Monday, January 26, 2015

First Week!

My First week was awesome! I'm having tons of fun! The hard part is the language! When we have lessons I don't even know what I'm saying but that's how I know I'm teaching with the Spirit!

We had something sweet happen yesterday. I don't know if I said my companion had lost his stuff. His backpack, his wallet, camera and books, scriptures & studys and all that stuff. I told him that everything would go well and if we both had faith then we would find it! He brushed it off and told me that faith doesn't bring stuff back. And I told him that THAT kind of faith won't. So he told me he has faith and I also prayed and asked the Father to bring back his stuff with all the faith I have! Keep in mind he left it in a taxi, that the guy works all day, and he tried to make us give him more money then we owed him.  Also there is like 50 thousand taxis and tons of different taxi places. K so yesterday he got a call and I was making dinner and he went outside and I saw him jump for joy! Someone who was a member of the Church or I guess knew the Mission President found it in the taxi or owned the taxi and called the Mission President and they got his stuff to the office. We have not got it yet, but its a miracle. 

So yesterday I didn't know we were going to need to two buses and so I only had enough money for three bus rides and then when I found out I told my companion and he freaked out at me and I said Elder, have faith! He said again. faith doesn't do that! I said I promise! Have faith! So at the end of church one of the Elders in our church was there and I told him that I didn't bring enough money and he looked and had exactly what we needed. So I was so pumped and winked at my Companion. haha 

So if I have anything to tell anyone it is to have faith even when it seems impossible! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH THE LORD!

So if anyone wanted to know, my companion's name is Elder De Jesus! Which means Elder Of Jesus, if you didn't know Spanish enough.  haha Anyways, he's way cool and way funny! He only knows a little English but what he does know is great.

Someone taught him IT'S NO BIG DEAL. He told me it's a Katy Perry song and that Katy Perry is his noivia, which is girlfriend, and that she is waiting for him.

Someone taught him, I'M SORRY I NO PERFECT and WHY YOU DON'T LOVE ME. haha

Also when ever he goes into the bathroom he leaves a little crack in the door and says ELDER I HAVE QUESTION FOR YOU and I say Yes Elder? and he says WHY I HANDSOME? Its' funny but today he flexed his biceps when he said it and I said Wow their getting smaller! Like it was a good thing and he said YA! THANK YOU MY FRIEND! and then closed the door. Then one minute after that he said WAIT NO! BIGGER!  It was hilarious! Anyways I'm loving everything except the fish! 

Adios muchachos! 

Elder Anderberg

Thursday, January 22, 2015

First Day in the Field!

Wow. It's been crazy here in Guadalajara! It has been fun but also really hard. I'm actually learning Spanish at an incredible rate!

We taught a lesson to members who fed us today and I bore my testimony all in Spanish and after they told me that I lied to them when I told them my Spanish was bad. haha They were way awesome! The worst part was eating though... I never say that unless it had to do with fish. Yup, they had fish and I'm pretty sure they just fried up some gold fish because they were small. I would have been fine with just the three fish she put on my plate so I finished them and then she put three more on my plate! So I was like ok I can do this so I forced them down and then she grabbed my plate AND PUT THREE MORE! I had to just eat them but on the bright side her rice was insane seriously so good. Better then rice a roni. Might have been worth it. jk I hate fish.

Yesterday we left the CCM at 4 AM and were in the airport by 6 flight at 7. It was terrible. No sleep on the plane but I sat by some guy who spoke 6 languages. So that was cool. Got there and did a whole lot of training and we were all falling asleep during the whole thing. Finally it was night time and we got in a taxi and stacked the suit cases in the front seat and four of us fit in the smallest Camry you ever did saw and drove for 50 mins to a compnaionship's house and then 45 to our casa. It was dark when we got there and then we went to go into the casa and our keys didn't work and we are like an hour outside of the city. Then my companion of 18 months found that he left his mochilla in the taxi... and was so bumbed because his scriptures and his camera were in there. Oh ya did I mention hes a native? Ya like 15 words in English and he gets so frustrated.  It's actally kinda funny but anyways in a new country in the middle of nowhere with the house so close but yet so far and have not slept in 20 hours.  It was actually really funny. Some people that my companion baptized came over and talked to us and also doesn't know any English. So that's cool Anyways we talked to her. I'm pretty sure she asked me if i wanted pizza at some point and I didn't know how to tell her no I just want to go to bed so I just said yes. Then my companion said no. haha Then after like 3 hours after bed time our saviors came with keys and there were only two beds and I don't speak Spanish so the two latinos got the beds and me and the other American slept on the floor. Luckily the American is fluent and could explain to me what was going on around me. It was pretty nice.  haha We had a zone meeting and the zone leader is from Utah so he speaks English so that was nice also. We went to the casa and then lunch and now at a sepas where you can rent the computers for like 10 pesos an hours. Theres actually xboxs you can rent and there a kid playing GTA and it's half in English and half in Spanish. The first half of English is the swear words haha but when you die instead of saying WASTED it says MUERTO which means dead in Spanish haha but it's actually pretty sweet here! I have been having fun and i'm pumped for the language to come.

 Anyways my area is really safe and everyone is so nice here. 

Adios everybody! 

Elder Anderberg

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Last Couple Days

It's my last couple days in the CCM! This place has been so awesome! Today we went to the temple and we were in a van with some Latinos that don't speak English and we were having full on conversations! It was awesome! I know so much Spanish and the Lord is making it so easy for me!

This week the Lord answered one of my prayers really quick. I was having trouble understanding what we are suppose to say when we get to the door or walk up to someone, what we are suppose to say and i just didn't  know what I was going to say to people in 4 days. So I said a prayer asking for help and then I just pulled out my preach my gospel and boom first page I flip to was perfect for the situation. It was so awesome. So we went to the temple and in the visitors center we were taught how to give someone a Book Of Mormon on the street and I learned exactly what I needed to say and they had me do it for all the missionarys in our zone! It was sweet! Just another answer! 

I love it here so much and I am so happy to be here! I have gained an extremely large testimony being here and It is amazing being able to talk to real investigators on Wednesdays and I actually know how to listen to the spirit!

We had a devotional one of the first days we were here and it really stood out to me. It was Elder Bednar and he was talking about the spirit and what it is. One thing he said made me realize. He said listen the first thing that comes to your mind. Trust yourself and have faith that the Lord won't lead you astray. Trust the voice in your head that says go help that old lady on the street or smile at someone or do something to make someones day. You could be saving their life. 

Yesterday I shared how I gained my testimony with a Member from Mexico and he cried. I also cried but don't tell. It's the first time I shared that story since being here and it felt amazing to remind myself why I am here and why its so important to pray all the time...

One of my prayers has been to try and Love every single person all the time. I've had a couple of people that do that and I can see that that's the person I want to be. While doing this I think I learned a lesson that if you ask for something the Lord might not just give it to you but he might test you and make it a little bit tough but that's how you gain something like that. 

Sorry my email was so long! I hope everything is good at home!! I'm still having a blast and I leave here in 4 days! Next time I email I'll be somewhere in the Guadalajara East mission speaking mucho Spanish! Adios Muchachos!

-Elder Anderberg