"The Church is True!" 4/25/2011 letter

Hola Familia,

Ok, this letter is for my whole family! Thanks for the emails. So I had my first baptism this week and it was an awesome experience. She asked me to baptize her. I think because my compañero is so tiny she trusted me more. Ha! But it went well, the spirit was so strong. It was hard to remember the name too. Her name had 5 names and then I had to remember the prayer in spanish so overall it was scary but went really well. I loved every bit of it. I am sending a pic of it. The computers here are super slow so I am only going to be able to send one. Sorry mom, I know how you like the pics.

So me and my companion had our first problema.. He kinda treats me bad sometimes and it ticks me off. He will roll his eyes when I don't say something correctly or he treats me like a child. So I staight up had enough and kind of went after him about it and he has changed. I tried to think of ways I could help him. I have been studying more and focusing on learning the Charlas in spanish so I can help him teach better. So that has helped a lot. We have been really working hard after our little discussion. We have 4 new investigators and we are getting a lot of contacts.  Sometimes I feel like I know nothing but that is straight-up satan trying to put me down so when I stay positive everything really goes great. I do know a lot but I have a ton to learn. I love this work and some days I feel like running and yelling it ¡El Evangelo es Verdad! (The Church is True!) Ha ha.

But everything is great, no sickness, no gang problems, nada. That is awesome about Chelsea and Derrick I hope all goes well and they have an amazing time going through the temple and getting sealed.

 Yo querro compartir mi testimonio en Español. Se que esta Iglesia es verdadera. Yo amo ser un Misionero. Esta experiencia ha sido una de mejor experiencias en mi vida. Si, Yo no hablo español muy bien y Soy un Gringo, pero mi testimonio es el poder a enseñar personas y traerles a el Evangelo. Yo amo este evangelio con mi todo corazon. Mi Salvador me ama. Yo servire mi Salvador con mi toda alma y le reprento con mis acciones y decciones. Este es la verdad. Soy un mesajero de JesuCristo. I love you all and thank you for the support and everything you do. I can't wait to call on Mother's day.

Your Elder Anderson

First Baptism on Wednesday

Hey mama y familia,

Como le va? I hope everything is going great. So this week was full of stuff I can write about. First I will be having my first baptism on Wednesday! She asked me to do it so I'm stoked. It's going to be awesome and don't worry mom, I will take tons of pics. Ha, ok so if Dewey hasn't already told you, I was hassled by some cholos or gangs last week. But everything is fine. We had another encounter with them, and I finally said Somos mensajeros de JesuCristo. They freaked and ran!!! Haha it was hilarious! Haha, so they don't mess with Jesus. I asked my companion why it really doesn't rain a ton here and he said it's because we are in central Mexico and it's desert...not two hours later a huge rainstorm and hail came and we took pics standing in it and ran to the apartment. Ha ha, it was a blast! So there is a huge problem with dogs here. And the owners, if they don't want them will throw them on the street. They don't take care of them and they just go around repopulating. So, we had a street contact and we were talking and in the background were these two dogs...doing da buisness...I tried so hard not to laugh. Haha it was hilarious, I had to remember I am a missionary.
  So, the language is coming a lot better. I think a lot of speaking spanish is all about confidence. My district leader said that I am one of the best he has seen, new, speaking spanish and also his compa said the same thing. So, I feel a lot better about it. But right now I am in Celaya for two days because we have a conference and then a huge conference with the President. It should be awesome. I got to do a cambio or exchange in dololres this week. It was awesome, the missionary I was with is from Utah and is our district leader. He helped me a lot with the language and everything and it was really awesome. Everything is going great here. I hope everything is great and I love you all.
Love you,
Your Elder Anderson

"It's Awesome to be a Missionary." 4-11-2011

Hola mi familia,

Ok, so to answer your questions. Yes we have running water but it's cold. Yes the store carries milk and we use it a ton. Ha ha. No they do not have a walmart here but they have supermarketos that have everything, so no worries. Yes I was sick the last week just because I was getting adjusted to the food but everything is great now. I usually have 30 minutes to email and I am not timed but I do need to hurry today becasue we have a junto with the zone today. Yes, the mission car is a big white van ha so yes you saw what I rode in. Everything is great here and thanks for the package. I hope I will get it soon. It's awesome to be a missionary but sometimes it can be difficult and I will keep doing what I am doing like dad said so I can learn this language. Most of it, I feel, is confidence in the language and myself. So, I will get it. Not much else happening. I am looking like a Mexican with the skin. HaHa! People get black here so when I get back my skin will really match my hair. Haha! I've gotta head. I love you all.
Elder Anderson

-sorry for the email being so short. Next week will be huge.


Hey mom,

 I have some more time. My days are like this:
 I wake up and I work out then I eat something. Mostly cereal or two pbj's. Then I have personal study for an hour and then companionship study for an hour. Then Elder Ortiz helps me with pronunciation and stuff in spanish for an hour. It helps a lot. Then after that we tocar las puetras or tract in a certain areas. It gets so hot, its crazy and we walk everywhere. But we do that for about an hour and I talk a lot because my companion says that's the best way to learn to speak is to speak. So I talk a lot which is hard but helps a lot. Then we will go eat at a members house at around 2 and the food is pretty darn good so I eat a ton, so no worries there. Then after we will go to our appointments we have with invertigators or members. We have a lot of investigators and one committed to baptism this Saturday so it will be awesome. After that we either go shopping for little things or head back to the casa. Then I study and we plan. Then I shower, eat and sleep....then it repeats, and repeats. Haha! That's the life of a missionary. It's crazy to be here and I am really starting to fall in love with the people here. They help me alot when I speak and they like my humor. However, some are pretty rude and have to turn their face because they are laughing at me when I am trying to speak spanish. But, I take it lightly, so no worries. But yea, everything is going pretty well. Everything is going quickly and I'm trying my best to learn the language. It can be lonely at times, but I feel I really am getting it. After a while, it's like a matching game with some words, but I really feel I can get it. Other then that that is everything. Sorry again for it being really short. I love you mom. Next week will be better promise.

Your Elder Anderson

"My Head Hurts." 4-4-2011 Letter

Hey,

  Yea I am really excited to let you all know Im here!! Haha its absoultely crazy. Ok to answer all the questions.

  My area is San Miguel, it is in the Leon mexico mission, so it's a town in my mission. It is a famous town so a lot of people from America, yea I said America, come here. Haha! So my companion's name is Elder Ortiz. He only speaks spanish. Haha. He is kinda hard to understand because his spanish is really fast and my head hurts at the end of the day pero its all good. I am teaching him English while he is teaching me Spanish, so it works. Haha so my "apartment" is tiny and kinda gross but that's ok. It's crazy how much I've adapted. We wash our clothes by hand and dry them but it's all good in San Miguel! We are cleaning the apartment today so hopefully it will be better. There is a lot of dirt here so my shoes are taking a kicking. I'm glad I brought my old shoes because we are walking a ton! We walk about 12 miles a day probably but I haven't lost any weight. We eat a lot actually. The members feed us everyday. The language is hard to understand because they talk so fast and like dad said, I feel sometimes alone but I know my Heavenly Father sent me for a reason so I am trying my hardest to learn and comprehend. I got fried my second day but now I'm all good. Also I am freaking spoiled. My life isn't hard at all. These people live in tiny houses and barely have anything. They have bugs crawling up their walls and flys everywhere but they are so happy. They are happy because they have the gospel. It's absolutely crazy and I feel ashamed of how much I have. Everything is pretty good though. I am starting to really fall in love with the people. I just wish I could understand them better and talk to them. Ask dad if he has any advice for studying the language. I am ok but I would love to have advice. It's not too hard here, I am just ready to speak Spanish. The mission life is pretty nice. You have one worry and that's to find people that are ready to hear the gospel. We might have my first baptism already, her name is Abeliene. Her mom got baptized and cousin but now we are teaching her so it's awesome. Yeah, conference was good, all in spanish so my head hurt trying to understand it but its all good. The connection here wasn't that good so it was kinda annoying but all good.

 

Ok, the mail thing. It takes a while for mail to get to me. But if you are gunna send things, send them always to the mission office which is the address you have

 

Calle Torre Vieja #128

Col. Arbide

37360 Leon Guanajuato

Mexico

 

So that's where you send mail. So send the stuff! Haha what ever you want to throw in there throw in there. But mom, they give us a card with money on it so it's ok, no worries, I have plenty. We have a grocery store really close to us so it's pretty nice. Out of everything, I'm fine, everything is great and I am staying strong. I just can get a little lonely from the language but it's all good. Press forward with faith nothing wavering. Thank you all for everything you have done in my life. I love you all.

 

Your Elder Anderson

Letter to Mom From Mexico!!!

Hey mom,
Ok, so I am leaving right now to my first area. It's San Miguel and it's going to be awesome. The Mission President said it was the prettiest place in the mission. Also, mail takes ten days to get here so send it to the mission home. Email is the best way to communicate. I can always talk/email every Monday, that's my P-day. Well, I've gotta go. I love you Mom

Call Home- by Raschelle

We were so blessed to hear from Elder Anderson (Chad) on Monday. He sounded so great and it was wonderful to be able to talk with him. He spoke about his experience in the MTC and how he loved it but he is ready to get out in the field. He spoke a little in Spanish and was even having problems remembering some english words. Although you can tell he has grown up a ton, he is still his fun-loving self, which we were all glad to hear. He talked about how he was a little nervous about the unknown but that mostly he was just pumped to get out there and get to work. You could tell his Testimony has grown and that he is excited serve the people of Leon. We laughed and mom cried but it was so wonderful. We were able to talk to him for about 40 minutes, even though it seemed shorter than that and I think it all eased any worry we may have had. We are so very proud of him and his decision to serve a mission. We are excited to see how he grows and the things he will learn about the gospel, life and about people. This experience will be something he will NEVER forget and we are all a little bit better because of what he is doing.

3-22-11 Letter- Getting Ready for Mexico

Hey mom

   Ok, concerns. Send today 3 boxes of contacts, 2 bottles of gel and I think other than that I am good. Yea I really am excited to leave. Also I am gunna try to call you when I get to Salt Lake airport and also when I land in Dallas. Ok I am sending my blanket home, basketball shoes, wrist stick because tell dad I found a better way to work the wrists. And anything else I can think that I can deal without. I really think I will be set. Also, I will send maybe a little bit of clothes home. Because I won't need to wear athletic clothes everyday of the week like I do here. Also, I need to have my Preisthood linage because I need that on my mission. Sin Embargo. Is there anything else you can think of? I really cant think of anything. I have everything I need, I'm not to worried about leaving. I know my Heavenly Father is ready for me to get there. It will be an awesome experience. I shruck my Patriartical Blessing down and lamanated it so I am sending the copy home. Thank you for everything. I really have figured out how much you all really do for me and I really did take it for granted. Thank you for all your support and love. I am ready to bless the people of Leon. Este oppurtunidad vences una vez y estoy muy feliz por lo. Gracious por todas cosas ustedes han hacido. Te amo todos. Yo se que mi salvadore vive. Mediante su expiacion, nosotros podemos salvar y podemoes regresar con Dios. Yo se que este evqangelio es por todas personas en la tierra y con lo, nosotros podesmos mas como Cristo.

Te amo,

Elder Anderson

ps. I will send you a letter with funny pics and also something hilarious how even missionaries have problems with authority. love you all