weekly - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Hey everyone!! We have had a busy week over here at the Mormon Battalion - busy but good!

The coolest thing I have to say is that we get to work inside the temple now!! It's a rule that proselyting missionaries can't work in the temple, but since we're not proselyting missionaries, we got it set up to help where they need us a couple times a week. So far we've gotten to help in the laundry and in administration! So we helped fold temple clothing (I folded over 100 pairs of men's socks ) and I got to help record name cards for different ordinances that have been done for our ancestors who have passed on! I feel like it's been so cool to see how systematic and orderly and neat everything is in the temple. The Lord's house is a house of order! I'm kind of sad that this is all happening at the end of my time here haha but still so grateful for chance I get to be involved in it at all! Historic site missions are the GOAT 

We had 50+ mandarin speakers come in for tours on Saturday morning (luckily they gave us a heads up) but we don't have any mandarin sisters here yet so we had some mandarin elders come and help us talk to them and we had translators in all the tours. So we played the videos in mandarin and gave the tour to the best of our abilities in English and waited for the translation after every part. It was interesting haha but I'm so glad all those people could come in and take the tour still 

My bestie Caitlin stopped by the Battalion the other day and I got to see her:) she's about to leave for her mission in Chile and she's gonna kill it! 

Because it's my last transfer, I get to go to preach my gospel bootcamp! (Basically an MTC refresher getting us ready to teach again) President Top was a dean of religion at BYU for many years so he knows a LOT about the gospel. Role-playing and teaching him about the gospel is intimidating to say the least haha but he makes it fun and it's been super helpful so far 

Missionary work is awesome, any form it comes in! Have a good week everyone. Jesus loves you 

Sister Anderson

Nat Pad will forever live on in our hearts 

Last pic with my trio girls before they headed off to Boston and Atlanta :,( love them sm 

Comp study/craft night- same thing 

Caitlin bestie!!!

Mormon Battalion Transfer 4: Senior Year - Mormon Battalion Historic Site

Sooo a lot happened this week buttt I don't have a lot of time so here it goes!

- we had transfers!! Which means that I have a new companion (Sister Becht, she's the sweetest), I'm now on my last transfer here (), AND we had to say goodbye to 6 of our most amazing sisters. They're going to do amazing things in their proselyting missions but I miss them already:(

- we had to take a sister we live with to the hospital and didn't make it home until 2 am.... still recovering from the four hours of sleep I lost that night. She ended up going home on medical leave so we had to say goodbye to her too. Historic sites are amazing because you get so close to the people you serve with, but also so sad because you have to say goodbye

- we gave a tour to this lady who loves the Mormon Battalion so much, and she takes a new friend here every week. She said that there's just something about this place that draws her in and she needs to share it with everyone. We told her that that feeling is the Spirit! If I ever see her again I'll refer her to missionaries because she is so ready to hear the gospel

Missionary work is awesome, I love all the different ways there are to do it!

Love you all have a good week!! 

 Sister Anderson 

Enjoy some pictures from last transfer that I never sent haha and our last picture with Sister Shell :,(

"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!!