February 9
Happy Mardi Gras!
This week has been beyond amazing!
On Monday (2/1/16 I went to a Mardi Gras store and I bought a T-shirt. The t-shirt is pretty cool and it my companion got a matching shirt and our district leader got a shirt that was the same as ours except a tiny bit different. His had a pocket.
Then on Tuesday (2/2/16) I went to the bishops store house. We went with our investigator and her member family. It was such a good experience. We taught her about how much churches help the community. It is so true. I love how churches help communities because that is really what Christ would do. I loved talking about how sometimes our church gets together with other churches to do community service. I hope I get to do more of that on my mission. Also on Tuesday a recent convert was telling us about how hard her life was. She was saying that God needs to step in now and help her. She said she had been patient and that now God needed to help. Then something really terrible happened to her which ended up having her call the police on someone she loves. She thought it was terrible and it was just a terrible time for her. But now that person isnt in her life and we have been visiting her and her life has gotten back on track. It makes me think about how God answers our prayers in His way and not in ours. I have also heard the quote that rock bottom makes the best spring board. It is sad but it is so true. We have to always remember that God has a plan for us and that He loves us enough to let us suffer at times so we can receive even greater blessings.
On Wednesday (2/3/16) I had district meeting. At district meeting we learned that we cant just say, "The gospel is true, here is the Book of Mormon" we have to be personable. We have to teach from the heart. We need to show people that we love them and that we care about them because we are supposed to represent Christ and that is what He would do. We need to see people as God sees them. That is so true. I want to always do that. When I am talking to a member, nonmember, anyone. Strive to see people as God sees them.
At district meeting I heard a riddle, "I killed 1/4th of mankind, who am I?" and after district meeting we always go somewhere to eat. So on Wednesday we decided to go to a place called Tony's we ate alligator poboys. Alligator really does taste like chicken, slightly more chewy and more tough, but very similar in taste to chicken.
On Thursday (2/4/16) I learned that mental health is just as important as physical health, something I already knew but I liked learning that that is still true on my mission as well, obviously, but sometimes we need to learn the obvious. I am also learning that I am Sister Anderson not Sister Missionary. We have to show people that we are human. I can't put on a face everyday. I have to be Sister Anderson, not Sister Missionary. Also someone today that we were having a lesson with was bashing the law of tithing. They were saying that it isnt in the Bible and that it is a man made thing. So we kind of just listened, they wouldnt listen to anything we had to saw when we tried to teach them about tithing.
Friday (2/5/16) was AWESOME! In the morning I studied tithing and I read about it in the Bible and in the Doctrine and Covenants. I think the man that was telling us tithing is bad was reading scriptures about fast offering. Because it is true that we are told that we should give what we can. Fast offering is not a set amount. But tithing is a set amount just like it was in the Bible. I learned how the 10% wasnt a man made thing but that it came from revelation, just like many things from the Bible, like the 10 commandment. I am really excited to teach them again and maybe help clarify some things. I wish they had let us talk and then it would have been a discussion instead of him just getting all worked up. I am going to make sure my lessons are not just me throwing words out but that we can discuss them. I think that is why we are told to ask investigators questions.
And Friday we had a Mardi Gras Parade ward party. Everyone and their dog was at that parade! The missionaries went and we met a lot of people. We talked to ward members and ward members nonmember friends, it was just a really good time. It was casual and nice. I even caught beads from one of the flouts
Saturday (2/6/16) Today was like none other. Today Nina Cumbest was baptized. Wow oh wow, the feels are real. There were so many people there and the Spirit was so strong. The missions purpose is to teach repentance and baptize converts. When we do that, the Spirit is strong. Her brother baptized her and it was such a good experience. Her brother is less active and when he baptized Nina he started to cry because he felt the Spirit so strong and it was a really beautiful thing. I love Nina so much. It is crazy how fast I could just love these people here. They really really are God's children.
Sunday (2/7/16) Nina was confirmed. Nina's brother's wife's dad confirmed her. They are a close family :) And at ward council I learned that the women need to speak their minds more in ward council. And that the woman's voice is just as important as the mans.
And Monday was awesome!!!! I had zone conference all day and we learned that numbers are not what is most important. People are most important. We will no longer have our district leader call and ask if we woke up at 6:30 or if we had a certain number of lessons, or how many Book of Mormons we gave. We are accountable to God. Not our district leader. We need to be doing our best and not worrying about doing the average best or where ever those numbers came from. I am really happy about this because it shows that the Priesthood holders do not have dominance over us and the way the President was saying it was awesome. He was saying that we all report to God, and that the mission is changing and that we need to follow what we know and not follow blindly Priesthood holders. We have to recognize what is being said by the power of God and what is being said by man. I think that is why I love Elder Bednar so much, he has said, "I am saying this as my opinion" and opinions are great but they need to be taken with our own opinions. The Church is True. I love yall sooo much!
Love always,
Sister Anderson
This week has been beyond amazing!
On Monday (2/1/16 I went to a Mardi Gras store and I bought a T-shirt. The t-shirt is pretty cool and it my companion got a matching shirt and our district leader got a shirt that was the same as ours except a tiny bit different. His had a pocket.
Then on Tuesday (2/2/16) I went to the bishops store house. We went with our investigator and her member family. It was such a good experience. We taught her about how much churches help the community. It is so true. I love how churches help communities because that is really what Christ would do. I loved talking about how sometimes our church gets together with other churches to do community service. I hope I get to do more of that on my mission. Also on Tuesday a recent convert was telling us about how hard her life was. She was saying that God needs to step in now and help her. She said she had been patient and that now God needed to help. Then something really terrible happened to her which ended up having her call the police on someone she loves. She thought it was terrible and it was just a terrible time for her. But now that person isnt in her life and we have been visiting her and her life has gotten back on track. It makes me think about how God answers our prayers in His way and not in ours. I have also heard the quote that rock bottom makes the best spring board. It is sad but it is so true. We have to always remember that God has a plan for us and that He loves us enough to let us suffer at times so we can receive even greater blessings.
On Wednesday (2/3/16) I had district meeting. At district meeting we learned that we cant just say, "The gospel is true, here is the Book of Mormon" we have to be personable. We have to teach from the heart. We need to show people that we love them and that we care about them because we are supposed to represent Christ and that is what He would do. We need to see people as God sees them. That is so true. I want to always do that. When I am talking to a member, nonmember, anyone. Strive to see people as God sees them.
At district meeting I heard a riddle, "I killed 1/4th of mankind, who am I?" and after district meeting we always go somewhere to eat. So on Wednesday we decided to go to a place called Tony's we ate alligator poboys. Alligator really does taste like chicken, slightly more chewy and more tough, but very similar in taste to chicken.
On Thursday (2/4/16) I learned that mental health is just as important as physical health, something I already knew but I liked learning that that is still true on my mission as well, obviously, but sometimes we need to learn the obvious. I am also learning that I am Sister Anderson not Sister Missionary. We have to show people that we are human. I can't put on a face everyday. I have to be Sister Anderson, not Sister Missionary. Also someone today that we were having a lesson with was bashing the law of tithing. They were saying that it isnt in the Bible and that it is a man made thing. So we kind of just listened, they wouldnt listen to anything we had to saw when we tried to teach them about tithing.
Friday (2/5/16) was AWESOME! In the morning I studied tithing and I read about it in the Bible and in the Doctrine and Covenants. I think the man that was telling us tithing is bad was reading scriptures about fast offering. Because it is true that we are told that we should give what we can. Fast offering is not a set amount. But tithing is a set amount just like it was in the Bible. I learned how the 10% wasnt a man made thing but that it came from revelation, just like many things from the Bible, like the 10 commandment. I am really excited to teach them again and maybe help clarify some things. I wish they had let us talk and then it would have been a discussion instead of him just getting all worked up. I am going to make sure my lessons are not just me throwing words out but that we can discuss them. I think that is why we are told to ask investigators questions.
And Friday we had a Mardi Gras Parade ward party. Everyone and their dog was at that parade! The missionaries went and we met a lot of people. We talked to ward members and ward members nonmember friends, it was just a really good time. It was casual and nice. I even caught beads from one of the flouts
Saturday (2/6/16) Today was like none other. Today Nina Cumbest was baptized. Wow oh wow, the feels are real. There were so many people there and the Spirit was so strong. The missions purpose is to teach repentance and baptize converts. When we do that, the Spirit is strong. Her brother baptized her and it was such a good experience. Her brother is less active and when he baptized Nina he started to cry because he felt the Spirit so strong and it was a really beautiful thing. I love Nina so much. It is crazy how fast I could just love these people here. They really really are God's children.
Sunday (2/7/16) Nina was confirmed. Nina's brother's wife's dad confirmed her. They are a close family :) And at ward council I learned that the women need to speak their minds more in ward council. And that the woman's voice is just as important as the mans.
And Monday was awesome!!!! I had zone conference all day and we learned that numbers are not what is most important. People are most important. We will no longer have our district leader call and ask if we woke up at 6:30 or if we had a certain number of lessons, or how many Book of Mormons we gave. We are accountable to God. Not our district leader. We need to be doing our best and not worrying about doing the average best or where ever those numbers came from. I am really happy about this because it shows that the Priesthood holders do not have dominance over us and the way the President was saying it was awesome. He was saying that we all report to God, and that the mission is changing and that we need to follow what we know and not follow blindly Priesthood holders. We have to recognize what is being said by the power of God and what is being said by man. I think that is why I love Elder Bednar so much, he has said, "I am saying this as my opinion" and opinions are great but they need to be taken with our own opinions. The Church is True. I love yall sooo much!
Love always,
Sister Anderson
