September 22, 2014

Hey there!
Where to start... Well, I have been a missionary for over a year now. And part of me is in denial! Big time! But than again, this is my life now. It's who I am!

This week was a big harder than the previous. All of our appointments fell through and I felt really bad for Sis Williams! People cancelling on us is a part of the work, but it can be discouraging! I just wanted to shelter her from that, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was also a harder week in terms of companionship unity... Don't you worry- I love her to pieces!!! But she tells me that I have the exact same personality as her mom. She also tells me that her mom is the only person she has a harder time understanding and getting along with because they both have different ways of communicating and showing love. I still haven't decided how I feel about that fact. Haha. I mean, since her mom is a Lythgoe, it makes me feel awesome that I'm like her because every Lythgoe that I've met is SO COOL. But then, as Sister W's trainer, I don't want to remind her of her mom! She's my companion! She's my equal! I have tried SOO hard from day one to not "mother" her. I mean, I do need to be bold with her to help her be obedient to all of the mission rules, but I feel like I've been extra careful to lovingly correct her once and then setting an example so that she knows what the expectations are so she can exercise her own agency. Sis W is just so incredibly independent!!!

I made my own training program with her. Because she is so independent, she doesn't like it when I train her. We have a 12 week program that touches on everything that was discussed in the MTC and a few other things that help us to fulfill our purpose as missionaries. President Riggs really stressed that we NEED to be doing the 12 week program with our trainees because it was inspired by our prophet and apostles. Since my first trainer didn't train me using the 12 week program, I made up my mind that I was going to train Sister W the right way! But it's really hard when she feels like she is exercising all of her patience to get through it! After praying about what to do, I decided that I am giving up my position as the trainer! hahahaah! Isn't that wonderful!?! I'm not training her any more because I am having her train me! It was the BEST revelation I have recieved my entire mission! Now during our training hour every day, she leads the training and the discussion and I am the "new missionary". It works so perfectly for us because when she feels like she already knows how to do something, she touches on it briefly, but when she doesn't know something, she asks questions. It's been really good to focus on the areas that she feels like she needs to focus on, rather than me just preaching to the choir while she sits there bored out of her mind!! Besides, it's been fun to be the "new missionary" again. :)

We went on companion exchanges this Thursday with the Sister Training Leaders in Gainesville. I stayed in Haymarket and Sis W went to Gainesville. While she was gone, we got a call from our number one progressing investigator, Ashleigh. She said that she has loved what she has learned so far and wants it to bless her family. She invited her dad to come to a lesson with us, but he freaked out. Ashleigh comes from an abusive, broken family, but she still loves them and wants to be happy with them! It was so sad to hear that Ashleigh's dad freaked out and said that she wasn't allowed to come to church with us any more. He told her that they were born and raised Baptist, and they weren't going to ever change. :'( That phone call broke my heart. I said a prayer with Ashleigh over the phone and she agreed to meet with us right away. We had a lesson with her and tried to help settle her concern. It was pretty cool that the only story from the Book of Mormon that kept coming to my mind was when King Lamoni and Ammon ran into King Lamoni's father, who wasn't happy with his son that he was hanging out with a Nephite. In that story, King Lamoni's father goes to kill his son, but Ammon stood up for him!!! We read that story with Ashleigh and said that we were always there for her and that we would help pray for her dad's heart to be softened. I think meeting with her dad would be really scary, but I also feel like it's going to be completely necessary if he's ever going to let Ashleigh get baptized.... I dont know what' going to happen, but God does and that's all that matters. I trust Him and I know that Ashleigh is going to make it through this trial. I know she'll get baptized! She's seen so many good things from this gospel already!!!
OH! Last night, there was a Why I Believe Fireside at the Centreville Stake Center. I got to see all of my favorite members from the Centreville 2nd ward! Sister Christiansen, Sister Walter, Sister Miller, Sister Zieger, Sister Whitaker, Brother Garfield, and a bunch of youth that I worked with all the time! I don't know why I didn't think I'd be seeing them there especially because the fireside was in THEIR chruch building, but it was SOOOO good to see them! AND I also got to see my favorite member from the Potomac Mid Singles ward- Tiffany Player!!! I just love them SO much! One of my biggest fears being a missinoary is that people will forget me! But no one did! They all remembered my name without looking at my name tag (which always means the WORLD to me) and they were so happy! They said that I needed to come back to their ward! Oh my gosh, it was such a wonderful moment in my life!!! <3 I miss Centreville 2nd ward SO much. A huge piece of my heart is in that ward!!! I hugged everyone like 50 bazillion times!!!!!!!!!!! Also, Ashleigh came to the fireside!!!! The couple speaking were two former ministers of other faiths (yes, they were married) and they got baptized into the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a year ago. They shared their conversion stories and it was AMAZING. Their last name is the Casto's. Ashleigh said that the night before she had a dream and their name was in it!!! She said that she knew that God wanted her to be there tonight. It was a huge turning point for her. I'm so excited to see her grow in the gospel and get the courage to talk to her dad about how much this means to her.

I can't htink of anything else to say. Lame, I know. Sis W is a rockstar missionary. I am so grateful that God made her my companion because I am learning so much from her. She is SO focussed on our purpose as missionaries and she is OWNING the ward. The members all love her and connect with her. I know we'll have tons of referrals in no time. We are still learning how to work together in unity, but it will come over time. I can't wait to see her grow!!!

This morning I studied about HOPE in Preach My Gospel in the Christlike attribute section. My favorite part is how hope helps us conquer discouragement. As I studied about hope, I realized that it's a Christlike attribute that God has already blessed me with! The others...I still have to work on and pray really hard for...but I realized I am a hopeful person! I didn't realize I was!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great week! Keep reading the scriptures! And general conference talks-- OH MY GOODNESS I am SO excited for conference coming up! It's my new favorite holiday that happens every six months!

Love you,
Sister Anderson