October 7th

So how was your GENERAL CONFERENCE experience??? Didn't get to see it? No worries, you can check it out here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/10?cid=HP_SU_10-4-2015_dPTH_fGC_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

You will love it, I promise! My General Conference experience was wonderful. I testify that when we go to the Lord with questions, sincerely seeking answers, with real intent to act according to His will, he sends us personal revelation. It is so marvelous to me that God sends these revelations through prophets. Even though these inspired men are speaking to all the world, I know that at the same time their words move the Spirit to reveal wisdom to me personally. I know that it is just one of the many ways that God speaks directly to me. 

I especially enjoyed the talk about Ponderizing scriptures! What's your scripture this week? Mine is Doctrine and Covenants 24:8. Tell me about yours!

Apart from the spiritual feast that was General Conference, this week was great and full of...animals. From a kitten that followed us around to a puppy that fit in my palm to a milipede that was as thick as my thumb and as long as my forearm (not exaggerating). Lots of critters! 

Have a great week and keep reviewing and watching and ponder(iz)ing the messages of the Lord's servants!

 

Love

Hermana Anderson

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByRUZeow-VaVWkRxS3pVMkJCSGc

September 30th

How many sister missionaries does it take to kill a cockroach? The answer is four. Four sister missionaries and a bugspray, and an automatic-lighter-flame-torch, and a flip flop, and more bug spray, and the pole of a mop. Don't worry though, after much squealing and squirming and creativity we finally got the not-so-little bugger.

Who's pumped for General Conference??? I AM. Don't know what General Conference is? Watch it! Here: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/10?cid=HP_SA_9-26-2015_dPTH_fGC_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng at that website you can see the session for Women and this Saturday and Sunday you can watch the following sessions in which the PROPHET and his 12 apostles (3 new ones!!!!!) will address us with inspired messages to draw us closer to Christ. I hope to hear about all of your favorite messages next week.

Please enjoy the pictures from this week. Especially the one that features three girls showering with rainwater that is draining from their roof (it was quite practical since running water is scanty). There are great pictures of our carwash (except no one has cars here so it was a motorcycle wash) and also of our faces when someone served us pears and grapes after a lesson (that is the ROYAL treatment).

Love you all!

Have a great week

Hermana Anderson

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByRUZeow-VaVN3B0Z2RPSW9XQlU 

September 23rd

I am once again in a TRIO! My new companion is Hermana Landaverde from El Salvador. That makes her my 11th companion as I begin my 12th transfer!

This week we had a great visit from Elder Claudio Zivic from the Seventy (also in the Caribbean area presidency). He and his wife came to teach us during a multi-zone conference which was phenomenal. It started off with a big shock for me, though. After the opening hymn my zone leader announced that an elder would speak for 4 minutes on the Restoration and that I would then speak for 4 minutes on the Plan of Salvation. I wish there had been cameras filming my face. We had been advised to prepare a message of 4 minutes on EITHER the restoration OR the plan of salvation (unfortunately I had opted for the first) but I didn´t know that I would be asked to stand up in front of Elder Zivic and his wife, my mission president, and 3 zones of missionaries to speak!!!! But I think I spoke well (Elder Zivic said he liked it, so at least I got a compliment out of it). Oh and dad, you´re always asking about my spanish. Elder Zivic emphatically told me that it was "brillante" and since he´s a general authority it´s basically scripture that I speak good spanish ;)

A nice surprise was that after the conference we got to have a meeting wtiht he Zivics and the Castillos as leaders (8 missionaries) and it was very personal and enlightening. Another great surprise was that on Sunday, Elder Zivic and his wife came to our branch´s sacrament meeting. I think it´s safe to say that I´ve never been more nervous to play the hymns in church, ha ha. I loved the story that Elder Zivic shared in the conference:

Elder Pace was once on a small jet with President Spencer W. Kimball and a few other people. During the flight there was severe turbulence and it seemed quite likely that the jet would go down with all of them in it. The commotion in the cabin was great--things falling from the overhead bins, people shouting. In the midst of it, Elder Pace saw that President Kimball and his wife were calmly seated, holding hands. After the jet regained stability and the passengers regained their composure, Elder Pace asked President Kimball how he had remained so calm during the ordeal. He wisely responded that he knew that his life was in the hands of the Lord. To him it didn´t matter in he were to live or die because, as he told Elder Pace, "I have my life in order.¨ I think that this is the true key to peace: to have our lives in order before God. If we know we are in good standing with Him, then we will be able to have peace, no matter how rough the turbulence of life. My challenge to all of you is to do something today that puts yourlife more in harmony with God´s will for you. I promise it will bring you a greater measure of peace.

Love

Hermana Anderson

September 16th

It´s been a beautiful week full of travel. I have decided that my new dream hobby is to have someone drive me around the world and pull over whenever I want so that I can take pictures of beautiful, cooincidental things. Few things would make me happier.

The highlight of this week was going to Constanza. I am almost certain that it is the highest point in the Caribbean. It´s a gorgeous, verdant valley tucked away in the center of the island and my whole time here, people have always said that Constanza is cold. "Ha! Cold! In the DR? I don´t think so." But I am now a witness. Constanza is cold! Well, I think I would go with chilly. But I felt chilly all day long and it made me really nervous for returning home in December, haha. 

The trip to Constanza and back was a perfect example of what I like to refer to as "The Dominican Treatment" because of the fabulously courteous and generous way Dominicans treat everyone! Here´s the story. 1. I chat with a man who is cutting squash and asks if I like squash. I tell him I do and he tells me he will cook it for me for dinner 2. In the evening we are teaching his neighbor and he sends over a plate of cooked squash and scrambled eggs 3. The mother of the girl we are teaching was also cooking dinner and prepared us plates of food 4. In the morning we went to say goodbye to a friend who then called a friend to pick us up and drive us to the bus stop, free of charge 4. He calls his brother who is a chauffer up and down the mountain who comes to pick us up 5. I ask him if it´s true that they sell fresh stawberry jelly on the mountain and he says yes and pulls over at the best jelly stand with the lowest prices so I can buy one 6. At the next bus stop we are chit chatting with a man who proceeds to tell us where he lives and lets us know that if we ever need anything we are welcome to stop by his house. Everyone should give the Dominican Treatment to everyone! (The thing where people tell us where they live and that they are at our service is something that happens multiple times a day actually.)

I love being a missionary in this country! Check out all of the spectacular pictures (and don´t judge because they were taken from a truck window as we winded up and down a mountain, haha). 

Love you all

Hermana Anderson

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByRUZeow-VaVS0V3dnJndDJyR0k

September 9th

Things are swell here in La Vega. The Elders had a baptism on Saturday. Lizandro is 9 and just great. His aunt has been bringing him to church for years and he loves it. After being confirmed on Sunday he was the second person to get up to bear his testimony. He said, "I know the Church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." It was so simple and so sweet and probably my favorite testimony of the whole meeting.

This week I made bread! It was my first time trying and I think it turned out pretty okay. There will be further attempts to come as I fully anticipate becoming a highly qualified housewife and granny. 

Funny story of the week: We went to contact a reference that the Assistants gave to us last week. They were in town and I guess they ran into someone who was interested about the gospel. So when we showed up we asked how Kathy met the elders and she said, "they didn{t tell you?" and proceeded to tell the story. She needs to get baptized so that one day she can tell her conversion story. It would go a little something like this, "When I was 21, I didn{t really know what I was doing with my life. Then one day the gospel of Jesus Christ hit me like a truck...a big white truck with a missionary at the wheel." Yeah, they literally RAN into her. She was fine. It was a minimal contact incident. And it turns out she{s really cool and she and her boyfriend want to learn a lot more about the church. God has a strange way of bringing miracles to pass.

I want to share a quick testimony about the power of prayer. I really don{t think there is anything else that brings us closer to God than communing with Him throughout the day. Keep praying. I promise He is always listening.

Much Love

Hermana Anderson