Livin' the dream!!!

To the Best Family in the World!


Wow! I get to call you this week! Thank you SO MUCH for the sweet letters, prayers, and love. I definitely feel it and your wonderful faith. What amazing people you are! I know that I came to a family of giants. Thank you for your examples and your love. 


Another week livin' the dream!!! It's been a big week. We had a lot of finding time this week. We had special training from our Zone Leaders this week (they are in Tokushima with us), and it was awesome... we hadn't been finding a ton and we went out that day and found 5 potential investigators, getting numbers and all. It really is amazing. So often I remember how little I know, and then I realize again how perfectly the Lord knows everything... and it is a beautiful package. He is so good to us! I can't tell you the power of having a calling like this, I feel it. When I truly realize the calling to represent Jesus Christ in helping others come unto Him through the path He has ordained, that truly is a sacred privilege. 


Fun things from this week: As I was writing on the board what I thought I was describing as Eikaiwa (English conversation), happy for the two or three kanji I knew, one of the new Elders looked up to read the board. He  said, "Welcome to Eikaigo?" ha ha ha. It definitely wasn't the right kanji and I've definitely been writing it FOR WEEKS! I got a good laugh out of that. At least the people who came to class probably recognized we were there to teach them English, and likely not Japanese. ha ha.


The sweet couple that buys us food each week also asked us out for dinner this week. They take such good care of us. The husband finished (I think his degree?) at BYU the last semester I was there! They are SO SWEET! One of the Elders' investigators came and it was so fun. It was a sort of viking (what they call "all you can eat"), in that you could keep ordering these little pizzas. Sister Zinke remarked (when we were at a conference) that usually the viking restaurants are great for the Elders but a little expensive for the sisters ha ha. It's so great though! Anyway, for dessert, I ordered this tiny little... chocolate melting cake - our favorite cruise delectable, Mom, Dad, Nate!!! :) It brought back great memories so I just had to tell you!


Ok, funny story. We had SO MUCH RAIN one of these days. It was my first encounter with that much rain, and it was squeezing out of my little shoes when I stepped. I had my waterproof coat on but no poncho, and the hood of my beautiful coat (thanks brothers!), was on over my large white bicycle helmet. I looked in a shiny surface and just started laughing, because my helmet was so big with the hood over it... I looked like an alien. My skirt was drenched, my tights were dripping, and we pulled up by the Yubinkyoku (post office)... this man walked out and slowed down by me and said almost involuntarily, "Dai jo bu?" which translates to like... "are you ok??" I just had to start laughing. Yeah!!!! The dream!! ha ha.


I ATE THE WORLD'S BIGGEST CREPE THIS WEEK. ha ha. They have these cute little displays and it looked small, so I was like... yeah, that one! I got it and it was like 2 pounds. So funny!


So! The work!!! That training the zone leaders did for us was awesome. It is amazing! We have about 5 investigators, and the progress is here and there. We started meeting with a woman from the Phillipines this week and have a lesson with her again tonight. I think it will be a big week for getting their expectations for us, so we can help them come to receive the sweet rest of the Gospel. On Saturday, it was crazy; it felt like the Lord was just leading us from person to person with a few people in between. One girl I met on the bridge, when we handed her our chirashi, said: "I'm really interested in Christian churches!!" (that is not a common response). We had two or three more people who wanted to know more. It really was amazing, and such a testament to me of the sacredness of our calling. We ARE here to find, teach, and baptize. It is such a privilege. I love Jesus Christ. I've been thinking a lot about my working relationship with Him this week, and had some incredible personal realizations about the Atonement, grace, and agency. When we use our agency to choose Him, and through His name ask for help from Heavenly Father, I think that power comes in and supports that agency, those good choices, to help us truly to have even more freedom with our agency. The power of choice matters so much, and when we are bound to Him through covenants, what safety and blessings we have through His grace in helping us. The more people I meet, the more amazed I am at the Atonement. Just the sheer number, the individual love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for every individual is astounding. I know that that power is real!


The work is great. Time flies. I feel your prayers! Our prayer is for our investigators to progress and for us to find and teach those waiting for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a privilege. This life is sweet. I love Jesus Christ!


Love always through email, and NEXT WEEK THROUGH THE PHONE!!!!
Sister Anderson

One of our new friends, Asuka San, with the biggest crepe in the world. ha ha. I look crazy in this pic but I didn't have another one!

This building was puckering at me!

Maybe I just have a keen eye for pictures of elderly people, but this suteki [fancy/stylish] grandma picture was advertising for some cream or something at Lawson's. Yeah!

I found these funny guys by this warehouse.  So funny! Singing. We crept up and snatched a picture. PS...They are not alive. :)

The one with a couple and a guy is the Matsumura family. They treat the missionaries to FHE, we switch off and usually take an investigator... they are SO GREAT! I love them! 

My inspirational kit kat. Look at that guy run to the finish line!!!