More to the Miracle

(Editor's Note -- read the previous Blog entry, "One More Miracle" first -- before reading this entry.)

Dear Family and Friends,

Woah! Look at that! Two emails in one day! I would like to write this email to you because I received a phone call this afternoon from Elder Ruesch. With complete sincerity and gratitude, this time, I say "bless his sweet heart". Elder Ruesch called me today with sincere, heartfelt apology. After apologizing he asked me to share with him what exactly happened and how I was able to get home. As I finished explaining the story to him he said "Wow, well now I would like to tell you the other side of the story, so you know just how miraculous that really was." So here is the other side of the story:

As I boarded the plane on Tuesday evening President Goates turned to Elder Ruesch and said "Alright, you've got one job now. You just have to call Buenos Aires and tell them to pick her up at the airport." Elder Ruesch said okay, he just had to do a couple of other things first. Well, time rolled on and Elder Ruesch forgot to call until 15 minutes before my plane landed. When he called Buenos Aires, they chewed him out a bit for calling so late, and then told him that if I called him asking what I should do, that he should inform me just to stay put. Elder Ruesch then said okay and hung up the phone. After hanging up the phone he and his companion knelt together in the offices in prayer. They prayed that I would be able to be led and guided in my actions and that I would be able to follow the Spirit to know what I needed to do. About an hour later Elder Ruesch received another phone call, it was from Buenos Aires. They informed him that they went to the airport, looked everywhere and I was nowhere to be found. They told him that all he needed to worry about doing now was praying that I would be able to be found and be able to be kept safe. In that moment Elder Ruesch called together all of the Elders in the offices and they all knelt together in prayer for me. I can only imagine the guilt, fear, and worry that Elder Ruesch felt in that moment. I can also only imagine the fervent and faith filled prayer that those Elders offered as they knelt in prayer for me in the offices in Mendoza, Argentina. Elder Ruesch didn't hear anything more from Buenos Aires until about 9:00 that night. They called him and said, "Elder, we don't know how she did it, but somehow this Hermana was able to contact someone from the church and make her flight." This fills me with awe and gratitude, because I didn't contact anyone from the church. The white-haired-man in the airport, the one that I thought was one of the 3 Nephites that helped me as I was filled with fear and losing hope was sent to me from Heavenly Father. I do not know who he was. I do not know how he knew that I needed help in that time. I do not know how he knew to be there. I do not know the details. I don't know why the people in Buenos Aires believe that I contacted someone from the church, but I do know this: The power of prayer is real. As this story was related to me and I was filled with awe and humility of the love that Heavenly Father has for us, as I realized just how protected I was, I realized just how real the power of prayer is. As I fervently prayed, the Elders in the offices fervently prayed, and as many of you have told me that you felt to fervently pray for me in that time as well - I know that all of those prayers were answered. All of those prayers brought that man with the white hair in a shirt and red tie to me in my time of need. I was part of an amazing miracle. I am astonished at the love that Heavenly Father has for us. I am humbled as I recognize that His finger was in every part of my travels that day, His hand led me. His hand also led not only me, but angels into my path. I am reminded of a quote by President Kimball "God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." I know that angels were prayed into my life that day. I don't know how the man at the airport got there or knew to be there. I don't know how he knew who I was, but I will be forever grateful for the answer to prayer he was in my life. To me he truly is an angel - a blessing sent to me from God in my time of need.  He was an answer to the prayers of so many. I am also so grateful that Buenos Aires called Elder Ruesch to tell them I was safe. When I was in the airport, before I entered the gate, I turned to the white-haired-man and asked him to please let President Gates know that I was safe, I asked him twice, and both times he smiled and reassured me not to worry, he would take care of it. Elder Ruesch also asked me how I knew what airport to tell the cab driver to go (there are more than 2 airports in Buenos Aires). I only told the cab driver to go to the "other airport", but somehow, miraculously, he took me to the correct airport. Somehow, miraculously, I just so happened to have enough extra cash to pay for a cab. And somehow, miraculously, I was able to even find what flight to get on - Elder Ruesch had also forgotten to give me my flight itinerary in the morning, all I knew was that my flight left at about 9 and I needed to be in some airport somewhere in Buenos Aires. The taxi driver was a blessing to me and the man in the airport was a life saver. The complete peace and comfort I felt in his presence was undeniable. I know that he was sent to protect me and help me in that moment. He was an answer to prayers and sent from Heavenly Father. I am so astonished that I was blessed to be protected. I am so astonished at just how aware Heavenly Father is of all of us. He keeps His promises. He does send "armies of angels to bear you up" He will help us as long as we show forth our faith (Ether 6:12). We are given so many promises in our lives and in the scriptures from our Father in Heaven. I know that He wants to keep those promises, He wants to bless us, He wants to protect us. We must show forth our faith in Him and He will bless us. I know that the faith filled prayers of so many brought me home yesterday. I stand all amazed at the amazing miracle it was that I was brought home safely. I am so thankful, humble, and filled with gratitude and love for all of you and my Father in Heaven. I am so thankful for all of the prayers that made this miracle possible, and for the amazing love and protection of a caring Father in Heaven that made this miracle possible, and brought me home safely.

I love you all. I thank you for your prayers and love.

With a heart filled with love and gratitude,

Raquel Anderson

One More Miracle

Hola Family and Friends!

I thank you so much for your prayers for me this last week, they honestly brought me home. Although I am home, I still wanted to share this one last miracle with you. And here it is: So on Tuesday morning all of the missionaries finishing their missions and I went to the airport in Mendoza for a flight from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, from there we were going to be given transport to a different airport in Buenos Aires where we would wait all day for our flight to leave at 9:00 that evening. There was just one tiny little problem...The finance secretary, bless his sweet little heart, had forgotten to purchase me a ticket for the morning flight. I had a ticket from Buenos Aires home, just not from Mendoza to Buenos Aires... *sighs... yeah. So when all the other missionaries flew out from Mendoza, I was put on a wait list for a flight at 12:50 and for a flight at 5:00. President Goates felt so bad for this whole situation that he let me come back to the mission home with him and Hermana Goates, and while I elevated and iced my knee I got to talk to my mom - that was a nice blessing that came out of this situation:) Then at 12:50 we returned to the airport, I didn't get the waitlist, so we went back to the mission home. Thankfully, when the 5:00 flight came around there was one person that didn't show, so I got the seat!! YAY! Now, before boarding the plane, I triple, quadruple checked with the finance secretary (bless his sweet little heart) to make sure that someone would be at the airport in Buenos Aires to transfer me to the other international airport in Buenos Aires to make my next flight. He reassured me that he would call and take care of everything. So I got on the plane! It landed in Buenos Aires at about 6:30 in the evening, after getting my bags I went out to meet the person who was gonna take me to the other airport. Guess what happened? Yup! No one was there!!! AHHHHHH!!!! I was so scared out of my mind! I had no phone, no idea what President Goates number was (so if I even had a phone I couldn't call), didn't know if I should take a taxi, didn't know if the person was running late - yup! I also was aware that it was about a 1 hour drive to get to the other airport and that once I got to the other airport I would still have to check in and go through security before I could board the plane, needless to say, I was completely desperate! I was praying fervently, trying to not be too scared, and finally at about 7:10 I decided to take a leap of faith and jump in a cab. - Yes, a foreign, 19-year old, white girl jumped into a cab in Argentina - oh yeah, speaking only Spanish - THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS REAL! Thankfully, the man driving the taxi was a very, very nice man. I informed him of when my next flight was and he was glad to get me there as fast as he could (for a little extra money, obviously, but thankfully I'd had some extra with me to give). Anyways during this cab ride he wanted to know about the church, so I shared the basics with him and we had a good talk...in Spanish! (at the end he even gave me his number so I could give it as a referral!) During this whole ride though, I was very worried because of this reason: I don't think I would know how to work my way around an airport in English, let alone in Spanish! So I kindly asked the nice cab driver (Micheal) if he knew what I was suppose to do when I got there. And wow! He was so nice! When we got there he got out of the cab, took my luggage, and took me up to check in right away to get me where I needed to be - How nice! Then he left. There was only one problem, the lady checking me in informed me that I was in the wrong terminal, I needed to be on THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE END of the airport! AHHH!! My flight was boarding in 15 minutes, I hadn't checked in, gone through security, and I was in the wrong place. So I took my luggage and tried my best to run (it was a limp run - with around 100lbs of luggage dragging behind me). When I arrived in the part of the airport that I thought was the right place, it was completely empty. My heart dropped! There was a worker near by, so I asked her where Delta was and she told me it was where I had just come from - yeah, I knew that wasn't right so I decided just to give up and ask her for a phone to call my parents to get the number for my mission President and go from there. She didn't have one. But she pointed me to a terminal that was just a little ways away and said I could try there. I had a little hope left in me, so I decided to try my best. I walked as fast as I could (I couldn't run anymore) to try to get to this terminal on time. As I was walk-limping and losing hope I heard the most relieving thing in the world! I heard someone say "Hermana!" I looked up and I saw a man! I didn't know who he was, and he didn't have a name-tag, but relief filled my heart when I saw him! He told me that he had been waiting for me, and was beginning to wonder if I wasn't going to make it. I asked him if he had been at the other airport too, and he said no just this one. He took me to check-in (right to the front of the line), got my bags checked and my tickets, then he took me to the gate that I needed to enter. I thanked him with all the energy that I had (which wasn't very much) and then he was off. Thankfully I made it through security and arrived at the boarding area just as all the other missionaries were boarding the plane. Wow. I still stand in awe just thinking of every tender mercy that God blessed me with during that time. He was in every detail, protecting me every step of the way. I was lost and scared, but was blessed with people, who acted as angels to guide my way, to help ensure my safe arrival at the boarding area of the airplane. I was blessed with strength in the language, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and in every way you could think of along the way. It was an incredible blessing. I know that God was protecting me and helping me get home safely. I'm so grateful for the cab driver, that "third Nephite" (what I like to call the man in the airport), and Heavenly Father and my Savior for every detail and tender mercy they blessed me with in getting me home safely. Thank you all so much for your prayers.

We will try to keep you updated along the way as we find out more information about my recovery process. We went to the doctor today, but don't really know too much, because I need to get an MRI before they can do anything else.

I love you all. I loved every minute of my mission and don't regret one second of it. I hope to be able to recover well enough to return - I hope that it is in God's will for me to return to the mission field. I know which ever way this goes, He will be with me and He will continue to lead me and guide me. I know that God has great love for each of us. We are His children. He is our Father. He will guide us. How wonderful of a blessing is that?! If we let Him, He will guide our way back home, and shape us into the people that He knows we have the potential to become. I love and like you all. Thank you for everything.

Con mucho amor,

Raquel Anderson

A Thankful Heart

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been quite an emotional rollercoaster for me. On Tuesday I went to Mendoza because President Goates wanted to talk. I´m so glad he did. He gave me such comforting advice, a Priesthood blessing, and a specific scripture that has been dear to my heart since we talked. It´s D&C 124:49, very comforting for me - and I know it applies to everyone when we ¨fall short¨, not just me. Basically for the next 2-3 days my knee was in so much pain that I could barely walk so I rested and iced and rested some more during those days. Thankfully the rest worked well enough to the point that I could walk again, but it didn´t heal my knee, so I’ll still be returning home for a short time. Also sadly, Gustavo was not baptized:( He couldn´t drop those last two cigarettes. These two are very hard for him because he started smoking when he was 12 (now he´s about 45 or 50) and he used to smoke 60 cigarettes a day, so 2 is good! But it is still 2 too many. But it is okay, I have faith in him. And I know that although I won´t be able to attend his baptism, it still counts, and I still feel blessed to have been a part of this process with him.

I want to tell you all the feelings of my heart. I have had lots of time to reflect on my feelings and experiences this week. I must tell you how thankful I am that I have been privileged to serve a mission. I do feel a bit jipped that I have to take a break, but looking back on all I´ve been blessed to learn all I can feel is gratitude for those experiences I was privileged to have. I learned so much in the MTC, and no, I don´t mean from my classes, those too, but more so I learned so much from all the experiences I had there. I had a very different MTC experience than most, but I wouldn´t change it for the world. I was blessed to recognize the hand of our Father in Heaven in my life. I learned so much about His love for us. I know He cares about us. I know He is aware of us in every situation, and He will help us through anything because He wants us to succeed too. We are His children. He loves us more than we can comprehend. And He is in our lives, He is so present in all of our lives. We only need to open our eyes and see all the blessings He gives us in each moment. I know that God is in every detail. I am so grateful that He is. I am so grateful that in the MTC I was able to feel the strengthening and enabling power of the Atonement so many times in my life. Christ knows our joys and our sorrows, our fears and our struggles, and the amazing thing is He helps us in them! Christ succeeded in performing the Atonement! He rose on the third day, because of this He can help us in our trails, in our very moments of fear and sorrow, He knows how to comfort us and how to strengthen us to help us, and He wants to. I learned so much from my experiences at the MTC, and I will be forever grateful for the knowledge and love that I gained there. I have learned so much here in Argentina as well, and no I don´t just mean Spanish. I have learned so much about how precious the Gospel truly is and I have seen it change lives. No, I haven´t had any baptisms of my own, but I have seen the Gospel change lives. I have seen people go from being so sad and having no purpose for life to poco a poco growing in hope and realizing a purpose for living. I have seen the Spirit work through me and work through others. I have felt the gift of tongues. I have felt the promise of my mouth being able to be filled. I have felt knowledge come to my remembrance in the very moment I needed it. I have felt love, I have seen so much how love can change the hearts and lives of people. Mostly I have learned about God´s love for each of His children. It doesn´t matter if you live in the U.S.A. or in Argentina or in the North Pole, God loves all His children the same. And He wants the same thing for each of them: To return to live with Him again in eternal happiness. It doesn´t matter what sins you have committed or haven´t committed, God loves us all the same. We are His children. We are all on the same path. I am so sad to leave Argentina tomorrow, I hate thinking about it, but I know this. It doesn´t matter if I am in Argentina or not, I will still strive every day to be the daughter I promised to be and strive to turn my heart out towards others. Share what love I have, strive to be charitable towards others, and strive to help everyone be able to gain the peace that I know the Gospel can bring. I hope with all my heart to be able to return here to Argentina again after this little detour. But if not, I will go where God desires me to go, and I will go willingly. Thank you all for your prayers for me throughout these past 3 months. I have felt the strength of them and have felt your love as well. I love you all. I am sad to go, but I feel so blessed and so much gratitude that I have been blessed to serve for the time that I have. I know God is in the details of all our lives. He loves you. Personally. With flaws or without, He wants us to become perfected so we can return home to His loving arms again. I know this is true. I desire to leave this testimony with you in the sacred name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ, our brother, Amen.

With much love, tears, and gratitude,

Hermana Anderson

A Shattered Heart

Dear family and friends,

This week I write to you with exactly that, a heart that feels like it’s been twisted and torn apart. But I’ll get to that a little later in my letter. First off thank you all for your prayers in my behalf, I have truly been able to feel them this week and believe that they are what has kept me strong for this long.

This week we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders in Mendoza!!! It was great!! There are two of them, one from Mexico and one from California. Luckily I was blessed to get the one from the States so we could speak English together;) But It was such a blessing to be able to talk with Sister Gonzalez (from Mexico), she said that she thinks that by the time I’m done with my mission I’ll sound like a native. She told me that my Spanish is very good and not only that but my accent is too!!! WooHoo!! just got to practice;) It’s pretty amazing cause now I can basically understand everything that everyone else says, and I’m getting to the point where I can say what I want to too – it’s still a little broken, but you all know it’s a process - poco a poco. Anyway those exchanges were great, except Sister Louris (my companion) and I didn’t get much work done, because the mission nurse (the enferma) wanted to get me a brace for my knee, an ice pack, stretches and stuff like that because I was in Mendoza (so obviously it made sense) and Sister Louris had health problems she needed to get worked out too, so we only taught like 2 lessons, but it was good and it was necessary! So that was fun!

Then things started to go downhill..... each day this week my knee has gotten increasingly worse and worse. I haven’t wanted to say anything too much about it to the enferma, my companion, or President Goates, because I don’t want to go home, but each day the pain has risen. So we got back from exchanges on Wednesday night and went to leave the pension, and honestly I felt like I couldn’t walk. I could walk, but there was lots of pain and it was very slowly. So we went to an appointment, but it was difficult for me to focus during the appointment because of the pain. That night (and each night since) I struggled to sleep because of the pain. My companion had noticed this increasing pain, the nurse had been keeping in contact with me and she had been telling President Goates my continual daily regression. So on Friday, I think, I got a call from President Goates. He asked me to tell him my situation from beginning to end, then he talked to doctors about it and on Saturday I got a phone call from him. He said this wasn’t a good situation, and that he was going to have to send me home. My heart broke.

I don’t want to leave here. I love it here. I love the work, I love the people, but in my broken heart I know that I can’t “serve with all my might, mind, and strength” if I have very little to give. My knee right now is hindering my ability to serve God with my all. He deserves my all, and I want to give my all. But I have hope! Although I am returning home, it’s only for a short time. After my knee has recovered with whatever therapies or surgeries or other remedies it may need, I can return! President Goates reassured me of this! I am so sad to have to leave, but I know it will only be “for but a small moment” and then I will be able to return to this service. I will be able to finish my mission.

President Goates wanted to send me home this week, but I asked him if I could PLEASE stay for one more week! Gustavo is getting baptized on Saturday! And although I know that it would still count even if I wasn’t there, I want so badly to be able to attend! Not to mention, if I leave, my companion will probably be taken to a different area for this week (cause there’s only one week left in this transfer) and so she wouldn’t be able to teach Gustavo the final two times this week or hold a baptism service for him. Thankfully I get to stay!!! I just need to have enough strength to get through this week. I am a little bit nervous for it, because the pain does increase more and more everyday, and sleeping is really getting difficult, but I don’t care! Gustavo is worth it! His soul is precious, I feel so privileged to have been a part of teaching him the Gospel, but I think he may have taught me more along the way. Yesterday in church we asked him about smoking, he still hasn’t been able to stop:/ but he has incredible faith! He told us in one our lessons that he believes that as soon as he is baptized the addiction he has will go away - I believe this too, but he still needs to stop. But yesterday he told us of a very special experience he had. He said he had a dream a couple of nights ago of a man. An older man with white hair and a white beard. In his dream the man told him that he was going to help him (Gustavo) stop smoking. Wow. Then Gustavo said that he believes this week he will be able to stop. He told us he didn’t know who the man was, but he believes that it wasn’t just an ordinary dream, it was an answer to his prayers. Gustavo’s heart is so strong and his desires to do right are so good. I am so blessed to have been a part of teaching him in this time, and am so, so happy that I get to see him enter the waters of baptism this Saturday!

I never wanted to be in this situation, in fact going home early from my mission was almost the last situation I ever wanted to be in. But know this: I am not going home early. I am simply having to “pause” my mission in order to recover so I can give more. I know this is a sacred, special work. I desire to give my all to this work. Right now I am trying to give all I have, but truth is right now I can’t. The truth is, if you can’t walk you can’t work. I am only going home because I know by so doing, by letting myself get the help I need, I will be able to become a more qualified servant of the Lord. My heart is here, my heart is in the work. I only desire to do the will of my Heavenly Father. This will only be for a moment. But be assured, I will finish the work that He has for me to do. And I know that God has a plan, I know that He is aware of me. He is aware of me in the situation, and He will take care of me. He will help me to become the missionary, and the daughter that He wants me to be. There are times in all our lives when our plans fall through, but I know that through each of those times and difficulties God is aware of us. I know that He will lead us through our trials. Christ knows us and how to help us through our struggles. If we’ll only give Him our hand He will lead us. He will take us by the hand, like He did for Peter, “He stretched forth His hand IMMEDIATELY.” Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to succeed just as much and more than we even want to. They are on our team. They will help me through this trial, and I know that they will help each of you through yours too. This is not easy, I don’t want to return home, but I know that God will support me physically, emotionally, and spiritually through this. God will never punish us for serving Him willingly. I know God will help me and enable me to do His will for me. I desire only to serve Him. Christ and our Father in Heaven love us so much, I know during this time I can trust them, and although for a couple of months I won’t be able to wear the missionary nametag, I can still serve them. I desire to do so, and I desire to return to the mission field after my recovery.

I love you all. I thank you for your prayers, please keep praying that I might be able to have strength to see Gustavo make precious covenants this weekend. Please know that I know this church is true. I desire only to serve God. I know that just as He will help me through this time, He will help you as well. I know that He loves me, and I know that He loves you, He is our Father. Because of His love for us, He will always help us. Christ and our Father in Heaven will never leave us alone. I know this is true. And although my knee and heart are broken, I know because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our brother, both my heart and my knee can be healed, and can become stronger than they were before. With more abilities to serve others, our Savior, and our Heavenly Father. I know this is possible, and I know that it is a blessing that applies to all men, not just me, but to those I am blessed to teach as well, and to you in each of your lives.

I love and like you all!

Thank you for your prayers.

Hermana Anderson

(A note from Raquel's Dad -- I believe Raquel will be leaving Argentina on Tuesday, February 9, and arrive here in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, February 10. We have an appointment with a doctor set up for the next day.)