note from Sister Anderson's parents: Only a few weeks to use dearelder.com for free! She does love to get letters!!!
Click here ...when the site opens up, click "Provo MTC (free)" on the left. Fill in the following info:
Sister Jenali Anderson MTC Box #157 Mission code JPN-KOB estimated MTC departure date 03-13-2012
then write your letter (she would love even a paragraph!) and click send! She will get it the same day!
Hey Fam!
This week has been wonderful! And so up and down and crazy. Feelings are so strong at the MTC.
So on Sunday, something great happened. Every week we prepare a talk in Japanese and someone is randomly called from the audience during Sacrament meeting to speak. Somehow, I felt like it was going to me. (Walking to Sacrament meeting I told my companion that I just had this feeling...) And... it was! It was really fun to speak. I'd had this feeling that I should hone my talk because it was a little sloppy, but my companion and I had done something else we needed to do right before the meeting... ha ha. It was amazing though because the Spirit helped me so much. It was on the gift of the Holy Ghost! I realized when I'd finished that I had not been thinking in English really, it felt like a blank page... and I didn't know some of what I'd said! It was really fun for me, probably about average for the audience, but I love Japanese. I love it!
This week we had mensetsu (interviews) with our Sensei (teacher).These coaching interviews were done in ENGLISH and it was the FIRST TIME we'd heard him speak English! It was so, so fun; and he was very complimentary of our companionship. It is so wonderful to have someone so on your side. He really loves our lessons. Our district is so close, and our teacher is so great. I have more great motivation to go forward! Today I was thinking... why do we limit our dreams and worry about them? Why do we not just go about "anxiously engaged" in doing good? I'm loving that. I just finished 1 Nephi in my Morumon Sho (my Japanese Book of Mormon) and my goal is to finish 2nd Nephi before we leave!! I love it. I love learning about goals and the Lord. He is so good at helping me with everything... especially when things are hard for me.
In addition.... our Kohai and Nihonjin Senkyoshitachi came from Japan this week!!! They are SO AMAZING! I really just love Japanese people. The sisters going to Kobe are SO WONDERFUL! One of the Japanese sisters truly just glows, she is so cute. We had about 60 new missionaries all together, and the program has been changed from a 12 week to a 10 week program (isn't that crazy?). Because Sister Facer is the coordinating sister, we got to sit in on their testimony meeting last night... and they are ALL so great. The song "Army of Helamen" came into my head again - I so loved this song when I was an EFY counselor. I got to thinking... what if we realized the potential of everyone we interact with? How would it change how we look at them? I want to look at others more like the Savior does.
I know I have talked a lot about myself, but I do want to say that I can't believe the sculpting that is going on. Life is beautiful and progressive. I think I am naturally a bit of an extremist, but the Lord comes into my soul and harbors change there.... I am finding a peace in slow consistency. We just grow little bits, "line upon line," our whole lives... and I am ok with that! It is a wonderful process, and can be hard when you hit a low... but I'm constantly amazed at how the Spirit brings up our lows. I'm realizing that learning this is line upon line as well... and how Heavenly Father is ALWAYS with and in us with the Spirit!
Also,my comp and I got invited to teach for the incoming missionaries this week! It was really neat. It´s weird, you go in with mics on in front of somewhere around 40 - 60 elders and sisters and set the stage for them to teach their "investigators." We were worried about teaching in English, it´s been a while! But...it went well ( I think!). So fun!!!
Also, we had the chance to HOST the past two weeks and I forgot to include that in the last letter! It has been really fun welcoming the new missionaries. I also was asked to sing in Church this week... (I must just sing openly a lot?)... I feel so grateful that the Lord is giving me these chances to glorify Him and bear my testimony through music. I love it and I love Him so, so much.
What else... I am sure that there is more, time flies SO FAST! I love getting letters from my nephews and neices, thank you so much you wonderful cute people! What a privilege. I want to live to the standard you are. :) I love getting letters from ALL my people!!!!! Thank you so much for all your love and support. It helps me more than you know to hear from you.
SO! It´s been a super busy week, a lot of logistics... I just love Japanese and I am so excited. I honestly think in down times, I didn´t SEE myself in Japan or even getting there... the Lord has come in, in His mercy, and is helping me have HOPE. He teaches me so much! I testify of the Master Teacher and His power to heal and cleanse us. It is true! I LOVE THIS WORK!!! We are on the winning team! I got to share a scripture this week from Alma 25 16 in our district study, and I love this... I love the relationship between faith, hope, obedience, and relying on the Savior. I KNOW that it is through His grace that we can do all things! The Lord loves us and puts us in places where we can strengthen and help each other. I love this place, I love the MTC, I love my Savior. I love Him! I would seek to sing praises to Him all of my days. The work is so, so good. It is amazing that the Lord takes ordinary people, and as we turn our lives to Him... He shapes us into something extraordinary. I´ve been learning so much about the principle in Ether 12 27 that talks about how we are strengthened even THROUGH weakness... (like the JST footnote in the end of Hebrews...love it) I LOVE THIS GOSPEL! I testify that this is the right path. If there is anyone within the sound of my words who is wondering, IT IS TRUE. God has a perfect plan for you and He loves you. He can make more out of your life than you can ever imagine and I promise that it is true!!
I love you forever sweet fam. Thanks again for your notes and encouragement! Onward and upward, the Savior is truly with us and the work is true.
Love Always,
Sister Anderson
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