Week 79 - May 25, 2015

Dear Mom,

What a week it has been.  We have been working hard on updating a ward list.  It hasn't been updated in three years so we are passing by pisos and calling people like crazy.  It's a long task but the Lord is blessing us as we fulfill the Bishop's assignment.  Because we have been so busy with the list we haven't had a lot of time to contact and continue finding but the Lord is blessing us for helping the ward and people have been coming up to us and we have still been receiving on average 3-4 references a day.  It's been solid and we are so happy and blessed.  The work is going great here.  The truth is it seems like the area isn't progressing but it is slowly coming along.  We are helping things come along in the ward and we are slowly finding some really good people.

Juan has been out of town for work but he has been giving Book of Mormons to his friends and his family and he is so excited about the gospel.  Still on pace for the 27th.

Lolo has kind of disappeared.  We can't find him like we always could in the park, so he is not going to get baptized the 6th but we will find him and work towards another fecha.

We are teaching two people from the Phillpines, Vilma and Vanesa.  They are both really nice and enjoy our visits.  They will be coming to church on Sunday for the first time!  We are working out the plans with them and we are super excited for them.

We have also found some other people that seem extremely ready, a man named Luis from Taiwan who read the Book of Mormon there in Taiwan and went to church there.  He has a lot of potential and, as well, we were asked to go bless and administer the sacrament to a lady who had just had heart surgery in the ward and when we got there her non-member son was there and after the sacrament we talked to him about the promise in Moroni and he said he would try it!   We will be meeting with him and his daughter on Saturday.  Their names are Julian and Kati.

Oh yeah!  We are staying together for Elder Cahoon's last transfer.  We are going to have an amazing transfer.  Today was super busy, we were at the train station the majority of the morning, running people around, including helping some members from Utah find their train, and then later coming back to pick up an Elder who missed his flight to the Canaries. He will be staying the night with us.  Wooh!  Love being in a trio, even if it's only for a day haha:)

I love you all.  Our Savior loves us and our Father is constantly desiring to bless us.  They are always there to sustain us. This week I really appreciated the words of the 5th verse to "How Firm a Foundation"

1. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
   My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
   The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
   Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
   Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

Sometimes we are asked to go to through the refiners fire but through His grace, His everlasting power offered through the atonement, we can come forth as a beautiful product.  He is molding us.  I know that.  I'm not done, not even close to being done but I know the flame will not hurt me, simply shape me.  "Design me" as the hymn beautifully says.

How I love my Savior.  I love you all!!  Have an amazing week!!

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡Hurah por Isreal!

Week 6?? What?? - Week 78 - May 18, 2015

Me and Elder Cahoon at the mission home last week!! 

 We went golfing today for p-day. You like my awful swing? 

(yep baseball still runs through my veins) hahaha!

Well I absolutely cannot believe school is over. As well, this is the 6th and final week of mine and Elder Cahoon's first transfer together!  We are freaking out cause we cannot believe how fast it flew by.  Transfers this weekend but based on the circumstances we are almost 100% sure that we will be staying together for his last transfer.  Crazy stuff!! 

The temple looks beautiful!!!  I cannot wait to see it in person.  Of course the marble would come from the beautiful land I call home!  Go Spain!!! 

I feel overwhelmed every day with my responsibilities in the kingdom.  I know exactly how you feel mom and sometimes (for me at least) I think of my weaknesses.  It used to scare me but Hermana Jackson said something in Zone Conference this week that helped me so much.  She said, "The Lord is aware of every single one of my weaknesses, but despite them, he called me and he has promised they can be made strong".  So just remember that mom, THE LORD CALLED YOU!! He trusts you, and through your dedication and love you will bless other's lives.  There is no doubt.  You are His hands in the Ponderosa ward relief society.  Never forget it!!  You are blessing lives because it's His work! 

I loved what the Jackson's told us during the leadership council.  They said, "As parents we would always teach our children the correct principles, and then we would trust them" and they talked about teaching the doctrine and principles and then they were going to trust us to use it wisely.  Because it really does come down to it being our choice.  Our agency. I thought of you and dad.  You have taught us so well and have been able to trust us because you taught us well.  Thank you for your words, but even more importantly for your example.  What you taught me through your actions.

 How are they doing with living the gospel.  The kids?  What can i do to help them? 

Haha.  I'm good on shirts.  They aren't really white anymore but it's okay neither are my companions and they are going to last me the next few months so it's not necessary to send any!  My shoes are doing amazing!!!  Worth the extra money spent!  They are holding up well and don't smell bad!  We bought Ecco.  I'm good on deodorant but I wouldn't mind beef jerkey.  hahaha  I'm doing good on pictures.  Don't worry mom:) and just don't worry about me:)  All is well:)  I will maybe think of some things i would like but as I think about it nothing comes to mind.  All is well:)

Same old with the work! 

Lolo doing well.

Juan was out of town and just got back yesterday. 

Both still on track for their fechas.

We are also teaching a mexican named Alejandro.  He is a little skeptical about prophets in these days.  Hard for him to accept but he is very willing to listen.  Poco a poco with him! 

We have been working hard on keeping a continous flow of new investigators going as we drop those who will not progress at all.  It's been going well as we have had a huge focus on constant finding these past few weeks.  I conquered my biggest fear of contacting on the metro and it went amazing!!!  Got a lot of solid references. 

The work is amazing. We are so happy and life is amazing. 

I just wanted to bear you my witness of the blessings of the Lord.  As we give Him our all, He gives us 100 times more in return.  I feel like Peter in Mark 10 who said "Lo we have left all and followed thee".  I've left everything.  I have a family to come home to, yet nothing else.  I left it all, and I honestly wasn't sure why.  But I knew I needed to obey.  So I did.  And I sacrificed everything but I've found what is worth more than anything else in this world.  I've found what money can't buy, what a college education cannot give me, what only losing myself in the service of the Lord can give me.  A testimony that will last me into the eternities.  I burned the bridges in the harbor when I left.  I left my old life behind and things will never be the same.  My only desire now is to give my life to the kingdom.  Those desires and this testimony are worth so much more than anything I left behind. 

God lives.  I know Him.  Our savior lives.  I know we can be together forever and we will as we continue to follow them. 

I love you all!!!

Love,

Elder Anderson

¡Hurah por Israel!

All the Madrid zones!!!!  I'm on the third row wearing a red tie.  Good luck finding me! 

Week 77 - May 11, 2015

Dear Mom, (and fam),

Thank you so much for the amazing day yesterday.  To every single one of you!!  I love you all and it was so great to see you, hear you, and talk to you!!  It was a weird day, knowing that was the last call, but it was an amazing day as well being able to see how much you've all grown and changed.  Cannot believe it!!!

Well we already talked some yesterday, but I'll tell you about how the week has been! 

We have been teaching Lolo from Turkey.  He lived in Romania for 30 years and speaks pretty good Spanish.  He is a very strong believer.  He lives outside in the street and we have, because of that, been able to meet with him a lot during the week.  He is amazing and is loving listening to us.  He is now on baptismal date for the 6th of June!!!  Pray for him!!  He is progressing very well.  Very intelligent and understands the doctrine and importance of everything well. 

Juan.  He is from the Dominican Republic.  He has children and grandchildren and is always in the park with his grandchildren.  We meet with him, as well, almost daily.  He has trouble reading because of some eye problems but this week we got him a large print Book of Mormon!!  He is reading it every day now.  He came to church the last week and he is loving it as well.  They have both said they feel amazing when they are with us.  He is also on fecha for the 27th of June!! Keep him in your prayers as well!! 

We had a first lesson with a lady named Betty this last week and it was amazing.  She can only meet once a week so we will see how it goes this week!!! 

Other than that this week was filled with meetings and stuff like that!! 

We had the meeting at the mission home that was absolutely incredible!!  President Jackson is an inspired man.  We had a good discussion on plans for the mission and what we can do to prepare.  If there is one main thing I've learned from President Jackson it is that preparation is essential in everything.  It is what sets the tone for any meeting, any event in life, or any perfomance, or anything.  The preparation is what allows to succeed.  It was an amazing meeting. 

We also had the conference with Elder Allen and Elder Dyches.  Amazing.  They talked about how we are agents and our use of agency and the difference between agents and objects.  Two things I absolutely loved that they discussed.  1) This advance into the "digital age" in missionary work is "to save our generation" as Elder Allen said.  This is what will save it. Which brings so much comfort.  There is hope! and the Lord is leading us to victory.  He is truly guiding all of this.  and 2) They talked about how this will allow us to have control over ourselves after the mission.  Having a tool that has access to the internet, with the dangers therein, namely pornography and things that waste endless amounts of time, it will allow us to develop the self-control necessary.  We will have so many safegaurds that it will allow us to have success, but the main safeguard is our selfwill.  Our ability to use agency. 

So my brothers and sisters think about this.  How do I use my agency?  Especially in regards to technology.  Am I in control?  Is my spirit in control of my body?  or is it vice versa?  Do I recognize that I am an agent and have the ability to choose?  Elder Allen said this "you can't ever say ´my companion made me mad!´ because he didn't!  He did something and you chose to be mad!"  so remember that, everything is within our power.  We can control our choices, and we choose how we react to things that are out of our control. 

I love you all!!!!  You are the best family ever!!  and never forget you have the greatest mother of all time.  She is the greatest you could ever ask for.  Don't take her for granted.  Thank her for what she does because we are not grateful enough for what she has done for us.  Thanks mommy!!  I love you!!!!:)

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson

¡Hurah por Israel!

Spain Madrid Mission May 2015

(I am on the right hand side trying to stand on my tippy toes hahaha.)

President and Sister Jackson

Leadership council meeting at the mission home.  

You'll be able to find me and Elder Cahoon 4th and 5th from the right :)

Elder Gentry, my trainer, is 2nd from the right.

Week 76 - May 4, 2015

Well we have our training on the 7th with Elder Dyches of the Seventy and then the next day we have a leadership council with all the zone leaders in the mission home with President, and Elder Dyches, I'm assuming.  So I am super excited!!!  We should be getting the iPads either this week or very soon thereafter.  It will be an incredible tool!!  We are not sure what we are going to do with them exactly but we know that it will be an incredible tool in inviting others to come unto Christ. Elder Bednar said that instead of using cimeters, bows and arrows, we are using iPads to combat the enemy.  We are extremely excited! 

When you see the missionaries in the stake tell them i say hello!! 

It has been something that the Lord has needed me to do in every single area, is fix relations between the missionaries and ward members, whether that was broken relationships, relationships that were based on disobedience and helping the ward understand the correct way to do things.  I don't know why but the Lord has sent me to do it and among members I haven't always been the most popular missionary for it (like in Torrejon) but I've been the most principled and disciplined. And that's what counts.  The Lord is happy with my work and I've done what he sent me to do.  And i will continue to do it. It's hard at times and not always easy, but it is the right thing to do. 

It was a good week!  Like another really good week!!  We are IN with the Bishop!  He loves us.  We saw him in the chapple during the week and he said he had been trying to get a hold of a member for a while who was a high priest and we looked up the info.  The lesson we had failed us so we went to his house and found him and we committed him to come to church. He has been less active since he started working but he told us how he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying with his kids every night and how he is doing everything he can to try and come back.  His wife passed away 3 years ago and he has been raising his kids alone.  He came to church!!! and bore his testimony and it was incredible!!!!  He was so happy and was so grateful we went and found him.  It was a huge miracle!!!  After we found him that first day we went back to the chapple and the bishop was just about to leave and we reported to him how it went and he was so grateful for it.  He trusts us and things are going amazing on the ward level. 

Milagros is doing okay.  She is too scared to make a decision.  We had a lesson with her that was incredible but she feels too pressured to make a decision.  So were gonna back off a little.  Brian is slowly but surely progressing. 

We also found a man named Manolo he is from Turkey and lived in Romania for years and he is able to meet everyday and absolutely loves meeting with us!!!  He is amazing and we are super excited for him!! 

We are emailing early because we are going to Segovia today. I cannot wait to talk next week either!!!!  I love you guys!!! Have an amazing week!!!!

Love,

Elder Anderson

¡hurah por israel! 

Elder Cahoon and Elder Anderson with Will! a member who moved here from Brasil.  

He is awesome!!!  This is an avocado shake we made. It was delicious! 

April 27, 2015

Dear mom,

Well, the big news. Next week the Spain Madrid mission will be receiving iPads!!!!  We are super excited!!!  The 7th we have a training with Elder Dyches of the Seventy.  It's going to be awesome!! 

Well, it was just another amazing week.  A lot of our investigators are starting off, but we are working hard and it is amazing to have a companion who has the same desires as you and wants to do things the way of preach my gospel!! 

We are working with a girl named Milagros from the Dominican Republic and she's doing well.  She is still waiting on a spiritual confirmation but she has received all the lessons and understands everything really well.  We just need her to feel it in her heart. 

We also have a recent convert named David.  I forgot to say this last week but as we went to go meet him Elder Cahoon said, "David, this is my new comp", and we looked at each other and we were like yeah we already know each other.  He was my investigator in B9 and then he moved out of the area.  I put him on baptismal date the day I called Elder Gentry to give him the reference (Elder Gentry was serving in B5 at the time) so that was the coolest thing ever to see an old investigator as a member with the priesthood and doing amazingly well.  What a tender mercy from the Lord. 

We are helping a man who is struggling because his wife died a year ago.  The ward has asked us to go by and help and uplift him spiritually every once in a while and he is just a sweet old man.  His name is Francisco. He sat by us yesterday at church and said, "Elder, Friday I got sealed to my wife in the temple" with the biggest smile on his face. It was a special moment.  He was so excited to tell me and was so happy.  His eyes were beaming and he kept saying "she's waiting for me there and I'll get to be with her for forever."  It was so cool!!  I'm super happy for him.

We are also teaching this 13-year-old kid named Brian and he said he wants to get baptized.  So we will be meeting with him tonight and setting a Fecha and will start to work with him.  Keep him in your prayers as well!!!

Things are okay in regards to work with the members but the focus of this transfer in the zone but specifically in B5 is to work well with the members.  Yesterday was amazing.  We got there early to greet members and it seemed to change the whole dynamic of the members attitudes.  It was awesome.  We also went to to the bishop's house after church and talked with him about what we could do for the work.  It was great and we gained his confidence.  We are super excited to be able to work here and things are starting to turn around. 

I was also able to go on an exchange with the district leader from another ward and share some experiences I have had that have to do with sacrifice and how we will be blessed for what we do here and for the sacrifices we make.  I have enjoyed serving in leadership because you get to make an impact In the lives of the missionaries as well.  It has been a super good experience!!!! 

It was an absolutely amazing week and will be another one this week.  We're working hard and loving life.  Today for p-day we basically have walked around downtown and played guitars and sang at a store it was super fun!!  We also went and gave a blessing to a member who's is the hospital.  

FOR MOTHERS DAY: we are thinking to do it at 3:30 Spain time so that would be 7:30 Utah so think it out and we will confirm it next Monday. We will call on the 10th. 

I love you all!!  The biggest thing I am learning here is that as you do things in the Lord's way and everyone is on board everything goes well.  And I mean everything.  Life is amazing.  Yeah, sometimes things are tough but I'm too happy to notice those times.  So when the Lord says we should do something a certain way, do it.  He knows best and it will bring a peace and a happiness that cannot be counterfeited.  This has just been an amazing 2 weeks and will be an amazing transfer!! 

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

Love,

Elder Jarrett Anderson 

¡hurah por Israel!

April 20, 2015

This first week in B5 was amazing!!!!! :)  We just had the greatest week of all time:)  As I got here they had just finished a transfer of finding and so there are a quite a few investigators that we have been working with this week. 

We have Vilma a lady from the Philippines who we just started with yesterday.  We have a man named Luis from china.  We have 2 girls named Ambar and Andrea who are friends with a member and we have a few others.  This week we started with quite a few and we have been constantly busy.

It's also been a tender mercy to be able to work together not only because we are such good friends but because we both have the same desires to work as hard as possible here in the mission.  We have been extremely happy this week and just working super hard.  The ward is good but there is not a relationship between ward members and missionaries.  But that will change.  It has in areas past and it will here.  The district leader, Elder Schwenke, is working hard for us to be able to improve the relationship and we have a solid district!!!  I am extremely excited!!  Things are going great and the Lord is blessing us.  We have Sol and all the touristic areas in our ward (sp?)  It is a cool area.  Also!!!  I got to go on an intercambio with Elder Gentry!!  My trainer!!  It was the coolest thing ever getting to work with him.  He is a stud and I'm so grateful to have been able to work with him again.  Life is amazing here.  I cannot express how happy I am.  I have never been so happy in my life!!!

Something I have noticed is the lack of home/visiting teaching in the church.  As soon as we can realize the importance of it and how simple it really is, the Lord will be able to hasten His work even more.  The missionary work would boom here.  

Love you all!!! 

love, 

your son in Spain bursting with joy,

Elder Anderson

hurah por israel!!!

News from Sol!

Well, I am currently writing to you from Sol. The downtown of Madrid.  I am going to be serving in Barrio 5 in Madrid as a zone leader.  But, that's not the best news of all.  You guys remember how Elder Tyler Cahoon is serving in my mission? Well he and I are companions this transfer!!!!  I am so excited!!!!!  I found out Saturday during medio dia that I was going to be a zone leader but I had to wait until that night to found out who my new companion was going to be. Well I opened the email that night and sure enough Elder Anderson to Barrio 5 with Elder Cahoon. Its basically the coolest thing that could have ever happened!!!! 

Leaving Torrejón was hard.  It's always hard leaving an area.  Leaving behind people you know you may never see again and also wondering whether or not you magnified your calling to the fullest.  But as a have reflected my work there in Torrejón i am pleased with it.  We had the 3 baptisms the first transfer, but other than that there was not a whole lot of progress investigator wise.  A lot of finding with seemingly little fruits.  A lot of seed planting with a very small harvest we might say.  But! the impact that I feel like I was able to have as a district leader in regards to the lives of the other missionaries, and with the relationship with ward leaders was something that first off, will bless me in the future so much!  I learned so much and these experiences I have had will be good preparation for future church service.  Secondly, they have taught me so much about who our Savior is, what He is like, what His true attributes are and how to use the atonement to develop them. 

I have learned people skills as I have been working with the leaders and members and although at times it's hard and people are very prideful, I was able to learn how to stay principled, disciplined, and loyal to the lord.  Not caring what man thinks, but rather caring what God thinks.  I have come to truly understand what the meaning of the first and great commandment is. To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind and strength.  I've come to only care what God thinks and it is an attribute that I did not have in any way shape or form before the mission.  And thanks to Torrejón I've been developing it. 

It was a long week.  Lots of searching.  Lots of planting seeds.  But I know that one day someone will reap what we have sown.  It had a great ending though.  The Hermanas had 3 investigators who were going to be baptized next week and I interviewed them on Saturday.  They all passed and they were going to have the baptism on the 18th but because of transfers and because one of the Hermanas was leaving the Bishop had the idea to move the baptism to yesterday afternoon.  So we had a baptism of 3 people yesterday and I had the honor to baptize one of them.  Her name is Paola from Columbia.  She and her husband, from Spain, were both baptized and she asked me to perform the ordinance. Continuing my streak of every time I leave an area having a baptism my last weekend.  It was a tender mercy from the Lord that I am very grateful for!  I also ordained Osaheni and a man named Salvation to the priesthood yesterday.  An incredible experience.  To ordain two Africans with the authority of God was a very powerful experience for me. 

It was a rough transfer but as I look back I am so pleased with the work I did.  I think I was expecting immediate perfection and to see fruits immediately but over the course of these months I have done what the lord asked me to do.  I helped my companion who was struggling and needed help.  I was the one he needed and the Lord gave me that experience.  It was a trial at times but it will bless me for forever and it helped him and his experience with me will have a good effect on him the remainder of his mission.  I know the Lord is pleased with my work. 

Sometimes in the moments we look forward and want it to be over.  We want the future to come and forget to live in the present.  Like Dad said, we forget to "smell the roses".  The Lord has given us this life so that we "might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25) and is giving us every reason in the world to have happiness.  It all comes down to 2 things. 1. Our attitude. 2. Our perspective. As we have an eternal perspective, as was talked about a lot in conference, it gives us an ability simply to choose to be happy.  Or in other words to have a good attitude.  Thanks to his perspective Nefi was always positive and had a good attitude.  SO my invitation to all of you this week is this: Choose ye this day to be happy!!! and enjoy life.  There's a lot to enjoy.  Don't hope, wish and wait for the future to come faster.  Enjoy what the lord has given you now.  You'll never get right now back. 

I love you all!!!  and I am doing amazing.  I'm so happy and excited to be here.  This ward is going to be an incredible experience.  I can already feel it!!  I'll be praying for the elections!!  Hope all goes well!!  Keep me posted!! 

¡Hurah por Israel!

Elder Jarrett Anderson

p.s. This transfer we will be having the Mother's Day call.  The last call of mine home on the mission.  Holy Cow.  We will plan that soon!  ¡Os quiero!

Torrejón

His last Sunday in Torrejón

Baptism in Torrejón

P-day email from the Apple Store in Sol

New Companions! Elder Cahoon, Elder Anderson and Elder Schwenke