Always Changing!

God really does not want Sister Pearson and I getting comfortable here in Helena. haha From switching wards right when I got here to moving 4 times and now switching wards again. You know how we were covering 1st and 5th ward? Well starting today we now cover 1st and 3rd ward. I am going to miss the awesome fifth ward people, but I'm excited about 3rd ward. The elders haven't told us much and our area books in our iPads haven't changed yet, so we still don't know a ton about the area, but it will be fun! Change is good. I’ve found that you learn a lot quicker when you're out of your comfort zone. Heavenly Father knows us SO well. He especially knows how to keep me out of my comfort zone. It's a good thing. :)

I went to Great Falls again this week!! Aw I love all of the people there so much. We had dinner with the Blatter family and guess what we had again.... Chicken gizzards! Hahaa of course the one day I come back ;) but it actually wasn't too bad this time! Gotta love the Blatters!

I also went on an exchange with Sister Arnson! She just came out from the MTC, she's from American Fork, and she is an amazing missionary! I have never met someone SO EXCITED to be a missionary! She just has such a fire in her and absolutely loves everyone she meets. I loved spending the day with her because her happiness is contagious!! I got back with Sister Pearson and she just thought I was crazy because I was just so excited about everything! Haha after being out over a year, yes I still absolutely love being a missionary, but I'd lost that excitement a bit. Now it's back and it's never going to leave again! I love being a missionary!

On Saturday we went to try a former investigator and she was busy, so we decided to tract around to the other apartments and we ended up meeting this awesome lady named Sandra! It was so cool! She's been living here for a while and she has been wanting to go to the Mormon church! She said that many of her family members had suggested it and she had tried to look up our number in the phone book, but she couldn't find it. Us knocking on her door was an answer to her prayers. We are excited to start working with her. :) God is preparing people everywhere to receive His restored gospel.

In preparation for MLC we've been asked to read the talk, Faith is not chance, but by choice, by Elder Andersen and oh my goodness I love this talk! If you haven't read it in a while, you should. In it he shares a story about a family ... I'm just going to copy and paste the story.. It's SO GOOD!

"On June 12 of this year, I received an email telling me that the bishop from a Utah ward, his wife, and two of their children had been killed in an airplane accident. Bishop Mark Openshaw had been piloting the plane as it left a small airfield, when it suddenly fell from the sky and crashed to the earth. Bishop Openshaw, his wife, Amy, and their children Tanner and Ellie were killed in the accident. Miraculously their five-year-old son, Max, thrown out of the airplane in his airplane seat, escaped with only broken bones.  I learned that their son Elder Porter Openshaw was serving in the Marshall Islands Majuro Mission and that their 17-year-old son, Zane, was on a school cultural exchange in Germany.  I called Elder Openshaw on Christmas Island. Although heartbroken by the unexpected death of his mother, father, brother, and sister, Elder Openshaw immediately turned his concern to his two younger brothers.

        Ultimately it was Elder Openshaw and his brother Zane who decided that others could help at home and that Porter should stay on his mission. They knew it was what their parents would want.

        As I spoke with Elder Openshaw, I felt his sadness but also his unquenchable fire of faith. “I have the confidence,” he told me, “and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will see my family again. … Strength in our trials is always found in … our Lord, Jesus Christ. … God’s omnipotent hand has been so apparent in helping [me] and my brothers throughout [this] very difficult challenge.”

        I met Zane for the first time at the funeral. As I looked at the four caskets before us in the chapel, I marveled at the faith of this 17-year-old as he addressed the congregation. “Today,” he said, “we have gathered with humble hearts and weary souls to remember the lives of my mom, dad, Tanner, and Ellie. … We have talked together, cried together, remembered together, and felt the hand of God together. …

       “The day after I heard the news of the accident, I found a letter in my bag from my mom. In the letter she wrote: ‘Zane, remember who you are and where you come from. We will be praying for you and missing you.’” Zane continued: “There could not be more fitting last words from my mother. I know that she, along with Tanner, Ellie, and my dad are … praying for [my brothers and] me. I know that … they pray that I remember who I am … because I, like you, am a child of God, and He has sent me here. I testify [that] … no matter how alone we feel, God will

not forsake us.”

        My dear friends, your faith did not begin at birth, and it will not end at death. Faith is a choice. Strengthen your faith, and live to be deserving of the Savior’s approving words: “Great is thy faith.” As you do, I promise you that your faith, through the grace of Jesus Christ, will one day allow you to stand with those you love, clean and pure in the presence of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I love you all! Have a top notch week!

Love,

Sister Anderson

Random things

- Everyone has been feeding us SO much food lately and like 3 desserts every meal! ...don't expect me to be the same size I was before I left when I get back...

- Good news! We shouldn't be moving any time soon :)

- Tomorrow is MLC! Wahoo!!

- Waylon Dayton (the 9 year old in Sheridan, Brandy’s son) is getting baptized on Saturday!! So happy for them :) he'll be an awesome missionary in 9 years ;)

- We got some flathead cherries! (Really yummy cherries)

Sister Arnson and I

Flathead cherries!

A deer in town

All dressed up =)

24th of July celebration with the stake

Move #4

The weeks are going by faster and FASTER! It's kinda freaking me out. But it's been another great week here in Helena Montana! We moved again! Haha I've never moved this much in my life! But it all works out, we are living with an awesome family. They have a bunch of dirt bikes, so Sister Pearson is in heaven, and we sleep in a jungle room with a bed that hangs from the ceiling! It's a good time.

Lauren is still doing great! She is moving to Orem in a month to go to school at UVU! As for pretty much everyone else they have all fallen off the face of the earth.. Or have said they can't meet for like two weeks because they are going camping. But it's okay! We've been able to go tracting a lot more and meet a bunch of new people, so we will see how it goes with all of them. :)

This morning we met as a zone at the stake President's home for breakfast! We do this every transfer, but this time we were asked to do some training with the missionaries on how to plan and set goals. I felt like I should talk specifically about setting goals. I've done a training on how to set goals probably almost every transfer of my mission so far. Or at least every other. I guess I really need to learn how to set goals! There is a quote in “Preach My Gospel” that I love! It's from Elder Ballard, he says, "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.” I invite you all to set a goal today! Go about it prayerfully and I know that the Lord will bless you as you are striving to reach your full potential in this life :)

I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love,

Sister Anderson

Random moments from the week!

1.  I found some wrestling masks? In a closet the other day, so we put them on and laughed for a good amount of time about it haha pictures to come.

2. The members we live with were gone to Utah this weekend and one night while they were gone at like 10:40pm the dogs started barking like crazy (we live in the mountains, so no one should be around) at first I was thinking, "oh there's probably a deer or something" then we saw lights go past our window in the driveway and it scared us, so we called the members to see if they were home, but nope, they were still in Utah! But then they told us that it was the people that come and feed the dogs... Then we slept just fine :)

3. I've come to find that I really like horchata.

4. We are really good at moving! :) We can be totally packed and out the door in under an hour!

Playing the piano at the new house we're living in

Wresting masks =)

The swinging bed in the jungle room

Exchanges with Sister Hallet

Pretty rainbow!

Funny license plate

I love horchata!

Big Sky Country

Funny car from Algeria?

Lauren Got Baptized!!!!!

Aw this week has been too good!! I'm pretty sure this is the busiest I've been my whole mission. I love it here!

Monday - 4th of July! Nobody really wanted to talk to us this evening.. with it being the 4th of July and all, but then we went and were with some members till 10:15ish and had some yummy food and watched them set off fireworks! So much fun. We were SO tired.

Tuesday - exchanges with Sister Brooks! That day is all a blur to me right now, but it was a good day I remember that!

Wednesday - district meeting. Always good. This time it was pretty much all how to help Sister Pearson and I resolve one of our investigators concerns (George- the one with all the questions) it was super helpful! Then we met with him that night and it was a good lesson! He's still got many questions, especially now that we've taught the plan of salvation, but he'll get it. :) keep him in your prayers!

Thursday - tried to do weekly planning. Had lots of lessons! We had an awesome lesson with one of the recent converts in 5th ward! She really doesn't understand a lot about the gospel of Jesus Christ and she basically has a concern with feeling the Holy Ghost. I don't know how to explain it, but this lesson we know she 100% felt the spirit! We were teaching tithing and it was such a powerful lesson as the spirit bore witness to her of the truthfulness of the message that we were sharing. It wasn't in what we said that brought her to tears, it was the spirit that she felt. She felt it!!! I just love being a missionary.

Friday - trip to Dillon for exchanges with Sister Shupe! We saw so many miracles and Sister Shupe got her first door slammed in her face! We were super duper thirsty and there was a gas station down Main Street so we decided to do some street contacting as we walked down there. Street contacting can be a very awkward thing haha but it's so fun! There are many many awkward moments as a missionary. But we met the nicest guy that just moved here from Salt Lake! And also talked with some people in the gas station. Simply opening your mouth brings blessings and miracles. Even when it's awkward.

Saturday - Lauren's baptism! Aw best day ever!! She was so happy :) and so were we! Everything went perfect! Her family came too and seemed to be very touched by the whole thing. The spirit was SO strong the entire time.

Sunday - we were pretty nervous when it was 9:05 and Lauren still wasn't at church! Haha but we texted her and she said 5 more minutes. So we ended up doing the confirmation after the sacrament instead of before. It all worked out and went great. After church we went to some people that we were asked to go visit from our ward councils. The first person was Roxanne, but she didn't actually live there, so we talked with the guy there and he wasn't interested, but we gave him our number. Then later on in the day we got a call and text from the guy! And he told us he knew where Roxanne was! So we went back later to where he thought she lived and it wasn't her but it was a different less active!! So that was cool! I'm sure there were many other miracles, but I can't think of any right now.

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church on the earth today. I know it with all I've got! Read the Book of Mormon! It will bring so much peace and happiness into your life. I know it has for me :)

I love you all a whole bunch! :) Have the best week ever!

Love,

Sister Anderson

Lauren!!  =)

I got your 4th of July package Mom!  =)

Fireworks with some members

With Sister Shupe in Dillon

Dominic and Alexis Blake! They always sneak up on us when we are
saying a prayer before we get out of our car. (A less actives kids)

Sister Pearson was really proud of this photo

With a little kitty cat

Funny sign

Selfie!

Funny door

Beautiful scenery

Our refrigerator

Happy 4th of July!

Hope you're all having fun in Richfield and wherever else you are for the fourth! For us we get to stay out till 10:30 so we will be with the cutest old couple ever, the Heinitz (they’re 89 & 92 years old and in better shape than I am) and their grandkids as they set off fireworks! I'm so excited. We also had a ward breakfast this morning and we'll be going to a BBQ for dinner! It's a good day. Also half of our ward went to Utah for the fourth and half of Utah came to Helena. Utah license plates are all over! And we keep meeting members everywhere! I’m starting to get a taste of what it would be like to be a missionary in Utah. haha

This week has been kinda crazy. It was transfers, so we had Sister Harward with us for a day while she waited for her new companion from the MTC, so it was fun to be in a trio again for a bit! We also packed everything and unpacked everything because we were told we were moving, then they said just kidding wait two more weeks.  haha Then on Thursday we found out that we were to have a zone training on Friday morning, so we threw things together with the zone leaders and it all turned out good! Yesterday we went biking and I about died because I'm so out of shape! We only biked for maybe a mile and once we got to where we were going no one was home on the street except for one lady and when she opened the door she said, "sorry, no thanks!" And quickly closed the door. We looked like we had just ridden our bikes 100 miles. It felt like it too! Haha we need to get on those things more often..

Lauren is still planning on getting baptized this Saturday!!!! Aw we are so excited for her!! She too was in Utah this past weekend. Haha She goes down there like every other weekend. She's on fire and so ready for it. :) Rachelle is on date for baptism now!! She's pretty excited. We did a tour of the church with her and one of the bishops was there filling up the baptismal font and we showed that to her and he talked with her all about baptism and how important it is. The spirit was SO strong there and she definitely felt it :)

In relief society yesterday we went over the talk, Patterns of Peace, by Bishop Waddell from this last General Conference. It is an amazing talk about what we can do to find more peace in our lives. There are 3 steps with a promise, Learn, Listen, and Walk. I wish I had more time to write about it, but I'll share a couple quotes from it, "However far we may wander from the path, the Savior invites us to return and walk with Him. This invitation to walk with Jesus Christ is an invitation to accompany Him to Gethsemane and from Gethsemane to Calvary and from Calvary to the Garden Tomb. It is an invitation to observe and apply His great atoning sacrifice, whose reach is as individual as it is infinite. It is an invitation to repent, to draw upon His cleansing power, and to grasp His loving, outstretched arms. It is an invitation to be at peace." ..... "The peace we all seek requires more than a desire. It requires us to act--by learning of Him, by listening to His words, and by walking with Him. We may not have the ability to control all that happens around us, but we can control how we apply the pattern for peace that the Lord has provided--a pattern that makes it easy to think often about Jesus."

I love you all and I hope you have a great Fourth of July!

Love,

Sister Anderson

A good long day

Pretty sunset

Sister Pearson eating berries from a random bush

Creepiest bug that took us 20 minutes to get up the courage to kill!

Twinner winners

With Jenifer Crawford