Week 95 - September 14, 2015

Mom,

Well it was a great week. 

Like absolutely amazing. 

First off my companion has turned his attitude around 100%. Out of the blue, I don't know what happened, nor why it changed but it was a 100% difference this week. We studied 6 of the 7 days and it was unreal. 

We have been working hard and it was just an amazing week. I am just extremely happy right now.

This week we were working a lot with the ward leaders. We have begun to go one by one to the home teachers and train them on how to home teach and how to minister.  It's been a great opportunity to help the ward grow and progress.  It's been awesome! 

We made the call to repentance!! and it went fantastic!!!  Things have completely changed as well.  We just needed time and to have a chance to talk to them.  We talked about where our hearts are and having the attitude of Nephi and obeying because we know the Lord commands it. 

The baptism was changed to next weekend so I will let you know how it goes next week:) but she passed her interview so all we need is to finish planning everything!!

We found an inactive whose name is Patricia and it was amazing.  She was so grateful for our visit and was almost in tears.  She kept saying, "It's time to come back, I need to come back".

Sorry for the short email!!  but it was an absolutely amazing week.  This week will be great we've got the leadership council and a zone training. 

I just hope you guys know how much I love you.  The work is going great.  We worked a ton with the ward this week and I'm really excited.  I did some shopping today for the family and I think I got a couple cool things:)  I'll be getting some more in the future:)

I love you all!!  So glad all is well back home!!

Have an amazing week!:)

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

Week 94 - September 7, 2015

Dear family,

Well it was a good week for the most part. Still trying to resolve some issues with the missionaries in our zone and trying to keep the work going.  Things continue to march forward and I'm really pleased with myself.  Despite my constant feeling of inadequacy I was able to reflect this Sunday on the week and I know the lord is proud of me.

I think Lolo is basically off the radar for baptism for now.  He came back from Malaga.  We found him and talked for a while about things and he committed to be baptized the 12th (we were thinking he was ready and everything) when we came back to the park later to find him smoking and drinking. We pulled him aside and had a very good talk with him.  He talked about how with the people he is with (a bunch of homeless Romanians) it is at times hard to remember who he is and what his standards are and how it's not an addiction, it's just the occasional cigarette or beer when they insist, and so we talked about how he can prevent that and avoid those situations and overcome temptation. He was very grateful for our visit and was excited to improve, repent and change.  But we haven't seen him since.  So we don't really know what to do.  We are going to keep trying our best to meet with him and help him change but it's just been impossible to meet with him.  So, he will not be baptized this weekend and probably not in the near future but one day he will!  He's got a testimony of this church.  I've got his email and his Facebook so I'll be able to stay in contact with him.  He also might be moving to England soon, or to the south of Spain for a few months.  So that's the news on him.  He will make the covenant one day. But for now I'll just keep doing what I can to help him out!

Vilma's daughters have been sick ever since their trip to the Philippines and so they haven't been able to meet.  A member who lives in their building also told us she doesn't think that she got married while she was there.  We aren't 100% sure but we will find out.  Vanesa hasn't answered for a few weeks and no one knows where she is.  So we will keep trying to contact them.

So it's been really rough because all of the work we have done with them since April is starting to fall through and it's really sad.  I have to be honest, I wanted to see "the fruits of my labors" and see them baptized.  It would have been so cool but I don't know if I will.  I'll keep trying!

Miyaret will be baptized on the 19th!  She's doing really well and is really excited!  So things are going great with her!:) she's a great girl and is preparing herself well.  She loves reading and praying every day and absolutely loves Young Women's!

We are still working with Marco, the man from Ecuador who was baptized years ago and wants to come back now.  He's gaining a testimony and I've been really grateful to work with him.  I feel like if nothing else goes right here in barrio 5, I was at least able to help him start to gain a testimony.  The good thing is lots of things have gone great here in barrio 5:)

We have had an issue in the missionary coordination meeting, some of the missionaries have been extremely
contentious and no one was really being mature about things (except for me and my companion, I have to make sure he gets credit he was well behaved and was very mature during the meetings).  The second counselor in the bishopric is holding them while we do not have a ward mission leader and he's an old spaniard man who just loves to talk, he
also uses a lot of slang terms that are hard to understand and he has a super thick madrileño accent so I don't blame the younger Americans for not understanding him.  I'm the only one who fully understands him of the Americans. But they get impatient and contentious and are driving the spirit away because they don't want him to talk a lot, they say it "wastes our time".  This has been going on for many weeks.  The reality is he gives us great information and yeah he chatters sometimes but he wants us to be informed so it's been really good to have this time with him.  As well, my comp and I have been able to develop a strong relationship with him.  The truth is there hasn't been much progress in the ward in regards to the work the missionaries have been doing and I have been studying, and fasting, and praying to know what we need to do.  It comes down to having a better attitude, dropping the contention, and stripping ourselves of pride, and working effectively with the members.  So the night before, I was up really late studying and praying and looking for scriptural
help and I also was studying the handbook of instructions, and some of the information and things they gave us at the zone conference this week.  So I developed a plan for our ward, and found some scriptures to talk about the contention.  So the next day after coordination I talked to them about Alma 4 and how the church "began to fail in its progress" (verse 10) because of the pride, and contention of the people.  I then defined contention with 3 Nephi 11:29-30.  The Spanish translation is really cool because the verbs mean "to be agitated" or "to be irritated" and I talked about how we can get
better and the blessings that would come from improvement, one of them being progression in the work.  Then I presented my developed plan for working with the ward leaders with our newly called ward mission leader. (Who will be sustained and set apart hopefully next week)  It's been a great time for me to develop my leadership skills, and even further my knowledge of church government and how things should work according to the handbooks.  It's been a great time of growth and patience for me.

I will be calling the zone to repentance about the schedule this week in the district meetings because the zone conference was this past week.  The good thing is there is an overall good attitude that has started to come this week.  Most missionaries are doing better and there aren't as many problems.  There are just a few now who need correction.  My zone leader companion is a stud and has been helping a ton.  We've been able to do some great things together.  His name is
Elder Peterson and he actually went to Brighton High School!

Funny story, yesterday my comp went to bed when it was time to study as a companionship and so I went to my desk and I yelled in, "Hey! Ready when you are!"  And then I waited a few minutes.  Nothing.  So I sang a hymn really loud.  I got through all four verses, nothing.  So I knelt down and offered a prayer out loud.  Yeah, I made sure he heard me. "Please bless my companion that he will join me in the companionship study we are going to have."  Finished my prayer.  Nothing. So I began to read out loud from the missionary handbook.  Nothing.  Finally as I was reading the How to Begin Teaching points in chapter 10 of Preach My Gospel he came lumbering in put on a shirt and we studied together.  Hahaha!  It was funny!  But hey, whatever works right?  I'll never forget that prayer.

Zone conference was amazing!!!  I ordered the pizza and I don't think I'd ever ordered over the phone that many before.  I also was the interpreter again!  And as always it was an amazing experience.  I  really enjoyed it.  I love translating and interpreting.  So much fun!

After zone conference I had an interview with President Pack to renew my temple
recommend because mine expired at the end of last month.  I absolutely love President Pack.  That man has been called of God and I am so grateful I'm serving with him.  He's a great friend of mine, and I've developed a great relationship with him, even in this short time.  We had a great talk about a lot of things, like life after the mission, service in the church, my goals and my education and career plans, it was a great conversation and I just want to say he is an inspired man.
We discussed possibly an extension, the possibility of staying longer in the mission but after discussing it, we decided it would be best to go home on the designated date, November 10th.  I have a lifetime of service ahead of me so I feel and think it's the right time to be home.

In the end it was an overall good week, a lot of frustrations, a lot of miracles, but I'm loving every moment.  As I always say, I love this work.  I love my Savior and I know He lives.  Thanks for all your love and prayers!!  Have an amazing week!!!

Love you all!

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡El reino de dios o nada!
¡Hurah por Israel!

P.s. I got the package and my debit card and I bought my suit
today!!:)  It looks great and I'm super excited about it:)  Thank you so
much for getting it to me!!!  I love you!!


Enviado desde mi iPad

Hanging out with a statue of some old Spaniards 

Elder Anderson and Lolo

In Torrejon!  We went and visited some people there today  because 

Elder Esquen and I both served there.  This is the main plaza there.

Week 93 - August 31, 2015

Mi madre,

 Sí lo has dicho bien!!  You said it right:)  Well done!  It's so great to hear about all the adventures from your week and I'm always grateful for the update!!  I cannot believe that school has started.  That's just super weird to me.  I've been dreading the coming of this fall for a while now and it's finally here.  Just got to keep working hard and not worry about the little time I have left.  I always thought that the end of my mission would be the easiest part because by this point I'd know what I'm doing and I'd be in a good rhythm, that is not the case.  It's very difficult.  I'm maintaining a level of obedience, and hard work.  My work ethic and my heart are still in the right place, I'm still giving this work my whole heart, might, mind and strength because my love for the Lord is stronger than it has ever been.  But it's just hard.  For numerous reasons.  Still helping my companion make the changes necessary which requires a lot of patience.  It's really testing my good qualities to the max and changing those negative qualities I have.  I'm learning even more than I did before the importance of good communication and listening.  I thought I checked those off on the "lessons to learn list" but unfortunately I've got a lot of growth to make.  The good thing I've been able to see though has been my overall improvement over time.  I look back at who I was before and my very limited relationship skills and I am a new person.  I have developed so many abilities here and it's thanks to a lot of the rough moments that continuously come my way.  So I will continue to patiently and cheerfully submit to the will of the Lord and I know it will make me so much better. 

Miracle number one for the week!  Miyaret!  The daughter of the lady from the ward who wants us to teach her.  We met this week and she basically told us, I've been coming to church for ten years but because of some difficulties with time and other things I haven't been able to be baptized yet.  (She's 13)  She expressed her testimony of the Book of Mormon and said "this is the true church, I can just feel it".  She will be baptized the 12th of September.  It's been so fun to meet with her!  The lord has prepared her well and all we have to do is basically show up and review things with her. 

Miracle number 2!  The elders from barrio 6 passed us a reference named Graziano.  He is from Italy and is just a stud!!!! He is the coolest guy ever and said "I saw the Mormons in the street and said hey!  Mormons!  They're in my country too, I wonder what they have to say" and went and talked to the elders so we will begin to teach him next week.  Super excited!!

Vilma and Vanesa are back, but it's been tough to meet with them.  Vilma's daughter was in the hospital, so keep her in your prayers!!  We don't know what's going on exactly.  The grandma only speaks Tagalog and a little Spanish so we could barely get that out of her.  So I'll keep you updated on that!! 

Lolo has been working in Malaga again this week.  So he should be back today. (At least that's what we've been told) ha! We aren't gonna give up on him!!  So we will just keep the faith and keep trying!!!

We met with Elizabeth and she was really worried that we were going to have her go out and proselyte in the street after baptism haha so we told her that wasn't a requirement and talked a little about member life.  It calmed her fears!  She says she knows the Book of Mormon is true and she believes the church is true.  She just works on Sundays so she can't come to church.  Which is a big bummer.  It's the only thing impeding her progression!  She's doing good though!

Roberto had a rough week and wasn't able to meet.  But he is still wanting to meet with us!  So sometime this week we will be meeting.

Overall it's been a good week. Just trying to plug along! Things are going well.

I invite you to continue to seek to have those effective studies of the scriptures so that we may strengthen our testimonies and our will to stay faithful to the Lord no matter the consequences.  I hope you all know I love the Lord.  He is my King and I am His servant. 

I love you all!!  Thanks for your support and love.  Have an amazing week!!! 

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡El reino de dios o nada!

¡Hurah por Israel!

P.s. The weather is starting to cool down a little bit!!  It's getting better haha. It's bearable now.

Enviado desde mi Ipad 

New Assignment - August 17, 2015

Okay just kidding, I'm staying in Barrio 5!!!:)  President called me on Saturday and told me the Lord needs me here for the ward, and for my companion.  I will be with Elder Esquen again:)  He also said that I am needed as a zone leader for this transfer.  So absolutely nothing changed. Barrio 5, Elder Esquen, Zone Leader. 

I will have served here in Barrio 5 for as long as I served in Barrio 4, but it feels like b4 was a LOT longer.  My time here has flown by!! But I'm so excited to continue to work here. 

The bad news for the week is that Lolo was not baptized.  He went to Malaga for work a couple weeks ago (like I said last week) and he was going to come back sometime last week.  We called and passed by daily but he never answered or was there.  Wednesday rolled around and we had to cancel the baptism, and we had no clue where he was.  Thursday he gave us a call and explained to us what had happened.  While there, trying to find a bus to get back, he was robbed of all his money and a lot of his things. (I don't know if he was beaten and robbed, but he was for sure robbed) and he has been stuck in Malaga for an extra week now.  He still had his phone sim card and had put it into a phone that the red cross allowed him to use and he was able to call us from there.  He still has desires to be baptized but he has been stuck down in Malaga so we will have to have the baptism another weekend.  So it was really hard for me to wait till Saturday for transfers.  If I would have been transferred, I would have missed Vilma and Vanesa's baptism, and Lolos.  And although that made me sad thinking I could possibly miss all that, I was comforted, and was not afraid one bit because I was ready to accept whatever the Lord had for me.  I have a testimony that President Pack has been called of God and that the Lord's hands are in the transfers.  But it was very nice to know I will be staying.

We had the leadership council this week.  It was amazing!! and I continued in my service as mission interpreter. (I think interpreter is the right term, because it's a live translation rather than written translation).  I interpreted the meeting for the Spanish speakers for the parts that were in English.  It was amazing.  I have been blessed over and over again with the gifts of the spirit.  Our God is a God of miracles!  Have miracles ceased?  I say unto you, nay!  Neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of man.  Because I've lived it.  I saw so many miracles this week.  Miracles I will share and miracles I cannot share over email.  But when I'm home I can tell you about. 

The funny part of the interpreting was there was a video we were watching and in a part of it someone was reciting the First Vision.  I haven't heard it in English for ages and I have it memorized in Spanish but there are two lines that are swapped in their order in the translation from English to Spanish in Joseph Smith History (how I am supposed to remember that when I'm always saying it in Spanish?  no idea..)  So when I started to say the First Vision in the microphone I was lining it up to his words perfectly.  I wasn't getting cocky nor showing off but it was pretty cool. But then he said the line that was switched around and I got thrown off.  I was embarrassed!  I sat there in silence and missed the next couple lines. Then got right back to it a couple lines later.

Learn from my mistakes!  In the work of the Lord, never lean on your own knowledge and understanding.  The moment you think you know better than the Lord, and begin to "show off" the spirit will not be able to guide you and your personal results will not turn out to well, and you´ll probably be really embarrassed.  Trust the Lord, and never think you know better than Him.  Trust His guidance even through the "parts" of your service to Him that you "have memorized" or that you "already know".  Never relax on being guided by Him and doing His will. 

It was embarrassing!  We should have it memorized as missionaries and all the Spanish speakers heard me mess up on it! And I do have it memorized but I learned a very valuable lesson.  It's amazing because I did not mess up at any other parts and I was doing it live, which is hard.  Especially for Hermana Pack. She talks FAST.  But, I could keep up, so long as I had a prayer in my heart.  Amazing experience that taught me so much!

The Zone training went well.  I feel like I learn more preparing for it then I do going to the ones where I'm not giving the training! I also have fallen in love with speaking in public.  My public speaking and communication skills have bloomed while serving as a missionary.  It's been an amazing blessing. 

It's been a great week!!!  Hard at times, but always rewarding.  A week of miracles!!!!  I love you all!!  Have an amazing week!!

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡el reino de dios o nada!

¡hurah por israel!

Week 91 - August 17, 2015

We only could meet with Lolo on Friday, and haven't seen him since.  Please, please, please pray for him!!  I'm a little worried, but not a ton because I know that the Lord is in charge.  He's got Lolo in His hands:)  We will be passing by today. Thanks for your prayers in his behalf these past week, but let's keep begging together and in the end, the results will be even sweeter, the happiness even more pure for all we have gone through to help him.

We are continuing to teach Elizabeth.  She has trouble understanding everything completely but has a lot of faith and feels good when we pass by:)  So little by little we will continue to help her. 

A lady from the ward came up to us and said, "My daughter wants to get baptized, what do we need to do?"  So we are going to start going over tomorrow to start teaching her!  We are really excited about that.

The miracle of the week is a man named Roberto.  He found us on the metro, he called out to us, "mormones!!" and started to tell us how he had been to all sorts of churches and he hasn't liked any of them yet.  He came to our appointment the next day. Had started to read in the Book of Mormon.  He began to explain to us that he has been an alchoholic for much of his life.  He isn't allowed in his parents house.  He doesn't have contact with his 20-year-old daughter and has hit absolute rock bottom but he says despite his depression, he knows God exists and he wants to find the Savior.  He is reading and praying and is really excited. We gave him a white shirt and a tie and he put it on and was almost in tears.  He is so happy to just come and speak with us and read in the Book of Mormon because it brings him peace.  Pray for his happiness.  He is struggling but I know he will find healing.  He has such sincerity and real intent! 

It's been a good week.  My companion is doing good!  He makes awesome Peruvian food and is a great kid:)  I've really enjoyed my time with him.  I'm learning so much!!  It's pretty cool to have a native companion.  It's a really neat experience!!  100% of my life in Spanish right now.  Like every bit.  It's super awesome.  I feel beyond fluent in Spanish at this point in my mission but don't worry if I come home and my English is a lot better than most foreign missionaries, (it won't be perfect I don't think, but it will be good, and I don't know if I'll have issues with remembering words!)  Thanks to my translating experience I've maintained my English pretty well:) 

Keep the faith!!  My spiritual challenge this week is simply that we strive to have daily scripure study, and as we go to the scriptures we need to take our problems and that which we are pleading with our Father to the scriptures and seek answers.  It's something simple, but that's the beauty of the restoration of the gospel, it's a gospel of beautiful simplicity.  I want to hear from everyone this week how they found answers to their questions, or trials, or problems in the scriptures.

May God bless every single one of you.  I love you all!  God lives.  Jesus is the Christ.  He is risen. 

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡Hurah por Israel!

¡El reino de Dios o nada!

Week 90 - August 10, 2015

¡Hola familia mia!

Its been a good week! A scary one for the first few days, but then everything turned out okay.

We went to go meet with Lolo on Monday, wasn't there. Tuesday, wasn't there. Wednesday, wasn't there. We called him every single day and didn't pick up.  We were so worried, and was the main worry in our prayers for the first half of the week. We called him during weekly planning in a desperate try to get a hold of him, and he answered!!!! and he was so excited to hear us.  He told us he had been called to work down in Malaga for the week.  Holy cow, I had been scared to death all week that he took off!  But he told us he could possibly be back on Sunday.  We called him on Saturday to see and there were some complications, the man who was supposed to bring them back had never shown up.  But he said, "Our brothers are down here! There's a lot of them!" and told us he had found the Elders there and was going to be going to church down in Malaga.  WHAT A RELIEF!!!!  He said "Yes, go ahead and announce my baptism in our ward, of course I'm still going to get baptized next week."  After all that worry and prayer, all was well.  We should be meeting with him tonight, but will be finishing the preparations for the baptism this week.  So keep it in your prayers that all continues to go well! 

We had a POWERFUL lesson about eternal marriage with Will this week.  We testified of the hope we have because of the temple sealing.  Tears were shed and he was very grateful for the testimonies born but he is still hesitant on baptism.  We are going to back off a little bit but he is still doing well and progressing little by little. 

We went to go teach Elizabeth and Sol this week and it turned out that Daisy, Angelina, and Selina were also there. So we got to teach 3 more of their friends.  AN AMAZING LESSON and at the end Sol asked us to "pray for her" because her leg was hurt.  We were able to give her a priesthood blessing.  Right after, Elizabeth got up and asked for a blessing because "lately she hasn't been feeling good spiritually" and so we gave her a blessing as well.  The spirit of the lord was thick. You could feel it in the air. The power of godliness was truly manifest (D&C 84:20) 

Yesterday we went to a member's house. (They were from the Philippines) and we were talking about testimonies, and how they are our greatest tools when sharing the gospel.  Then two of their friends walked in and we started to talk to them and the members bore powerful testimony.  It started off with them saying, "We are Catholics sorry!" to them accepting a Book of Mormon, committed to reading and praying about it, and a return date (next Sunday at 6:00). Their names are Lornan and Ronel (if i wrote them down right).  I'll confirm that next week, Filipino accents are hard sometimes haha.  Keep them in your prayers!!

The work keeps chugging along!!  I am so happy.  And nervous.  We went and visited the Buenos today (remember them? from b4?) and saying goodbye to them was so hard.  I had a sick feeling in my stomach knowing it may be the last time I see them.  It took every thing in me not to cry.  With only 13 weeks left I dread the day I have to say goodbye to everyone, and this amazing country of Spain.  This has become home and, I promise mom, I will enjoy every moment!!! 

If you promise to do the same? Enjoy every moment of this life.  There is so much to love, so much to enjoy.  This world is beautiful and our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.  So smile, and love life!!!

I love you all!!!  Have an amazing week!  Never forget to smile because our Heavenly Father loves us!!!

Love,

Elder Anderson

¡el reino de dios o nada!

¡hurah por israel!

p.s. transfers are this weekend so we shall see what happens!!!! love ya!

Week 89 - August 3, 2015

So cool that you met sister Rodriguez!  Elder Esquen knows her!  Crazy
small world!!  I met a woman yesterday who knew Tyson Hadden from his
mission in Sweden.

It was a great week!!!  We are now teaching a lady named Roxana!  She is
friends with an older couple from the ward.  She is awesome!!  Lesson 1
was powerful and she loved it.  She wants to learn and we are going to
meet with her again sometime this week.

We also began to teach two women from the Dominican Republic.
Elizabeth and Sol.  We introduced the Book of Mormon on her door and
she asked a lot of questions and is super interested.  We meet with
them again tomorrow!!

The biggest miracle of the week was Lolo.  He came to church last week
and we discussed the 15th as a baptismal date.  He said I will think
about it this week and Sunday (the 2nd) we will talk.  We saw him every
day this week and we finished teaching him the commandments.
Yesterday we met and we started to ask him some things and he
said, "Okay, I'm 80% sure I should get baptized, just two things.  One,
if I decide to go back to Romania I don't know if the church is in my
town."  He told us his town and we looked it up.  It's there.  That made
him calm down a ton, and was really nervous for that!  He said, "If I
go back and I'm a member, what do I do if it's not there?  Do I just
cry?"  Haha!  And then he was a little concerned about daily life.  He
said what will it be like?  He he heard things from other churches
about how we can't watch tv and stuff but we calmed his fears. Then 
we went over the baptismal interview questions and he said "Yes,
I believe Joseph Smith was a prophet. Thomas S. Monson is a prophet.
And this is the true church."  He began to tear up at the end when he
said, "Yes, I will be baptized the 15th of August."  It was powerful!!  He
was so happy.  He knows it's the right decision and it is worth all the
pain of missionary work to feel that feeling there last night.  It
was incredible.

We haven't been able to meet with Will but we will be able to this
week!  Maybe!  Unless he goes on a trip to France.  He will be
studying another semester here in Spain so that gives us a little more
time to meet with him and work with him.

Thanks for everything!!!  I love you!!  So it was a crazy day.  We had to
get haircuts and we went to a barbecue in B9 and I've seen a bunch of
people I taught and it's been so cool!

Love you!!!!:)

Love,
Elder Jarrett Anderson

 The Leadership Council

(Elder Anderson is the 8th one from the left)

 Our Zone at the Zone Training

 Elder Esquen, Javier and Elder Anderson at a BBQ in B9

Us cooking a ton of meat for the party for the American family last week!!

Me celebrating my birthday on the 23rd of July. Haha

Steven our deer. He's a party animal.

Me and Elder Esquen at a members house eating "lomo Saltado" a dish

from Peru where my comp and the members are from.