomfortable and her response was quote "What do you think Iam going to do, Rape you!?" Elder Morris and I just look at eachother and almost started laughing hahaha! Anyways we got a return apt with her with a member from the ward so we can go in. haha. Down here everything is so funny like you knock on a door and the hispanics look through the blinds and sometimes think we are the police so they dont answer or you look right at them but then everything goes silient in the house even though we just looked at them and they dont answer it. Its really sad but hilarious at the same time. More of the white people that speak english that we tract sometimes open the door and instantly say, "Oh no thanks I read my bible and pray everyday!" its so funny!  Yesterday we were going to see a guy named carlos we wanted to teach again and this guy stops us and we told him alot about what we do and hes like that so sweet and explained he was in jail before and read the bible alot in there and then we were like well can we have a prayer with you and hes like sure of course so were like whats your name? and hes like oh thats not important your probably busy I'll just let you go. haha so were like well we wanna pray with you and hes like you pray for me and I'll pray for you! haha then he was like can y'all listen to music and whatnot so we were like some and he offers us the brand new phillips mp3 player that we are pretty sure he stole cuz it hadn't even been opened and we were kinda in the ghetto. I just love the people down here. Its so fun! We explained we aren't aloud to take things from people but it was super nice of him and went on our way to teach the guy named Carlos. So we knock at his door and his little sister answers and is like hes not here hes working so were like ok and his brother walked by and was like hold on so we finished talking to the girl and she closed the door so we went to unlock our bikes to head back and Carlos comes out and were like what? He explained his family didn't want us to come in but that he wants to talk to us! I knew he was really interested when we first taught him so we have a apt with him and it was awesome! Im really excited for it! anyways thats my week! I love it here im still trying to understand what people are saying and things but its coming! I love the work! I love you all!

Love Elder Anderson

Hey family!

Well Iam in Atlanta Georgia and Iam loving it so far. It is so different than the MTC in everyway. The language actually isn't making me depressed or anything its wierd. I just listen as my companion and the native speakers jabber away in the lessons and then when I get looked at I bear my testimony and share what little I can say on what I think they are talking about but I have definatly seen the gift of tongues I can for the most part understand the jist of what they are talking about. Its hard though because the Elders I am living with dont really speak spanish that much only really when teaching or tracting so its hard to learn but gives me alot of responsiblity to learn on my own. They told me of a promise a General Authority made that if you read the BOM side by side with any language you will be fluent pretty much by the time you finish it. Regardless of its truth I was really excited and I put all my faith in that and so I have been doing that alot but they said my pronunciation and reading in spanish is way better than theirs were when they came out so it gives me hope. I am actually not that bad I can get my point across pretty decent and my goal is to be able to talk decent by the end of this transfer! Can you believe its already halfway through January!? crazy! So my first days were mostly arriving in the mission home and whatnot but thats not even excited cuz it was all just little orientations but I love my mission president and his wife. My interview with him he said alot of the spanish Elders struggle with obedience and so that kinda made me a little bit like ok I need to be that example and do everything I can to be exactly obedient. But my trainer is awesome his name is Elder Carpenter and I live with the distrcit leader and his companion as well Elders Jones and Wood so its fun! My p-day is on monday but because there was a holiday yesterday the library was closed so I was unable to write. We are in a biking area so that should be fun but the humidity here is wierd like its chilly but its not cold I dunno I understand more of what you would say how it chillls more to the bone, but really its not that bad. I love it here though today we had district meeting and so we traveled to this place where I dont even know but it reminded me so much of England it was in a more wealthy part but there is fog and so many trees and brick houses and just beautiful churches and houses. The spanish isn't at all like that at least no in our area. Iam serving in Marietta right now and so far we have been to 3 trailer parks and a couple apartment complexes and I understand now what people say that when your on your mission going into somewhere like that is nothing but if you weren't a missionary there is no way ever I would go there because of fear I would be shot hahaha but I love it I love just going into a trailer and teaching the little I can say and just being apart of the work. I had a Dinner apointment the other day and we ate beans rice and tortillas. ahhah classic here but it was actually really good. So Elder Carpentor and I went tracting the other day and we knocked on about 40 doors and most weren't interested but for spanish people they always just take your passalong card or dont answer the door so its not any doors slamming--at least not yet. I hope it never comes to that either but no we went in and taught a Gautemalen and it was really good and then the next door a young kid probalby 18 or so invited us in and his name is carlos he spoke both English and Spanish and so we taught Spanglish so half and half and anyways he was like ya I pray to feel better and he seemed really interested and told us we made him feel happy again and he said he would read the pamphlet we gave him and we have a return apt with him on Saturday so I am really excited! who knows what will happen there. other than that thats about everything that has happened so far so I love ya and ill talk to ya next week!

Love Elder Anderson

Sorry that last e-mail got all messed up and sent. So anyways I got my travel plans and I am so excited!! This week was hard but good. On Friday I am sad to say that I almost had a nervous breakdown. Not even kidding. We had so much going on that day and the next week that my mind literally just snapped. I just sat in the class right before planning and stared at the bored. I couldn't think in Spanish and I couldn't think in English. I was so discouraged and frustrated that I couldn't be in control of my mind. AHHH so frustrating. So then we went back to the appartment and I knelt down for prayer that night and just poured my heart out to Heavenly Father. I told him there was no way I could have another day with this kind of frustration etc. I told him that I knew it was satan trying to get me down especially this last week especially with everything that has been happening in the last few weeks. Then I just prayed for protection to be around me and my mind that I would be able to focus and be able to feel his hand guiding me and help me do what I need to get done. I went to sleep that night, and when I woke up in the morning I was extremely calm.....it was seriously like watching a hurricane and then the eye of the storm. Friday was like my hurricane and then Saturday was just so calm....my comp. and the sister in my district were like woah....you seem really really calm today. I was just at complete peace with God and everything. I really needed that and it was perfect way to end a stressful week. Look for those kinds of blessings in your like God gives them to us more than we think. Especially when we pray for specific things. The Lord truly loves His missionaries and I have seen that more in this past week than ever before. This week is going to be hectic and crazy because we are prepping for leaving and we have lots of meetings lots of teaching appointments and we will have lots of goodbyes. I am pretty sure I am the worst person at goodbyes. I hate it. But my teacher told me something way cool that helped me a lot. She said "The real trajedy isn't goodbyes its sin" Its so true. If we are doing the best we can and are trying to follow God then we don't have to worry about goodbyes because we have all eternity! Spanish is coming along slowly still. I have grown a little more this week. It is frustrating but I am at the point now where I just trust that God will bless me if I do everything I can to work hard. So I try... I am really excited to go to Argentina!!  I think we will be staying at the MTC there or something and then move on the Mendoza soon after. Its going to be a looooooon journey but I am excited for this new chapter. So we had the sweetest lesson in Relief society about how our lives are like books and each day is a new page. We are starting a new chapter in our lives and we need to make sure that we make those close to us look like heroes in our books and just lots of diff. things I really enjoyed it. The speaker served in Argentina with her husband for something so we went and talked to her after and it was awesome. Then inn Sacrament Meeting we were challenged to read Heb. 11. Look for those examples of faith in your life. So I encourage you to try it its really cool!

Sister Anderson

 

Hey, so this week I have no time to write because it took forever for my email to load and it docked me 7 minutes, so I'll try to type fast.  That's sweet that you all had an awesome Christmas and everything went well. I have a cool experience to tell you this week.  Actually it happened last night.  So my companion Elder Dunford and the other zone leader elder Johnson had to go do some zone leader stuff, so it put me and Elder Santos into a companionship for a few hours.  We didn't have anyone to teach, so our teacher was like- ok you can teach me instead.  So anyway, it was wierd because instead of portraying an investigator she was herself and we had to find her needs.  So we said a prayer to start and I couldn't even start.  I didn't know what to talk about or anything, so we just were like : how's your day? Good? Sweet! Ok.  Where do you go to school?  You know that basic stuff and then we were just like uh.... so that was for like 3 minutes of straight silence and I was just kinda frustrated because I was really trying to have the spirit tell me what to say or do, but I was just like whatever.  I'll share a scripture and then end the discussion.  So I was like : ok, faith.  It's a basic principle and whatever, so I went to go to Alma 32 because I've read it about a dozen times while being here and it was what came to my mind, but as I was going to it , it was like I couldn't even think at all.  I was like wait - what?  So anyway, I was like ok.  Ether 12:6, that's on faith and then I was like - oh ya, the other SM is Ether 12:27.  So I share those two scriptures and was like ok- so what do these scriptures say to you and so forth.  And she was like, we need to show our weakness and whatever, and then Elder Santos started talking about humility and I share my thoughts and then were like uh.......cuz she wasn't really talking.  She would say  like 4 words and I could tell she was trying to hide something.  Anyway, she timed us out because we were confused at where to go with the lesson and she was like - ok- you both received revelation.  And I thought she was just saying that because I was frustrated because things weren't looking good to me.  But she explained that even though we might not think things are going well, the spirit can say different things than what is coming out of our mouths.  She explained that she had been struggling and didn't want to ask the Lord what she needed to do because she didn't want to have to do it.  So she was like - no- I won't pray and when we taught her she said the Lord was speaking through us to say be humble and have faith.  She said that she felt like the Lord was chastising her and was like ok- so you don't want to humble yourself.  I'll find a way to tell you.  HaHa.  I thought it was sweet and I loved it! It totally helped me realize even though I think things aren't going the right way, they can be.  Don't ever focus on your needs or your own knowledge but just testify and share the doctrine and that is all you need to do and the spirit will direct you to what to say, even though sometimes it is like: what am I talking about right now?  Ha Ha . Anyways, so that was my cool story.
I leave on Tuesday morning early and I should get to call home sometime between 7:30 and 8:30, because my flight leaves at 8:30.  So I'll call in between then.    I'm excited to hear from you and hopefully I get to talk to Hyrum and the kids.  Anyway, I gotta run, so I'll talk to you then!
Elder Anderson