Rainy Week, Sunny Spirit

Monday, February 26, 2018

Hello Everybody!

I'd like to start off by quoting my mom as she would always say that "Happiness is a choice." That is so true. Not only did this idea shape my childhood but also is a key doctrine in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are meant to be happy! It is a part of God's eternal plan for us.

2 Nephi 2:25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.

There it is. We are to have joy. Our life on earth isn't always joyful though is it? Is it because of the situations we are in? The things we have? Don't have? No. We are agents able to act and choose joy.

2 Nephi 10:23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

This is something to be happy about! We can CHOOSE to be happy and we are able to choose the path we follow. No we don't always choose the situations we are into, but yes, we are able to choose the way we react to them.

This simple principle applied a lot to this last week. We had a 4 day rain storm/tornado weather. It was a bunch of flash floods and sirens. Luckily nothing was damaged and the weather was never a threat to our safety. But it sure did rain a lot! We got caught in an especially impressive storm while on our bikes on the way home. We had rain jackets in our bag but the rain came so fast we were soaked to the core before we could even get them out! Luckily some other missionaries drove by, but they didn't have a bike rack. So what we did was put all of our things (bags, books, tablets, wallets, phone) in their car, and then we biked the rest of the way home. It was so fun. We were able to get back, change our clothes, and get back out working. It definitely made my day a little brighter. Some might have chosen to be discouraged or upset in the rain, but for me it was a blessing. It gave me a new perspective and an increased desire to work hard. (Picture attached below)

Elder Sotomarino, who has been serving with us in the Little Rock area is going to be going back home to Peru this week. We had a fun last week with him while getting ready to send him off. We had a "funeral" for him (Picture below) and were able to have some fun dinner appointments with members and the branch. We are going to miss him but another elder from Peru will be coming to take his place!

Other than that not many changes are happening. I will be staying in little rock for another 6 weeks! After that I am for sure going to be changed to another area, as President told me, but for the next 6 weeks j will get to stay here! I'm sure excited for that. My companion will still be elder Merrill. Elder Gonzalez (Chile) and Elder Padilla (Peru) will be serving in the south little rock area as well. Also some sister missionaries are coming back to the branch so that is very exciting! It's going to be a good transfer.

My Spanish is slowly improving each week and I hope that I can eventually get to the point of speaking without having to think so hard about it! But I know that it will take time, hard work, and earnest prayer. It's been such a blessing to be serving in Spanish though. These people are so amazing.

My love goes out to all of you and I look forward to another exciting week! Let's all go choose to be happy and spread a little light wherever we may be. Have an amazing week!

Elder C.R. Anderson

Hello! Last year of being a teenager.

Monday, February 12, 2018

Howdy Y'all!

I'm starting to find myself adopting the languages I am speaking! I am now saying "y'all" and "we finna" or "we fixin to". On top of that I am also saying "como" when I am pausing in between thoughts, it's like saying like or um in English. Basical,y that means if you combine all of the weird language habits, I sound pretty funny when you talk to me!

This week was full of a lot of exciting things! Too many to write in this email with the time I have but I want to cover some of the more strange or big events! Most of them have related pictures that I will tag below.

Last Monday night when we were walking back to the apartment we started getting followed by a dog! It would have been really scary except this dog was a little puppy. We couldn't decide if it was run away or a stray but it continued to follow us. We expected it to lose interest but it never did! It followed us all the way back to our apartment! We aren't allowed to have any pets or animals so we didn't know what to do so we set up a cardboard box outside our door and a few cloths in it. We then shut the door hoping the puppy would either be gone or warm in the morning! We woke up to exercise and found a note on our door saying our upstairs neighbors had taken it into their apartment and to come get it back. Long story short we ended up walking to an animal shelter the next day on our way to an appointment and the little dog followed us all the way there!

On valentines day we visited a member of our branch named Julio and his nephew Yayer who are living and working in the U.S. while their families are in Mexico. We took them a balloon and we had a fun lunch with them! We then ended up singing hymns with them for a while which they both really enjoyed. Sacred music really invites the spirit and Julio really loved singing with us! We had to run out the door because if it were up to him we would have sung all night! We will be going back next week so I think we will sing again.

On February the 15th I turned 19! Thank you to all of you who sent cards or packages and emails! It made the day a fun one and I am grateful for your support and thinking of me!

We had a party the next day with the Polanco family, they are from Guatemala. Their daughter who goes to BYU Idaho was in town and she has the same birthday as me! Same day and year. Their mom has her birthday today and my companions elder Merrill, is at the end of the month. So with all of the birthdays we threw a party for all the ,members of the branch at their house! We had piñatas and lots of good food! An elder who had served in the mission right before I got here also came and surprised everyone with his family as they were passing through Arkansas. It was a great time!

Then the next day Guillermo had us over and he bought street tacos for us from my favorite place! It made me smile ear to ear and they were super good! Guillermo has said I'm how officially as Mexican as he is. I took that as a compliment!

This work is so good. Apart from the amazing people i have met and been able to help, this mission has changed me in so many ways. One of which is gaining a few pounds! Another is having stronger legs from biking and walking. And the last but most important is it has strengthened my testimony and relationship with my Savior and his gospel.

I love you all and hope you enjoy these pictures! Have a good week.

Elder C.R. Anderson

Hey my Valentines!

Monday, February 12, 2018

My valentines this year are all of you, baby Adelia, and Jesus!

This week was very exciting for all of us! I know that with the birth of Cam and Shirleys baby that shifts all of our orders in the family tree. For some it is GRANDMA and GRANDPA (youre not that old yet). Others it is Mom and Dad! Congratulations on the most important thing ever! And for others it is the best position (next to great grandmas and grandpas) is to be an aunt or uncle! You know if Chloe and I were together right now we would be so so excited. I am so excited for this marvelous gift God has given us!

For me this week consisted of a lot of hard work, prayers, and studies. It was a great week though and I am trying to work harder every day. We went to the guy that sells street tacos and while we were there we got our food and then we went to pay and he said that someone payed for our food. It was a really cool experience actually and another testimony to me that people are recognizing the work that we are doing. And the tacos are really good :).

Also I had Menudo this week (picture attached). And that was a hard one to stomach down. It actually tasted really good, but the texture was unbearable. I tried my best though and with tortillas I was able to finish most of it!

I would like to share a poem, or short story, dont know what to call it. My mission president shared it with me and I have been trying to apply it to everything that I do. The doctrines and principles it shares are very profound.

There are two seas in Palestine.

One is fresh, and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its healing waters.

The River Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So it laughs in the sunshine. And men build their houses near to it, and birds their nests; and every kind of life is happier because it is there.

The River Jordan flows on out into another sea. Here there is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children’s laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy above its water, and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink.

What makes this mighty difference in these neighbor seas? Not the River Jordan. It empties the same good water into both. Not the soil in which they lie; not in the country round about.

This is the difference.

The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it another drop flows out. The giving and receiving go on in equal measure. The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets, it keeps.

The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. This other sea gives nothing. It is named Dead.

There are two kinds of people in this world. There are two seas in Palestine.

I pray that we continue to give just as much as we receive. Love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Elder Colton Anderson

PS. Im turning 19 this week

BABY WEEK

Monday, February 5, 2018

I know you all want to hear about me and my week and stuff but I'm just so extremely excited that my brother and his wife are going to be PARENTS. I'm also going to be an uncle, which seems unreal but I'm so extremely excited and happy for them.

This last week flew by though so so fast. I wasn't prepared for it to go by so quick. I'd like to take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about some people we are teaching and amazing experiences we have had.

The first is the Romero family. They are two young parents who have a little boy. They are both super interested in learning more about God and the plan He has for them. I enjoy seeing them grow in their knowledge about the gospel.

The second family is the Torres family. Around 4 months ago, right near the beginning of when I got to Arkansas, my past companion, Elder Giles, and I were in a park talking to certain families. We came across a mom and her toddler. We begin talking to her and sharing a little about what we believe. Then a few minutes later her husband got there on his way from getting off of work. He was super tired though and just ended up napping on the park bench while we talked to his wife. We shared about the Book of Mormon and how it is another testament of Jesus Christ. We shared that with the Bible it can teach us more perfectly how to follow our Savior. We asked if we could get some contact information so that we could continue talking with them another time but she politely declined. Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago. A different pair of missionaries were in Wal-Mart doing their shopping for the week when a hispanic lady came up to them and started saying things. The missionaries didn't understand and they were trying to communicate with her. Eventually in her broken English she was able to ask them for the Spanish missionaries number. Later that day they told us about the experience and that we might have a lady contacting us. We got texted by the number a few days later and we set up an appointment to go by their house. When we came into the home there was such a good feeling there. I then saw the mom and realized it was the mom from the park, nearly 5 months earlier, who had texted us. The family is actually much bigger than to just them and they have 4 kids (14, 12, 7, and 2). We ended up being able to teach the while family and it was such a special experience. We have been visiting them every Tuesday night and sharing messages with their family. They are learning so much and I am learning from their example. This last visit their 7 year old daughter was drawing the whole time and I assumed she just wasn't paying attention or bored. At the end when we left she hurried and ran to me before we left and handed me a picture. I realized that she was indeed paying attention when she handed me a beautiful drawing illustrating exactly what we had been talking about. We were sharing about how God is our loving father in heaven and we are his children. Her illustration had "I love God" written all over it. Very special present and made me realize why Christ invited us to become like little children. They have such a special spirit.

This just made me even more excited as Cameron and Shirley will be having a daughter of their own and we will see our family grow and become so much more complete. I love you all and wish you have an amazing week!

Elder C.R. Anderson

Pictures:

- Restaurant at a Honduras style restaurant with hermana cortez. She moved to the US when she was 30.

- My plate of food which has plantains, chicken, cabbage, and who knows what! It was something I think mom would like. I enjoyed it a lot though! I ended up eating the whole thing.

- Plate of 'doblados' a Guatemalan dish that translates to 'turns' it was kind of like fried tacos but they were really good. (You can see why I'm gaining weight)

- The picture the sweet little girl gave me that now hands right next to where I study every day