Happy Mother's Day!!!

 hino shimai  

Dearest Family!!! 

 

The computers are so slow this morning, but we get to email you! Thanks for the phone call this morning! COY IS GOING TO SINGAPORE!!!!! I am so excited!! My companion and I were talking about what an incredible mission it is. My friend, Sister Becky Trottier, is on her mission there and loves it! I'm so excited for you Coy!!! And so, so proud of you and your willingness and preparation to serve!

 

I love you all! I am so proud of the good you are doing and pleased to be your sister in this great work. I am praying for Macy, and I am so grateful she is in good care.

 

I love this work and it is the Lord's! Recently one of our investigators moved and is having a hard time in her new area, we'd love prayers for her, we call her "Rose." We've picked up some old investigators and found a new family this week that we just started teaching, we are praying it will go well from here. We delivered some beautiful flowers and a note to one of our families:

It truly is the best work in the world. What could be better than gathering Heavenly Father's children? My heart is full of gratitude to be involved in this great work! Weaknesses and shortcomings will not hinder it as we depend on Him. :) Isn't it an incredible privilege to be alive, part of an eternal family, and with the greatest joy in the world: The Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 

Happy Mother's Day Mom!! Thanks for being you! Thanks for all your love and support - you are the best!!!

 

Love, Sister Anderson

333 

 P-Day with our investigator and her husband

Healthy eating in Japan!

note from Sister Jen's folks:

We loved talking with our sweet missionary yesterday, and her laughter and spirit filled our home once again! What a perfect Mother's Day gift!!!

She doesn't want to think about it, but her mission is drawing to a close.  We got her official flight itinerary and she will be arriving home June 5th!!! She will be taking some BYU classes this summer and moving to Provo in the fall to attend BYU full-time. 

Her nephew, Coy Christensen (son of our daughter, Jana, and her husband, Jeff), will be entering the MTC on September 11th, to learn the Malay language and receive training for his mission to Singapore!   

He is our oldest grand son and such an amazing example for the others!  This summer, before he leaves, and after Sister Jen returns (and after her brother, Nate, returns from his tour to Japan and Korea), we are having a family reunion and all  of our children, their spouses, and all of our grand children will be here!  What could be better?  It may never happen again. :)

Sister Jen mentioned that she is praying for her cousin's daughter, Macy, who fell over twenty feet from a tree.  Here is the update from her Mom, Merrilea:

Macy has splints on both her arms (fractured wrists) and will be in casts next week for about 6 weeks.  She is in a neck brace for the time being.  the brace may come off but for now she is a trouper though...She has fractured her t5 and t6 vertebrae and for now remains completely flat in bed.  She will be fitted for a brace that kinda looks like a turtle shell which will protect and alleviate pressure off the the spine.  Once that is fitted, she may start to walk when she feels up to it. She is incredibly sore and her lungs are bruised, so she remains on oxygen. We are working on strengthening her lings by blowing bubbles and other breathing exercises.  Every day she is getting a little stronger. The doctors and nurses at Primary Children's hospital have been fantastic with us, and i am so grateful to them.  So for now we are taking baby steps in the right direction...Again, thanks for all your prayers, thoughts, sweet gifts, and for taking care of Parker, Brylea, and Logan.  I hope everyone has a beautiful Mother's Day!  I am so grateful I am mother to four amazing children!  All my love, Mer

Sister Jen's cousin, Quinn Lythgoe, served in the Kobe, Japan mission also - as many of you know.  Sister Jen has told us about him being a fantastic missionary, and the times they got to see each other over the course of their missions.  He spoke in his home ward sacrament meeting yesterday and gave a wonderful talk.  We loved hearing about how his mission taught him to use the atonement every day...missions do that for missionaries!!! We got to meet four more missionaries from their mission who all knew Sister Jen - what fun it was to hear them talk about her!  Here are some pics:

 Mao and Whitney

 Quinn and Rex

 Candice and Quinn's mom, Laurie, who is Scott's sister

Sister Jen and Candice when she was Sister Cheney 

and went to Nara with her ...

The work goes on and the gospel is true!!!

Dearest Family:

 

Another short email day because we unexpectedly are heading out.  I just want to tell you how much I love you. This week we contacted a man and spoke to him for a long time.  We explained the gospel, testified with the Spirit, and he said that he didn't want to listen and had no questions. Oh, well. Maybe another time.  Its the nature of missionary work, right? However, we then met a lady the next door who said we could come back!  Wahoo! I am so aware of the love that Heavenly Father has for His children. The other night while studying, I realized at the truths found in the Book of Mormon, and realized just how FUN it is to share this message, and to teach people what Heavenly Father's children are here to do.  It is the best, and it is true. We have the truth! How I love to share it!

This week Higashi Shimai moved, but also said that she wants to be baptized as soon as possible. It's so awesome! I love baptisms. I love the Gospel. I love you! Time is so short and so precious. Hug the ones you love today, and hug yourself for how loved you are by me - and let us rejoice forever in the Gospel!! It is true.

 

Love you forever!

Sister Anderson

Sister Jen's cousin (who has been serving in the same mission) returned home last Wednesday!  Here are some pics of the amazing, hard-working successful missionary Elder Lythgoe and his welcome crew at the airport in SLC!

From Sister Zinke:

Last week we welcomed twenty new energetic missionaries from the Missionary Training Center.  What a crazy week it was...but what fun!  Fourteen of them come to us from right here in Japan, three are from Australia and three Americans.  We are thrilled with our new missionaries!

On to something good...

Dear Family,

LOVES!!! I love you all so much. So glad to be your friend and servant in this work. Thanks so much for your letters and love! This week has been sweet! One of our investigators set a goal date for May 12 for her baptismal date! Her name is Melody, and she was raised Roman Catholic and really wants a confirmation of the truth of the Restoration. She will definitely feel your prayers if you pray for her!

I love my companion and I love training! She is so fun. It's been so funny this week, because we feel like satan knows we are on to something because with every lesson we had with an investigator working toward baptism the environment just goes crazy and it seems like all heck breaks loose! The devil knows Niihama is on to something good - but we are getting so much help. :) One of those moments was at the park (it is cherry blossom season here!), when our investigator talked to us for 10 minutes about what she was learning from The Book of Mormon.  during that time no one else talked to us. The minute we close our eyes to pray, this drunk man comes and talks to us because we know English, and insists we meet his family. It was just so funny, because as my eyes are closing, I see him, and i wonder what was going to happen. We met his family and invited them all to Church. This was the third time something funny like this happened during a lesson. I had to laugh inside. It was so neat though, because Hino Shimai pulled out her Book of Mormon and started testifying of Heavenly Father to his family! Heavenly Father definitely put roses on thorns and it was such a great moment as she was testifying and explaining who we were and inviting them to Church before we even could. The work will not be stopped!!

Our other investigators are coming along. It's all so great! I love the work. I have felt more ups and downs than any other time in my life, but it is such a privilege - and to be expected because when preaching the truth there will always be opposition. I love it! I have been drinking deeply from Book of Mormon study this week and LOVING it. I know I forget sometimes what a tool this is. I feel the armor on, protecting us as we prepare through study. Did you know I LOVE IT?! I had the chance to read the end of the Book of Mormon again - I LOVE IT. I know the Book of Mormon is written for our day and is a Book of power, a book of God. I am 100% confident that the 100% confirmation our investigators seek will come. I love the additional witness Moroni adds to Moroni 10:3-5 in Moroni 10:29, 
that I 全く didn't remember...　"And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.” That promise is real and affirmed. Those who ask, seek, and knock, WILL come to know it is true. It is not a question. If they truly want to know, and read from this great book, they will know for 100% it is from God.

I love you too, and feel so many blessings I'VE had from God through you! We also had trainer/trainee training this week and sang in Church, some fun things like that. The bus from Niihama to Kobe took 5 hours!! I also got a plethera (I still remember that word) of cute things for Easter to spice up my "finishing the mission" wardrobe from my cute diva Mama. Thanks Mom! I love you so much.

The work is opposed. The work is true. It will not fail. It will go forth. I feel blessed to be a part of it. I want to add my testimony to my new favorite scripture, Moroni 10:32--"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." I love my Savior and I know that our commission is to love Him, serve Him, and be perfected in Him. Our perfection is even reliant and intertwined with our Redeemer. We are safe in Him.

I love you too, and pray for you!
Love,
Sister Anderson

My bus lunch

A list I found under my desk--it's true!!

Also, I got to see Elder Lythgoe at Trainer/Trainee training, and he is tearing it up! President asked his trainee when their next baptism was. He said Sunday. He asked when his last baptism was. He said last Sunday. Their next one will be in a few Sundays. Awesome right? Awesome missionary cousin! Everyone asks is we are really cousins. I'm glad we are!! 


Love you all! THE WORK IS TRUE!!

Also, this man we called from the area book stopped in the middle of our conversation and said he could tell I was a devoted missionary. Isn't that amazing? I love representing my Savior. He is our strength, song and salvation. (2 Nephi 22:2.) I've had so many great comments from funny grandpas in Japan. :)

Fire in my bones...

Ritsurin Koen in Takamatsu

To the Sweetest Family in the Entire World--

I AM ON A MISSION!!! Right now! It's Christmas Eve! (or Christmas month eve). I love you all so much! Wow - what a big week at home!  Birthdays, parties, ordinations, and Marissa's  baptism. Not to mention all the mission calls!  I am so excited for Lindsay and Emmy - please tell them! And Drew Hunt, too. Let me know when Brandon and Jeni get their calls. Thanks for the pics and congratulations to everyone! What joy!!!

This week was AWESOME. Our investigators are so incredible. We had an amazing Zone Taikai yesterday, and a Zone Meeting on Friday where I got to see Cousin Elder Lythgoe again! So great! We are so full of dendo fire and haven't had that much time to do much more than attend lately!  It has been so amazing though. I was so spiritually fed!! The training we received was so incredible. The theme was about "remembering..." President said he didn't want us to learn anything new, but to remember (and apply). It was so good for me. I felt my missionary purpose sink deep into my heart. I felt the Spirit. I love the Spirit! 

Today the wind knocked over our bikes at the dollar store after we'd brought groceries and some things got a little squished and... cracked the eggs... ha ha.

The investigator that came to church was the ten year old daughter of the investigator family that is deaf. They sent her with the neighbor, and it was so great to see them come in! She and her little sister came. They were to leave right before Sacrament meeting ended to be home on time. We were able to send a little note home with them (with help from the member) for the family, pass her a little card with an attached note of how to pray, somehow get little treats, little notes for each of them. The Lord is so great. I definitely am making a "mom bag" for Church as we are preparing, praying, and hoping our sweet investigator families can come! Any great ideas sisters and mom? We got some stuff today that I think will work great. 

The Lord truly knows His sheep. We had another experience this week where we were walking in a quiet neighborhood and this young lady was walking down the street out of nowhere. She was going to work and we chatted for a bit, and said we could share a message with her. We have an appointment this week. Isn't the Lord so amazing? I count so many of my lucky stars when I think that I get to be on a mission, and that I get to serve my fellow men, and then I get counting again when I get to be in this incredible, obedient mission. It is amazing. I love Japan, I love the Saints, I love their respect, I love their sweet, giving souls. I love Heavenly Father's part of the vineyard here. It's amazing how the Lord just makes a spot in your heart for a place you didn't even know before, you know?

So, our Preparation Day became today because of the taikai yesterday... and here we are! We went to Ritsurin Koen today, it is famous in Japan and everyone said we had to go if we lived in Takamatsu. We will include some pics next week! We went today with our incredible investigator Ushiroda Shimai. She is so wonderful, and has no daughters, so she is becoming (one of) our Japanese moms. She is so great!! Her lessons were SO AMAZING this week. She taught the Gospel of Christ back to us perfectly. It is SO FUN to see someone have it CLICK so much, so quickly. She is alight with the Spirit of the Lord. Her family is a little against the idea of church, we want so much to help them! Pray for us to find a way into their hearts. We had a miracle this week. The mission united in praying and fasting, specifically, by name, for those with opposed family members... and right after, a heart was softened, a mother said her son could be baptized, and she wanted to hear more. The Lord prepared them in a situation where they were asked if they would like to receive Priesthood blessings, and after she received one she said he could be baptized, and called the Elders later to ask to hear more!!!!!

I am so amazed at the Lord and His goodness. I wonder how often we live under our privileges! I am amazed at His bounty, and how He keeps reclaiming us back. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD! An Elder shared yesterday a quote from Elder Eyring stating (in part) that we should have NOTHING LEFT by the ends of our missions, that we will need to be taken home in an ambulance from the plane—and I want to be that much more dedicated. I am so happy! I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so much. I have been thinking a lot about how to explain that to my brothers and sisters here. Simply put, the Savior provided a way so that we could return home to our Heavenly Father. He suffered for our pains, sins, and death. We can become new through Him. Something comes alive in my heart when I think of Him. Our wonderful Zone Leaders are so inspired, and we are reading Jesus the Christ as a zone now. I want to testify that I know He lives. He can heal broken hearts...heal us.He is alive and well and “needs volunteers.” Mom and Dad, get the ambulance ready!! ha ha. This really is the best work in the entire world. We are shaping history today, in the eons of time this is the work that will be in books to be told in future councils. I love it! I am imperfect, but I am a disciple of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will be His witness whenever and always, and as He calls on me.

So, I just would love to share with you everything, to plop you down in our cultural hall in Takamatsu and have you listen and feel the Spirit of this great work, hear of the miracles, see the beaming faces of those teaching us these last few days, and feel Heavenly Father in His Church. I know this Church is run by Jesus Christ at the head. Wow! Our commission IS “above the kings of the earth,” like Elder McConkie says. I don't want to go home. I don't want to be done. I want to save souls, to tell them how they can feel that balm. I love Jesus Christ! I love Him so much. I love my sweet brothers and sisters in Japan. I wish you could know them. I wish you could see the little man in his eighties that comes and sits on the front row, who can hardly hear or read, but comes every week to pass the Sacrament because he made a promise with God. There are so many stories like that here! 

There is a fire in our mission, a fire in my bones, to find those who are ready. I am so grateful that my brothers and sisters are patient with my Japanese. I am so grateful to be born of goodly parents. I am so grateful, like Elder Holland says, that I have something to give, that I have "more mission in me." This is the best work in the ENTIRE WORLD. It is a privilege and hardly a sacrifice to leave things behind, but I want to sacrifice! I am giving my all to this work.  We have this life TO GIVE, and give 100%, and a little extra. I love my God. I love my Redeemer. I am so grateful He has saved me from death, from the pains of "heck."  I love you all! I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time and in this dispensation. 

I love you fam! Thanks for your examples. I got to sing at taikai yesterday! Way fun, but the Spirit was so strong, standing there I knew the Lord's love and my inadequacies and how purely I wanted to rededicate myself to His service. I am so grateful to still have time in this beautiful country. I want to “Let [my] light so shine," teach people of Him - for it is His light, and keep witnessing miracles!

Have a great week, sending prayers for everyone and especially those who were in the hurricane's path.

Love forever,
Sister Anderson

Sister Jen's cousin Lindsay Castleton...
"Feeling extremely blessed to have been called to serve in the Chile Vina del Mar mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Leaving January 16th."

Sister Jen's dear friend and ours - Drew Hunt...

"I don't even know what to think right now, but I'm soooooooooooooooooooo excited to announce I have been called to serve in the Mexico, Culiacan mission!!!:) And I report to the MTC February 20th~:)"

Here is a note form the last post:

Sister Jen's cousin Emmy Anderson's mission call:

Sister Anderson, You are hereby called to serve a missionary of The Church of 

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the 

France Paris Mission. 

Sister Jen's niece. Marissa, (daughter of Angeli and Evan Child) got baptized November 3rd!

Sister Jen's nephew Joseph (son to Jana and Jeff Christensen) turned twelve  

on Nov. 1st and was ordained a deacon November 3rd.

Quincy Warne (Sister Jen's first cousin once removed) was ordained a deacon November 4th!  This pic is of Quincy and Joseph.

                                         

Sister Jen's nephew Eli (son of Angeli and Evan Child), turned twelve on November 1st and was ordained a deacon on November 4th.

 Sister Jen's nephew, Coy Christensen (our oldest grand child), turned 18 on November 2nd.

And...Sister Jen's Aunt Crys had a birthdaythis last week, too!

Did we miss any other relatives????  Very fun and busy week!

Missionary cousins!!!

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??????

Note from Sister Jen's mom:
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:

http://www.moregoodfoundation.org/