Hermana Anderson's Argentina Adventure: Almost Half-Way Through the CCM

Hola!!! Mi Familia y Mis Amigos!

Wow! Crazy to think that I've been here for 2 1/2 weeks?? Crazier to think that I'm almost halfway done with my time here at the CCM - When I think of it that way it really motivates me, because I feel like I still have so much to learn here before I am prepared to preach the gospel in the spanish language! AhHH! But at the same time I am so amazed with how much I have learned here in as little as 2 1/2 weeks!

To think that Hermana Lee and I are teaching an investigator almost everyday of the week and truth be told usually we are teaching multiple lessons each week! Wow! This week we had some pretty amazing experiences with one of our "investigators", David. Actually he is our teacher, Hermano Woodbury - I love him! I just learn so well the way he teaches - Anyways, even though he isn't a "real" investigator, the experiences that we have with him and the Spirit and testimonies that we share with him durante (during) our lessons are real. Entonces, (so), David's situation is he is catolic (Catholic) and he and his wife had a baby last month that was basicamente (basically) a still birth child. So we've been teaching him and it was so incredible because The Spirit has just been so strong when we've shared with him the truths we know about God's plan for us and when we combine our testimonies with the words of the scriptures the Spirit is so real, the Spirit is so strong when we do that. Anyways on our second lesson with him when at the end of the lesson we asked him "Seguira' al ejemplo de JesuCristo..." (or will you follow the example of Jesus Christ) and be baptized by someone holding the proper authority.... HE SAID YES!!!! I know that he is really not David, that he is actually Hermano Woodbury, but like I said even though David isn't "real" The Spirit still is. I can only imagine the joy that I felt in that moment, but imagine the joy with an actual investigator!

Same with another experience this week: Hermana Richards was teaching us "toca las puertas" (literally translated touch the doors - but it means tracting) anyway she shared with us an incredible experience from her mission about when she was tracting and just how ready a mother and her daughter were to receive the message of the Gospel - you know, although toca las puertas is not always fun and isn't always what everyone wants to do, from the experience Hermana Richards shared with us, I have a testimony of tracting too, and in Argentina when the times come that all we have to do is tracting, I will put my faith in God and try my best to listen to the Spirit to know where to go.

An encouraging thought that I have had since being at the CCM, but its been really prevalent in my mind this week is I'm here on a mission, and yes it is difficult at times, but I want to do my best and I want to help God's children know the joys of the Gospel that we all have enjoyed knowing everyday of our lives - but the best part is this: God wants me to be successful too! These are His children, If I only humble myself and ask Him for help, He will bless me with the comfort, espanol, or knowledge that I need, because this is 'His work, and His glory' (Moses 1:39) I know that God is with me and that God wants to bless His children, we need only ask - it is simply that simple.

Ha another first from this week: My companion passed out on me during class. What?! Yeah that did happen. Ha okay so like the first day here Hermana Lee gave me a disclaimer that she passes out when she sees her own blood, she's not scared of bleeding, it just happens when she sees her blood. So we are sitting there in class with Hermana Richards - I love her too - and Hermana Lee just says, pretty normal, oh i have a bloody nose - so naturally I think, 'oh okay lets get a tissue' (yeah I forgot for a minute that she passes out when she sees her own blood) then she's like, in a tone of voice that is plain as day 'I'm gonna pass out'. Ha and Hermana Richards kinda looks at her and me like, is she serious? Then Hermana Lee got wobbly and I caught her on the way down and moved her head to my shoulder. Yeah at this point in time we're all like a little bit in shock cause we don't know what to do. Then Hermana Lee wakes up all frantic like and starts to stand up - yeah BAD IDEA!!! She basically was passing out like every 3 seconds then coming to for 1 then passing out for another 10 seconds then coming to for a couple of seconds - anyways at this point in time Hermana Richards and I are trying our best to hold her up, but it's difficult and none of the Elders wanted to touch her cause it's against mission rules - finally, thankfully, one of the Elders (Elder Atwood) grabbed her and held her up until we could get her to lay down, but she was pretty frantic so it was difficult to get her to lay down - anyways eventually she was laying down in the hallway and Hermana Richards and I are looking at each other like "what do we do now" Ha then Hermana Richards strongly told two boys to run to the health center. While they were gone Hermana Lee woke up again (She was out for about 30 - 60 seconds that time maybe) and when she woke up it was really sad cause she was asking Hermana Richards and I for her mom and for her brothers and where she was and all we could tell her was that her mom wasn't there and that her brothers weren't there. Then she sort of blacked out for just like a 2 seconds and when she came to she was her normal self again and was like 'yeah I know where I am, I'm in the MTC' - and she didn't remember anything that had happened like 2 minutes before she had passed out or during her frantic passing out spill. Woah - that was freaky for me and Hermana Richards, pero, (but,) Hermana Lee was all cool about it and was like "yeah this just happens when I see my own blood" "it's not a big deal" "you didn't have to run to the doctors" all this stuff - anyways! Woah! That was definitely a new experience!

Pues (well), I'm simply loving life here on the mission! Every day of it is something new and I'm amazed at how much I grow each day - and how fast the time flies! In about a week the district above us is leaving (NOOOOOO!!!! but YEEESSSSS! at the same time!) We've all become great friends, but I'm excited for them and excited for the people they'll teach!

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Anderson