Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, June 24^th, 2014 Elder Anderson's birthday!!

20! Wow, I´m still me! I will celebrate by going out and marking a bunch of people to get baptized.  We also had our district meeting today.  Opened my package yesterday and was way excited about the pancake mix, and so are my other companions in the house. Loved the pictures too.  I have been thinking about getting a Brasil jersey (with birthday money).  Brasil is doing pretty good in the cup, they beat Camaron and Croasia, and tied with Mexico, they will play again on Saturday or Sunday which is going to mess with our week because of yesterday and then another day without work will mess a lot of things up. But its fine, one of our housemates went to the temple with investigators and got Ephraim´s rescue so we watched that 3 times yesterday. All the schools are out for a month because of the games and they get done on the 17th of July.  

(In response to a question about the cost of fast food): The reason that some things look expensive is because it’s still in reais, divide it by half and you have the dollar value, Mcdonalds really is expensive here, don’t know why.

But this week was good.  Had one great day and the others were all right, staying at home a lot has drained us because you just sit around and do hardly nothing so we are just really tired. This week we should have a lot going on.  On Thursday our new President comes in and that will change some things.  Tomorrow we have our last leadership meeting with President P, it’s going to be good.  Got some really good people that we are teaching and got a lot of baptisms planned for the coming weeks.  Time is flying so quickly and I can’t believe it. Almost a year ago I was in the mtc.  I am sure that it will only start to pick up.

This week we entered the labyrinth in the middle of our area and that was really cool.  On the map it’s just a blank space, but that doesn't exist here, so we walked in and were in there for a good thirty minutes just getting references.  We also found some macumba (black magic spirit religion) pots with a sacrifice inside on the side of the road. The ceiling the chapel fell in the bathroom because the water box is broken and its leaking.  

Hope ya'll are doing good.  Just keep swimming!

Elder Anderson

World Cup!

Monday, June 16, 2014

So first off with transfers.  The first area of my mission was called Embu das Artes and it included another municiple called Itapecerica da Serra.  A couple of transferes ago it got divided into two zones.  So they almost sent me home (mission lingo here for first area) because now I am in Itapecerica with one of my old dl´s from my first transfer as a zl.  His name is Elder S and he is from Kansas with one year and 7 months, this is his 2nd full transfer as a zl and my 3rd, so we are both new and crazy.  We have a great zone with alot of potencial and we are going to make this place fly. We live with one of the dl´s from Ecuador and another elder from the states.  We had 3 baptisms in our area this week and 6 confirmations and I got to do 3 of them which was cool because it was the first time that I have done it on the mission.

So for the world cup every time that Brazil plays we have to stay inside, so last Thursday I think we stayed home and tomorrow too and next Monday so I will email on Tuesday.  It’s not too crazy when they are playing, every time they get a goal they light fireworks and go crazy for a couple minutes, but when they win they have huge parties and everyone gets drunk and we had a few fights outside of our house the other day.  But we are all good at home, live on the second story so we are probably safe.  They have a lot of English stuff here because of the people that come here for the games.  The trains talk English with a Brazilian accent and it’s really funny.  This week we started teaching a guy and he prayed and said that the response was like someone was talking to him, which we got really excited about that.  We also saw the missionaries from São Paulo oeste (I think means West here) because our area makes the division with them.  HAPPY FATHER`S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya’ll have a great week!

Transfers!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Wow, this time is flying, in a week I will have 11 months! I got all excited because we didn’t get calls last night for transfers so I thought that I would stay here in Grajaú with Elder L, but during studies today the secretary called us and I am getting transferred! I think that I have a curse because I only have two companions that have stayed with me for more than 1 transfer and I have never stayed in an area for more than 2 transfers.  But I like moving and seeing new parts of the mission.  I am really excited to see where I will be going.  I know that it will be an amazing place and that I will love my new companion.  

Anyway this week was awesome.  We made cocada at home on Monday, on Tuesday we had our last district meeting and on Thursday we had a mission meeting.  It was so cool.  Got to see a couple of missionaries from my first district that got to Brasil recently, I hadn’t seen them in 10 months and they said that I looked totally different.  I found out that the elders that I trained are now training, so we got a picture of the family. President let us watch Ephraim's Rescue, it’s so sososososossosoo good.  Pres. Dalton sent a little clip of him which was really funny, he speaks really good already.  Everyone is really excited to meet him and Sister Dalton. Everyone that is leaving gave their testimony, we have a lot of my old leaders going this transfer, my trainer, my old ZL, 2 assistants, and other friends.  After the meeting we did a split with the assistants, I went to their area and had a blast.  Forgot my umbrella and it ended up raining, but it was all good.  Had stake conference too this week, it was focused on the same thing (Austin, TX stake had stake conference as well.  The theme was Hasten the Work).  On Sunday we had a special broadcast from SLC with Elder Soares and with Elders Ballard and Scott.  It was really cool.  Elder Scott spoke in Portuguese and was actually pretty good.  They sent this transmission for São Paulo and Rio.  Then we had lunch at the stake presidente's house and there was a cake 2 feet in diameter. It was huge!  This transfer will be really cool, a new president, new leaders, a lot of new missionaries and new experiences.  It rained again this week and a leak opened in the ceiling above my bed and so it got soaked and so I slept on half of the bed for two nights, but now I am moving out so not my problem ha ha.  

It was cool to see Rach's pics.  Hope everyone is enjoying the nice TX weather, sure miss it. Keep smiling and have a great week! Love ya'll.

Elder Anderson

PS the package didn’t get here yet, probably will be a while because of the cup. Things will get crazy.  The other day there was a strike at the train and the streets are all painted and big flags and it's crazy here. In three days it all starts!!!!!!!!!!  Still don't know what will happen during the cup.  

don't worry, be happy:)

Monday, June 02, 2014

This week was super awesome because I got to talk to the zone leaders of Guaripiranga, my last zone, and they told me that one of my investigators got baptized!  Don’t know if ya'll remember T, we went to the temple with him, I think that I sent some pics, any way he disappeared for a little bit and I didn't get to talk to him again and then this week I find out that he got baptized!  So that was awesome! Council was sweet too, love helping make decisions for the mission and receiving instructions from President.  Then on Friday we had follow up by the assistants and we were stuck in traffic for a good hour getting back.  On Saturday we helped in a move, it was incredible the difference that there is between moves there and moves here.  I don't know if it is because I have only know LDS moves or if it’s an American thing but we showed up and there were a bunch of guys drinking and just talking and a pile of stuff to be moved to another house on top of the other. We helped a little but then had to go.  My companion and I were at a loss about what to do, ask if we can help and they say that they are managing.  Don't know if they were talking about downing all the beers or moving the stuff.  But anyway I am very grateful for the sense of responsibility that there is in the church.  My voice got back and we are staying warm, found a suit coat that an elder left and it makes a great coat. This week I was sleeping and started hearing a ping, thought it was nothing, but turns out I have a leak almost right above my head.  Luckily we were able to get a bucket and a cloth and it’s a slow leak so that's good.  Thinking about moving houses next week.  This week there were so many times that I felt physically weak and then I received physical strength. I know that God gives us the strength that we need to help his kingdom.  I know that he is blessing our family, and will continue to do so, if we obey all of his commandments. Read scriptures and pray together every day.  Love ya'll and have a great week with graduation! Love ya'll!

Elder Anderson

Luckily: optimistic in the face of riots, flooding, mold, feeling sick and cold!

Monday, May 26, 2014

This week was strange.  We were all excited for Elder Andersen on Wednesday until Tuesday night when we get a call from the assistants saying that while Elder Nelson and President were in meeting, Elder Nelson received revelation that the meeting with Elder Andersen should be canceled and that all the missionaries in São Paulo should stay home Wednesday- can’t even leave the house.  He said that it was because of the many riots that would happen Wednesday. So we thanked the Lord for revelation and advised the zone. Later that night the members where telling us about buses getting lit up and riots and bandits in the streets, then we get a call from our sisters in the top part of our zone that connects with the main road and they said that there were people running to their houses and that a bus was on fire and that there were bandits on the streets.  So we sent them home early and got ready for Wednesday.  Luckily nothing happened in our zone on Wednesday, we think that it was more focused in the east zone of the city where the new stadium is at.  So we stayed home all day and it was terrible. We just studied and talked and played a Book of Mormon trivia game that Mrs. D gave to me. Luckily Thursday we were able to leave.  Unfortunately our house is very small, our whole house could fit in the front two rooms of our house, and we have mold inside because of the rain.  So we both got a little sick and the last two days my voice has been coming and going.  Luckily it continues to rain and flooded our kitchen, and not our bedroom, because it is a couple steps higher so the water stayed in the kitchen.  Our baptism water thing is still broken but we solved the problem by asking a member to baptize our investigator.  On Sunday we were running around helping the other areas with interviews and stuff, had a sleep over with our dl and another missionary because the traveling assistants wanted to do a division with 2 duplas so we got air mattresses for our other elders.  All in all we have hardly not worked in our area and this week flew.  We are making plans for the ward and zone and are thinking about moving houses, again, and adding another dupla in our ward.  It was so cold yesterday that I could see my breath in the chapel and at home, heating and ac don’t exist here :).  But it’s all good and this week will be great.  Hope that ya’ll enjoy a day off! Love ya'll!

Elder Anderson

Running all over

Monday, May 19, 2014

This week was one of the craziest we have had.  It flew by and this one will too.  On Wednesday we will have the chance to hear from Elder Andersen of the 12!  We are all excited for it.  This week we got some new missionaries, some of my friends came in from the states and some missionaries from my old district- because it was an emergency transfer.  Totally forgot about the 15th being the renewal of the Aaronic Priesthood.  We were running all over the place this week and managed 7 baptisms in the zone, which was the best in the mission.  We can’t believe that we are in the middle of the transfer already.  On Saturday we rode in the back of an army truck to get home from an interview after running from one side of the zone to the other, luckily it’s geographically small.  The water heater is still not working right and the cold months are coming; it’s alright, cold water cleans more sins.  My comp and I are having a lot of fun.  He is so cool.  He used to be a pro. soccer player and is amazing. We are always playing soccer with rocks on our way to appointments.  My comp really likes a thing called chimmarrão.  It’s like an herb drink and you use special wooden cups with a funny straw, I remember that uncle NT, had one when he got back.  So we have been looking for them for a while and finally found a store that sells them!  Went and got them this morning! Will send a picture of us.  I have been learning a lot about the atonement this week and about miracles.  We heard a talk by C. Skousen that was really good that he gave to missionaries in Texas in 1980.  Hope all is going well, good luck with school and work!  Only 3 more weeks!!!!!!!!!!! 

Love ya’ll

Elder Anderson

A Cool Week

Monday, May 12, 2014

Hey everyone,

It was great to talk to all ya'll yesterday, it was great to hear your voices, really funny. This week was a really good week, we had 5 baptisms this week, 4 of them in a massive baptism service, literally two people showed up and wanted to be baptized early, they were marked for another week.  What was really cool was that the water was freezing, again, our water heater really is broken now.  We had 3 old people getting baptized, one of them is almost 88 years old.  The other one is in a wheelchair, and the other two were great.  The old people were throwing themselves in to be baptized, I was super worried that they would change their minds when they felt the water, but it all went well. I have pics but this lan house doesn’t have places to hook up a camera.  The lady in the wheelchair was really cool.  She has trouble walking because of her weight and age.  We had to use three men to carry her to the waters.  She was in agony because her foot is really sensitive and the water was so cold that it hurt.  We baptized her and as we were carrying her up the stairs she smiled and said "Tudo por Deus" which means "Everything for God."  On Saturday we had a couple walk in and ask what they needed to do to get baptized and to baptize their 7 children.  Last Sunday, not yesterday, we had another couple walk in that has been investigating for 8 months, they will get married and baptized too!

My companion and I have both been a little sick because of the change in weather.  But we are doing great.  Last night bishop stuffed us full of bread and water and soda while we were talking and waiting. I was trying to find the other skype account that the family has but couldn’t find it.  We also forgot our skype names and pass words so we had to create another account, that’s why it took a little while to get connected.  This week I was looking through a box of books from our old house and found a book that I am really excited to have "Articles of Faith" by Talmage, I already have heard of this book but now I have it! 

This week we had an experience that was really cool.  We were waiting for lunch one day and decided to visit a less active.  In the bottom of this house lives a man whose name is John, in English.  He is really smart and was once very rich, but he started having panic attacks and lost everything. Now he lives in a house that is poorly lit, damp and badly ventilated.  He has long hair and probably looks like a rocker dude from some band. But we talked to him and convinced him to go to church with us.  I stopped by on Sunday to get him and the family that lives in top of his house tried to stop me from taking him to church, they told him to go back to bed, and that he shouldn't go to church, of course they were very drunk.  But John didn’t listen, he said "I am going!"  They asked him where, "I am going to church" he declared.  And so we arrived at church, he was dressed in a leather jacket, with leather boots, and turned a couple heads when he walked in, but it was so good to have him there and he loved it.  Pray for him that he can get the help that he needs and that we can help him to get baptized. 

This week we had lunch in the house of the second counselor.  His house has some cool fruit, including oranges the size of my head. I took pictures and will send them next week.  He showed us a banana that was purple, I totally thought that it was rotten and hesitantly took a bite, but it was amazing.  He said that it’s a wine banana or something like that.  He has avocados that are huge, a fruit called jaka, mamá and some others, it was really cool, but it’s in the middle of nowhere.  Just think that the next time that we will talk through skype I will have only 7or 8 more months, it’s passing so fast.

Love ya'll and have a great week!

Elder Anderson