Hey! So as most of you probably know due to my facebook picture I am emailing you from the great state of Minnesota! So I was in Canada for about 24 hours...hahaha When I got called up at transfer meeting to be told who my trainer was and where I was heading Pres. Thomas looked at me and whispered "Are you brave Sis. Anderson?" And I said of course! And didn't think any thing of it. Well I continued to not think anything of it until about day 2 in the craziest small town I have ever been in..International Falls!! Man did I get my little Utah mormon bubble popped quickly! Haha me and sister Brimhall who is literally the best and easiest to get a long with human in the world (I have absolutely no clue why Heavenly Father is blessing me so much) are re opening this area for the first time in a little while and boy do we have our work cut out for us. In I falls there is a little branch of about 75 members and a total of 12-15 who actually come! WHAT! And the people here are the most honest people I have ever met. Everyone in the branch is a convert of not much longer than 4-5 years except the branch pres. And every single one of them really struggle...like we still meet with almost all of the "leaders" in the branch cause they need so much help with their testimony's and scripture reading and prayer and addictions and wow! But man is it refreshing to be in a place where no on tries to hide how messed up they are, every "perfect" Utah Mormon could sure use some of there ability to be real! And can I just tell you how much I love them aleady?! And even more how much their Father in Heaven loves them?! It's so great. These people have like no examples in their lives of how to live and have really no one but themsleves to support them, but they still have such a desire to do good and follow Christ! Even when they turn down every invitation we ask of them hahah Last night we were at a dinner appointment with the Elders at this cute little olds couples named the Frarks and at the end we shared a message of gratitude and asked if they would be willing to say a prayer of gratitude every day and not asking for anything and this "active" old lady looks at us an says " well I can tell you I will try but I really won't do it" Hahahah who in the world are these people?! We got a call at 9:40 at might on Saturday from the branch Pres asking us if we would speak in sacrament and teach relief society...so that was crazy too. But we can do all things through Christ! Right? ;) I'm telling you guys this town and especially their little Branch would make the most comical beautiful T.V series to ever exists. ME and Sis Brimhall have like a 15 minute crack up session about our lives ever night, it is the best haha she keeps apologizing to me and saying " I promise you will do the work of a normal missionary some day" but If this isn't normal then I'd rather not cause this is where it is at! Right here in I falls Minnesota haha It blows my mind how much trust people have in me when they don't even know me or that this is my first week...they still trust me to help them with their problems like I have any clue what I'm doing or something like that...haha you have the name Jesus Christ on your name tag and suddenly everyone believes that you are worthy of it, which is never the case, but it's sure neat to try and be. Oh the "neat" word..We aren't allowed to say cool, awesome, sweet, and a list of others I can't remember which is super challenging..but if you are going to walk to walk we better try and talk the talk right?
one thing I have really learned this week is why challenges and trials are so necessary. There is a quote that says "If Heavenly Father were to free is from our challenges simply because we asked, He would deny us the very experiences necessary for our salvation" Of course we are going to have hard times, of course we are going to have to endure afflictions, because if not we could never, ever, become even kind of close to becoming more like our Savior. Which is the whole point of being here right? So we have agency, and the choice is ours. Do we want to use our afflictions as a tool that we might be more humble, understanding, faithful, and Christ like? Or do we want to use them to become self pitiful, miserable, and bitter? "Jesus Christ plumbed the depths and scaled the heights in order to comprehend all things" D&C 88:6 He endured what we could not even begin to imagine, and so in order to become like him Neal A. Maxwell tells us " In a small but never the less sufficient way, we will experience what it is to suffer 'both body and spirit'" D&c 19:18 but it is all for the best of causes. Lets all work on not only enduring our trials but enduring them well! (Endure it Well by Neal MAxwell is a talk worth looking up)
I love you all! Thanks for all of you support! Always in my prayers!
one thing I have really learned this week is why challenges and trials are so necessary. There is a quote that says "If Heavenly Father were to free is from our challenges simply because we asked, He would deny us the very experiences necessary for our salvation" Of course we are going to have hard times, of course we are going to have to endure afflictions, because if not we could never, ever, become even kind of close to becoming more like our Savior. Which is the whole point of being here right? So we have agency, and the choice is ours. Do we want to use our afflictions as a tool that we might be more humble, understanding, faithful, and Christ like? Or do we want to use them to become self pitiful, miserable, and bitter? "Jesus Christ plumbed the depths and scaled the heights in order to comprehend all things" D&C 88:6 He endured what we could not even begin to imagine, and so in order to become like him Neal A. Maxwell tells us " In a small but never the less sufficient way, we will experience what it is to suffer 'both body and spirit'" D&c 19:18 but it is all for the best of causes. Lets all work on not only enduring our trials but enduring them well! (Endure it Well by Neal MAxwell is a talk worth looking up)
I love you all! Thanks for all of you support! Always in my prayers!