Almost August!

Monday, July 30, 2018

Hello Everyone

Miracles have continued to happen here in Searcy!!

There's little to no time to email today, however it's all for good reasons! We were shopping, cleaning, and then we were at an escape room with some other missionaries today. An escape room is a room they put you in and then you have to solve a bunch of small puzzles in order to "get out". Really good time! We ended up staying afterwards and all 8 of us missionaries were able to talk to the guy that worked there and we are planning on meeting with him at the Church tonight to teach him some more! Really cool!

Recently we have been confronted a lot with really hard questions, that frankly are very difficult to answer. Often times the people we teach will have questions that are too hard to explain or reason through... at least for me. I feel so young in the gospel and it's because I am! My scriptural knowledge is very small, however I have a great testimony of this gospel. Time and time again, I point people to read the Book of Mormon and pray on the message it contains. It is true. It's as simple as that. If you don't believe me, try it. If you do believe the Book of Mormon is true, then try it again and receive another witness. This gospel is not one that I can reason through or simply convince to other people. Rather, it is a gospel that requires faith and the influence of the Holy Ghost to help us know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:3-5 especially verse 5).

I love you all so much and apologize that I won't be able to write any of you personally due to lack of time. I'll get you next week though! Love you all so much.

Elder C.R. Anderson

1. Some of the people we are teaching that came to a ward party
2. Stare down with a dog. We stayed like this for about 5 minutes.

The Perfect Love of Jesus Christ

Monday, July 23, 2018

I have gone back and forth wondering if I should share this event that transpired last Friday. However, I feel like the message in it is so much more important than the story itself. I hope you all can read it and feel the power of Christ's love for you personally.

"There is a pretty busy road that runs straight through the heart of Searcy. Right off of the road there are some pretty run down apartments. Every day for 5 days I had noticed a man sitting on curbside by the apartments. Every single day when we would drive by it the spirit would nearly say to me "look at that man." I never felt no other prompting accept to simply notice that he was there."

"Then on the 6th day, we were driving back to our apartment after an appointment and I noticed the man again. The spirit whispered to me to turn around and go talk to him. So I did just that, and I flipped around as soon as I could. We pulled into the apartment parking lot with a sense of urgency. Right as we pulled into a parking space the man got up and started to walk towards the road (he was obviously intoxicated). I called after him but he kept walking. He walked straight through the busy road as cars braked and swerved around him to avoid hitting him. Just as he had passed the road, he threw himself back into the road in an attempt to get hit by a passing car. He only glanced the back of it, however, and miraculously got up. The man walked off the road to a near by store. We got in our car and bolted across the road in pursuit. I pulled in next to the building, somewhat blocking off his pathway back towards the road. He sat on some stairs outside the shop and buried his face in his hands. I got out and started to talk to him. I asked him who he was, and what his name was. I got nothing but vulgar language and threats in return. I handed the phone to my companion and told him to walk a ways away and call the police."

"As I was alone with this man, I did the only thing I could think of to help his troubled soul. Because of how medicated he was, I am unsure how much of my testimony he heard. I testified of Jesus Christ, that his atonement was powerful and real. I told the man that I knew who he was, and that I had seen him daily and said a prayer for him in my heart every time I did. The man remained sitting and would refuse to look at me. Whether out of bravery or stupidity I approached him. I opened the Book of Mormon to the page that depicts the savior, then I layed the Book at his feet. I expressed my love for him as well as our savior. The police arrived shortly after and told us we could leave. The rest of that night my heart was filled in humble prayer, asking my Father in heaven to send His angels to minister to my brother. I do not know his name or the life he has lived, but I do know that he is a son of God and of infinite worth. I'm thankful that even for a moment I was able to see him in the way Christ sees us. I'm thankful for my Redeemer and my Savior. He comforts troubled hearts and fixes broken men."

I know that God is very real. He is not an abstract being of spirit, rather is a physical God with infinite power and love. He sent us His son, to physically and spiritually save us. I'm so thankful that Christ suffered for my sins, and that he knows me so personally. It is my hope that you all have the chance to reflect on this great gift. Have a blessed day

Love you all,

Elder C.R. Anderson

(Picture is of a demonstration we did for missionaries in the area of how to teach in every situation)

1 Nephi 19

7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels.

8 And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.

9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.

Miracles are happening!

Monday, July 16, 2018

Hello Everyone!

Miracles are happening. For this week's letter I'll just share 2. The first is with brother King and this happened last night. He's someone we are teaching now:

Brother King rolled up (He's in a wheelchair) and knocked on our door at 10:20pm. We were a little scared because I couldn't see anyone through the hole but we opened up and there he was so we talked to him. He asked us if he could borrow some scissors... so we said yes and gave him some scissors. He rolled off and we were a little confused. My companion suggested that we give him a book of Mormon when (or if) he came back with our scissors. I thought it was a great idea. He came back a few minutes later and we gave him a book of Mormon. He was telling us that he had just gotten married about a month ago. We explained how the gospel blesses families, individuals, as well as married couples. He was super excited! We gave him the temple marriage and family pamphlet because I wanted to give him a family proclamation pamphlet but couldn't find any. We invited him to read it and he said that he was going to go home and read it that very night. We are planning on seeing him tomorrow.

The next miracle is that of Sister Massey:

We were visiting a lady that is a little crazy. She has referred herself to the missionaries (requested that we visit her) a ton of times but each time we attempt to meet with her she won't keep any commitments. We met with her this last week and asked who she knew that could use the message that we had shared with her. She said her sister was in a rehab facility because she had fallen and they were worried that she was now paralyzed from the waist down. We went the next day and stopped in to see how She was doing. She was sad but we shared a message about our purpose on earth and how God gives us trials so that we can grow. She lit up. She was so comforted and expressed her feelings of peace and joy. We set up a time to see her after she got out of rehab in the next few days. We went by and she was just telling us how She knows the Church is true and that Christ is at the center of it. She has a humble spirit and desires to be taught more. In the message we invited her to read the book of Mormon, pray about our message, come to church, and be baptised! She agreed to all of them. She is truly prepared by God and an amazing person that wants to do the right thing.

I love being a missionary. God has blessed me with a love for these people that I can't describe. Miracles happen every day. I know that as we are obedient to Gods command and work diligently, that He will bless us.

Moroni 7:35-37 (However I'd encourage y'all to read the whole chapter)

35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

Elder C.R. Anderson

1. Pet Racoon - it was super nice
2. A stray cat kept trying to sneak into the Church. These are a few pictures from the multiple attempts.

God is good

Monday, July 9, 2018

Hello Family!

Missionary work is going well and the Lord is working so many miracles in this area. I love the blessing I have to be a part of it and to work hard in bringing my brothers and sisters to Christ.

This last week though was a good one and pretty eventful! We worked hard and ran around quite a bit helping people with service, teaching lessons, and going to meetings!

The 4th of July was a great one! Didn't get to see very many fireworks but plenty of people were having get togethers and just celebrating! We got to make our way out to the Galloway family and have a dinner with them as well as the sister missionaries. Not sure if I've mentioned it before but there is a companionship of sister missionaries that work in the same area/ward as us as well. They are super great and do amazing work! They just got a third companion this week so now there are 5 of us all serving in Searcy!

I was down in Beebe this last week as well on exchanges. We ran into another modified truck (see pictures). It is very similar to the one I found in Little Rock! You'll have to go back a ways to find that picture.

Missionary work is such a Joy. I've never felt so much happiness and contentment with how I am living. When we live the commandments and strive to follow Jesus Christ, our lives can be filled with peace and blessings. I'm so thankful for parents that taught me this as a young boy. Now I'm just a big boy and still working on getting better every day!

Love y'all and will talk to you soon!

Elder C.R. Anderson

1-2.We visited some people, they weren't home but from what we counted there were 20 or more puppies on their property.
3. Modified Truck "Runs great and is a heck of a lot cheaper than a Silverado."

Searcy Arkansas! Woohoo!

Monday, July 2, 2018

Hello!

We just got our transfer news last night and I get to stay in Searcy at least another 3 months!! That's because my companion and I are both staying in Searcy this next 6 weeks, and then elder ogaard goes home. And usually that means that I will stay to "train" the next missionary that comes to Searcy! Even the idea of spending more time here gets me excited though. I love this place. Well really I just love the people that live here, but the place is pretty great too!

This last week my companion and I were anywhere but Searcy! We did carwashes in Cabot, service on a air force military base in Jacksonville, exchnages in Beebe, and some crazy work in lonoke!

It was extremely hot and humid this last week. The temperature was around 102 for most of the week, ocassionaly dipping down into the upper 90s. The heat index on the worst day had us at 120 degrees! Rumor has it that it's going to be a hot hot summer in Arkansas. But I have learned to love the heat.

Something that is harder to get over is the bugs! Haven't has anything too bad, but definitely got a little torn up by some chiggers. We did service for someone in lonoke, and they told me to bring shorts and a t shirt. When we arrived the lady gasped and said "you're not planning on doing service in that are you?!" We were confused and asked what it was that we were going to be doing. She explained that we would be cutting down some very very tall weeds and grass in her backyard. It was hot work and lots of thorns but we got it done! That night when we got back, I and the other elder took turns taking a "bleach bath" as recommended by the mission nurse. It worked! Most of the bugs died and there hasn't been that bad of a lasting result! Chiggers can be a nasty thing if you don't catch them early!

President came through Searcy again this last week and we were able to teach with him again. He is a powerful teacher and knows his scriptures really well. I'm working on getting there!

A young couple, the Galloway family, moved into our ward this last week! He is the youngest master engraver in the world! He was accepted by the firearms guild. He is one of around 40 master engravers in the world! Super cool!

We also got Voss water from someone today and turned it into Sharkleberryfin flavored kool-aid today. Turns out artisan water from Norway makes great kool-aid!

I love this work I am doing. I know the gospel has been restored and because of that I am able to share this amazing message with the world! The south, Arkansas, and the heat are amazing. I am so grateful for how much God has given me.

Love y'all so so much!

Elder C.R. Anderson

Hello! Happy Summer :)

Monday, June 25, 2018

Good Morning from beautiful Arkansas!

I absolutely love it here. It took some getting used to, but now I feel right at home. I guess there's something about 100% humidity that just gets better with time! The heat hasn't been to bad though and people are just the nicest. Even if they aren't interested in what we have to share, lots of people will offer bottles of water as we go. I'm sure grateful for it because it helps me stay hydrated!

This week has been a great one. One of the biggest things from this week is that we started teaching a group of friends! We have been teaching someone named Gail for quite some time now and she is just great. She is so intellectual and really is searching for the truth. She goes to Harding University. We visited her at work one day, because she said that one of her friends wanted to meet us. They were nice and we ended up saying hi and then going. A few days later we were texting Gail so that we could set up a time to read the book of Mormon with her. She said that she was busy doing homework at a coffee shop with some friends, but that we could come there and read with her and her friends if we wanted to. Of course we did! So we got on our way. It was a really cool coffee shop but we definitely got some questioning looks as to why two missionaries were in a coffee shop on a Sunday. We just smiled and waved as almost everyone's attention was on us as we walked through the doors. We sat down and had a great lesson though with Gail and two of her friends. They were both pretty interested and we exlained what the Book of Mormon is and why it's so important. We then planned a day that we were going to meet them at Gails house and read the book of Mormon and have a lesson with all of them! They said they would invite a few more friends to come.

So elder ogaard and I made fried chicken and Mac n cheese for everyone and met in order to teach and have a great discussion! It went super well and they all had a lot of interest. We have since then met with almost all of them and been able to answer some of their questions. It's been super cool to see all of them interested and progressing in the gospel.

Tonight we are all meeting at our bishops house for a family home evening with their whole family! It will be Gail and all her friends and bishops family. We are going to have dinner then watch the movie called Joseph Smith: Prophet of the restoration. We're really excited and hope this can be an amazing experience for everyone involved!

Really has been an amazing week full of miracles. The Lord is in this work and is guiding us as well as the people of Searcy to the truth. I'm so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who wants all of His children to return to live with him.

That reminds me of a message we shared with a young family in our ward on Sunday. They have a 5 year old girl as well as one more on the way! It's an amazing family that is full of energy and want to serve. The mom is the relief society President and the dad is the ward mission leader! So we get to work with both of them a lot and they are such a blessing to us, the ward, and all those they work with.

We shared the message of how all of us lived with God before coming to earth and that we are all his children. We then encouraged them to share this message. The dad said that someone at work (he's a doctor) had been asking him about temples. We were able to give him a pamphlet explaining temples and has excited to share it with the other doctor he works with!

Overall a great week. There's so much more that I could share, but for now I'll leave you with those stories. The work is progressing and the Lord wants us on his side! It's our choice of if we will be a part of this amazing time.

Love you all so much.

Elder C.R. Anderson

1. Gail and Friends
2. The best view I've seen so far in Arkansas (there's not that many because it's super flat and there's TONS of trees)

Hello Familia!

Monday, June 18, 2018

Another great week whizzed by! We were working really hard this week and had a lot of driving. On Wednesday we got up at 4 so we could be to north little rock by 6:30, then from there we went straight to Memphis to get there by 9am. We then had an all day meeting with elder Perkins and then drove straight back to north little rock/Searcy. We got to read the book of Mormon with Gail and then headed to bed.

That's pretty much how the whole week looked! By the end of the week I had spent time in little rock, lonoke, Cabot, Beebe, Memphis, and finally Searcy! I love being able to see so many parts of the mission.

I wrote a little about it last week but I wanted to wish another happy father's day to my dad and brother! They are amazing examples of good Men and righteous father's.

Love y'all so much! The pictures for the week are kind of lame but that's okay!

Elder C.R. Anderson

1. Elder Ogaard, Gail, and I!
2. About half of the missionaries in the "Searcy zone" we all Got together today in order to play volleyball!
3. We were driving home on the highway late at night and a bumper fell off of a car in front of us. It went right under our car and made a nasty sound. We pulled off and I zip tied the plastic splash guard back up so it wouldn't drag. Zip ties can fix just about everything
4.my futile attempt to take a picture of the board at the meeting in Memphis. It was great instruction.

Teaching with the President!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Good Afternoon!

I want to wish a happy father's day to dad and a happy birthday to my brother! These two men are the most inspiring examples in my life. I want to be like them when I grow up. I'm not just saying that to be silly, but rather I aspire to be even a fraction of the righteous men and father's that they are. Love you both.

This week was a great one. We held our district meeting on Tuesday morning. President Hansen was able to be in attendance. It was super to have him there. Afterwards we had our I interviews with him then we went straight out teaching with him. I'll attach a part of the letter that he sends out weekly to the whole mission. He tells a little about what we did!

The missionaries he talks about in the next section are Elder Ogaard and Myself:

Exchange – Went with two STL’s to teach one of their investigating families.  We were able to commit the husband to live the Word of Wisdom and to solve some concerns that they had.  I was very impressed with how, both of the Sisters were able to apply the lessons just learned from District Meeting, a couple of hours earlier, and resolve concerns by reading from the Book of Mormon.  Also, was able to do exchanges with the Searcy Zone Leaders for a couple of hours.  We taught one restoration lesson, gave away three Books of Mormon and got two new investigators.  Both Zone Leaders are great examples of being passionate about the work and are powerful leaders that lead by example.  

Tell a Story -  Had a miracle, finding a family of three, while tracting with two missionaries.  It was amazing how they were the last house we knocked on and had we gotten there any earlier, we would have missed the dad.  He pulled up just as we were setting up a return appointment with his wife.  We introduced ourselves and ask him if he would be interested.  He said that he might be, but first wanted to ask me to tell him what it was that makes our Church different from any other Church.  I was taken back, just a bit, and then the spirit speaks to me with great clarity that it is our belief in the Godhead, living prophets and in additional scripture.  He looks at be me and said, “that is perfect, we are interested”.  The missionaries are supposed to go back and teach them next week.  It was interesting to note that the Lord will not leave us stranded, if we truly are doing our best to represent Him.  It was interesting to note that the Lord will indeed tell us,  in the “very moment,” the things that we need to say.  We just have to have the faith to go out and do the work with enthusiasm and passion.

As you can tell it was a powerful experience to spend time with him and enjoy teaching with him. He is a very powerful missionary and a gifted leader. Also afterwards he took us to Chile's for dinner! That was an added bonus :)

Apart from that we also had a visit from a general authority, elder Perkins of the seventy. He was a pleasure to learn from and to be able to study with. I walked away feeling strengthened and edified.

Overall a great week! On top of all of it, we were sad to have to trade in the Nissan frontier. The mission sells it After it reaches a certain amount of miles. We are now driving a Nissan rogue and it's a really really nice car. Definitely a blessing to be able to drive!

We have been continuing to work with Eric Aguilar and his family. Eric's son (Eric Jr.) Is going to get baptised in the next few months. It is so much fun to teach him and his little sister betsie. They are both so sweet and willing to learn.

Love you family! So thankful for your support and all that you do for me.

Elder C.R. Anderson



"We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."

1. How can we be accountable to God for our actions?

2. In what ways can we strengthen and promote the family in todays world?

Two more pictures

1. Us, President, and the Sister Training Leaders (STLs)

2. Trying to play tennis today... it's really hot outside