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 

Free pants from a JW - Norwalk, California

The last couple weeks have been great!! We have transfers on a Friday now instead of Tuesdays, so that's been throwing us off, but I have a new companion! Sister Dalton got moved to the mandarin branch, so I stayed in Norwalk, and Sister Cook came in. She is the best. We'd served together in Cypress so we already knew each other, but being her comp is so much fun! And we have lots of work to do in this area, so we are feeling super blessed! 

One of the people we're teaching is named Josh! He's probably my favorite person to teach. He just accepts everything we teach him so readily, and is so willing and prepared to learn everything we have to teach him and do what we ask him to do. His wife is not super open to our religion though, so that's kind of stopping him from being all in. So please pray for him!! 

We're teaching a bunch of people rn who are in super different places in life, but it's been so amazing to see that the common ground between all of them is Christ. Every single one of them just genuinely wants to be a better person, or have a stronger relationship with God, or be happier in life, and Jesus Christ is the way to achieve all of those things. As Ryan K. Olsen said in general conference last year: "no matter how difficult or confusing the challenges may be, you can always remember that the answer is simple: it is always Jesus." I've had many opportunities to testify of the Savior recently, and it brings me so much joy!! I love to see how He can succor and change people, through us, the humble instruments in His hands:,) 

We have a lot going on with the family history work too! We're making this giant guidebook for the mission so that everyone will know how to use familysearch and be able to teach other people how to do it. It's a cool project to be working on and I hope it will help a lot of people! 

We have a new mission president as of this morning  President and Sister Galotera and their three kids flew in this morning, and we will get to meet them tomorrow morning!! I get the blessing of having three different mission presidents, and I know that each of them were called to be MY mission president for a reason. I have loved getting to serve with the Platts and I will forever be grateful for their high love + high expectations. I love President and Sister Platt so much and I'm grateful for all they taught me:) 

I love you all, I love the Lord, I love this work. If you want to pray for our friends, that would be much appreciated. Keep in your prayers: Emily, Jason, Josh, Jaylen, Lopez family, Jonathan, Cheryl, Kenric and Patricia <3

 Sister Anderson 

Pictures:

We play Secret Hitler almost every pday in this
zone hahaha it's so fun, really feel the Spirit 

The ladies in our ward have a sewing night
every week and teach us how to crochet:)

Sister Dalton

Morning sports with Cypritos! 

More Mobat/Anaheim sisters!!! 

Last hug from the Platts:,( 

Cool pants we got from a Jehova's Witness garage sale 
We ended up referring my man Fabian in the end lol

SIX MONTH MARK!! - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hello everyone! Sending this a day late from the mobat computer because I dropped my phone in the ocean at beach day yesterday lol. BUT as of today, I have officially been a missionary for 6 months!! It's wild to think about how I'm already 1/3 of the way through because it feels like I just started, but I've learned and grown so much in the last six months and I'm so grateful for all of the wonderful experiences I've been able to have so far!!

It's been a few weeks so I have lots to say but here are the most important things that have happened to me recently!!

- We went to the San Diego zone conference!! This was a big deal because we are not a part of the San Diego mission and there has been a bit of bad blood in the past, so the fact that we were invited and got to make new friends with the missionaries there was so awesome. All the departing sisters got to go together and it was just the best. It got us so excited to go to our other missions and be proselyting missionaries too! I can't wait for all the experiences I'll get to have in Anaheim so soon :)

- We had a couple days of rain! I've been seriously missing the AZ monsoons, and this was the first time it's rained in the 5 months I've been in San Diego so I know it's such a small thing but Heavenly Father is aware of us and what we want!

- We met the coolest couple at the temple - the guy was an inactive member who wanted to come back to church eventually, and his girlfriend was curious about our church. So we got to talk to them about the temple a little bit and the look in her eyes when we talked about the spirit world and the opportunity that everyone will have to get a second chance and to hear the gospel after this life really touched me. She started crying as she told us that she works in hospice and has always felt this pull from people at the end of their lives that they just want to go home and this idea of life and second chances after death made so much more sense to her than the religion she grew up in that she's never really understood. We gave her her own book of Mormon, which I know contains the answers to those questions of the soul like she needed. We also referred them to missionaries in the Arcadia mission and I'm praying that they'll have a good experience with those missionaries because I know the gospel can bless their life in sooo many ways

- I got to see my mom! I had some family members come into town this weekend and I got to give them a tour, which was super fun (pictures included) and I also got to see the Mortensens! I feel so blessed to be at a place where I can show people I love the kind of missionary work I get to do every day :)

- I did twelve consecutive loops on Elder Allen's kite

I have two weeks left here before I head up north so I'm soaking it all up and getting excited for what's to come! I love you all and I'm praying for you! Here's to another great six months!

Sister Anderson

comp study on the dock

Last Battalion temple trip :,(

Departing sisters -Sister Shell

Family Photo! (daughter: Sister Lawson, granddaughter: Sister Platt)

Message from President and Sister Top - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

 We may not be the largest geographically or numerically, but this “mission” known as the Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego is “supersized” with the power of God. These remarkable people are deeply devoted to the Lord and their fellowmen. Everyday they exhibit the faith, sacrifice and service of the 1846-47 Mormon Battalion, whose story they so beautifully tell at our historic site. The service they give to the community is exemplary. They reflect the Divine Light wherever they go. I’m proud to serve alongside them.

week 9!! - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hey everyone!! I apologize for no email last week, my phone broke and I couldn't get it fixed until Wednesday haha. But the last two weeks have been great! We had a Battalion beach day (our whole mission goes to the beach and eats pizza), zone conference (aka Battalion field trip, where we all go and visit some sites that have significance to the Mormon Battalion's march), and a Battalion temple trip! I love how much we all get to spend time together:) 

Last week we had exchanges, so I got to hang out with Sister Gordon for the day! She's super cool and it was fun to see how she gives tours because everyone does it just a little bit differently. We went to La Jolla together and met some super cool people who we convinced to come into the Mobat! Our own way of street contacting at it's finest lol

We got to watch President and Sister Nelson's young adult devotional last week, which was so awesome! They are truly inspired and have so much love for us that is so evident in the caring advice they give us. 

On our field trip we went to a couple different catholic missions, where the Mormon Battalion stayed for a short period toward the very end of their march. I love learning more about their story, because it is always so evident that God was with them and always provided a way for them. It was super interesting to walk around these historic buildings as well, they have some very beautiful architecture and I love seeing the similarities and differences between the Catholic faith and ours. I really admire the devotion with which they worship. Our trip sparked a lot of questions about this topic, so we had a whole enrichment training this week focused on different religions and how they were formed during the great apostasy. What a great time to have a byu religions professor for a mission president haha. 

Because we have quite a bit of free time here, it's sometimes hard for me to feel like a missionary all of the time. I love how relaxed my mission is, but it's not always a blessing. Sometimes it feels more like a job, where we go to shift and then come home and just chill in our apartment for the rest of the night or go out and sight see instead of doing regular missionary things, like teaching or finding or eating at members houses. We aren't allowed to teach any lessons and sometimes it feels like we're shied away from talking to people about the gospel at all unless they come to us with questions. I'm still figuring out the dynamic and what I'm allowed to do without stepping on the San Diego missionaries toes too much, but that's been a challenge I've run into so far. It's just part of the gig I guess. But I am very grateful for all the time I get to study here, I've already learned an incredible amount just from how much I'm able to read the scriptures and other resources in my free time. I'm definitely soaking that up while I can because I know I'll have a lot less time in Anaheim. 

I hit my two month mark as a missionary this last week as well as my one month mark being here in San Diego! Time is truly so warped as a missionary lol. It'll be over before I know it! I hope you all have a good week, let me know if there is anything or anyone you'd like me to keep in my prayers:) 

Love you all! Sister Anderson

 

Gelato on Coronado Island

Little cave on La Jolla 

Comp study on Presidio Hill 

Mission San Luis Rey

Polar Pop gang on the field trip 

Exchanges with Sister Gordon!

Beach day with Las Tres Amigas

Feels like I'm drinking out of a spiritual fire hydrant - Provo Utah MTC

This week was so good!!! We got to hear from our prophets and apostles in general conference this weekend, I don't think there's ever been a better time to be a missionary in the MTC. They talked a lot about missionary work and it was so cool to be surrounded by hundreds of other missionaries as we heard their council and felt the spirit. 

A lot happened this week but it's all kind of a blur, the days are so long but time also flies by it's crazy. It's been a super fun week though. We had a devotional on Sunday from the MTC presidency and one on Tuesday night with Sister Bonnie H. Cordon of the general young women's presidency. Both were super powerful! My whole district sang in the choir for that devotional which was super fun. There are actually more sisters than elders at the MTC right now fun fact. Sister Cordon shared a lot about how we can be directed in the work when we trust in the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 so good!!

I'm running out of time but I love you all and so does God! We sang a bunch of veggie tales songs this week and that kind of sounds like one of them but it's true hahaha

Sister Anderson