It doesn't matter what your weaknesses are. God can make them your strengths if you let him into your life and allow him to make some changes.

Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail by Liz Lemon Swindle

Well I guess that works as a subject. Well this week has been pretty sweet. We have had so much fun. I told Shelby that it should be a sin to laugh that hard. I was in tears last night. All because of the dumbest things. Regardless, laughter is the best medicine. Too bad I wasn't sick. Saturday we built a concession stand in Stirling for the people there. That was super fun. Almost the whole zone was there. It was a gong show. 

Yesterday we were able to get in with the Laytons and Sheppards. They are investigators of ours that we haven't seen in a while. It was good to meet with them. They have been busy. The Laytons had a little baby boy two months ago and he has hair thicker and longer than Huddy's right now haha. It is insane! We shared the message from the talk by Elder Holland called Lessons from Liberty Jail. We talked about how it doesn't matter where we are or what kind of situation we are in, we can always communicate to Heavenly Father. He is always listening and he will always answer our prayers. It is a simple yet powerful message that is perfect for all of us to hear. We all need to know that we can always seek for guidance, council, strength, comfort, love, and so much more when we pray to God. What a great blessing that is in our lives. 

I have learned a lot about responsibility this week. We are accountable for a lot on a mission. There are duties that we have that are important. We will be called to give blessings, service, lessons, and all kinds of help at a moments notice. It is important that we quickly respond to these callings. It is our calling that we serve God's children to the best of our ability. That thought is kind of daunting haha. We are responsible for the people here. It makes it hard when you don't see a lot of progress. You feel like you are letting the area down as well as God. It is a heavy burden to carry. I am constantly reminding myself that the progress is not just based on us. It is also based on the pride and stubbornness of the people. And that makes it hard to love them sometimes haha. However, I have seen God not only change others lives, but mine as well. 

I have seen so many ways God has looked after me out here. Even for things like my appetite. I will eat virtually anything now. So simple but it makes a difference. I have learned to love everyone. I have grown a love for the people here. I care about them. I want to see them progress. Back home, I didn't like people much. I hardly talked to my relatives!  (This is Jake's mom, and I'm giggling reading about him not talking to people.  That's not far from the truth.  Jake was a bit reserved at times and to see him growing in this way is marvelous!  A huge tender mercy!!)  And out here I am knocking on doors and talking to people about the one thing they don't want to talk about! Religion! It doesn't matter what your weaknesses are. God can make them your strengths if you let him into your life and allow him to make some changes. Even if the only way to make those changes is through trials. This email probably doesn't make any sense but I was led by the spirit not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Hopefully I said something that will help you. Take care until next time my friends. 

Elder Anderson

You can listen to or read Elder Hollands amazing talk, Lessons from Liberty Jail, here:

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/ces-devotionals/2008/01?lang=eng

You never know how God will show you his love next.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  We woke up to white flecks of satanic substance falling from the sky. They call is snow. I don't know what to say. 

Well a little update on the mission business. We should be getting iPads at the beginning on next year. That's the rumor anyway. However, we should be getting Facebook by the end of the month! So that could be cool. We'll see what happens. Sorry about last week. Totally forgot to send an email. Haha haven't done that yet. 

Well this past couple weeks have been ok. We got to meet with Bruce a couple of times. He is sweet. He talks our ear off haha. And he thinks he notices things about us but he really doesn't. He thinks I sit in the same chair every time we go to his house but I haven't haha. He is sweet. He says that the farm is his religion. We are trying to get him to say that this is his religion haha. He is super funny and always jokes around with us. The last time we met with him I feel like we left him thinking really hard about what we talked about. When we said the prayer he folded him arms and bowed his head. He didn't know why, he just did it. Then he saw us do it and asked why we did it. We said that it is something we do out of reverence and respect to Heavenly Father. He laughed and said, "I must have been a Mormon in the previous life." Elder Faimalo followed that up beautifully and said that maybe you should be a Mormon in this life too. Haha what a response! I feel that he was really thinking when we left though. It was a good visit. 

We also met with a less active Marj. She is awesome. We got down to her concern last week. She broke down in tears and told us that she doesn't feel like she belongs at church because she doesn't have the proper clothes and because she doesn't have family that goes with her. She sees all the members there with their family and thinks that she shouldn't be there. We tried to tell her that the ward is her family and she just diverted back to the clothes issue. Well that one is fixable. We are going to see if maybe her Visiting Teachers can get her an outfit or something. All she needs is a little push. If she feels like she is loved, then she will feel like she belongs. 

It is all about love. Love can change lives. Some people simply don't recognize love when they see it. God pours his love out to all of His children. If we are closed off however, we won't feel His love. If we don't feel like God loves us, then it is our fault. Because He does love us. If you don't feel His love, then you need to stop closing off to Him. Let Him in your life. Let him work miracles. Jona couldn't run from God and neither can you. Don't be scared of God, be scared of missing His presence. Without Him, we are nothing. Alma 26:12. 

I hope you all know that God loves you. As do I. Take care and listen close. You never know how God will show you his love next. 

Elder Anderson

Snow in September...YIKES!!

Canada sure is beautiful!!

The Harvester - Walk and Talk August

Our naughty missionary didn't write an email this week, but we will forgive him because he was once again featured in the mission newsletter.  Elder Jake and Elder Faimalo are on the bottom left.

Here's the Harvester from earlier in the month with Elder Jake and Elder Becker

I was called here because God knew that this is the area I would be needed most.

Elder Jake and his mission zone at the Cardston Temple

Well this week was ok I guess. I got to go to the Cardston Temple. Formerly known as the Alberta Temple. It was super cool. The rooms were beautiful. It is a sweet temple. I like it better than the Calgary temple and of course nothing compares to the San Diego temple. We got to hear from the temple president too. We spent six hours in the temple that day then had a meeting that was an hour and a half after that. Needless to say I may or may not have fallen asleep during certain parts. It's all good though. I got the gist of it.

School starts next week so things should pick up for us. Well so far the mission has contacted 53000 people out of 1000000 people they are supposed to contact. So right on schedule!!!! It is brutal. It rained a lot this past week. We got completely soaked. From head to toe. And toe to head. We would have driven around in the rain instead of walked but we don't have enough clicks on our car. The sacrifices I make are incredible haha. It's fun doing that kind of stuff though. It makes for good stories.

The mission is a lot of fun. You just have to learn to laugh at the small things. Like walking in the rain. Or when someone rejects you hard core. It's always fun if you can just enjoy it. Make a joke of things. It doesn't matter how successful you are or how many people you teach or baptize or anything like that. All that matters is that you are giving God 100%. If you are doing that, then you are fulfilling your purpose. No matter what it seems like, you are doing exactly what God wants you to do. It may not seem like there is much progress going on or there is much work getting done, but God would not send me here to just waste my time as well as His. I know that I am always fulfilling his will. Whether that's planting seeds, or actually seeing the fruits of your labor.

I was called here because God knew that this is the area I would be needed most. This is the area where I could do the most good. With that in mind, you cannot fail. That goes for everyone too. Not just those on missions. You are where God needs you to be. Your calling is because God needs you to have that calling. Your friends, family, co-workers, and the people you meet are people that God has placed in your path for a reason. Everything we are given here, good or bad, easy or hard, is for our personal and spiritual growth. We are here simply to learn. If we don't learn, we are not progressing and becoming what God wants us to be. We are not living up to our full potential.

I am so grateful to be on a mission and to be a part of the work. What an amazing experience it has been. I know that I have grown and learned so much. And there is still tons more to learn. I hope you all can see where you are headed. I hope and pray that you are doing what God has created you to do. I love you all and pray for your well-being.

Stay save and love one another.

Elder Anderson

From Elder Jake's mom - I asked Jake what advice, as a missionary, he would give to my Seminary class. This is what he said:

Man that's tough. Well you have to know it in order to teach it. So that's pretty important. Probably also learn to love everyone. No matter how they treat you. You will get rejections that are very rude and obnoxious. You will get companions that you can't stand. You will have investigators and less actives that are stubborn. Always love them. And not only that but show them you love them. Don't let your anger or frustration overcome you. Always be loving.

Often the hardest times are the times I have learned and grown the most.

Haha do you remember the Bryan Regan about the walkie talkie? Man he is funny. Well that is relevant because of walk and talk August. We are supposed to contact one million people. So far, we have contacted 36 thousand. And we are over half way done with the month. Going great! 

Well the past two weeks have been pretty exhausting. We have been walking everywhere. We only have 18 clicks on our car this month so we can't go anywhere unless we absolutely have to drive there. Two weeks ago we didn't get to teach anyone. That kinda stunk. But this week we got to teach two of our investigators. We talked with Bruce over the phone and had a lesson with the Williamsons. That was good because it has been well over a month since we have talked with either of them. Things started to pick up so we can't complain. And school will be starting first week of September so things should slow down for everyone else and pick up for us. That is the hope anyway. 

So Elder Faimalo is sweet. He is super funny and easy going. We are getting along great. Our whole zone for that matter is pretty sick. Especially our district. My son (Elder Faimalo) though is really picking things up quick. He is a stud. The members already like him and he is having fun here. Next week Lethbridge is having what they call Whoop up days. I have no clue what that is but I guess it's a lot of parades and parties. We'll see. 

Well today I turned 8 in the mission. I can't believe I have already gone through one third of my mission. It is crazy to see how the time flies. There are a lot of missionaries that have gone home that I have been around. And others that are going home soon. It is crazy to look at it that way. Soon enough I will be having a mid mission crisis. So much has happened and it seems like so little time has gone by. 

I have learned so much over the past 8 months. More than I ever learned back home over the course of 19 years. It is crazy what a mission teaches you. And it's so much more than just gospel related things. It teaches you responsibility. I teaches you patience as well. Oh man it teaches you that one a lot. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to be out here talking to people about the most important thing in this life. As hard as this mission has been, it has always been worth it. Often the hardest times are the times I have learned and grown the most. As hard as that is and as much as it stinks, tough times are necessary for us to grow. We come closer to God when we need him. And we always need him so we should always be coming closer to him. 

I know that this is the true church. I know that there is no other way we can receive eternal happiness except through this gospel. Trust that God will be there for you always. He will never give up on you. Don't ever give up on him. 

Stay safe and Just Keep Swimming! Love you all!

Elder Anderson

Pics from Elder Jake

Elder Jake said this past week was pretty uneventful so

no email this week, but we are always thrilled to get pics!

Even Ninja Turtles are out there sharing the gospel!

Jake said he took a pic of this because of Alice from Twilight.

He can't stand Twilight!

So I'm positive it's because his mom's middle name is Alice!

Elder Jake rockin' the short tie!

 

Marble Slap Ice Cream...just like Cold Stone in the states.

Elder Jake said they wrote out the plan of salvation at a restaurant and then left if with a Book of Mormon.  Creative missionaries looking for ways to share the good news of the gospel!

Scariest moment of my life! It was hilarious!

Elder Jake and his new "greenie" Elder Faimalo

Well this has been quite a crazy couple of weeks. First things first, my son ("son" is missionary slang for a brand new missionary). His name is Elder Faimalo. Fai sounds like die with an f. And malo sounds like hollow with an m. Faimalo. He's from Huntington Utah. Which is just south of Price and two hours south of Provo. He is half Samoan. He's sweet. It's been pretty sweet so far. Elder Becker is now on the west side of Lethbridge. 

Well, president gave the whole mission a new goal for the month of August. He wants the whole Canada Calgary Mission to contact 1,000,000 people. That's right One Million people. He said anyone counts as long as you either share doctrine or an invitation with them. It could be members or non members. Just talk to one million people. It is so crazy. The clicks (Canadian word for miles) on the cars are being cut way down so we have to walk everywhere now. It's going to be a crazy month. 

Last week we got to volunteer at St Therese. It is a nursing home for old people who can't live on their own. We volunteer there every week on Tuesdays. Usually we just play Uno or something like that with the old peeps. Last month they had an ice cream social for the old people. We would help out there and serve ice cream. Well we were given these rubber gloves to serve with. Things slowed down a bit so we got bored. Me and Becker started blowing up the gloves to pass the time. Well they weren't super stretchy so I didn't think they would blow up very well. When I started blowing mine up, it worked a lot better than I thought. So I made the mistake of finding its limits. Now you have to remember where we are. Surrounded by very fragile old people on their last limb. Just as that thought crossed my mind, the glove decided it didn't want to get any bigger. So it went boom. Now I kid you not when I say it sounded like a gun shot. Two of the other volunteers quickly jumped out from around the corner to see what just happened. Out of the corner of my eye was a lady in a wheel chair just about jump over the moon. I was so scared I had just killed someone. I thought for sure that someone was going to have a heart attack. Luckily, my prayer was answered and no one was hurt in the explosion. I kid you not, I thought I was going to prison for man slaughter. Scariest moment of my life! It was hilarious! I have some pictures of us serving ice cream I will send home.  (See picture below.)

We also got to go to Waterton again. The Stewarts in the Henderson ward invited the Henderson Elders and told them they could invite other missionaries too. So we went with them. It was amazing! We hiked up to a place called summit. It's a five mile hike up and five back. The view was incredible! (I feel the need to have a mommy moment and say what a miracle it is that this missionary of ours can hike for 10 miles when there was a time not all that long ago he couldn't even walk 10 blocks. We are so grateful that Jake's hip replacement surgery was a success beyond what we had every hoped for!) We even got to go sledding in the snow. There were still patches of snow up there. Only in Canada I swear. On the way down it started raining. It was super sunny though so when you looked up, it looked like the sky was full of glitter from the raindrops. I was so beautiful. Then it started hailing a little bit. That kinda hurt. But it was only a minute or so. Man the hike was awesome. Waterton is so awesome. 

This past week we didn't get to visit with a single one of our investigators. Yet we had four show up to church. I don't get it haha. Weird. It was good to see them though. The Williamsons were they an they haven't been in a while so that was good. Their kids are getting baptized in September. The Kolibars are out of town so we won't be meeting with Maddy until next week but we saw her playing volley ball with a friend outside one day and stopped to say hi. She came over to the car and talked for a bit. She is still doing good. 

Well not much else has happened. Time is flying by. I can't believe it's already August. It seems like not long ago it was winter. Now school is going to start up again soon. That will be good because then people should be home more and not so busy. Things should slow down. I hope all is well back home. Hopefully California isn't falling apart now that I'm not there. I'm sure the sun still shines there. 

Take care. I love you!

Volunteering at the St. Theresae Assisted Living Facility

(THANKFULLY no one was harmed in the making of this picture!)

Boys and their toys!!!  

Our silly missionary!  Oh how I miss this kid!!!

Tim Tams - A Canadian Treat

Happy Lethbridge missionaries!

Elder Jake and Elder Becker - what a great companionship!

Lethbridge missionaries at the Cardston Temple

The Cardston LDS Temple

More pics from last week's trip to Waterton National Park...