Home Stretch!!!

 

Us and our awesome teacher Sister Winn!

September 19, 2014

Alright, I'm on the home stretch now. in just a few days ill be on my way to daejeon korea, the land where i have been prepared to go for longer than i can even remember. i know for sure that i am supposed to be going to this wonderful place to meet the amazing people there. I feel somewhat confident in holding my own in a gospel lesson in korean, but everyday life stuff, thatll be tough. thank goodness for trainers! And also prayer, prayers good too. We had elder scott come and talk to us on tuesday about prayer. having him walk in the room and seeing everyone stand up was probably the coolest thing i have ever experienced, goosebumps and chills everywhere!! his message was so simple and clear, but with so much power and conviction that you could not deny the truth of his message and that he has a sincere, personal testimony of this restored gospel.

this week has already flown by!! my goodness, its going so fast. the mtc has gone so fast, but it has been so fun and i have progressed so much. My teacher recommended me and eld tischner to do the how to begin teaching demonstration for the new missionaries! it was such a great opportunity! i was really scared and nervous at first, but it went great. basically, they set up a mock living room, hooked us up with mics, and had us know on a door. we went in, and just started talking to the lady(man next time) in front of abig group of new missionaries. The administrateor guy came up to us after and said that it ws the best hed ever seend done. it was so great! i loved it! i have honestly come so far. eld tischner said that if i hadnt told him, he would have had no idea that i was so shy growing up. i have come so far and can actually talk to people now! or at least try to, korean is still totugh, but itll come with hard work and prayer.

This week has gone by so fast that i dont really even know what has happened. just a lot lof study, learning, and good stuff! i love my district so much and its going to be so sad when we all separate. oh! im the travel leader for the daejeon missionaries, so thatll be pretty fun!

Thanks for all the support everyone!! i am so grateful to have all of you and hope i can make you proud.

Elder Anderson

 

Brownie party! Thanks grandma, and i saw my friend Elder Nathan Steele from school going to Taiwan

 Mike left, and pauls visa hasnt come(again) so hes been here for an extra 2 weeks and will go stateside. My district with the korean flag, and president snow of our branch presidency.

Anticipation

September 11, 2014

 

Hello people back home and wherever you are. I dont really know who reads these, but whoever you are I hope youre doing well! This week has been so great! Last week, i talked about how i was a little scared to skype with the people in korea. well, it was my favorite moment ever! each of our teachers picked someone they met or taught in korea to portray as an investigator. one of them is bro kwak. Well, on friday,, we had the chance to talk with the real brother kwak in korea and it was the coolest experience ever!! He was the nicest, funniest guy. His family arent members and at first they were pretty opposed. He said that theyre warming up now and thinks eventually will be baptized. We asked him to share Mosiah 2:41 with tehm and his testimony, and to our surprise, he said he would do it that day!! Our teacher is going to talk to him and follow up on him. Ive been praying for him and his family a lot, and really hope that a change happens in their hearts. I cant wait to get to korea and interact with the amazing people there!

Things are still going very well. Korean is advancing very well, and im happy with my progress. but not satisfied, there is sooo much more that i need to learn and get down. our district was asked to participate in a new teacher training activity yesterday which was awesome. the teacher asked us to raise our hands if the language was a struggle when teaching our investigators. elder tischner and i were the only ones who did not raise our hands, and we were being completely honest. We are able to say what needs to be said. you dont need to use elaborate words or sentences to convey this simple gospel. I believe that this simple gospel should be matched with simple words, especially for those who are new to it, and especially new to the idea of God like the people I'll be talking to. 

So thats been great! i love being able to teach in korea, even if the ones i teach right now are white and from america. its still so fun and i love seeing the progression in people and figuring out what needs to be said and explained better. 

it is crazy to look back and see how far we have all come, in language, growth, and especially time. I get my flight plans tomorrow! in a week and a half, i think, i will be on my way to the beautiful nation of South Korea,eating kimchi, walking past dog farms, not writing someones name in red ink becasue it means you want them dead, discovering their other funny traditions, and working hard for the salvation of Gods children. God and Jesus Christ personally know and love every person who has, is, and every will be on this earth. The book of mormon really helps us realize this divine relationship we can have. ive learned how well the bom describes the atonement, especially when compared to the bible. both are great and testify of christ, but htere is somehting special about the book of mormon. ive really grown to love it. 

i hope all of you really study this beautiful book that has been prepared for our day. I know that through it, we can grow much closer to our father in heaven.

Things are great here!! dont worry about me one bit. Love you all!

Time's Running Down

             We do wall sits after class if we were bad. We also take majestic pictures at the temple.

Me and some of the district bros! minus elders baugh, porcaro, and hines

September 4, 2014

Hello again people back home. It sure does feel like it was just yesterday that i was writing home. It is so crazy how fast it goes! We got another batch of korean missionaries, so now there are 3 generations and i am the oldest. Now thats hard to believe! The MTC really is so great and i love it here, but this past week i've a bit more anxious to get to korea. Ooh!!! Heres something crazy and also a bit terrifying. Tomorrow we are skyping with people in Korea, and having a 40 MINUTE LONG spiritual thought/discussion for TRC. 40 minutes with real koreans, in real korea, speaking real korean speed. Its pretty intimidating! but itll be a good time. I hope! Thats a long time to speak only korean with people who only speak korean. but im pretty excited for it too!
 

Its pretty hard trying to remember what has happened this last week. so dont get mad if youre disappointed with what a wirite. Because anger is bad!!

Ooh! I have a request for all of you. read john 16, and pay special attention to the last half. it is amazing! its Christ talking to His disciples about how he is going to leave them soon. The last verse is up there with my favorites of all time! So please read it!! and all of the scriptures! They are so amazing. I never really got into the scriptures before coming here, and boy do i regret that now. They really are an amazing blessing and gift from God, so please use this wonderful gift. I dont think anoyone would regret studying the scriptures too much, just like being too kind. So be kind to everyone! Especially new converts. They need your love and support soooo much and member involvement cannot be overstated.

This next sunday is fast sunday! Which means ill have the opporutinity to bear my testimony in the great language of korean. It really is crazy how fast we learn here. I wish i could just talk to all of you and show you the effects of the amazing spirit thats here.

Korea is coming up and it is so crazy. Im super excited, pretty scared, and also sad to leave. but i know that i am meant ot be in korea. Im going to do all i can to prepare for those people. Thank you so much for everything, i love you all, and i love the message i have the opportunity to share!