Sunday, February 28, 2016

Good Week...Stressful...But Very Rewarding



Written Feb 22, 2106

Well starting out the week we went and had an activity with our zone when like 30 missionaries get together and play soccer and eat hamburgers. It was fun and all, just that... well I don’t know how to play soccer... but I know how to eat hamburgers so it was still fun! I only took out one person during the soccer game so that’s a new record!  Oops! 

 After that the whole week we were focused on the getting everyone to the temple that was planned for the 20th of February. This is something that for us is really stressful because we have to set up EVERYTHING…down to the interviews for every young man and women and the people that have not been endowed because there’s no temporary temple recommends in the branch so every time we go they have to have an interview. And my comp does them. This last week he did about 20 even though a couple ended up not going.  An interview can be 10 mins or an hour so we got home late every day this week. And going to bed late and then getting up early and doing exercise even though I was so tired and then having to walk in the heat to find out that the people we went to visit weren’t even there and not being able to find an address. And then having to look at everything that we needed to do like call the van to come get us, set up the time to get to the temple. Be able to have money for the young men and women so they could eat and go to a movie as they waited for us and not to mention we had to help the people who live outside of where we are be able to get there and they don’t have money so we had to get them money and oh my gosh. Everything happened at the same time and it was a packed week but in the end we all got to go to the temple.

In the temple we were the temple workers, and as usual our plans didn’t work out and we were doing baptisms for like 3 hours and so we didn’t make it to the session.  So we had to wait from 12:30 till 5 o’clock and like last time we didn’t get to go but this time the young men and women went to go do things. We had time to eat and go into the session. It was my first time going in and it was honestly so spiritually uplifting. It was SO REWARDING to be able to go in and just feel so close to my Heavenly Father and give thanks for the strength he keeps giving me to keep moving forward even though I’m so tired and have some of my prayers answered. For me time stopped when I was praying and I felt the Spirit so strong that I didn’t want to stop the conversation with him and I felt a tap on my back and I finished up my prayer looked up and only I was there... nobody else... haha it was weird but they said I was in there forever. Haha it was so awesome though. We left and I said I wanna go again haha all the stress was so worth it. I would invite all you that are close to like 100 temples in Utah to take the chance to go. It was so great to be able to go in.

That’s my whole week. I love you all!!!

Elder Andy

What a great week!!!!



                                                                                                           Written Feb 16, 2016    

This week was honestly so good. On Christmas day we shared a lesson with an ex missionary who did really good on his mission and has been faithful ever since, he teaches classes really well on Sunday and I really liked it. so when we taught them a lesson after I asked what he thinks I should do to be better and he told me just don’t change when it comes to teaching be yourself and teach the way you should. The craziest thing is that that changed everything. In place of changing I'm just myself. The Spirit testifies of what I say. I’ve never felt the Spirit so much in my life. It’s like I just get a feeling to start talking to someone and then they invite us to come teach them. And when we teach they feel comfy to let us teach them and then when they feel the Spirit they accept it!

A quick example...

We had a family come into our ward, they found us in the street and they passed us their address, we went over and they said that their dad isn’t a member and that he is heavy in drugs and needs a change and that they know the gospel could help him. We started to talk to him and found that he has been sad ever since his Mom died and we talked about how the gospel could help and really just focused on him in place of teaching the lessons and he accepted us and we had an activity that he went to and then came to church on Sunday and told me that he wants to be baptized. We are really excited for him.

All in all it was a good week even though I’m soo tired I wanna die it’s so worth it.
 
This week one of my old young men’s leaders asked me to write a letter to the young men to get them hyped about the mission and I did that today and thought I would share it with all of you who are preparing for the mish...

I’ll tell you what the mission is the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. Learning Spanish was so hard, being in a place where the people don’t speak the same language as you and you can’t express yourself the way you want to even though everything is trying to burst out of you and you can feel what you need to say but you just don’t know what to do. I’ve never had more stress in my entire life. Some days I just wanted to scream. And then on top of that sometimes your comps don’t want to be obedient. It’s been a rough ride....

But after time... 

I learned something. Ok, a lot of things. I learned that if you work on something you get better. My Spanish now is really good. Now, when I want to say something that I feel like it’s going to burst out of me the words come. Those words that the Lord wants you to say that shoot the Spirit and it fills the room, there’s not a feeling like it. And when you know someone for one day and they tell you before you even invite that they want to be part of the church and want to be baptized it’s an amazing feeling that is indescribable. It’s more than a simple happiness that the world gives us from winning a state championship or going on a date with the girl of your dreams. The happiness that feels real and it lasts. I love seeing people change, when you see people who are really poor and don’t have any hope in their lives and don’t know how to progress and they drink their pain away and then your leaded to them and change their lives and do everything to progress, it’s something different. I can’t even explain it. It’s something that explains in Alma chap 26.

With all this I’ve also been able to learn how to work and be diligent because if we are not diligent in everything that we do WE WILL NEVER BE THE BEST. In whatever we do. We have to keep working at it till it’s done. That’s how we can be the best as missionaries (studying the scriptures, being exactly obedient, and working on our faith every single day of our lives)

Be obedient!!! EXACTLY OBEDIENT!!! I am only going to say this much there are blessings... it’s said if you want your dream girl... BE OBEDIENT AND THE LORD WILL MAKE HAPPEN WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

And something more I’ve learn how to work. People have told me that their missions have helped them every single day of their lives. I see it now. I really didn’t believe it but after being here a while I can see the changes in myself. I’ve never had better experiences that make me see why the Lord commanded us to come out here. Not only to find, teach and baptize but also to learn. I’ve learned that the mission isn’t necessarily for the people we teach but it’s for us.

20% find, teach and baptize
80% learn and apply

On a life scale I can see how I’ve changed for the better and learned about the atonement that Jesus has done for us. It’s crazy and something that if we learn it and help others learn it we will never want to sin again. Sometimes we fall into the trap of sin and don’t know how to leave but when we really think deep on it The Lord has given us the tools to leave from any type of hard things and when we are in the work, he will bless us and help us and when we recognize him in prayer he listens to.

Abinandi (in Mosiah idk how to spell his name in English I think it’s like that) he gave his life for the work. Something that I don’t know if I would be able to do it. But his validation didn’t come from a big name brand or other people who are popular or a nice car, but his validation came from God and that’s the kind of validation that counts. We can give our everything here on earth and we will see the blessings there in heaven even though the things of this world are super cool. I promise the things of the next world are even better than being popular, having money, and having girlfriends. 
 
I promise that if you serve a mish you will see the fruits of your labors later in your life. You will not regret it and will always stay on the path. You will not get lost if you dedicate these two years and then the rest of your life to the Lord. I love you all. I miss you guys but I know I’m in the right place. You will find happiness in the work of the Lord. I only have 9 months left and I wish I could just start over again to be able to get everything done. The Lord has a place for each one of you and expects you to get out here. Put everything in order and take action as fast as you can because that’s what your Father in heaven wants for you.

LOVE YALL!!!

Have a good one!!

Elder TJ Anderberg

Fast Week



Written Feb 8, 2016

This week was so good. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to send an email last week. Sometimes we just don’t have a whole lot of time but I read fast and typed real fast this week so I would have time to write you guys because even though I don’t know how many actually read this I love my little fan club!  hehe

 So this week we had services another town called Yahualica. I think I’ve told you about that town before and I lead the services because my new comp doesn’t know how. It went so good. The members in this little big town are so awesome. And very faithful. The only problem is they are one family and this last week they had problems and so we decided to talk about unity after they all passed and gave there testimonies. My comp is relatively new in the mission and he didn’t come here speaking Spanish but his talk was really good about how to be united as a family. I honestly didn’t prepare a talk because I thought I had one prepared from like two weeks ago that I didn’t have time to give so I was ready and then something came to me to give something different. I was like ok, that’s cool. It came to my head to share an experience. That when I started to play football I was 12 years old and we only won 3 games in the first 3 years. The next year we lost a game in the preseason and it wasn’t until our coaches talked to us and told us that we had to work as a team and be united that we learned. And the rest of that season we didn’t lose and the next year we only lost one game and the year after that we lost one but that’s it and won a championship

So if we are not united we will not win. Maybe every once in a while but usually we will lose. But when we learn to be united and work as a team we only lose every once in a while and usually win. 

I felt the spirit so strong and I felt like the words were just falling out of my mouth. I am so happy to be here. This is my favorite area and I have my favorite companions that I’ve had in the mission. This work is really hard. I can’t even tell you how tired I am and how nice it would be to just take a nap but I know this isn’t my time. And I’m on the clock. The time has gone by so fast and I am going to use the little time that I have left to do everything I can to help the people here in Mexico get to know the gospel and change their lives. 

I love you all. I miss you all and I’m super pumped that the broncos won the super bowl! Woo! 

Love Elder Andy

PS They only won because I’m out here and couldn’t watch the game.