Boolin' in Roma

     Ciao tutti! It has been brought to my attention that some of you have to scroll though a super long list when I send these emails and while I really am sorry about that, it seems the "cut and paste" option on my phone doesn't want to work and because I don't want to spend half of one whole hour clicking and adding each individual name, you all will have to scroll for a second or two until you make it to this introduction. Once again, I'm sorry if you have to scroll through the list, but I'd rather be efficient with my time and not spend half an hour making my emails look a little prettier. I'll try to troubleshoot the problem during this week so maybe the next one will be prettier. But, enough of that! let's get down to the meat in this week! 

Pizzas! 55

Gelato: 43

Books of Mormon! 76

     This was a sad and also happy seven days. When we started we were a four man house, which is not very common in the great Italy Rome Mission. But, as the days wore on, two of the anziani that I was serving with were convicted by their consciences and so they started the process of repentance. However, this meant that they needed to return home. This are wonderful men whom I respect greatly due to their character and their desire to have "gone and returned (not) in vain". One of them sent me a message a few days ago that said he was able to come back out in a few months and so we would see him once again in the great Italy Rome Mission in my lifetime as a missionary!

     Aside from this, we saw some awesome things this week and have just been boolin' aroundseeing the colosseum and then the rainstorms as they come. We did that last Monday. Come Tuesday, we attempted to make sushi and it was not so good because we are American white bois and so we used butter in our dice to make it sticky. Nope. Not good. Then, because we are cheap and salmon is not, we bought beef for the meat and then used cucumber but we had no seaweed so we ended up not using that. We did have a roller though, so that was a plus. The result was a buttery, beefy and reesty result of no thanks. 

     Wednesday and Thursday were more or less the same, but we had a lesson and a dinner at the church where we taught the restauration of the gospel of Jesus christ and had dinner there as well because all the people that were there lived in small houses so the church was big enough for all of us to meet. Friday morning we dropped off the second Anziano and then only my companion Anziano Inkley and I were left. But hey, now I have had 9 companions and 6 completed transfers under my belt, working on the seventh. It's actually very litty and fairly weird to think that I've come this far. But, I still have time in the mission and so I will act like it! 

     Saturday was fun because Anziano Inkley and I worked out hard and then went to district council to tell the sorelle that since we last saw each other on Sunday, we were down two. They thought we were joking, but then they realized that we were, in fact, very serious. Hey we're upset by it, but they also understand that repentance is a process and so they were glad to hear that they chose to wait a little longer and then return worthily. The members at church were also very sad to hear it, but once again very glad to hear that it was their own choices and desire to repent which caused it. 

     I invite all of you to repent. If you are not sure how because you are not a religious person, or a member of my faith, you simply start with prayer, addressing God by saying "dear Heavenly Father" and then speaking your heart unto him and asking for forgiveness and strength before closing with "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen". There is no rule as to what you can say or how long the prayer needs to be, but just make sure that everything you say is something that you mean. 

     If you are a member and have just decided to wait and see how long you can go before it eats you alive, I invite you to not procrastinate the day of your repentance and to start today, immediately. You will thank yourself as you do so. It's certainly painful to admit one's own follies, but it does not overtake the sweetness of relief and the feeling of being forgiven by the only one who can give you those feelings of relief peace. Even Jesus Christ. 

Anyhow, I love you all! have some photos to come in the next email! 

Some people just can't seem to decide when they want to meet.

Ciao tutti! 

     Voi siete bravi personi! This week was full of awesome things! and some not so awesome, like me falling up a down escalator for reasons that elude me at this time. I might explain in my email later on why I attempted such a feat as to go up a down escalator. As for the time being, statistics!! 

Pizza eaten: 55!

Gelato: 43 (plan to make that number go up sometime soon, but not sure exactly when) 

Books of Mormon: 75!

    I'm not too sure why, but I'm very happy today. So, there will be lots of fun things included in this email and just stuff that occurs in missionary work and life. I'll start with Tuesday and then we'll go on from there, explaining a fun story every day that occured if there is one worth talking about. Andiamo! 

      Tuesday! we had very much in the way of meetings today. Six whole hours of zone conference. That's a normal zone conference for us, because president is very God at scheduling these, and because they happen once a transfer and also due to the fact that the mission is so big, it takes about three weeks for all the many and widespread zones to gather. 

     After about three hours, the Rotisserie chicken (one of my favorites) showed up with the pasta from some local diner and so we ate much in the way of chicken, pasta and roasted potatoes. After lunch, we talked much about how to give invites and then how to follow up on them. I was very glad for this lesson, because I realized that I was doing most of the right things, but then I also had some things that I was able to correct to make my invites go from good, to Great. Then, we took many zone and companionship photos (of which I will actually include in this email) and then we were able to take all of the mail that we received this conference. 

     If any of you have sent me a package in the past few months, I'm sorry to say that it has yet to arrive, but there is always a month and a half from now! We received a ride home from the zone leaders and then we were able to watch all these dunny videos called "Safety Zone" which is the only show dedicated to keeping missionaries safe, and healthy through video replay and analysis. It's on the gospel library app if you want to see what I have to watch every day in order to keep myself nice and not hospitalized. 

     Wednesday! Literally just a bunch of walking and talking with no super awesome stories. Just some cookies for dinner and a game before bed with the other anziani. Aways good to have a chill evening every once and again. 

     Thursday. We found a wallet on Sunday and tried to return it today. It really didn't turn out well, because the doctors office we went to (because that was the only address or phone number we had as the persons wallet was actually devoid of any helpful details other than her medicinal prescriptions receipt) closed after an hour and a half of being open. They are open from  nine to ten thirty every day. Except weekends. Literally an hour and a half for five days in the week. That's barely a whole working day in a week. I hope the man is a successful doctor, but I'm not sure I'll be seeing him anytime soon. I'm in good health, thanks to Safety Zone! 

     After the Doctors visit, we went to the metro, but only made it a little ways before it started to rain, buckets. We took refuge in a Chinese store and discovered a completely real, one hundred percent WOODEN KNIFE that was meant to be part of a COMPLETE WOODEN AND THREFORE GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT SET. That's how it was scribbled on the packaging. Makes me love this world just a little more. Much like the little staircase that I found shortly after we left the store that descended into a room that was also out of the rain. But, all I found in there were used condoms and heroin needles and other such litter. We left shortly after that for an appointment closer to Rome. In closer to center Italy. 

     When we arrived there, we went to Alì Babà kebaberia (which is illegal in the states because it's just a pole of meat sitting out in the open) and I ordered an whole Maxi for myself. There are four sizes. That one ranges in the "how are you able to consume all that and not have to immediately go to the hospital" category. Well, I ate it all, and then went to an appointment we had with a man named Diego. This man moved our appointment to Friday, and so we then went to the temple for our second appointment with a security gaurd who works there but is not a member. We taught him, and his friend, a recent convert also accompanied us. They work together as guards and so we stood in the booth with them for a while as we taught him for forty five minutes. 

     In that lesson, we hit the word of wisdom, Tithing and the question of Polygamy that always comes up when we speak to anyone for more than five minutes. They don't know the church's real name, but they know about the polygamy and think that we are Amish. But, the lesson went well. He accepted all that we taught and then we set up a follow up appointment for this coming week. It was the wildest first lesson that I've had on the mission.

     Shortly after this, in order to get to the church in time for English course, we tried to take a bus. Well, we left waiting for the bus and were barely down the escalator when the bus showed up. I tired to run up, but the rain was so strong and there was so much water that in my initial jump back up, I slipped and hit the metal corners very hard. Bloody hands, knee and an ankle, all while getting a mouthful of delicious sreet rainwater. The escalator descend from the street into the metro. We missed the bus and I hobbled back to the metro with my companion. We then missed English course and barely made it home before the other anziani. We had an hour head start. That night, there was lightning and stormingswhich made it hard to sleep. But, it was an awesome day for sure. 

     Friday: I required Crutches for the whole day because my ankle swelled overnight and I could not put so much weight on it. Eventually, we made it out the door with time to spare and when we made it to the metro, we got to watch an old Italian lady scream insults and curses at an innocent public transportation worker because she was slightly inconvenienced with some necessary maintenance that was being done to make sure the metro continued to work. it was just sad watching someone of that age act like a child who had been told "no" for the first time and understood what that meant. 

     While we waited at Diegos palazza where he worked, for him to finish, he rescheduled us to Monday (today) and today (Monday) he moved us to Friday of this week. Yay. Maybe eventually we will be able to meet with him. 

    Saturday, a great big service project where we helped a family move out of their house and then they fed us pizza before we left to watch the morning session of General Conference at six pm our time. Woo-hoo. 

All in all, a wonderfully spiritually nurturing and physically demanding week where we had the greatest lessons given over a pulpit and in acts of service as well. I love this mission so much, and I love all of you very much as well! 

Until next week, 

Anziano Anderson

1. My maxi kebab. Three pounds.

2. Service project photos

3. We all found the same sticker

4. This. Wooden. Knife. 

5. My beautiful companion and I 

6. The wonderful district we are

Honestly, This was quite a week.

     I don't have a whole lot of time today, and the wifi is not so great so the photos will have to wait until next week (sorry to all who enjoy those, but I'll see if I can't get one to send or something somehow.) because there were quite a few awesome things that occurred which I can share, but not take pictures of. 

Pizzas eaten: 53

Gelato: 43

Boooks of Mormon: 74

     This week was nuts. We started off with a headache and leg cramp on Tuesday, and then I had to find some out of the way little localized something or other store for us to pay the phone bill. We couldn't find it to save our lives, and then some dude just pulled out of traffic to give us the directions to that store while he was on his moped and then he drove off like he didn't just save our night. What a legend. 

     Wednesday was the start of a scambio for the other two anziani that live in our house with us, and they were trading companions for the day with the Zone leaders in Rome 5. That's about an hour from where we are, I'm not even sure exactly where they are at to be honest, just that they are a little ways away. I also had to give a lesson to all the members in my district, all eight of them for district council. That's basically where we meet once a week as a district to talk about how the work is going and what it is that we can do to help the others with their work. Then we had a group pizza eating session that some might call the meal of "lunch" and it was delicious. 

     Thursday, we went door to door or house to house really. You know, typical missionary stuff. Most all of the houses let us in, and they all met us at the door before gently telling us that they had no interest in our message. One couple let us in because they thought we were the catholic priests that they had called to bless their home. We are not catholic priests, but we still offered to dedicate the house. They graciously declined and wished us well. We found a few people who told us to come back tomorrow, and so we planned to do just that. 

     Friday, we did just that and we visited again. The lady who told us to come back, probably did not expect us to do so, because when we rang her through the citofono (intercom that apartments have) she started casting us out with Saint names and threats of police and other harsh words. I'm just glad that I was able to understand it all, and then we found Marco. He has interest in The Book of Mormon, so we gave him a copy, and got his number. Hopefully more to come there. 

     Saturday. We received an email to go to an very far away hospital and give a blessing there to someone who we had never met and who was in the ICU. After seven hours of searching through the hospital, we found him, unconscious on a bed. I had to give him a blessing on my own due to the hospital rules, and in Italian because that's how it works here in Italy. You speak the language or no one understands you. Te we made it to our other appointment just on time after getting lost in the wonderfully confusing place that is Italy and it's streets. 

     Sunday. I had to translate for a gaggle of Americans and I misunderstood the word for "chapel" as "hat" Capella, and Capello respectively. I had to make a metaphor in order for the hour long lesson to make sense and as soon as the lesson was over, every other missionary told me what I had done. Surely, this will not happen again with this word. That just goes to show that we are all human and that no one, besides Christ, is perfect who ever walked on this earth. 

That's all for now my peeps, 

Anziano Anderson

P. S. If some of you missionary folk that receive this email know the emails for anziano Griffeth and Bizzotto, please feel free to send those to me so I can include them as well. The rest of you, live a beautiful life. 

Work in all it's forms

Ciao Padre! 

     I'm excited to be here in Italy as I'm sure I've told you before, but I'm also excited for general conference because there are tons of rumors floating around to keep your eyes open and your ears keen for many announcements that pertain to missionaries and their work while here on their missions. I'm just giddy because I know that changes are on the way, and that president Nelson is an inspired man. 

     Likewise, I love the members here in this ward and I'm attempting to love the people, even if some of them are kind of weird. There is one in particular that has some slight mental setbacks but loves the missionaries and just about stalks all of us. He knows my first name and birthday (which I've never told him and I've only been here in Rome where he is for almost three weeks) and also the names and birthdays of every single missionary in the mission I'm fairy sure. There are other things he does that I don't enjoy, but I'm trying to look past the awkward outer shell that he has and focus on the soul that's focused on the work which he he has. 

     Finding people to teach when you got blown in I a very hard thing to do, especially here in Italy where most people don't have interest in what you say as a general rule so I'm just curious to know if there was something you would do, or some suggestion that you have when it somes to finding that ight help me here and now? If not, hats fine. I have the Preach my Gospel but I just wanted to know if there was some sort of application for those methods that you knew of which I had not thought of at this present time. 

     I hope you found my last email well with you, and I hope you and the rest of the family are doing well. I heard that you are going to work and living life as normally as you can now, so good on you for the recovery! I've also got to say, my studies in the scriptures since I've been out on my mission have become much more sincere. My goal is to read all of the books one time through at least, starting with the Bible because that's what the people here all claim to know and love. Reading the Bible has given me a greater understanding of the phrase "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Joseph" and just learning about the Israelite and the history that follows them which also pertains to what we believe and why we have all of our laws and the ordinances which we have. The mission is shaping me, and I'm trying to be as malleable in the Lord's hands as he needs me to be while still being rigid enough to maintain my composure with everyone else on this blessed continent. 

This is all I have for now, until next week, 

Anziano Anderson

Have a superior ability of iron hook... To protect the ship safety...

Ciao all you beautiful people! 

     I'm still not sure where the week went, but I kept a record of it so o I wouldn't have to remember da solo! It's extremely foggy right now where I'm at this morning, so I'm curious to know what everyone else's mornings look like. Are they full of snow, sun, cold, rain etc. Just want to hear what you were blessed to wake up to! some of you I can assume, seeing as I know where you live, but others I'm not to sure. Anyhow, stats! 

Pizza eaten: 52

Gelato: 43

Books of Mormon: 72

     To start off the week, last Monday we had an impromptu zone calcio where I was planning on taking a nap because we didn't have anything planned and we both decided that a nap sounded like a good idea. However, about thirty minutes into this nap, we were awoken by the other anziani who informed us that there was a zone calcio being held that day, and because we hadn't seen any of the people in our zone yet, we then went and played calcio. Yay calcio! I was lucky and did not catch a ball to the face this game, but it was also hard to touch the ball when there were about 34 people running around on the field. 

     After calcio, we went to get burgers. I don't know if it's just Italy or the people who cook the burgers, but someone started to yell at someone else in the kitchen and then for half an hour you could just hear the yelling of Chef screaming at Chef and that caused everyone's food to be late (and cold) by about half an hour. The burgers were good, just flavored a little too heavily with Italian passion. I cleaned the fridge when we got home, and that was my Monday. 

     Tuesday held much in the form of technical difficulties. Our sink was clogged, so we took apart the draining pipes to see what was holding it up. Cleaned it out, put it all back together. Well, the last time it was cleaned out was probably never and so the gaskets were old and loose with our all the gunk holding them together. Water started to leak and the sink was out of action for a little while, until the next day. It somehow also wrecked our actual sink cabinet and everything was broken, hanging on by virtue of splintered wood and water logged particle board. That's still the case as of now. 

     Wednesday held sink repairs! Our sink works now and it functions a little better than it did when I got here. We were expecting the repairman at ten, but he called us and said that he was in front of our house at eight in the morning and so we went out to greet him. But he was right in front of our door and so we let him ito the house and through our conversation he left us with these words of wisdom: God can't bless stupid. He wasn't calling us stupid, he was just informing us of other people and how even though we are missionaries, we are not immune to the devices of other people, so lock your doors at night and don't leave your bags unattended where people can see them. 

     Thursday was full of phone calls. We "flushed the phone" which basically means that we go through the 500 plus contacts that the anziani previous to us have collected and we find the ones who still have interest in our church or who gave us their number out of desire for us to leave them alone, or if they even still live in our area. There were a few who no longer did, and others who moved to different countries entirely. This took about two hours from our day and after our lunch and studies we decided to do some metro finding. 

     Everywhere I've served before has been devoid of metro travel. So, being abke to go somewhere there are lots of people who can't escape because they are in a metal tube with you is totally awesome! Unless it's really not! Like today where we were approached by two very drunk men who I heard talking about us because they thought they were whispering but it was just a *barely* sub speaking voice. They looked at us and mentioned "tanti mogli" which means many wives. Of course they know about that! That's all anyone knows about us! they then came over and started asking questions. They also demanded that we give them our books of Mormon because the loved God, and all of his word. How true that is, I'm not sure, but we handed out two books of Mormon that day to them so that was a win. That and we were able to dispel some of the their misconceptions. Woo-hoo. 

     Bus finding! Friday consisted us other metal tubes that were full of people and we met some very interesting people. One of them was a student studying chemistry and she spoke wonderful English. We were able to talk to hear and bear testimony of the book of Mormon to her. Se didn't take the book, but she took a challenge for the book and said she would download it later because she saw we had it on our phones. 

     The next lady was also on that same bus, and she told me right after I said "hi" that she had lost her testimony, doesn't care about what we think comes after or came before this life and that she admires us for what we do because she could never devote two years of her life to uch a faith centered work when she doesn't have any. This led to a much more interesting conversation, but in the end, her stubborn Italian side won out and she didn't even take a Jesus card because "he doesn't serve me anymore" was her logic. The amount of happiness people limit in their lives because of what they choose to believe hurts my heart whenever I see it, and I saw it here. 

    Saturday! baptism! we all wore our matching bright pink ties and went to the temple where we were holding the baptism. There is a church on the temple grounds, very similar to the Boise temple grounds where we held the baptism, not inside the actual temple. There was much food, love and people with interest in that building as well as the spirit. Anziano De La Rosa and his companion, angle, were the ones who found and extended the invite to this man who was batized Saturday and confirmed Sunday. 

     Baptisms aren't a rare occurrence here, but they are certainly less common than in most other missions because of the prevelant catholic background in this country. But there were plenty of people who were walking the temple grounds who were not members and also people who attended the baptism. I love the temple, it brings so many blessings with it!

     My life is good here in the wonderful city of Rome, and during my mission In general it's been very wonderful. I'm excited for my time here, but I'm also excited for the day that I can just drive five minutes to a grocery store and buy peanut butter without worrying that it's costing me my whole life's savings for two mouthfuls.

Anyhow,

Anziano Anderson 

1. Me in a closet... Barely

2.My companion and his love for Christmas

3. Our sink being broken

4. Italy and their trash disposal

5. 5 kili of pasta for about 3 dollars

6. Fidget spinner cracker

7. A comic about travel related anxiety found outside a metro station

8. Marshmallow fries. Why? Why not.

How goes Life

Ciao Padre, 

      We had a baptism yesterday on the temple grounds. It was the first baptism that has taken place in Italy since the temple was dedicated and it was also the first baptism that my mtc companion De La Rosa has had on his mission. We live together in a four man house so being able to talk with him now is awesome and super helpful. He speaks the language about as well as I do, but he's just a little faster than me because of his mother tongue. I suppose there's not much I can do about that however so I'll just stick with English and hope for the best. 

     My gospel knowledge has grown tremendously since I've been out on the mission and studying every day for four hours out of the sixteen that I'm awake. I'm watching my prayers naturally grow into conversations and lasting much longer than they did before and also my language skills increase thanks to the epeated usage of the language in everything that I do. In church, I translate with the sister missionaries to all the Americans that come to visit via little earphones and transmitter boxes. I pray and speak in Italian with my companion and the people here in the house which consist of my companion who I'm follow-up training, a greenie, Anziano Angle, which De La Rosa is training, De La Rosa and, myself. It's so fun watching the new missionaries talk because the accent they have is so American, the words they say aren't always conjugated and it reminds me of my first few months in Italy because I know that's what I sounded like. 

     There are a surprising number of people from the Phillipines here and so I hear tagalog all the time but I can't respond because I don't speak the language. Makes me think of you though, because of all the mission stories that you shared with us as children while we were growing up. Those stories and your sharing of the desire to learn the gospel is more or less why I'm out here right now because I know that if I want to learn more about it eing born into the gospel, how much more would people who eren't born into the gospel want to know about it? Also, there are plenty of experiences to be had on a mission and from those, stories as well. I'm also curious to know what you kept in your mission trunk, because the only things I can think of that I'd want to keep in a trunk like that are my journals and maybe some of my companionship items but your chest is full of things and rather heavy so I'm just curious as to the type of things you have in there, not what they are exactly. I'm sure when I return you and I will spend a night or two going through it's contents and sharing stories that aren't suitable to share with someone at a young age like I was. 

     I've made sure to write a letter to Harmon and Nolahn this week, and send them emails in weeks past. Payton has told me that she wants to serve a mission as well, but whether or not she's told you that I'm not sure. I'm also sure that Nolahn is doing fine when it comes to developing his spirituality, but I'm concerned for Harmon in this aspect. It doesn't crowd my missionary life so much as on preperation days when I can email them and talk with them, he is the only one who I know reads and doesn't reply to my emails. I've heard from the other kids how whenever you leave town with mom, he won't go to church. He sleeps or does other things, but for him religion is a burden and not a blessing or really something that he wants to do willingly. Every time I think about him I want to sit down with him and go through the Christlike attributes with him and that activity at the end of the chapter, or really, really closely look at his plans for the future because those will tell you all you need to know about his religious and personal intent. I'm not telling you to do these things, as I am not the one who can receive revelation for him and it's not my place to tell you how to raise your kids and so I want you to know that this is not what I'm attempting to do here. I'm just conveying the pangs of my soul which I was counseled to do in my patriarchal blessing. I know that he doesn't like the church because you like it and he doesn't like you. He views you as a foe and not a friend, as someone who will say one thing and act diversely. Those are not speculations, they are things that he told me shortly before my mission in confidence. I tell you in the same sort of confidence because I know that he won't tell you if you ask and if he does it'll be in a rage. 

     His testimony is hurting and withering because he thinks that his father and the designated head of the household doesn't care for him, is rude and controlling. I used to think these things as well, but that was only because I was not reading my scriptures, saying my prayers or giving service and so I was a very selfish man. I realize that you were as Nephi and I was as Laman or Lemuel, taking the words of righteousness with much sharpness because of Mine iniquities. I love you, I pray for you and for your wife and family, for your kids and my siblings and my Mother as well. I want to make clear once again, that I am not telling you how to raise your children because you have done an amazing and outstanding job of that. I say that in a very sincere manner. Your oldest daughter is a temple wed and expecting. Your oldest son is on a mission in Italy, sharing the gospel with the people who need it most every day. Your second son is having a struggle dividing his beliefs with his feelings of his earthly father and in so doing has been forgetting his Heavenly father, but still has the priesthood. Your second daughter is preparing to go on a mission, and whether or not she's told you that, she is. Your third son is growing his physical and spiritual capacity by exercising daily in one form or another and also preparing for the chance to serve a mission. You have done an amazing job. I'm only sharing my joys and difficulties with you because I did not take advantage of the chance I had to do this in person every Sunday before the mission nearly enough. Harmon is my sorrow right now, and so I'm attempting to aid you with this email by giving you information that was given to me shortly before I left and also all the things that the spirit has moved me to say. I love you Dad. I respect you. I want you to have an ever closer and deeper and growing relationship with your family, and so I say all the things that I've said for this end. 

I love you and wish you the best, 

Anziano Anderson

A second letter to Dad

Dad, 

     The work here is growing and it's magnifying now that the temple has been completed. I'm lucky enough to be in Rome as it happened and to meet several apostles and prophets in person inside the temple as well as see everyone that I've heard about in the mission and to see what people had heard about me. (I'm big Anderson by the way because I ate three very large Pizzas in one sitting in my first transfer within fifteen minutes on a dare.) it was also some of the missionaries last day in Italy and I have to say that this was one heck of a way to go home and a story to boot. 

     I'm not even worried about the language anymore in the sense that I know I can be much better with the language and I study whenever I have the time and also I practice every day with my companion, but I'm able to translate for others in church with little difficulty now and had to do so yesterday for a wonderful tourist families kids. It was harder to translate in the classroom because the man spoke very fast and used some dialect (of which there are many) so I just had to guess and I suppose that I was right because h was ok with the answers that he received. 

     I still haven't been able to call the kids in the morning because it's been hard to find wifi reliable enough and fast enough to carry a call with voice, let alone video, that you don't have to pay for. I am trying though, and I've been sending them emails so they have something to chew on. Are Harmon and Gentrie engaged? I've heard bits and pieces but your wording in your last email makes me think they are? If so, congrats to him but hope he realizes that he could have a greater impact serving a mission and growing himself instead of taking the easy road and being selfish. Feel if you teach Harmon and Nolahn more about the priesthood, what it is, how it works and then why we are strongly encouraged as men to serve, it'll get his gears moving. Or maybe ask Jacob to do that because I know that Harmon and you do not get along very well and he takes your opinion with a grain of salt if it's not directly beneficial to him. 

     I pray for all of you daily and I'm especially grateful for you sharing your missionary experiences with me. I've actually shared those a lot more than I thought I would have and pulled from them in more ways then one. Not a lt of what you've said has been applied physically and by that I mean I haven't watched a cock fight, put a scorpion in a jar and forgot about it for a month or raced lizards in the house with numbers on their back or get banned from an all you can eat pizza hut, but the characteristics that you showed and needed to have in all of them, the love for your mission and the people, and the ability to get over oneself to embrace a people that is not at first yours, that I have taken. Granted, the food was easy to accept, and I was able to overcome my dislike of tomatoes with relative ease but the rest of the development of my Christlike attributes I used your mission as a guideline because you had the kind of experiences that I wanted to experience in these two years. And, I've been able to. I've even seen some miracles. Nothing as crazy as localized rainstorm, but things like spiritual prompting turned into new friends or returning members, and once, guided home by a stray animal. 

     I wish you all the best, and I thank you for your love, even if I didn't realize that's what it was at the time. The hard love, soft love, angry love, etc. The fact that when I came to you for help with my addiction, you said "I love you, I'm sorry, I love you" instead of condemning me. And the same thing when I was a rebellious little tool later on that also took your opinion with a grain of salt unless it benefitted me directly. I love you for that example, and even though I might not love the way you taught me some things, you taught me nonetheless and the glory of God is intelligence so you helped me take one more step in the right direction to become a better me. Thank you. 

Anziano Anderson