Last Email 🫡💔 - Yorba Linda, California

 Couple quick updates because I haven't sent an email in a few weeks: 

- we found so many people to teach!! It's so so gratifying to see a teaching pool build up over time and I've been so grateful for more experiences to teach and testify! 

- We talked to this couple at the park and asked for their names. The girlfriend said "Alma.. it's in your book right?" Lol kinda blew our minds for a sec haha it turns out she's a member from Mexico who is super ready to come back to the church, and wants her boyfriend and their kids to all come with her!! Big miracle <3 

- We also tracted a bunch more the last few weeks, and that led us to Leslie! She is the sweetest little girl who has lots of big questions that the gospel answers. Seeing the light in her eyes when we taught her about the Book of Mormon and about Christ's Atonement was so magical. She really cares deeply, more than most kids would, and she's so in tune with the spirit! She will be my last lesson as a full-time missionary this week!! 

Sooo today is my last pday!! My parents will be picking me up from California this Friday It still feels super surreal that this is my last week as a missionary. There's no way I could sum up (almost) 19 months in an email, but I just wanted to leave you with my testimony:)

I know that Jesus Christ lives. I love Him more than anything. I know that He loves us infinitely more than we can comprehend, because He dedicated His entire life to helping us overcome, and succeed, and have joy! All things are possible through Christ. I've seen Him work so many miracles in my life - I've seen Him change my heart. I've had the privilege of bearing Christ's name in a more literal way the last year and a half, but these experiences I've had with Him have allowed Him to write His name permanently on my heart. I know He leads and guides this church today, and that we have the blessing of ongoing restoration and revelation. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and I know that because it never fails to answer all my questions and help me come to know Christ better. I know that our loving Heavenly Father has a loving plan for each of us, and that we have a limitless potential in His eyes. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to reach that potential. It is so merciful and grand. We truly do have a Savior who loves and understands us so deeply. He beckons to us, always. 

I have loved my mission so much. My experiences coming to know Christ and becoming more like Him are scattered all throughout Southern California, and it will always have a special place in my heart. I love this gospel and I love sharing it. Nothing brings me more joy:,) 

I love you all! Thank you for your support and the part you've played in making me who I am I don't have info for my homecoming talk yet, but it will probably be November 12 in Mesa!! If you're a missionary and still send emails, put me on your list pls:) whitney.pearl24@gmail.com

 Sister Anderson 

Everyone watch general conference!!! - Yorba Linda, California

We had a miracle with finding our friend Paula this week! We finally found the neighborhood in our area that has all the people out walking in it haha so we were street contacting there, and talked to this lady for like 10 minutes, walking with her on her route. This led us about 1/2 a mile away from our car, which is where we ran into Paula! She told us she's been looking for a church to go to, and none of the ones she's been to have felt right for her. We taught her the restoration this week and it was so fire! I am so so grateful for every opportunity I get to teach recently. They don't come as often here, but it's what brings me the most joy, so I always soak it up when I get the opportunity to testify of Christ :,) 

Sister Downard and I are besties!! She's such a fire missionary already and we work so well together. We're always laughing and making things fun- this week we found a free *mini* ping pong/pool/shuffleboard/airhockey table on the side of the road, so naturally we put it in the back of our car on the way to our member dinner lol 

I'm SO pumped for general conference this week! We get to watch some of it with our friend Benson at the trailer/visitors center they have for the YL temple site. I've gotten to watch general conference at the MTC, the Mormon Battalion, a church building, and now on the dedicated ground of a new temple! So lucky to be on holy ground!! If you arent planning on watching general conference... what are you doing?? If you are watching it, make it the best general conference ever! I invite you to think of a question you want answered, and to listen & take notes on what the spirit prompts you more than what the speakers say. I know that's totally changed the way I receive revelation while listening to our inspired leaders! 

Love you all, have a fantastic week!!

 Sister Anderson 

Lots of service! 

Updates on the temple construction! Its finally above ground! 

Our new bestie Paula 

His Grace is Sufficient 🫶 - Yorba Linda, California

Highlight of my week: 

We have a member who sat down with us this week and gave us the most incredible lesson on the Atonement. He cited so many scriptures, and totally blew my mind and helped me to understand the Atonement so much deeper. 

One of my favorite things he said is that the Savior has 7 wounds, and the last is the wound in His side. He dropped some human anatomy on us that I couldn't explain well lol but basically, the fact that blood and water came from Christ's side when it was pierced on the cross means that His heart had been literally broken for us in the Garden of Gethsemane. That was the final wound He received on our behalf, and when He came to the Americas and visited the Nephites, it was the first wound He invited them to feel (3 Nephi 11:13-15). He let them all feel it, one by one, just like He had suffered for each of them one by one. 

The Savior's love for us is so much deeper than we can understand, and it extends to YOU. His grace covers it ALL. He leaves no traces, there isn't some imaginary line we have to hit before His Atonement helps us out, He covers everything. 

Heavenly Father knew I needed this experience, and I'm so grateful for all the little things that worked together for me to be there for that, because it was so impactful. God is so good to me :,)

We have so many new missionaries, so a lot of our mission is training, including me! I'm staying in Yorba Linda, and my new companion's name is Sister Downard. She's from South Carolina, and she's the sweetest ever. I'm so excited to work so hard with her this transfer, we're gonna go crazy on Yorba Linda!!

The members here are so incredible. They found out it was Sister Murri's birthday this week, and we had a constant supply of cake and ice cream all week long haha. They're gonna have to roll me home I swear. They're also such an amazing example to me of member missionary work. I love hearing their experiences of sharing what's in their hearts with others, and taking every opportunity to testify of Christ. They take opportunities to share the gospel I know I wouldn't have even seen before my mission. I'm learning so much from their example about how to be a lifelong missionary! 

We have been working hard the last couple weeks. I felt like I was kind of in a rut for a minute there, but I'm back now, and I know that giving it my all is the way this work was intended to be done. The Lord can work miracles with our willing heart and working hands!

We have some people that we're hoping to start teaching this week! Please pray for Benson, Debara, and Paul:) 

Love you all ❤️Sister Anderson 

Pictures:

Sooo much ice cream 

Building Sister Murri's new furniture right before transfers hahaha

Me + Sister Downard! 

District photoshoot by our mission presidents son 🥹🥹

New transfer, new zone🫶

Hurricane Hillary can't stop the work of the Lord😤 -

 This week was jammed packed with cool stuff, tons of mission memories!! 

- We got to hear from an apostle!! We had Elder Gary E. Stevenson come and speak to our whole mission, and he took the time to personally shake all of our hands. It was incredible

- Cheryl got baptized!!! It was a beautiful day, I'm so happy for her :,) I loved getting to see the light in her brighten as we taught her. She's one of the happiest people I know, I love her sm 

- We got hit by a hurricane and an earthquake in the same day! We really only got a little rain and some wind, and I didn't feel the earthquake much, but STILL it's kinda fun to say! 

- we had some miracles finding some cool people this week! We ended up having to pass them both off to other missionaries, but I feel like those experiences were exactly what I needed to have the motivation to keep working hard to see the miracles that I know are waiting in our area! 

- Went on exchanges with Sister Harding, she's a beast and is just the kind of person that you love being around. We both were tender mercies in each other's lives in training in HB, and it was so fun to spend the day together. Dreams do come true! 

I feel like I just received so many love notes from God this week. He is so aware of me and everything that means something to me/makes me happy. I know He loves me and He loves you. Our mission president gave us a challenge to study our patriarchal blessing once a week, and I want to extend that same challenge to you! It's really helped me remember my divine worth and potential and face the storms of life with greater certainty and faith :) 

 Sister Anderson 

Hurricanes give you nice sunset clouds 

Temple trip! 

Cheryl's baptism!!! 

Service at the Islamic Center!

Service at the Islamic Center!

Elder Stevenson making a heart for us!! 

Painted BoMs with the district:)

Yorba Linda!! - Yorba Linda, California

I've had a crazy couple of weeks, I've been feeling pretty sick so that's been challenging, but I've been so grateful for the power of prayer and the priesthood:)

I got transfered?????? I LOVED Norwalk so much. This last transfer with Sister Cook was my favorite of my whole mission, hands down. I was kind of expecting to spend the rest of my mission there, so I was pretty sad to leave:( I will definitely miss that place and the humble, quirky people there haha I genuinely loved them all so much:,)

Now I'm in Yorba Linda, the land of white picket fences! This area is so boujee I just drive around in awe all day. Our area has more hills, trees and mountains than I've seen basically my whole mission, so it just feels like a different world, it's kinda trippy. Especially coming from Norwalk, which is pretty close to Long Beach/Compton and in LA county, so its fairly ghetto. Last week, I had some homeless people absentmindedly run out in front of my car and I almost hit them, and this week, I had to stop for a golf cart to cross the road. It's just so different hahaha but both places have fun experiences for sure!

We cover two wards, YL1 and YL5, and we actually have the new Yorba Linda temple in our area!! We got to go to the construction site this week and help a group of primary kids write thank you posters to the workers! It's pretty cool to get to see the progress on the temple, right now they're getting ready to pour the foundation for the area where the baptismal font will be!

We have a harder time finding people to teach in this area, but the members are so kind and so excited about missionary work. I've never been in a ward that understands their role in the gathering of Israel as well as this ward does, it's awesome. I still have so many opportunities to testify of Christ and His restored gospel, and I'm so grateful for that! 

I've been really focusing lately on strengthening my weaknesses through humility and faith in Christ. One thing I was focusing on strengthening this week was my personal studies and prayers. That's something we do every day, but asking the Lord to help me make them even stronger has helped them become revelatory and powerful, every time. I have a testimony that the Lord is able to help us with whatever we ask Him to, no matter how big or small:)

Sister Anderson

Some pics from my last day in Cerritos:,(

Pday hike

Sister Murri, my new comp:)

Sisters Devo! 

Temple site construction!