Discomfort creates humility!

November 17th, 2014

Something awesome happened this week, the snow that came created many opportunities to help more people. Yesterday when we went to Lusk. We had about 30 minutes before a lesson and we had some shovels in the back of the car and we decided to shovel some fresh snow. We knocked on a door and asked if we could shovel her driveway and her walk. She looked shocked and told us she would make us some cookies (she was about 70 or so). We shoveled for about 20 minutes and she came outside and asked if we could come in to warm up. We came in and she told us that she was to thankful for us, because she had recently had back problems and fell against a wall and split her head open. She told us that we were sent to her from God because she had been praying for someone to help her. Elder Oswald and I probably shoveled 10 driveways this week and got lots of hot chocolate and lots of very friendly people to come back and to teach. Many people were thankful for us and one actually came to church because of our help. 

Elder Oswald is doing pretty good, this is his last week in training, and after that he will take over the area and I know that if he works hard he will do just fine. Elder Child and Elder Beare are doing really well right now. They are teaching lots of people and are having lots of success. We found Amy, our investigator who was supposed to be baptized a couple of weeks ago, & she will be ready to go either this week or the next. Also We will have 2 more, one in December, and on in January. Thanks for all your prayers and your support!

Love Elder Anderson   

November 24th, 2014

If you haven't heard yet I am in Gillette now. I just arrived like 2 hours ago and we had to drive our own car here instead of getting picked up by the transfer van because the roads were icy and snowy. On the way here we almost slid off the interstate because of the icy roads and of all the weight in our car, but we made it safely. 

I am the new zone leader here and I am learning all I can.

Love Elder Anderson 

December 2, 2014

Hello! sorry I was not emailing yesterday, I was in Rapid City for a mission leadership council so we can present our trainings at zone conference. Every month all the zone leaders from around the mission drive down to Rapid City, even if they are from Fargo, and we show up for the leadership meeting. But we also get there on Monday so we can have p-day together in Rapid City before the meeting starts, so there was like 30 missionaries that showed up and we all went ice skating downtown! In this mission where everyone is so spread out this is the only time we can do this so it was pretty fun. 

Being a zone leader is very different than anything else. I am a little nervous about the whole thing , but I have a great companion to help me!  I love being with Elder Brownlee! He is such a great missionary and he works super hard! He loves to tract and find people on the street and I am so happy about that! Together we make such a great team as we work hard and to do the Lord's work. We have many things in common. We are teaching effectively and we have great studies. One thing I am nervous about is the training we will give in ZTM. But I know that it will be good for me, just like the first couple of district meetings I gave when I was a district leader, discomfort creates humility.

One thing that we are doing in our area right now is working with the list of 400 less active member list our bishop gave us to go and see. We are down to like 300 now. One thing we are training our zone on is about this christmas season and the #he is the gift initiative. It is the perfect time to talk to people about Jesus Christ because that is what the season is about. I don't know if any on you have seen the video "he is the gift"on the website christmas.mormon.org  but it is a sweet video about Jesus Christ and how we should share it with other people. Think of how you could share it this season. 

It's good to see that you all had a great Thanksgiving! I wish I could have been there, but I know I am supposed to be here right now. Keep sending email and pictures and stuff. I love to hear about all that is going on back home!  By the way I am still in oil field and coal mining country, just north instead of south of the mines and about the same distance apart. I am happy to be here and loving it here so far. I love you all have a great week!

Love Elder Anderson