January 20th, 2014

Hello Ya'll!

Well this week, our Bishop came to all of the classes during the last hour of church and said that the ward needs to feed the missionaries more. Well the congregation reacted. We had two different batches of fried chicken made for us that very day. Oh, how I love the South.

I am attaching some photos from our trip to Myrtle Beach: Huntington State Park last week. Enjoy!

This week, we were able to rely upon the Lord more. Things were hard, but that's just life. Sometimes, you roll out of bed and its a hard day, but too bad. You got to keep going on and smiling. Sometimes, we have people tell us the most ridiculous things, so all we do is just smile. Smile at life!

Our prophet, President Monson, said " Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or no progress towards our goal of eternal life." I know this is so true!

"Heavenly Father has organized our journey through life to be a test of our character. We are exposed to both good and evil influences and then given the moral agency to choose for ourselves which path we will take." - Elder Richard J. Mayes.

Well, I am getting off my soap box now. Fun updates. Destiny and Infiniti are doing great! Their Mother and Sister now want to join them and be baptized. It's amazing to see their lives change as the gospel enters it. "True doctrines, understood, changes attitudes and behaviors. The study of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." -President Packer. When we focus more on the gospel, our natures are changed and we become more happier and lighter in heart.

Funny Moment: The power of Women: Well we were teaching two men and recently the Elders started teaching them instead of us. The Elders mentioned to us in passing that it was hard to get a hold of them and that they wanted them to come to church but that they weren't sure if they would come. So we got our phone out and called them. They answered right away and agreed to coming to church. They came an hour later!

I love ya'll and I love being a missionary!

Will ya'll all smile today? I know that if you do it will brighten someone's day, if not your own!

Love,

Sister Anderson

January 13th, 2014

Dear Family and Friends: Warning, this is a long one! Proably longest letter of my whole mission!

 

This was one of the best weeks of my whole mission! Miracle after miracle after miracle!

 

Highlights: Baptisms! Destiny (15) and Infiniti (16) Brown were both baptized this week! It was amazing to see them take this step in their life! (see pictures)

 

Busy Work: This week, Sister Stanley and I taught more lessons in one week than I have my in any singluar week before. We were so blessed!

 

Funny Moment: During a lesson we were demostrating how some gets baptized, so that Destiny and Infiniti would not be nervous. Well I practiced with Sister Garlick, who was visiting for the day. I was the one baptizing and she was the one being baptized. Well we were practicing and as she bent down....I dropped her! Right on the hard floor in the middle of the lesson. I felt so bad, I didn't think she was going to bend! It was hilarious. Turned out to be a blessing, it was just what we needed to lighten the mood!

 

Insights: Yesterday, we taught a lesson on enduring to the end, which simply means contiuning to live a Christ like life every day, even after you are baptized. It means maitainese and repairs. We are all like homes. Homes comes in many different shapes and sizes and are built differently, but regardless of what type of home we have, must must maintain it. I may have a lot of windows in my house but you may have a lot of trees in your yard. Overtime I may have to dust off the windows so that light can more fully come through to lighten and illuminate my house, but you may have to cut back some tress. Just as homes are different, so are we. We all have different areas on which we need to improve.

 

So my invitation to ya'll is to have you do a self-assesment of your home and see what needs fixing.

Will yall do that? Will you take a self evaluation and see what you can fix? I know that as you do this you will feel better as you follow God's teachings more.

 

Spanish Miracle: I taught another lesson in spanish! I was so excited for this lesson; I practiced all week long!  Well, we got there and the man would not listen to what I had to say, he kept chaning the subject, or acted like he couldnt hear me. So I started to ask him more questions. I found out that both of his parents had previously passed on and that he was hurting inside. I changed the lesson from talking about who God is and the Book of Mormon to talking about Eternal life and God's plan for us. Everything changed. The mood, his attention, the Spirit, everthing!

 

Moral of the Story: I learned that people don't want to talk about what is important to you, they want to talk about what is important to them. If you listen well enough, you will find that. Then you can truly touch them and make them your friends. I loved that lesson, he sure made me work for it! Miracle! Also, I taught it in spanish! I have been practing during my lunch hour. Heavenly Father helped me out a lot because of my extra effort!

 

Story Time: A story I heard at church: "A Tail of Happiness” told by Wayne Dyer, a self-help author and motivational speaker:

"An old wise cat and a small kitten were in an alleyway. The old cat saw the kitten chasing its tail and asked, “Why are you chasing your tail?” To it the kitten replied, ‘I’ve been attending cat philosophy school and have learned that the most important thing for a cat is happiness, and that happiness is located in my tail. Therefore, I am chasing it and when I catch it, I shall have happiness forever.’

“Laughing, the wise cat replied, ‘My son, I wasn’t lucky enough to go to cat philosophy school, but I’ve gone through life. I too have realized that the most important thing for a cat is happiness, and indeed that it is located in my tail. The difference I’ve found through is that whenever I chase after it, it keeps running away from me, but when I go about my business and live my life, it just seems to follow after me wherever  I go.”

I loved this becuase I think this happens to us so much in life. We often say, "Oh, I will be happy when I buy that house" or when "I lose ten pounds" but that's not the point. We need to set goals for the future, but we also need to learn to find happiness in the day. I belive that that is true happiness, being able to be happy regardless of where you are.

Well, as ya'll can tell, I am am very happy here and love my mission!

Ok, seriously last thing: Background. We almost always sit in the same spot at church. Well I have on a couple of occasions, I have had people who are looking into the church (investigators) tell me that the speaker at church was "glowing" and had this "aura or light" around them. I just took this as a great sign that they felt the Spirit.

 Well a couple times now, when I have been sitting in the 3 row, middle of the bench, I have noticed that same thing. It turns out that if you sit in the right spot, you can see the lights flickering and the speaker truly does look out of this world. No way, I am going to tell my investigators that! I am going to let them attribute that to the Spirit, because it is a combination to both. Hooray for faulty lights!

 

Love,

Sister Susan Anderson

110 Oak Park Dr #B

Irmo, SC 29063

January 6th, 2014

Hello Ya'll! Shorter Email this week!

 

Well this week Sister Stanley and I got the flu! I got sick and then as a result, she got sick. So needless to say that much of our week was spent it bed. Some of the members of the congregation heard that we were sick... We had 3 different homeade soups delivered, 1 packaged soup, 2 different drinks for our throats. We felt so very loved and cared for! We are doing better now, but still taking things slow.

 

Miracle Moment!

 

Three weeks ago, Brother Brooks asked us to deliver a Book of Mormon that his wife wrote in and a christmas card to a lady in Loris (about 20 miles from our home). We drove it up there, but she wasn't home. He told us that when we found her it would be the right time.

 

Two weeks pass by. Then Sister Stanley calls the Carter family and asks them to invite some friends over for dinner. They do and we have dinner with the Brusceros. They mention that they know Sister Pearson. We asked if we could come by their home to share more and they said that they would think about it but didn't give us their address.

 

The next day, Sister Pearson drives us to Loris to drop off this Book of Mormon and card. As we pull up to the house, I look down and read the name. None other than the Brusceros! They knew three members of the congreation, who all happened to be thinking about sharing the gospel with them!

 

The moral of the story is that when it is the right time, it is the right time. God has perfect timing! He knows when others are ready to have the gospel in their lives! We just need to do our part and invite.

 

I know that God is really aware of us. He knows exactly where we are in our life and what we need. Sometimes we loose Him in our lives, but He never looses us. Often He answers our prayers through others.

 

Transfer Update: I am in Conway for another 6 weeks! At the end of this transfer, it will make 6 months here! I sure do love Conway!

 

Prayer Request: We have some baptisms coming up this month. Please pray for Destiny, Infinity, Justin, Christina, and Leo. Thank you!

 

Will You: Will ya'll all invite someone who is not a member of the church to your house for dinner? I know that if you do, they will feel the Spirit! It will be a great missionary opprotunity!

 

Love,

Sister Susan Anderson

 

Photos: I am attaching some photos from our trip to Myrtle Beach last week! The missionaries in Conway went to Myrtle Beach with our ward mission leader to play beach volleyball. It was so much fun!