If the Lord is not our focus, then we are doing it wrong.

Pretty exciting! We found a family to teach! It's a husband, wife, and two little girls! We are pumped! They are interested in the Book of Mormon. We can't wait to start teaching them. The area is doing good. My new companion is Elder Peči. (Sounds like Peh-chee) He's from Croatia. He learned English before his mission and speaks really well. Probably better than me haha. We are having fun already though. It's been a blast. 

I just have a quick spiritual thought. In the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon, in Chapter 37 verse 36 it says, " 36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever."

If the Lord is not our focus, then we are doing it wrong. Everything we do should be with the Lord in mind. He should be at the front of our mind, not back. We should tell him what we have done, what we are doing, and what we are planning on doing. When we talk to him about these kind of things, he is able to guide us and protect us so much more than if we never paid any attention to him. He is giving you answers and guidance always. If you are not hearing them, they you are not listening hard enough. We don't always hear the phone ring if the music we are playing is too loud. As we stop to pray to our Heavenly Father, we turn down the volume on the things that distract us and allow ourselves to hear the good word of God. So take a step back, kneel down, and talk to God. And then most importantly, stop and listen to what he has to say. You will be amazed at what he can do for you in your life. Even the simplest of answers can bring blessings that will carry you through the toughest  trial you are facing. I know it.

I hope this will help improve your week and bring a little more light into your life each day. I pray for you always and wish you the best.

Until next time!

Elder Anderson

I turn 17 today!

Today Elder Jake hit the 17 month mark!

I turn 17 today! Not that I'm counting or anything haha.

This has been a good week. Our investigator is on date to be baptized for June 6th. We are super excited! But Elder Pugh is leaving unfortunately. Not sure who I will be getting. I'll find out Thursday. Our area is changing too. We used to cover Sundance and McKenzie wards but now we will cover Sundance and Midnapore wards. So we are purging in to that ward. Always fun. Haha I'm pretty sure it's a really dead area right now but we will see if we can change that real quick. Well not much else to update you on. And that's all I really have time for anyway. 

Hope all is well back home! Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Time flies, next time I Skype home will probably be from the university.

 Skyping with Elder Jake on Mother's Day was the best!!!!!  He is a very happy missionary!

Well it's been like less than 24 hours since I talked to you so not much is new. The week was good. We handed out 31 copies of the Book of Mormon. A little lower than we wanted but still pretty good. We had a lesson with our investigator who is now praying to see if she should be baptized. We are super excited. We are hoping to set a date for her tomorrow when we meet. Other than that, not much else is new. Time flies, next time I Skype home will probably be from the university. Hahaha that's a weird thought. Well hope you have a good week! Talk to you next time!!!!!

Elder Anderson

Elder Jake enjoying his GoPro!

Trust Him in all you do and always remember that He is with you. "Forever and ever"

Hahaha what a week. We set a goal this week to hand out a full box of copies of the Book of Mormon. That's 40 copies! And we handed out 42!! Oh man it was sweet! We just went tracting a ton and had tons of success. It was awesome!!! By the end of my mission I want to try to do a box in a day. It's a personal goal I have set. It's a ton but it would be sweet!

So this week we picked up a new investigator. She has cancer and she is recovering from some kind of surgery. She had some questions of the soul like what is to come in the life after this. So we taught her the Plan of Salvation. It went super good. She said it was really comforting and she felt a lot of peace. We are hoping to be able to teach her again this week. We also had another lesson with the lady we picked up a couple weeks ago. She is doing great. She is progressing and we are hoping to put her on date for baptism this week. We are super excited for that. We have our next lesson this Tuesday. This should be a good week.

Quick spiritual thought for the week.

In The Doctrine and Covenants, Section 122, Joseph Smith is in Liberty Jail. The prison is an absolute horrible place. The guards are abusive, it's freezing cold, what little food they are being fed is sometimes poisoned, and there seems to be no end to the torture. Well he says a prayer asking God where he is. He feels like God is not with them anymore. Like they have been abandoned. After a few words of comfort and strength from God, he promised Joseph Smith this,

 "7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou becast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness,and all the elements combine to hedge‍ up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell‍ shall gape open the mouth wide after thee,know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
 8 The Son of Man‍ hath descended‍ below them all. Art thou greater than he?
 9 Therefore, hold‍ on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain‍ with thee; for their bounds‍ are set, they cannot pass. Thy days‍ are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not‍ what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

There is nothing in this world that can keep us from our Heavenly Father. There is no power greater than his. He loves us beyond what we will ever be able to imaging and he will never walk away from us. Every trial we have to endure on this earth, every temptation we will face, every time our heart breaks, it will be for our good. It is because of those trials that we are able to grow. That we are able to become stronger, braver, and more powerful. God has a plan for you and his plan will be fulfilled. Trust Him in all you do and always remember that He is with you. "Forever and ever"

I hope you all have a great week and can find opportunities to help those around you feel God's love. I pray for you always and love you lots!!!

Elder Anderson