Week #25 in Panama!

I have an hija!! Im training a brand new missionary! Her name is Hna M. and shes from Puebla, Mexico. Shes whiter than I am though so everyone thinks shes from the states haha. She doesnt know any english, which Im really loving because I missed speaking Spanish with my comp. Shes super sweet and doesnt even have a month in the mission yet because she was only in the CCM for 15 days. Shes the best and Im really blessed to have her as my hija! I was SOO excited when they told me Id be training because I knew itd be super cool to be doing it at the same time as Corson. Its been quite the transition though going from being comp menor to a comp who was finishing her mission to being comp mayor for the first time to a comp who just entered the mission field. Definitely not easy, but its an awesome learning experience. Im learning a lot of how much I really do know with the languge and the lessons, which makes me really happy. The gift of tounges has also helped A TON this past week, like Ive been able to see a literal difference. And its cool because itll come and go, so I know Im not just speaking or understanding from my own knowledge. So I went and got her on Tuesday and we started working right away on Wednesday and had a pretty good starter week for her. We did have to drop a few investigators, but this week we are really going to search hard for new, prepared and chosen people to teach. We know there are a lot waiting for us, we just have to do our part to find them! So on Saturday we had our monthly stake temple trip and M. was able to go and do baptisms for the first time! It was a really great temple vist for me personally, because I could feel the spirit so strongly and I really did not want to leave. The temple is such a special place. And then when we came outside after spending about 4 hours inside, we came out and found M. sitting alone under a tree on the temple grounds. We walked over to her and she asked if we were coming to sit with her. Of course we were and we found that she had been reading her new triplet she had just bought. She was reading D&C 89 about the word of wisdom. She told us she just didnt want to leave and also that she wants to get started on the work for her parents. It was a really special experience to sit there and share with her. I just love her! We also talked more about her mission. She looked at my comp and she told her shes going to go on a mission in just 4 years and she looks at me and shes like si or no? It was great. When they say that, its kinda like saying isnt that right? We had a really good day that day. The week itself was a little slow because I was a little trunky with J. and N. going home on Thursday. They were both just here a week ago with me and now theyre in the states! Super crazy and super trunky haha but I think the trunkiness has finally passed today haha. I spoke in Sacrament yesterday, for the second time. About missionary work. I think it went okay. Thats about the jist of my week! I love you all lots and hope you all have a fantastic week!! =)
Han. Anderson

Week #24 in Panama!

Hey guys!!

So since Hna J. is leaving along with my comp this week, we are on divisions so J. could come say bye to everyone in Nuevo Mejico. Im super excited to be able to do that with her. It should be a really good day. Im super sad that shes going to be leaving the misión this week though!! But thats how it Works I guess haha. You come you serve you go home. Craziness. Also, Ill be getting a new comp in a couple of days so thats exciting! Still in Colon though, but thats good too. =)

 

Sooooo Ill share about this awesome baptism weekend we had!! So M. was baptized on Saturday night. It was amazing. The spirit was SO so strong. I couldnt believe it. Ive never felt anything like that before. And then again yesterday when she was confirmed. It was amazing. I cant really write much about it because I cant put it into words, but it was a wonderful experience. That night I was thinking as I was writing in my journal how she was never our convert. She was always the Lords convert because He has prepared her soo much to make this covenant. Its like he just said okay hermanas heres one of my precios daughters who I have prepared, will you baptize her now? For real though, so perfectly prepared. Theres a stake temple trip this saturday and she got her recommend yesterday so she will be going to the temple for the first time!! Super exciting. And this past week when we would teach her she would just tell us that her dream is to go on a misión. We were like WOW! shes only known about the church for a month and she already wants to serve. Shes the best. Ill send pictures!

 

Nothing can really top that this week, so Ill just leave you all with that. But I love you all and hope you are all doing well!!! Miss you lots!!

 

Hna Anderson

Week #23 in Panama!

Well we are officially in the last week of the change. Super insane. I dont know how that happened. So my comp will be in her house next week along with Hna J. I remember talking to J. about it being 4 months away and now its next week! The mission goes too dang fast! You really cant afford to waste any of the time you get.

Anyway, this week was a great one. So we didnt get to teach M. all week until Sunday because she wasnt home since all that had been happening with her tia, so when we finally were able to teach her on Saturday my comp and I wanted to talk to her about her baptism and whether or not she felt prepared for it to happen in a week. We asked her and she said yes (because shes so stinkin prepared already by the Lord) and then we made a plan to go teach her every day starting Saturday until the day of her interview which will be Thursday so that we could make sure we taught everything to her clearly and thoroughly. So she will be ready come Saturday at 6pm! Im soo stinkin happy. My first baptism! And shes incredible! So chosen. They announced it in sacrament yesterday, which was super cool. Yesterday, we taught her after church and another one of her tias came in during the lesson and my comp asked her to join us so she did. We were teaching the plan of salvation combined with the law of chastity. It was a great lesson and by the end of it we had a fecha with the tia as well! Its great. So I have to tell you guys this. Theres this little part in our missionary schedule that I havent been very diligent in keeping during my mission. Its the part from 6:30-7:00am when we are supposed to work out. I had convinced myself that it wasnt so much a regla as it is a suggestion haha so I didnt always do it. Mostly never actually. Then we had an AWESOME capacitacion on Wednesday with President and the APs and we talked about the schedule and how every part is important and we should be obedient to ALL of it. So I decided from then on out that I would do everything I could to follow it exactly, including working out. And I did and the difference I have felt since then has been incredible. I feel like Im a lot more in tune to the spirit and I can understand so much more Spanish! My teaching flowed a lot more smoothly, too. My comp starting doing the same thing, following the schedule more exactly and as a companionship we have already seen so many blessings from it. My testimony on obedience has grown SO much this week. Its SO important. 

This change has really changed everything for me. The way I look at things is so much different. I had a dream last night that Corson and I went home just for like a week long visit, because I have those dreams everyone once in a while haha, and I was sitting at the table with Whit and shes like I dont know what to talk to you about because youre so different now. Hahaaa obviously thats a little depressing and wont happen, so dont worry whit. BUT I do feel like Im changing a lot and hopefully all for the better. As I learn more and more about the gospel I just have a stronger and stronger desire to be better. I love it and I know that the Lord still has soo much for me to learn. The gospel of Jesus Christ is SO true and the Lord can and does change hearts!

I love you all so much and I hope you have a fantastic week!

Hna Anderson

Week #22 in Panama!

I tell my comp I just want to sleep at least once a day. haha. For so many reasons this change has just been wearing me out! Its good though, because that means Im progressing and the work is going. Lets see. 

So on Thursday we had a movie night planned with the YW and our investigator M. While we were at the members house waiting for the girls to get there, I called M. to see what time she would be getting there and she answered crying saying she couldnt because her aunt died. So we went straight over there and it was super weird because she was really upset but none of her family was acting phased at all or paying much attention to her. Not in a mean way, even though it seemed that way. We found out later that the aunt of R. that M. lives with is her grandma, not her mom like we thought. Her parents actually both died when she was really young. And the side of the family that she lives with isnt the same side as the one that the aunt who died is from. If that makes sense. So we ended up going to her grandmas house, from the aunts family, with her so she wouldnt have to go alone. My comp knew exactly what to do and say to the family when we got there so even though it was a really sad situation, we felt the spirit so strongly and we could tell they did too. It was really good that we were able to go there with her. She didnt come to church yesterday because she was still over there with her family, but she came back last night so we should be able to visit her tomorrow. We now understand a little better why shes soo prepared for the gospel. 

We left for Panama that same night and got to the hermanas house at about 10. We went to the temple the next morning and spent the day up there in Panama afterwards. We went to a baptism of a little girl in the Cardenas ward that night, which is the mission presidents ward. Its bilingual because theres so many gringos in the ward. There was a lot of english being spoken there and it felt like a ward in america. It was super weird for me. haha. I actually didnt like it, probably because it wasnt the Panama Im used to and it was pretty trunky for me. The baptism was great though.

We went to the temple again on Saturday because it was Colons temple day. So two days in the temple last week! It was great. Thats about all I can think of right now. It was a pretty busy week!! I hope you all have a great week this week! I love and miss you tons!!!

Hna Anderson