The Law Firm

   They called us "The Law Firm" Anderson, Anderson & Gorge. (the ZL's saw us running to an appointment once and they later said, "We saw you guys running today and we thought oh! there goes the law firm!"  hahaha it was so funny!  These guys were incredible companions.  Amazing guys.  Hard workers.  I learned so much from them!!  I'm so grateful for the 3 weeks I had with them. 

Week 6 - Transfer Week - January 12, 2015

Elder Anderson and Joseph

Wow.  What a week it was at home!!  My prayers are continually answered and there is lots more to be praying for.  I'm glad all is going well with all of the siblings!  Thanks for keeping me updated on them:) 

I hope all goes well with Dad's surgery.  He seems kind of nervous for it but I know all will go well:)

Well this week was a really good week!!!  Another week of being beyond busy.  There has been no time to even sit and think about anything else. We have been working so hard and it was a very fruitful week! 

So the highlights of the week!  Joseph, a man from Ghana, Africa.  We have been teaching him and he has come to church two weeks in a row now.  He doesn't speak much Spanish but he really enjoys it.  He at some times has trouble understanding the doctrine but he is coming along.  He has a baptismal date for the 28th of February.  Just an adorable innocent man from Africa.  Elder Anderson (my comp) was falling asleep during a lesson with him cause he was super tired and he closed his eyes for just a second and Joseph all of the sudden said, "Are you sleeping?" hahaha!  Super funny.  Just totally called him out on it! 

Second, Luis and Ines  are good to go for the 17th!!!  They will be getting baptized this Saturday, given they pass their interview (Thursday) so expect baptismal pictures next week! 

Third, Daniel and Melbi.  They were thinking about moving out so that she could get baptized but after prayer and looking at their financial situation they have decided they cannot financially do it.  It was very sad to get that news.  They are looking to try and get married the end of this year. (I'll probably be home before it all works out and she's baptized.) super sad, but it will be an incredible day the day I get the news she gets baptized.  He is an amazing man and she is amazing as well.  I am just glad I got to be there to see the miracle of him return to the church.  The Lord will watch over them though. 

Alberto and Rosi, our evangelical investigators, came to church last week and they said it was different then theirs. (I figured they would say that).  He said it was more peaceful and calm and I testified that it was the spirit testifying to him of the truthfulness of this church.  He continues to have A LOT of doubts about the Book of Mormon but little by little he is getting there.  He doesn't seem to have true intent yet.  But he is, little by little, gaining it. 

Last night we went on splits and I went and taught the Young Single Adult family home evening.  I taught them about the introduction of the Book of Mormon.  It was going good and the purpose was to know how to share it with others but none of them had really had any experiences with finding out the book was true.  Maybe two.  So it turned into "converting ourselves" and the desire to share that will come as we know these things are true.  It was a powerful meeting.  The spirit was strong and I could feel it working in them.  It was an incredible meeting. 

We also got invited over to a members home last week to give the husband a blessing. It turned into us finding out they had been doing a family fast because both the parents were sick (the husband pretty bad) and we gave them all blessings and we are now working on reactivating the father.  The families name is the Carrasco Family.  He was the ward mission leader couple years back but has since become inactive but we taught a powerful lesson 3 with them.  We compared the joy they felt on their day of sealing to the happiness they will have when living the gospel.  It was so powerful!!!  I'm excited to work with them.  They are a good family. 

Well Kings Day.  They believe that the 3 Kings come and give the presents on this day. (on the 6th they open their Christmas presents) everything closes down on the 5th in the afternoon and they have big parades that night and then everything is closed the next day.  It's kind of like Christmas Eve and Christmas in the U.S. here.  It's pretty cool!! 

Well for the spiritual thought this week!!  There is a scripture that talks about how "jesus went about doing good".  Now, I found another scripture that described what the father of lies goes about doing.  Read it and think about "where do i stand"?  Do I follow the example of Christ and go about doing good, serving and lifting others?  Or do I go about doing what satan does?  Do I watch my words, actions and thoughts in every moment?  and the last How can i improve? because there is always room for improvement.  Follow his example!  Do as he did and we will be blessed.  I promise you that. The Scripture is Helaman 16:22.

Hope this week is amazing for you guys!!!!  Can't wait to continue hearing about all your adventures!!!  Love you all!!! Thanks for everything!!!

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡Hurah por Israel!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! por la segunda vez

Wow.  I cannot believe it's 2015 either.  I just finished up the whole year that I will be on a mission.  All of 2014 was spent in the mission and this is it.  Just another thing that gives me the drive to work my absolute hardest every single day.  I'm so glad the vacations have been so great!!!  It sounds like everything is going amazing back home and that makes me happy! It really hasn't been too terribly cold here in Madrid.  It's cold but I've been pretty pleased with the weather.  Not too bad! 

This week with the comps has been amazing.  I´ll tell you about it later.  Yes, I moved into their piso. For now we don't use [my piso] for anything.  We will see what happens at transfers.  What we have done is just teaching everyone.  All of their investigators and we've just added all of my investigators.  It's been great!  but extremely busy.  We are constantly running from appointment to appointment or doing splits with members to be able to get to everything.  It has been an AMAZING week!!! 

Happy Kings Day!!!!  1 more day and santa comes.  Well, the Three Kings come.  They don't really have Papa Noel here. They do, but only kind of.  They focus on Three Kings Day and they believe the three kings deliver the presents. 

kind weird!  But we will see how tommorow is. 

P-days.. hmm... last week we moved me in.  haha and then we took Elder Anderson my companion to the lake in our area. He'd never been there and this week we played futbol with a ton of other missionaries.  Super fun!!  we will see what we end up doing next week.  I'm not sure on the game or the fight yet.  Maybe a fight this summer.  I don't know we shall see. We would go to museums like the Prado and stuff but everything is closed on Mondays here.  Like all the tourist places, so we can't go to them.  Kinda a bummer!

Well this week was incredible!!!  Elder's Anderson and Gorge are amazing companions and I have loved every second of it.  Working every second of every single day and it's been great.  So rewarding spiritually.  Two amazing lessons that happened this week. 

1)  We had a lesson with Daniel and Melbi.  The law of chastity lesson.  They talked about how they have been setting goals to live it and to get married this year.  We then told them that they could move out and if they did that, didn't live together, she could get baptized.  They are so excited and are praying about it and I think they're going to do it.  PRAY YOUR HEARTS OUT FOR THEM!!!!!  We will find out this week!!!!

2)  Luis and Ines had a doubt about tithing and wanted to move their baptism back to March.  We had a lesson with them yesterday and we were on splits.  We had a member with me and Elder Anderson and the member said "I know what you are going through!  I've lived it!  I promise if you pay the Lord will provide."  We testified and promised blessings and read scriptures and the spirit wrought a mighty change in them and they are going to be baptized next week on the 17th.  It was one of the most powerful lessons I've ever been apart of.  So cool!!!!

(This turned into my spiritual thought. Read this for Family Home Evening!!)  THIS PARAGRAPH:  Thanks for all the love and support.  I cannot thank you enough.  Sometimes I wonder why the Lord tries us and why it gets so hard.  I have been through some tough things in life and wonder why?  Why me?  What did I do to deserve this.  But it is always in hindsight that I learn what the true purpose of it was.  I don't yet understand why the Lord put me through this one specifically but I do know it was His will.  He gave it to me to learn, to grow, and to become stronger.  Sometimes in the midst of the hard things I've gone through I remember the mormon message about the currant bush.  The "How could you do this to me?", and I remember the wise words that Dad told me at the beginning of my mission.  "You are the clay in the potters hand, let Him mold you."  I have what I want, and sometimes I want to be a shade tree and not the currant bush the Lord sees me becoming and has planned for me.  And He then gives me things to cut me down and turn me into that currant bush I am meant to be. It hurts to get cut and pruned while it's happening.  The molding process is not easy but the end result is a beautiful pot and the bush the Lord wants.  And looking back, I promise each one of us will say "Thank you for loving me enough to cut me down, for loving me enough to hurt me."  Because of what we have seen ourselves become.  So look for that.  Look for ways you have been cut and shaped and molded and remember in the midst of trials that the end result is beautiful.  I never thought the mission would be this trial filled but I know the end result is the man He wants me to be. 

Have an amazing week!!!!  Thanks for everything!!!!!!

Love, 

Elder Jarrett Anderson

Week 56 - December 15, 2014

Thats super exciting!!!!  The snow sounds awesome.  No matter how little!!!  We don't have any snow here.  It's rained a few times but for the most part it's just a dry cold.  But that's good.  Being wet and working is not fun at all!!!  haha  The last winter in Galicia was a wild one.

Sounds like all is going well.  That interfaith Christmas devotional sounds awesome! Hope all continues to go well at home!!! 

Yes!  Things are going extremely well with the new comp.  He is a stud!!!  He is working on his Spanish, but just in the week we've been together he is picking up on it and doing extremely well!!!  It's been super fun working with him.  Like I said before, I think he is a convert of 2 years and has a powerful conversion story!!  This transfer we will not be going to the temple.  I'm pretty bummed, but we go next transfer.  Well, hopefully!  Our district meetings are on Wednesday mornings. We have a zone meeting - 1 every transfer on a Thursday, and zone conferences every 3 months or so. Funny, you ask if I ever see president!  I had an interview with him this last week!  He came down and interviewed our zone.

Well, this week was an amazing one!  We didn't teach many lessons but it was awesome still!!!  We continue to meet with Joaquin and his family every Wednesday!!!  They are doing great and are loving the visits.  Keep praying for them!!! 

Luis and Ines are doing great!!!  We had a great lesson with them about the sabbath day and they commited to coming to all the hours from now on.  It was a struggle beforehand but now they are coming!!!  They are on date and pretty much good to go for the 10th of January.  Keep all these people in your prayers.  It's the most I can ask of all of you back home but prayer is something that works and I testify of that!!  So pray pray pray!!!! 

The biggest other news this week is that Daniel and Melbi are doing so well!!!  We met with them on Saturday and Sunday and taught her lesson 2, the Word of wisdom and the sabbath day.  She is committed to living them all and has told us her goal is baptism.  This weekend we are going to be having a lesson on the Law of Chastity and temple marriage.  It's the big one because they live together and are not married.  I have had a good feeling about them so I am hoping that they can figure out a way to live it.  I have the faith they can, we all need to pray for a way for the Lord to provide the way for them to obey it!!! 

Those were the biggest progressions this week.  I am beyond excited to talk to guys on Christmas Day!!!!  It will be the greatest Christmas ever!!!!!  I miss you guys and it's gonna be awesome to see you!!!:)  It's going to be crazy to see how big you guys have gotten. 

For the spiritual thought this week I wanted to say something that has been on my mind.  I found a song from another missionary the one about "go bring them in from the plains, go bring them in from the cold" and it has stuck with me all week.  I am here to "bring my siblings in from the plains".  I am a part of the modern day rescue team!  Just as my ancestors before me,  I am here to bring those who are suffering out in this world to the valley of Zion and as members of the church that is our job.  They always talk about every member a missionary but is it something we live?  Before the mission I know I didn't.  This week I want to invite you as Brigham Young did to the saints, to go rescue our siblings.  Go bring them in from the plains!  They are hurting, and starving spiritually and need our help.  Let us be that help.  Think about what you can do!!!  I love you guys!!!!  This church is true!!!!  Never forget it!!!!

Love,

Elder Anderson

¡el reino de dios o nada!

Happy Immaculate Conception Day!!!!

Happy Immaculate Conception Day everybody!!!!  It's a holiday here in Spain and so that just means everything is closed and nobody is in the street.  The Young Single Adults have school off and stuff so my new comp and I will be teaching the family home evening lesson.  Yep, today is also transfers and Elder Overson got transferred.  He went to Alcorcón and I am now with Elder Carrejo.  He is from New Mexico.  He is awesome!!!  I am so excited to serve with him.  This is his fourth transfer in the field, so started the mission in May.  He is a convert, and was baptized very recently and he promised to tell me his conversion story tonight so I am extremely excited to hear it.  He's 24 and I am super pumped for this transfer!!!! 

So great to hear all is well at home.  My prayers are answered every week as I get on and see all is well.  The Lord has his hand in all of our lives and I'm so grateful he just continues to bless you all back home. 

Well it was a good week.  On Monday we had a cool experience.  We were contacting and were talking to this Spaniard who wasn't really interested but in the middle of the contact this lady walks up and says I'm so glad I found you!!!  She was investigating the church over a year ago and since then had lost contact with the missionaries, they had also been kicked out of their house and were living in the street, and in the process of getting kicked out of her house had lost her Book of Mormon.  As we gave one to her the smile on her face was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen.  I think she was about to cry.  We didn't have any way to contact her and we set up a lesson for Thursday.  She didn't show up but at least she received a Book of Mormon. It was another tender mercy from the Lord, and honestly, a miracle.  She was so happy to receive it and it made me feel so good to be able to provide it for her.  Sometimes we want grand results and grand miracles, yet it's the small miracles that we sometimes miss that truly mean the most. 

We met with Ismael on Tuesday.  We started talking about the priesthood but the lesson topic quickly changed to desires and then from desires to gifts and talents because he didn't really know what he wants.  As we discussed what his likes and hobbies are we started to discuss the importance of goal setting and we decided to have some fun with him and teach him the principle of goal setting in a way that isn't too tough for a teenager. He is 18.  After making a list of his talents, likes and interests we set the goal with him to post one foto a day on to instagram for one year. Now it sounds silly but it worked wonders.  He completed it for this week and has put up a foto a day, and on Saturday after his sister's baptism we met with him and talked to him about spiritual goals.  He was really happy he was fulfilling his goal.  We had a member there and after talking about his goal and how he felt we switched gears to how he felt at his sister's baptism, and what he desires when it comes to his spiritual life.  After a lot of discussion and testimonies he has now set the goal to read and pray every day.  Something he wasn't really doing before and is really starting to think about how he really does want this.  In the end using some little app to teach him that principle he now understands and is setting goals in his spiritual life.  I am so excited for him.  He is going step by step but he's coming along. 

We still continue to meet with Joaquin.  We watched the restoration at his house last week and he was so excited.  He is getting so much happier and I love that family.

We met with Luis and Ines and taught them the law of chastity and the ten commandments.  We had given them the law of chastity pamphlet to review during the last lesson and they said, "Well this will be an easy one.  Our 40th anniversary is tomorrow and we have stuck together through it all, all the good times, all the hard times, and tomorrow it will have been 40 years. We have been faithful to each other and this law makes sense because it's a commandment that is about truly loving each other and staying with each other through it all.  And that's what we've done and will continue to do."  It was super cool.  They are amazing and are progressing so well!  We moved their date back to the 10th of January.  They are doing great!! 

Daniel and Melbi were not able to meet this week because they were out of town.  But they are doing great.  They are both reading and praying together and alone daily.  We are going to meet again with them this week and I am super excited!!! 

I went through 5 umbrellas more or less up in Galicia, and two here in Madrid.  haha.  The weather here in Madrid is just a dry cold.  It gets pretty cold but it never snows.  Just rains occasionally.  It does snow in other parts of Spain though up in the mountains. 

Thank you for the letters they continue to help and encourage me and I have come to understand what true success is. I know you will be proud of me because I'm giving everything i have to this work. 

I love you all!  Have an amazing week!!!! 

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡El reino de Dios o nada!

December 1, 2014

I am so excited for Grandma and Grandpa.  That will be an incredible experience to serve there in the temple.  Wow!!!  So cool!!  Sounds like it was a good Thanksgiving as well at the Deans!  Tell everyone I say hello and that they're the best!! 

It is interesting we call this a sacrifice.  The more I reflect on what I am doing, and realize what missionary work truly is, it isn't much of a sacrifice.  It's just a small thing, what I can give, for all He has given to me.  It is a sacrifice, yet it's the small part I can give.  I'm so grateful for it though!  This mission is incredible!!!  And I am glad they have desires to serve missions.  Now i just want to invite them to prepare.  Do your part now and be ready to go.  Read your scriptures daily.  Say your prayers daily.  Go to church without complaining.  Fulfill your callings and priesthood duties and take Seminary and all your classes seriously.  Just do the simple things and you will be prepared. 

This week was a really good one.  Just a few things that happened...  On Tuesday we met with Ester, the lady from Peru who can't get baptized because she's waiting on divorce papers and living with a man, but she is doing her part to do what she can right now.  She came to church last Sunday and was praying and said, "Father, just help us. My boyfriend needs a job. I am trying my best to live your commandments and I am here in your church. Please help us."  She said the next morning her boyfriend woke up and started applying for jobs online.  Now just so you know back home, Spain has been going through for a few years an extreme financial crisis. and finding a job is extremely hard here.  And even harder if you are a foreigner but within minutes of applying he received a phone call and had an interview that afternoon and he got the job at 3 o'clock that afternoon.  She told us this Tuesday through tears and told us how it was a miracle and it was thanks to her obedience.  It was amazing to see how much God loves us and what great blessings we will receive if we are simply obedient to his commandments.  Definitely the miracle of the week. 

We have also been teaching a lady named Melbi.  She is the girlfriend of a member named Daniel. He found us on the street and told us he had just moved here from Mostoles.  He had been less active for years and he asked us for the address to our chapple in our area.  He came to church the next week and brought his girlfriend and then invited us to come over that week.  We have taught her lesson one and three and she is loving it.  She is so excited to listen and is reading and loves the Book of Mormon.  They live together but I have a good feeling about them.  They both have jobs so I have a good feeling things can work out with this one.  We are extrremely excited for them!!

One of the days this week I had a feeling to go through and call all of the numbers I had in my planner.  I called a guy I had called a bunch of times and he answered and we set up a lesson for the next day.  We met with them and taught them lesson one and they really enjoyed it and were asking us some good questions.  It was a solid lesson.  Their names are Alberto and Rosi and are from Guayacil, Ecuador.

Ismael is still going. He is kind of reading but doesn't really want to get baptized yet. He's a great kid but this week we may start to see some changes.  Please pray for him!

We had a terrible day on Friday. We spent the entire day in the street contacting and nobody would talk with us but diligence is key and we were perseverant!  About 15 minutes before we had to be in the piso we found a man from Puerto Rico who said we were the third set of missionaries to find him and he took it as a sign he needed to listen.  He was going to come to church but wasn't able to.  But he is excited to meet with us!  I'm so glad we just kept pushing all day long.  It always pays off. 

Well I said a few months ago my goal was to finish the New Testament before my year mark.  I finished Monday!!!  It was an amazing experience.  I'd never read it cover to cover before and it was amazing.  WIth the  knowledge I have gained out here it now makes more sense to me and I understand the New Testament a whole lot better now.  Super cool to fulfill that goal!!!:)

For the spiritual thought I wanted to share with you all the importance of what I said earlier, how preparing for the mission is to do the simple things.  I know that is true.  It is interesting that one of the commandments we teach as missionaries is to read the scriptures and pray regularly.  It is not only a recommendation, yet a commandment.  Let us all ask ourselves, Am I doing my daily personal worship?  And am I keeping those two simple commandments?  If not, we need to repent and start.  I promise the Lord will bless us as we take time for our daily personal worship every single day. 

Have an amazing week this next week!!! Love you all!!!!

I love you mom.

Love,

Elder Anderson

¡El reino de Dios o nada!

p.s. yes transfers are this saturday!! crazy!!!!

             The worst day of the week when it was raining and my umbrella broke. Hahaha, oh well, we made it through!!!:

A Few Pictures from B4