Family history MIRACLES! - Long Beach? Norwalk?, California

Hey everyone, the last few weeks have been incredible! We are finding so many people to teach, and the Lord is entrusting us with people who are so prepared! It's amazing!

One of the miracles we saw yesterday was this lady named Anne! She was talking to my companion on social media about her family history- she's adopted and wants to find out more about her birth parents. Yesterday, we went over and talked to her, got some more information from her, then went to work to find her records of her parents! We ended up finding both her birth parents, grandparents, and so many of her full siblings!! It was so exciting, because she didn't know hardly anything about these people before, but we were able to connect her to her family, which meant so much to her!! 

 

We are also working on 'Family History for Dummies: for Missionaries' lol which is a comprehensive guide of how to use the family search app, so that all our missionaries can feel comfortable doing their own family history, and be prepared to help other people, just like we helped Anne! It's a lot of work, but it's a good project to work on in our free time:)

This was my favorite miracle of the week: so for some backstory, in my last transfer at the mobat, President Top challenged us to mark up a Book of Mormon with our favorite scriptures about Christ, write our testimony in it, and then give it to someone really special we meet before we left the site. Well, I marked it up and everything, but never ended up giving it to anyone before I left San Diego. I was kind of discouraged about it, but I was determined to still find someone to give it to. It was sitting in my suitcase for a while, but I had a prompting to pull it out and leave it in our car for when I needed it. Yesterday, we went to a members house that we go to every week, and they have an 11 year old niece who is staying with them who really wants to get baptized and learn more about Jesus. We started teaching her, and even though she lives in Vegas and won't be able to get baptized here, we are going to start teaching her every week. We went to our car to get a Book of Mormon for her, and I had my special copy to give her!! I was so happy I finally have someone to give it to, and I really hope my markings are meaningful to her, and that she finds her own verses that will have meaning to her too. We talk a lot about how people are prepared to hear and receive the gospel, and I think Heavenly Father prepared that special copy of the Book of Mormon just for Emily. It just makes my heart so happy!! I love being a part of this work

We have seen lots of miracles, and we know there are many more to come!! One of the biggest things I've learned this transfer is how to really receive revelation for my area. It really is the Lord's work, and it's sooo much better when you do it His way:) 

Anyway, I love it here in California! It's actually been super overcast and chilly for the past couple months, so it doesn't really feel like summer yet haha. But its okay, I love sweater weather. I love being a missionary, and I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!! Have a fantastic week everyone:))

 Sister Anderson

Went to a baptism in the mandarin branch and
my comp translated. She's so cool 

Zone sports + service is my fav!

Gluten free + vegan cookies

JACARANDAS (still can't figure out the correct
way to pronounce it, but I love these purple
trees so much. They bring my joy)

- Long Beach, California

Sorry I haven't written an email in like a month! I was kinda going through it haha but it's all good now. Something that I love so much is how much hope and perspective the gospel gives us through our challenges. It really has helped me to know that the Savior knows and loves me perfectly, and that trials don't last forever. We are made to have joy in this life, and while the ups and downs are necessary, we aren't meant to stay down. There is so much more good that life has to offer us! 

I think sometimes we can spend so long feeling stuck, or not knowing what direction to take, or just trying to figure out the problem and identify a solution. I know I've felt that recently. I came across a quote from Elder Holland that was intended to be about serving others, but the principle applies here too. 

He said something to the effect of: "don't be immobilized wondering whether you should do the backstroke or the dog paddle. Just jump in and swim!" 

We really don't need to spend so much time worrying about what to do and how. We know the next step, and that's enough for the Savior to pull us out of that rut and put the path in front of us AS WE GO. We have to be in motion in order to be led. So, that's something that I've learned that has helped me recently, and I hope it will help someone else too

Other than that, missionary life is awesome, as always. We have a super big, super fun zone, and a great area with amazing members. Whitewashing was slow at first, but it is starting to pick up and it's been really fun. Lots of miracles!

I'm out of time as always, but I hope you all have a fantastic week!! 

 Sister Anderson 

Sister Dalton and I are learning how to crochet in our free time 

The Tagolog branch in our stake had a filipino cultural celebration:)

Zone service 

Visited the yorba Linda temple grounds!! Not much to see yet haha 

Everything but the kitchen sink - Long Beach, California

This week was absolutely insane. I feel like I say that every week haha but it's true, missionary life is just crazy!!

This Saturday, Sister Jones flew home :(( We didn't get more than a days notice and she was out the door! I'm so glad I got to serve with her, she's an amazing missionary and I learned so much from her. I got transferred to Long Beach when she left (which totally shocked me btw haha) so now I'm in a trio for the rest of the transfer! I love both of my new companions, and one of them is Sister Davidson, who I served with at the Mormon Battalion! They're on the mission's social media team, so we have a lot to juggle between both of our areas, the social media team work and the family history team work haha. It's fun to get a taste of what they do though, it's really impressive!

THE coolest miracle happened this week! We have this friend Jay who was taught a few months ago before we were in the area, and he was on date for baptism, but had a couple things holding him back. We had been trying really hard to get in contact with him, and he was pretty insistent on not getting baptized. His heart was softened and he gave us a call on Thursday to ask if he could be baptized that Saturday! We had to figure a couple things out and unfortunately had to pass him off to the Elders in our ward because we got transferred the next day, but he is getting baptized this Saturday and I'm so excited for him!! I think it's kinda cool that the craziest miracles that I've seen on my mission are purely a result of my being in the right place at the right time, the Lord did all the work. 

We have a time slot blocked out at the Newport Beach temple every month for our missionaries to bring their recent converts and returning members to do baptisms, and we've been trying to get the mission hyped about going and utilize that tool more. One of the coolest parts about my job is that I get to help missionaries make the connection between missionary work, family history, and temple work, because it really is all one work! You can't have just one, they function as a whole. We have a few members we're working with to go to the temple trip, and that's been really fun. I love this work!

Missionary work is so great. I'm learning so much about how to rely on the Lord though all the unexpected twists and turns:)

Have a good week!! Smile at someone today! 

 Sister Anderson 

Downtown Disney for Sister Jones last pday!

Last hurrah in cypress :,)

Trio gang 

Family History ROCKS! - Cypress, California

Probably the biggest thing that happened these last two weeks is that we got a car again!! I was called as the family history team lead for the mission, which means we get to train missionaries and volunteer at a family history center far far away on Judea's plains. So they gave us a car! So far this calling has been a little stressful, it's just a lot to juggle on top of doing regular missionary work, but it's really exciting and I know I was chosen for it for a reason.

One of our goals for this transfer is to help our missionaries work together with members to share family history with people. Family history is such a great missionary tool, and it's something that everyone can talk about. So, I have challenge for you all:

For members: pray for an opportunity to share the family search app with someone you know, someone you meet, whoever you feel prompted to!

For missionaries: roleplay with your members how they can talk about it, so they can effectively share it!

I'm really excited to see how this improves our finding, and love for family history in this mission as we do this with our members!! My testimony of family history definitely has grown in the last few months. I can confidently say I had no idea what I was doing or why it was important before my mission, but now I love it and it's clear to me that the Lord has given us this tool to utilize at this time for many reasons. 

On that note, we had such a tender mercy miracle this week! We're working with a less active recent convert named Elijah, and preparing him to go to the temple for the first time to do baptisms next week! So, we brought him into the family history center to start his family tree. With limited knowledge of really any of his family members, we were able to do some work and within 45 minutes, we had four of his relatives ready to baptize, and had requested a few more. It was clear that the Spirit was touching him and he shared with us that most of his family members are unsupportive of him being a member, but he feels like he's been placed in this difficult situation so he could bless his family members in this life, and help them receive these ordinances in the next. He has grown sooo much in the last couple months we've been here and it's been truly incredible to see how the gospel has changed him :,) Yay for temples/family history work!! 

That's all I have time for today, but I love you all and lmk if you ever need anything! 

Sister Anderson 

The night we got our car

Valentines cookies from Suekay:)

Mini golfingggg

Sis Harrington, who we helped move and had to

say bye to :,( we've really grown to love her 

Barbara Bell, who is the sweetest little lady you'll ever meet 

Lunch with the Mortensens!!! 

Transfer 8 let's goooo - Cypress, California

 I feel like the last few weeks have felt pretty uneventful, but looking back there are some notable things ahaha. Here are the highlights: 

- we put our friend Suekay on date for baptism! She is so awesome, but she has a super hard time coming to church- she's 10 and doesn't have a lot of family support. Everyone please pray for her!!

- we had a couple of really fun pdays! We played the tortilla slapping game, we did a cake decorating competition, and we went to a super cool antique shop with an animal habitat in the middle! 

- Sister Jones and I got sick this week, so we did a lot of stuff from home for a couple days. I always thought being sick on the mission would be kinda fun because you get to take a little break, but it's actually the worst haha. I don't even want a break anymore, I'm so glad I'm feeling better and able to get back into the work! 

- something that has always been a weakness of mine is street contacting. I've always wanted to get better at it, and I prayed for opportunities to strengthen that skill this week. We were able to talk to so many cool people and get their numbers! Even though it was scary at first and still is, I'm really glad the Lord answered that prayer and helped me get better at talking to people on the fly. Ether 12:27<3

- Got transfer news, Sister Jones and I are staying together, in Cypress, on bike. Yay!

- I got to see Hermana Shell again!! Best day ever 

Thank you so much for your prayers, love and support. Let me know if there is anything I can pray for for you! 

 Sister Anderson 

Cake competition: who won?

HNA SHELL

coral bay gave me mad paralell parking experience lol 

zone pics:)

A surprise I found in my hymnbook this Sunday!

zone pics:)