Patience

Hi!

WELLLL not too much is new here. We've still been in the house. My companion isn't doing so well. The medications they gave her for her ear that were supposed to help her with her dizziness aren't doing anything. She is still dizzy and having bad headaches, and is starting to get more discouraged. We are starting to think that all her problems are mental, like she is stressed out or sad or something and that is making her physically sick. We don't know. I feel incapable of this, I don't know what to do a lot of the time. But I am trying to keep the faith, keep positive, and help my companion to do the same. 

Patricia- we finally got ahold of her! We had stopped by her house lots of times but she was never home, and we called her but she never answered. Finally we called her at work this week and she told us she is moving and that her phone is broken so she sent it in to get fixed, so that's why we haven't been able to get ahold of her. Anyway, I'm sad because she's sooo great and now she's moving. :(  But what can you do? Nada. Hopefully I will get to say bye to her, she said she's gonna call us. 

Berny came to church yesterday! That was awesome. She came in a skirt and everything :)  She is great! Her family didn't come with her, but hopefully this weekend they will. They are a great family! We also saw Aileen last night. She is great, too. She works a lot so we only saw her once last week, and she still wasn't able to go to church. But she is understanding about the restoration of the Gospel and is doing well.

The picture I sent is of us going crazy, a little bit. We are bored.  :)

This week I wanted to talk a little bit about change... Our Bishop here said the other day, ''Everything can change, absolutely everything. But it depends on us.'' I loved that. It's true! Our current situations don't define us, nor are they permanent. We can decide what we want to do with our lives, where we are going, who we will become. We have a potential that is so great we can't even imagine. I, for example, have lots of things I would like to change. Sometimes I get impatient with myself when I don't see immediate results. But we need to remember to be patient with ourselves as well as with others. I often remember a scripture that I am sure I have shared before, in The Book of Mormon. ''And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble, and my grace is sufficient for all men who humble themselves before me. And if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them'' (Ether 12:27). The Lord gives us our weaknesses (and our strengths). He wants us to be humble and try to be our best. We need to be patient and keep going! We can always change, we can always improve and do GREAT things with our lives. But it is up to us!

This time in my mission is really hard for me, for a few reasons. But I am going to keep going, going to keep doing my best! I know that if we are companions, we are companions for a reason. I need to help her in this time and I need to learn more patience or something. :)  Praying that Hermana Zapata will start to feel better, and that we can go to work soon! 

I love being a missionary and I love serving here in Chile. I am praying for you all, love you so much! Have a fabulous week! :)

xoxox

Hermana Anderton                                                                   

Runninnggg

HI!

Okay first news: my lovely companion told me that I can go running and she doesn't mind sitting outside while I do so. Wooo happy.

It was a good week! We found some great new investigators! One is a family!! The new lady I found with Hermana Hamblin last summer, Berni is her name, we went back Wednesday and her husband Pablo was there and they are both so GREAT. We left a passage for them to read in the Book of Mormon and they read it like 3 times, and so did their son! And they read more in the same chapter! We had such a good lesson with them Wed and then the dad said, ''come back tomorrow!'' Ohh it was great. They still haven't prayed about if what we've shared is true or if they should be baptized, I think because they're scared of what the answer will be haha. But they are reading in the Book of Mormon and loving it. They went out of town this weekend so they didn't go to church. But hopefully this Sunday they'll go!

Another great investigator is Aileen. She is the roommate of another investigator, Sonnia, and a less active member Camila. They are all like 19 or 20 and are great people. Sonnia and Camila aren't progessing that much but we still see them like once a week. Monday we went and Aileen came out to listen too. She shared with missionaries when she was like 13 and said she almost got baptized but backed out at the last minute. Then she studied a lot with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and almost got baptized with them too, but didn't. So she doesn't really go to any church, but if people ask she says she's JW. She's so good!! We were reading the Introduction of the BoM (Book of Mormon) and we asked her what would it mean for her if the book is true? And said well for one, I would get baptized. YES! She really does want to know, and she is reading and praying to find out if it is the truth. Woo she's awesome. :)  

So, my companion is still sick. We are bored! But we had 4 great days of work this past week. Saturday and Sunday we had to be in the house. Buttt.... we are going to go to another doctor this week or soon hopefully, so they can do a study on her ears to see why she is still experiencing vertigo. Booo sick companion. :(  

In other news, the tradition I had going with my first 3 companions of being together 2 cambios and being with them for their birthday is back in swing! Hermana Zapata's bday is Feb 11th. She'll be 24. :)  

This week I wanted to talk about the Book of Mormon. Many people don't know exactly what it is or why it is so important to our religion. So I will attempt to shed some light on that for y'all. First of all, the Book of Mormon does NOT replace the Bible. We study the Bible also, and believe in it! ''The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fulness of the everlasting gospel'' (Intro, BoM). So while the Bible was written in Jerusalem, the Book of Mormon was written on the American continent. Christ said, ''Other sheep I have which are not of this fold, them also must I visit, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd'' (John 10:16). The other sheep he was talking about were His people in the Americas! And the Book of Mormon tells of when He came here! The BoM was written by ancient prophets, not Joseph Smith as some people believe. Joseph Smith, after he was called as a prophet, was instructed to translate the book into English. In the October 2009 General Conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave an amazing talk about the Book of Mormon. He said, ''I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, 'No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so.''' Anyone who reads the book with an open heart will feel the Spirit and know that Joseph Smith or anyone else wrote it to confuse or trick us. The book only testifies of Christ and helps us come unto Him.  :)

The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ. It is amazing. There is an invitation in the Introduction that says, ''We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.'' So the invitation is to read it and pray about it, not to take our word for it but rather to ask God. I know it is true, and it has changed my life! Because if this book is true, that means Joseph Smith was a prophet, and THIS is the church of Jesus Christ that has been restored on the earth again in these days. The age of darkness and confusion has ENDED and we have the fulness of the gospel as Christ preached it 2,000 years ago. Like I always say, same orgainzation, same authority, same doctrine, same ordinances necessary for our salvation. THAT is pretty amazing. And the fact that God invites us all to ask Him for ourselves so we can know is something that we should all take full advantage of! I know God answers prayers. He wants to guide us in our lives. As we pray with a sincere heart and with faith, He will respond to us, by the power of His spirit.

I love this gospel and I love being a missionary. Please pray for our investigators and my companion! And keep on being happy and enjoying life, friends. That's what we're here for- to be happy! :) Until next week.

Lots of love from your Chilean missionary,

Hermana Danielle Anderton

I cut my hair again!

Hellooo!

Yes, it appears that when I am bored on the mission the only thing I know how to do is cut my hair. I did it again! It's wayy short!! Definitely the shortest I've ever had my hair. I like it. But it's weird. I think I'm gonna let it grow again now. But I'm glad I did it, it's easier to deal with and I've never had it short so it's fun for a change for once. Sending pictures.  :)

So, we went to the doctors this week on Wednesday and the Doc says that the vertigo is a problem with the middle ear or inner ear, I don't remember. But that with the meds she's taking, it should be back to normal soon. She has been feeling better, and we have been out working. But she's still not 100% and sometimes we have to sit down and rest when she gets a dizzy spell. It's a bummer. And doesn't help when she already feels kinda down on herself sometimes, that she feels like it's her fault that we're not working as much as we'd like to... It is hard for me. This past transfer, I was hoping to be working super hard and doing lots of great things. Having a brand new companion I was expecting it to be like that. But, it hasn't been quite like that. Haha. But that's okay! I loveee my companion, mucho. She is so great and we have fun together. Love her a lot. And if we are companions it is for a reason, so I am going to do my best to keep taking good care of her and also continue working, sharing the gospel as much as we can! Oh yeah, cambios were this week but we're staying together. :)  I love Indpendencia! 

Bad news is I want to runnnn so bad!!! I haven't ran since... October, and it is taking its toll. I see people out running and it makes me sad. Haha. Hopefullyyyyy in 6 weeks more I can go!! 

Juan is doing great. He and Jocelin are having problems with their daughter Catalina (yes, the one who got baptized). She is 8, and has some issues, I don't know. Nothing too serious, just like how lots of kids go through the phase when they don't want to obey their parents, don't help out around the house, etc. But we talked with them for awhile and Juan said he knows the Gospel is the only thing that can help her and them all. We testified of that and promised that it would help them. Truly, that is what helped me. I shared with them how my mommy and I used to not get along very well. It wasn't too fun and we were both to blame. But I grew up, Mom changed too, and now we're best friends! But what really, truly, made the change in me is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have learned so much and grown and changed a ton. I still have a long way to go! But I am happy that I am able to share my testimony and tell people of the great potential they have and what faith in God and living a good life can do. Well, I'm rambling a little bit. Juan and Jocelin are looking into the paperwork to get married!!! WOOOO!! Juan told us he knows without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true. And that as soon as they get married, he's getting baptized. YESS!!! We are prayyyinggg that they can get married soonsoon, liiiiike February. That would be just amazing! 

I got to go out with Hermana Hamblin last night! She is going homeee!! Soo weird. We got to work together for like 3 hours, so it was short, but we got to do some service, help some people, and see some miracles. We found a new investigator who is really great and we will visit her this week with Hermana Zapata. 

It's kind of crazy that Hermana Hamblin is going home. It's even more crazy that I only have 3 transfers left. Wow... Don't want to think about that! Sooo I'm just gonna keep being a missionary for now! Love it.  :)

Love you all. Thank you for all who write me and support me and pray for me. Have a fabulous week!!

xoxoxo

Hermana Danielle Anderton

Sick companion: Round 2

Yep, my companion is still sick. We've been in the house all week!! AGAINNNNNN second time on my mission. Shoot, why?! Ughh I am so bored guys. Wednesday we went to the urgent care center because Hna. Zapata woke up super dizzy. They told her she has vertigo. It's bad. She is dizzy every day. Not all day, but for probably half the day. And then once everything stops spinning, she gets a really bad headache. Her vision also blurs. No good. :(   My poor baby! Soooo yeah. They gave her medicine and told her she needs to rest. So that's what we've been doing. But oh, I just want to go out and work! Our investigators need us. -Sigh-  There is some reason for this, I'm not sure what. But maybe I need to learn some more patience, or something! I don't know! I have been going out a bit with members to do some visits. One sister from the ward stays with my companion and another goes out with me. But it's not the same. I just want to go to work with my companion again. :(  Oh well. We're gonna do the best we can and pray she gets better soon!

I completed one year in Chile! Wooooo I love Chile!! :)

We did have a couple miracles this week. Remember the family of Catalina? Jocelin and Juan are her parents? Well Juan has been sharing with the missionaries  basically forever. He is a super good guy, has a couple habits that he'd need to kick before he gets baptized, but he is gonna get baptized. They need to get married, right now they just live together (it's been like 5 years at least). They want to get married, but Jocelin had to get divorced from her previous husband before, and there are some complications. But anyway, we went to one appointment Saturday night and it was with them. And it was the best lesson I've had with Juan in my time here. He says the thing that stops him from being baptized is that he is really disappointed with some of the members. He says they are the best members of the Church Sundays but then they leave church and are totally different. That is not cool. I understand how that's really lame, but we don't get baptized or go to church for the people, it's our own personal salvation and it's a commitment with God and no one else. Anyway, he's doing well and we are going to help them get married and help him get baptized SOON. :)

Another miracle was this girl named Javiera came to church. She is 12 or so, and her family is inactive but they are wanting to come back to church. She never got baptized. Sooo, we are here to help with that :) and also help her family come back to church.

So we can't work much, but we are going to do the best we can and pray to see the miracles. When Hermana Haycock was sick and we were in the house for a month, we still helped Lorena and Alejandro get baptized so you never know! Miracles do exist! :) I'm just gonna try real hard not to die of boredom before that happens!

Okay this week, the BEST part of the Restoration! So, Christ established His church when He was on the earth, it was lost after the death of Him and his apostles, and there was an apostasy- a longgg time of darkness without the true gospel on the earth. When the time was right, Heavenly Father again made it possible for us to have His gospel in our lives. In the year 1820 in upstate New York, a young boy named Joseph Smith had a question:  Which of all the churches has the truth?  If each church taught something different, they couldn't all be true. He attended various churches, studied, prayed, searched. One day he was reading the Bible, and found a verse that changed his life and the lives of many, forever. It said, ''If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, which giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him'' (James 1:5). He felt that he lacked wisdom. He truly wanted the answers that only God could give. So, one morning, he went to a grove of trees and prayed, sincerely prayed, to God. What happened was truly amazing. In answer to his prayer, God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. They told him that at this time, none of the churches had the fulness of the gospel, that many had parts of the truth but that the church as Christ had established it had been lost long ago, and that there would need to be a restoration. God called Joseph Smith to be His prophet- to not start a new church, but rather to bring back that which was lost. The same church, with the same organization, apostles, a prophet, the same ordinances, the same covenants, the same doctrine, the same authority. Everything. THAT is the church that was restored. THAT is the church we have today. 

I know this is true! I know it because I can feel it in my heart, it is a knowledge more powerful than sight or touch or any other sense. When the Spirit impresses our spirit, there's no denying it.

 The invitation is the same for each and every one of us: that we pray and ask God if it is true. That we ask Him for guidance, and when we get it, that we follow that answer. 

I love this gospel, so much! I love my savior Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He wants to help us overcome our weaknesses. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my many weaknesses. But I can find peace in this plan that God has for me, peace knowing I am a daughter of God. I love you all so much. 

I pray that if you do not have your own testimony, or conviction, knowledge, of these things, that you will ask your Heavenly Father in prayer. I know you will feel something as you do.  :)

Love you love you love you. This work is true. Hoo rah!

Un abrazo,

Hermana Danielle Marie Anderton