I don't want to say goodbye to my mission.

 

I cannot fully describe the torn emotion I am feeling as I type this email. This is harder than I ever thought it would be. I don't want to say goodbye to my mission. Transfers are hard, but this is impossible. I just want to tell you one thing that happened before I say goodbye til Friday. 

So this area has honestly been my hardest area. And Elder Kelly agrees with that for himself as well. I have never worked so hard for the work than in this area. We have fasted many days trying to get the work going. We have gotten a family in each ward throughout the whole stake fasting every day for 40 days. Tons of things have happened since I've been in this area. And just about all of them have petered out to amount to nothing really. 

I was prepared to leave this area holding on to the one lady we were able to help come back to church. And don't get me wrong, that was amazing and I will never forget that experience or lose touch with her. But after all the work we have done, I would have considered this a dead area until Sunday. We have less investigators than I have fingers on one hand. And none of them have shown any desire to progress. Until yesterday. 

We had one of our investigators come to church with his friend. He has been taught for over two years and has come to church many many times. Since I have been in the area nothing has happened with him. Well at the start of third hour at church yesterday, he and his friend, Corey, who's a member, asked to speak with us. We went into an empty classroom and sat down. Our investigator looked at us and said, "Corey is going to baptize me on January 1st." 

I have never been more shocked on my mission than at that moment. This came out of the blue! Completely blindsided me! Never in a million years did I think something this miraculous would happen. And the greatest thing of all was what the spirit told me at that moment. This was God's way of saying "Thank you." After four months of frustration, disappointment, and discouragement, God produced the miracle. 

We have fought and dug and prayed and fasted for something to happen. Never have I faced such opposition than I have in this area. And just before I go home, God shows me that what I have done was not in vain. The sweat and tears that went into this area were not wasted. God never left us. And he never stopped working alongside us. He has been here all along working behind the scenes. 

I cannot tell you what joy I have felt being able to work with the greatest being to ever live. I cannot tell you the pure happiness I have felt doing His work. And I cannot even begin to describe to you how grateful I am to have been called to this work. For it truly is the work of God. And there is no greater work to be done on this earth. You will never feel a more powerful love than that of God's. And you will still never know how much He truly loves you. I couldn't have asked for a greater ending. This truly will be happily ever after. Because I know that this happiness is unending. No one loves you more than God. And God will never love you less. 

I will be home in five days. And I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. I never thought this day would come. But it has. And I never thought it would be so hard to leave. But it is. I love you all and can't wait to see you again. Well I could wait a little longer, but I won't. I'm not allowed haha. 

Until we meet again.

Elder Anderson