Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

 

It was really great to see everyone on Christmas. Now I understand why missionaries aren't allowed to call home whenever they want to though... It was hard! Hanging up that Skype call was harder than saying goodbye in the airport. I can't believe it's been that long! Time just flies.

 

After Sister Hansen and I both talked to our families, we went to an old folk's home and did some caroling. We sang in one of the common areas in front of a pretty good sized group. Just before we sang through all the Christmas hymns in the hymn book, one of the ladies started to talk out loud. I didn't know who she was talking to until she screamed, "I SAID SHUT UP!" Hahahahhahaha. It was so awkward. I didn't know we sounded THAT bad......... Sister Hansen and I were there singing with two other missionary companionships. We all just looked at each other and kept on going. We saw one of the workers and her reaction to our new friend's little outburst, and she was just laughing. I guess we did sound pretty bad. So we wrapped it up and left after talking to a few of the ladies that lived there. THEY seemed appreciative of our little amateur choir... Oh man. Once we got into the car, I couldn't stop laughing!!!

 

We also went and sang in the Crystal City metro station. Our entire zone showed up. Word spreads pretty fast amongst missionaries these days. It was pretty fun though. We handed out flyers for the Washington DC temple lights and tried to harmonize.....And failed. Haha. Pretty much everyone was making up their own harmony lines.... And it didn't really work. So I did my best to stick to the melody so the people walking by would somewhat recognize what we were singing! Hahah! I talked to a big family visiting from Tennessee. That was pretty cool.

 

Oh! For Christmas Eve, Sister Hansen and I got together with our roommates, Sisters Lindmeir and Gray, and the sisters who live in another room in our apartment complex, Sisters Taylor and Ellis. We were going to study the life of Jesus Christ because President didn't want us out disturbing people in their homes. So we decided to read the Christmas story and act it out at the same time. We even dressed up a little. ;) It was so much fun.  
 
 

Sisters participating in the Nativity on Christmas Eve.

Sisters Anderson and Hansen with their mustaches!



"Staching" it up with the sisters.





Goodies table to everyone to share

Thanks to the McKeas for the great mustache fun!!!!

Check out their beds--NOT against the walls!

Sister Anderson's desk - not too messy! 

 

We had some tracting miracles! (See dad-people DO talk to us when we tract!) The very first door that we knocked on was a miracle. I'm pretty sure the lady was Phillipeno (Not sure though) and she was in a hurry to get back inside. Of course we didn't know why, so we started talking about Christ's restored gospel and how much it blesses our lives. She let me talk for a second and then explained politely that she couldn't listen because she was taking care of her very sick mother. Sister Hansen offered to pray for her. The lady agreed and started to close the door. And Sister Hansen was like, "Can we pray for her right now together?" And the lady let us right on in! Her mother was hunched over in a chair and looked so frail. I felt so bad. But Sister Hansen prayed for her to feel loved and comforted and at peace. When we finished the prayer, the lady who answered the door was like, "Wait, what church are you with?" WOOOHOOO! :) :) :) So I told her. We didn't have a lesson or anything, but we planted a pretty big seed and definitely made an impression. It was great. It set the tone for the rest of the evening. We had plenty of other miracles talking to people. We handed out four copies of the Book of Mormon in that same hour!!!! The Lord will bless us with people to teach as we are diligent with talking to as many people as we can.

 

So since this last week literally everyone was out of town, Heavenly Father decided to focus on me a bit. He has been teaching me so much. As I was talking to Sister Hansen about ways she could help me she suddenly blurted out, "Hmm. You get bothered by a lot of things!" Before my mission, I would've probably lashed out and said, "YEAH whatever a lot of things bother you too!" But instead I just sat there and thought for a minute. It's so true! It was really humbling as I sat there and pondered what Sister Hansen had just told me. I lot of things really do bother me. The logical part of me tells me that it's irrational and silly to be bothered by some things...but my emotions seem to get the best of me. It's SOOOO hard to control them! (And I'm sure as you're reading this, you're thinking, OH FINALLY I knew it all along! she's learning how to be humble....Well. I'm not quite humble yet so don't say anything about it...hahahahaha) I'm learning that I really don't hide my emotions very well. When I'm upset, literally everyone knows it. BUT the same goes for when I'm happy!!! So I'm really working on putting off the natural man in me. I'm also learning more about the grace of Jesus Christ. In trying to control my emotions, I find that I am failing and struggling to do it on my own. I've learned that the more I give everything up to God, I'm fully relying on His grace. We truly are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ! And I am SO grateful for it. Because of His grace, I am made whole. I pray for it every single day. I am so weak without Him. I really am. I'm trying to just get myself out of the way so that God can change me. I've already seen a little bit of a change as I have recognized these things! But I have a looooooooooong way to go. I'm glad my mission is 18 months. And even then, that won't be enough time. THAT's how imperfect I am! I'm so grateful that God is helping me see. I'm grateful that he's teaching me how to become like Jesus Christ. He's such a good God.

 

We had another lesson with our blind investigator last night. He is making a little progress. It seems like whenever he takes a step closer to Jesus Christ, the devil steps in and pushes him right back. Chad's been reading anti-mormon websites and books. Which, of course, he has his agency and can choose to do what he wants, but it really isn't helping him. Our lesson was about Joseph Smith and the first vision. After I gave the account of the first vision and the spirit was really strong, Chad read aloud anti materal about Joseph Smith. It was the hardest lesson I've ever had to be a part of. The spirit of the devil is strong and it just brings everyone down. Sister Hansen really struggled. After the lesson she told me she had started shaking with frusteration and was afraid to say anything out of fear it being negative. I told Chad that there are plenty of scriptures I could use to prove that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, but that we weren't there to argue. It literally is down to the fact that he needs to pray and read the Book of Mormon and seek the spirit of God. After the lesson, we were both exhasted. I said to Sister Hansen that it felt like we had just run a spiritual marathon.

 

Well! I hope you all have a great week! I love you all! I pray for you every night. Never forget that God answers prayers. He is a God of miracles. He loves all of His children. He is in every detail of our lives. I want to be with Him always.

 

I love you!
Sister Anderson