Sister Anderson and Elder Lythgoe - the cousins finally meet!
Dear Fam,
Wow, it sounds like things have been fun at home! Thanks so much for the updates and notes, everyone! I love you so much. What amazing mothers and fathers you are in Zion, what amazing missionaries you are wherever you are. Thank you for your examples and your love!
This week has been pretty amazing. We got to go up to Okayama for interviews and I met my cousin Elder Lythgoe for the first time on our missions!! As requested from his father, I gave him a hug... written on stationary! ha ha! He is my Zone Leader, isn't that crazy? He is amazing! Like i said before - he is legendary in Takamatsu! :)
We have seen miracles and the work moving forward before our eyes. Our sweet investigator is doing well, her family is not excited about the idea of the Church, but I know the Lord knows her enough to strengthen her, and provide a way. Apart from that, we rode out to this area in the rain... it was so funny because it is about an hour bike ride and it was raining hard. We packed a lunch and found a hidden back road to sit in our raincoats, eating cold rice in the rain... but the Lord led us to two families. We taught them both on Saturday and we are meeting with one again today. It was pretty amazing, let me tell you about one of the experiences.
We met this beautiful family, the little girl came to the door and went to get her mom. When her Mom came to the door, we quickly found out she was deaf. This beaming, bright woman with her little girl translating between us, invited us in. The Spirit was so strong in that room. She had met missionaries before a long time ago, and they were so kind to her. (That is such a compliment to all of the wonderful missionaries wondering about people they didn't see entering the waters. You planted so many seeds!) We knew a member in the ward who knows sign language, and my companion had the thought we needed to ask her to come to our next appointment. Four doors down, we knocked on this door and... the member came to the door! She lived right by both of these beautiful families, and speaks Japanese sign language. We met the father on Saturday, he is deaf too, and they are both so pure. The whole family is just beautiful. I've never known love like I feel for our investigators. I've never felt a love so directly associated with salvation. The other family has three boys and let us in, and said we could come back. I am overwhelmed at the mercy of the Lord. Just think of it, two gaijin girls running around in Japan, speaking a foreign language and in a strange (to us) culture, and the Lord working miracles through us. Someone asked us why Joseph Smith, why so young, etc. I feel just like that sometimes, asked to do something bigger than me, and I relate with Him so well--even though His feelings must have been so much deeper! I know that man was a prophet of God, and restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His work, my sweet family. He is working miracles in the vineyard. Lately I've been thinking a lot about relying on the Spirit. It is just beginning to sink into my heart, to have that penetrate so deep--I am starting not to fear. I am starting to realize the majesty, even if just a little bit, the competence of my Maker. This is the greatest work in the world. He lives, we must share it for the world to know.
We had another miracle with the woman we couldn't find (at first) who been on an old PI list from years ago. We tried and tried to find her, couldn't find the house, and decided to knock on the doors of one little complex randomly before we went home. The second door we knocked on was this family. We felt guided and kept returning, always at the door, gave them the Book of Mormon another time... last week we went and the husband said he hadn't really looked into it, to come back in a week. We came back and he had studied and researched on the net all about the Church. He knew about temples and where they were, and had some wrong information too... (it made me happy for what "More Good" is doing! Getting wonderful things, true things, on the internet!)... so we passed him the right information on our websites, I AM SO HAPPY AND GRATEFUL THAT mormon.org BECAME AVAILABLE IN JAPANESE JUST LAST WEEK! Pretty amazing. He says he will study one more time. I know that we are led to those the Lord wants us to talk to. I know He knows His sheep. I know that we did what we were supposed to. It is so amazing to feel the influence and confidence that comes with the Spirit, so you can testify in a way to help our brothers and sisters return to God. Wow, I love the work. He said he'd studied as hard as he could because we'd worked as hard as we could. It is so humbling just to get to be part of the work in these latter days. We have divine gifts, divine help.
Another one of our investigators came at the end of Church even though he was sick, and we were able to teach him. The work is pretty amazing. I know that I need a lot of polishing, but my "confidence is waxing strong in the presence of God." He knows His sheep. We have been led to areas where we were supposed to be through prayer--beautiful, simple things the Lord has given us that WORK. I know that His work is real.
I love you Fam! I was studying this week and delighting in the Gospel. It is SO WONDERFUL. I promise, no matter how many times you have read the Book of Mormon, you will learn more if you read it again. That book contains what it is necessary to gain salvation. as the prophets have promised. this is the most exciting time to be a member of the Church in all the history of the world--it is! What a blessing we have. I love this work, I love you. Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and support.
"Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"
Love always,
Sister Anderson
Guess whose door we found??????
To learn more about the More Good Foundation referenced in this letter (and to see Sister Jen and her parents in the TEAM PICTURE in the header) click this link:
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