First 2.5 Days [Week 1]

July 19, 2013

My dearest family whom I love,

Well. I don't really know where to even start with this whole adventure. I hope you have received my first letter. They told us to take a little bit the first night and let our families know how we are doing. So that is that and will have details of the first day. It is now day 3, Friday, and my P-day. One of the sisters in my room refers to it as "Pants Day." P-day was much needed and I am so grateful it is here. Before I get into the adventures of the day, however, let me tell you all about yesterday, my hardest day so far (out of 3).

Yesterday we did a few different things but we, during our class time, got introduced to our first investigator via a video clip! So Sister Hall and I will be teaching a dear woman named Debi (who is actually our teacher representing someone she knows that is or was not a member of the church). Debi is married to an inactive member named Ricki. She has 4 children and 1 step child. She also has grandchildren living with her. She learned most of what she knows about the church from her mother-in-law, Peggy who became ill and moved next to Debi and her family and Debi took care of Peggy. Peggy was a temple worker and was a huge example to Debi. So, based on that information, Sister Hall and I are supposed to talk about her and discuss what we think her need are and discuss how we can best invite Debi to come unto Christ. Throughout our planning, we were encouraged to keep our pupose and our investigator in the forefront of our minds. This is where the stress came in. Our planning and discussing was difficult because we don't know Debi and she wasn't in front of us for us to ask her questions. We prayed about what to teach Debi and... struggled with an answer. We settled on the Plan of Salvation but... It was just difficult. We have had the idea that the work is lead by the Holy Ghost pounded into us from the time we got here. So when we prayed and neither of us had a strong indication of what to teach... we struggled a little bit. I was frustrated that I hadn't received an answer on what to teach Debi. We both, prior to praying. felt that the Plan of Salvation was relevent because of how much she spoke about family. One of our teachers came and was discussing with us what our plan was and she stopped and said, "Sisters, why don't we pray about it together, right now." Sister Hall said it and we didn't feel any need to change our plan. I hope it goes well. Our first teaching comes tomorrow evening. Maybe once we talk to her and discover her needs and desires, our complete lesson plan could change. We're gonna go and play it by the spirit.

Anyways...After that experience last night, I prayed my heart out that I could have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. I am still constantly praying and hoping that I will feel his presence and that I will recognize his promptings. During my personal study today on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it applies to my purpose (it is my purpose: to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end) I was able to recognize the spirit. I don't know if he always talks to me the same or if it changes based on my situation. But during study, I felt intelligence and understanding pour into me while I studied the scriptures and preach my gospel. That is one main way the spirit talks to me is by helping me understand. I still have so much to learn but I have learned this much: this work is based on faith and the spirit. Faith is the driving force behind missionary work. We act in faith daily and receive answers. As we open our mouths in faith, they are filled by the Lord at just the time we need it. There is so much to faith that I do not understand but I'm starting to understand it more every day I am here. Faith is absolutely a principle of action. I have heard that a million times and it is just now starting to ring true to me specifically. The work is also based entirely on the spirit. Our job as missionaries is to teach in such a way that the true teacher, the spirit can come and testify and convert those we teach. We much invite the spirit and help the investigator recognize it. Our job is not to get in the spirit's way.

Anyways, onto the events of today. I woke up this morning at 6:30 (not as hard as I thought it would be - what a lovely time to wake up :) and my companion turned to me and said we might have to stop by the medical clinic. Ok. Come to find out, she thinks she broke her finger. We swung by the clinic after breakfast and about 10 minutes before it opened. When we got in, we were one of the first people there and I waited patiently while Sister Hall had her finger looked at. She came out and said we had to go get it x-rayed at the BYU student health center. So we got to go for a lovely little walk this morning! It wasn't very far, a block or so, but we got to go for a walk. We didn't really have things we were supposed to be doing anyways since it is p-day. We were supposed to be doing laundry and such but... we've only been here a day and a half so we didn't have laundry. We walked over and got the x-ray and walked back. It felt so good to walk. The first and second days here we were in our classroom almost all day! We haven't had and gym time or personal exercise time and I can feel my muscles shriveling as we speak. But, we didn't find anything out about Sis. Hall's finger yet. A radiologist has to look at it. but that is how our morning was spent. We no are e-mailing and then have free time! We were told we could take naps if we wanted to... however, I don't know if I will. This whole 10:30 to 6:30 thing is incredible! I feel awake and alert during classes and then sleep at night. Our room of girls has done incredible at being in bed and quiet right and 10:30 and I am so grateful for it!

So... oh yes, the picture. In the picture is all of us girls in our room. I don't remember the order we are standing in but the girl on my left is Sis. Hall, my companion. Then the girl with the really curly red hair that looks like Merida from Brave is Sister Hudson from Everet, Washington. She is a hilarious sweet girl. Then the other girl with red hair is Sister Bradshaw from Sandy, Utah and she is also awesome. Last but not least is Sister Larsen and she is from somewhere near LA California. The three sister are headed to Tempe, Arizona. They are all 20 years old and are very sweet sisters.

To finish up, I want you all to know how much I love you. I also cant thank you, mom and dad, enough for raising me appropriately. Thank you for not giving up on family when it got hard. Thank you for loving me through my rediculous teenage years. Thank you for keeping our family of 12 together and close. I have talked to so many elders and sisters that are the only member in their family or that their family has been broken up and reconstructed or that just live with one parent. It means the world to me that you guys stuck together no matter what. I can't express to you how much my testimony of missionary work has grown over the last 2 days. Nor can I explain how it is possible that I have learned to love my teachers, my companion, and the elders and sisters in my district and even the other district in my zone so much, so quickly. Our district is divided between Tempe and Riverside but there is a love between us that is incredible for a group of very young people that are so different. My ability to love has increased... I've seen it already. I cannot take credit for that... it is a direct blessing from the Lord. I love my Lord and Savior so much!

So finish off this novel that I have just written you, I must tell you that I have been given a calling and you guys will never guess what it is... Nothing glamorous or amazing. And they didn't even know I was musical... but my Branch Presidency called me to the MUSIC COORDINATOR. Haha. Too funny. I find people to play and lead in sacrament meeting and priesthood and I pick the hymns. Awesome. I'm excited to serve for the next week and a half doing so.

Ed, I eat lunch at noon every day. One day next week I have in-fielf training in which I will not be in the cafeteria. Other than that, my district sits in the main area as you walk into the cafeteria, dead ahead. Sometimes our room of sisters sit over by the wrap bar to the right of it. I will be there and keeping an eye out for a lost looking brother :)

I love you all more than you know. Sorry about the novel. I will try to shorten it next time.

Love 
Sister Kristen Anderson

The Mish

The where, when, and why.

Okey doke. So maybe the real reason I felt it was necessary to have a blog is because it provides an outlet for all my thoughts, both the meaningful and the pointless. My thoughts have been all over the place lately because of my mission that is coming up. I can't even express to you how excited I am to go and serve. Absolutely it is kind of daunting and intimidating sometimes but when these thoughts come, I quickly replace them with thoughts of excitement and faith.

So the Where of the mission: 

Riverside, California

I honestly can't think of a place I'd rather serve than in the California Riverside mission. My only prayer before I got my call was that I wouldn't go somewhere freezing cold like Russia or Alaska. I told myself I didn't care where I went but I think deep inside I kind of wanted to have a crazy mission that people kind of gasped when I told them where I was going: somewhere foreign maybe. But when I opened my call and read where I was going, it felt absolutely perfect. I'm relieved I'm not going foreign and California is the best. My family lived in Redlands, California for about a year when I was 10 and I loved it! Some of my favorite memories are from Cali. My mission is in southern California, just north of San Diego and South of LA. It's also just about 10 miles south of Redland! I'll be right there! So exciting!

When? Well, I am leaving for the Provo MTC on July 17th! That is exactly 50 days from now and I still have so much to get done. It's sneaking up on me. My thought the other day was: If time is flying by right now, can you imagine how much faster time is going to go once I'm on my mission?!? 18 months will come and go before I have time to grasp the concept of what's happening! My goal for now and the mission is: Don't look forward more than you have to, but enjoy the moment and focus on the now. I know that sounds backwards from what the church teaches so let me justify it a little. It is always important to have a big picture in mind. However, for these 18 months that I am serving the Lord, I think it will be easy to look ahead at when I'm going home and how much time I have left. I don't want to do that or else the time will slip away from me before I know what happened. I want to enjoy each and every moment of my mission as best I can. That's the goal.

The Why of this post is the easiest part: because I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because I love Him, I want to invite others to come unto him and experience the joy and truth that I have found in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click here to learn more about me and my beliefs.

Why the Blog?

Because everyone else has one, of course.

Um, no. I don't have a blog because everyone else does... that's just dumb. 

Perhaps the reason is so that I have a place to type my thoughts that I consider to be my "simple nothings": Thoughts that are not life changing but that I want written down. 

Perhaps it's so that I don't have to cramp my hand while I try to write it all in my journal (the same journal I have had since 2007). 

Perhaps it is so that there is a place for my family to post my missionary letters when I'm gone. 

Perhaps it is just because I am bored at work on a Monday morning. 

What ever the reason... here we are. Let the fun begin.

Okey dokey... ahem. Allow me to introduce myself: Kristen. The name is Kristen and I love the water. Varsity swimmer for all 4 years of high school and water polo for a couple years. Lake Powell is always a blast where I can tube my heart out and wakeboard. Water is epic.
Next: my family means the world to me. I am child of 6 of 10. The 5 older than me are married and I have 10 nieces and nephews. It is always a party at my house.
Going on, I have just been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I will serve 18 months in Riverside, California starting on July 17th. I get to share my beliefs with the people of California and I'm so excited.
Lastly, humor is the best thing that is here on earth (besides my family and the gospel). I had a teacher once that said "If you lay an egg, laugh at it." I don't know if I even know what that means, but it's funny! I've learned that if I can laugh at myself, life is easier. So laugh and love, y'all!

Okey doke. Now you know... This is me and this is my blog!