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)

"I'M IN A STORE AND I'M SINGING" - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hey guys, I've just accepted that I only really write emails every other week now lol so here are the last two weeks!

Last week we had exchanges, so I spent the day with Sister Sermon, which was so much fun! It's always fun to see how other people give tours and to just switch it up every once in a while. We went to Keburro's, which is this burrito place in National City, and we got a bacon-wrapped California burrito. The last STLs raved about this place, and rightfully so because it was bomb. Highly recommend if you're ever in San Diego.

On p day last week we went to Mission Beach for sunset, which was so nostalgic because that's the beach I always went to growing up and it has the cutest little boardwalk. Sister Lawson and I were popping into a couple different stores and ended up in this t-shirt shop with just this little Korean lady, who started asking us some questions about our church. Long story short, she asked us what our favorite hymns were and when we told her, she asked us to sing them for her. uhhh so we sang them for her! I'll admit it was a little weird but she picked up the tune and joined in and we actually felt the Spirit so strong, even though it was the strangest experience lol. When we left she told us she felt the love of Jesus

I love being a missionary. I hope you all have a good week! 

Sister Anderson :)

Free Food and Tow Trucks - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hey everyone! I feel like not a lot has happened the past two weeks but also so many things lol. Here are some highlights:

- we had two member meals!!! I finally had my first member meal four months into my mission and ya'll- I love them so much. The two families we had dinner with are so so nice and welcoming I just loved being in their homes and getting to talk to them. Makes me so excited for more member meals in Anaheim!!

- we also ate dinner with a senior couple here and they're from Louisiana so they made us gumbo! We lowkey almost got towed after but the nice man let us go. The Lord protects His missionaries! 

- I gave a short tour to a little family from Ukraine who didn't speak a lot of English but they did have a lot of good questions about the church and ended up taking a Book of Mormon in Ukrainian

- Sister Lawson did a solo tour after like 9 days here! #proudmommoment

- we went to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier museum - pictures included

- we were invited to talk to the youth in the Chula Vista 1st ward we attend, and we talked all about missionary work and what they can do to prepare. It was so great! It was one of those rare moments where I got to stop and think: wow, I am a missionary right now. And that was cool haha 

Scriptural thought for this week:

Sister Lawson and I taught the Come follow me lesson this week, which was about the story of Esther. (It's a great read, highly recommend going through it if you haven't already) but one of my favorite parts of this story is just how much the Lord was involved in the details. When Esther was placed in just the right place at just the right time to save her people, she was asked this question: 

Esther 4:14 ...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

I know Esther was put there for such a time as that, and I know we've all been put here for such a time as this as well! I invite you all to look for ways that the Lord has been preparing you for the work He has for you, and what spiritual gifts He's given to you specifically to qualify you for that purpose. I promise this search will bless your life:)

I love you all have a good week!! 

Sister Anderson 

Pictures:

Wearing each others dresses to church haha 

Coronado Beach 

Balboa Park

Midway 

Celebrating Peru's independence day lol 

First week as a mom - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hey everyone! Not a lot to say today, this week was pretty chill. Training is pretty fun when you have a super cool trainee haha. We took sister Lawson to sunset cliffs on her first night here and ran into a guy who seemed interested in our church at first and started asking us all these questions, but it turns out he just wanted to bible bash. We ran into some of the other brand new sisters there too so it was pretty much 1 v 9 lol. Baptism by fire for them!!

The ward we're in now is super nice and they're trying to involve us more and even trying to set up member meals for us!! It's kind of sad to attend church as a missionary and not really even be part of the ward in any way, so it's made me really appreciate those small efforts :,) 

Today we took the old town trolley tour, so that was pretty fun to get out and see parts of San Diego I haven't really seen yet! 

That's pretty much it for me haha not a ton of exciting things happened but here are some cool pictures 

Love you all, Sister Anderson :) 

Sunset cliffs 

Cute little van that sells flowers, we pass it on the way home every day it's so cute 

Celebrating Shell's 21st birthday!! 

Sister Shell and I switched dresses hehe

Trolley tour!

Transfers! - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

I just finished my second transfer and I'm officially halfway through my time at the mobat!!! It's kind of bittersweet how the time is flying by :,) This was my last week with the trio and even though everyone says your second transfer here is the hardest, I can honestly say that my comps made it the best. I'll miss Sister Sedgwick and Sister Yin so much, but luckily I get to see them for another six weeks before they head off to their proselyting assignments! 

I got to see my family this week! I'm super blessed to be at a visitors center where I get to show my friends and family the kind of missionary work I get to do every day. They got to take a tour and have some lunch with me! It was so good to see them :))

I'm training a new sister!! We got five new sisters last night and I was lowkey stressin all day about who they would put me with, but all of the girls are super cool and I can already see how Heavenly Father has answered my prayers by putting me with Sister Lawson. She is so easy going and ready to get into serving here and I think I'll have such a good time training her!

A scripture for the week: as you read this verse, think about why it's important to pray always:

2 Nephi 32:9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. 

I love the way this scripture outlines how often to pray, and what to pray for. There are so many blessings that are in store for us if we ask and I know if we remember to pray about the little things all throughout our day, the Lord will bless us in big ways! 

Sister Anderson 

Scrubbing the floors like Cinderella lol 

We did some service at this little garden and they had
the cutest little corn and green beans

Last night we went to 7-11 to try and get free slurpees,
but we went too late and they were all out :(

Showing my family around the mobat!!

Showing my family around the mobat!!