Waiting for the Return of Elder Anderson- Part 1

What do you do to keep yourself busy while waiting for the return of a missionary? You redecorate your almost 13 year olds room! It was a surprise for her while she was away at YW's camp. Here is what we started with:



And this is what we ended with!







And it worked great because I was totally calm for this!!!

Morocco--The Desert!

From Fes we headed out to the desert. The Sahara desert. The landscape went from mountains covered in cedar forests with monkeys to brown and dry in a very short time. We made a bathroom stop in the middle of brown and our guide told us to walk towards the east. All of the sudden there was this beautiful, lush green valley. And then we saw only brown for a long, long time.

All of my pictures are from our morning camel trek back to "civilazation". Me, obviously, on a beautiful desert morning. And yes, I needed to wear my jacket. In the evening when we rode out to our camp the wind was really blowing. Sand was flying everywhere and we were very glad to be wrapped up. But the morning was calm and still and gorgeous.

Here is the sun coming up from Algeria.

Doesn't Allison look mysterious?

Cool shadow! I absolutely loved the colors of the desert in the morning. The browns and tans that went on for as far as you could see. The sky was perfectly clear and the most amazing blue. Almos as blue as it is in the mountains of Colorado:)

Morocco! Fes

One of my favorite places in Fes-the candy shop! How can all those colors not make you smile!
Beautiful, intricate doors were everywhere. In the mosques, down dark alleys, on the palace. I really, really wanted to bring a few home.

Here is the city wall around the medina (old town) in Fes. I could really picture Samuel standing on it. I know, wrong culture, wrong continent.


Camel meat anyone?

An example of the beautiful mosaic and plaster work that was everywhere. They aren't allowed to use pictures in the Islam culture so they use calligraphy to decorate everything. The plaster here says "joy".

No vehicles are allowed in the medina so donkeys are everywhere. They are all dressed up and treated like royalty. They definitely have the right of way.

This is the tannery seen from above. And this is as close as we wanted to get. We were given sprigs of mint to hold in front of our noses so the smell wouldn't over whelm us. See all those white vats? Pigeon poop.

This is a door in one of the mosques. We weren't able to go inside because we weren't

Muslim but we could stand in the doorway and look. The wood, plaster and mosaic craftsmanship was amazing everywhere we went. And the ones that were 9 centuries old looked just as amazing as the ones that were 100 years old.

Every once in awhile as we were walking around the medina we would see a tiny little door. We wondered what was behind them. It was a preschool! We were able to sneak in on a French counting lesson.

Apparently the counting lesson was just a little too long for this guy!

This is the alley where they make the wedding chairs. The silver one in front is what the bride is carried to her wedding on. The gold one in the back is where the couple will sit for the first night of their marriage. They will leave this chair every so often, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, to go and change their outfits. A Moroccan bride doesn't get just one dress she gets lots! This alley gave us all a glue high!

Yes, this is an actual alley to several homes. We were just wondering how you ever get new furniture. And I think it is safe to say that the families on this street don't have refrigerators.

This is a view of the medina in Fes. We walked from one end to the other. And if we hadn't had a guide we would still be wandering around.

This is one of the workshops where they make the mosaics. They actually use a chisel to cut the pieces of tile the right shape and size. And I thought they had some kind of mold that they made the tiles in.

From Fes we headed through the mountains and into the desert. More pictures coming!

Happenings Across the Sea

First to the East:

So here I am, this is me, there´s nowhere else on earth I´d rather be. Here I am so young and strong, right here in the place where I belong YEAAAAAAAAH IT´s a NEW WORLD, IT´S A NEW START, IT´S ALIVE WITH THE BEATING OF A YOUNG HEART........

sorry, I got carried away. Thank you bryan adams and the soundtrack from the movie "spirit, stallion of the cimarron". I just wanted to let you know I´m doing great, having a blast. Yesterday I was super happy, cause we had some really progressing investigators come to church. Erika, the Ecuatorian is awesome. This week we taught her about the book of mormon. We have been teaching her for more than a month, but she can only meet once a week so we are just still in the basics, but I like it cause she has had a ton of time to digest the information and think about it. On Saturday night the branch president invited us to eat and anyone else we wanted to invite, so of course erika was the guest of honor. President Silvestre fed us a seafood soup(he is asturiano-born and raised here in the asturias) and then some good chicken and vegetable rolls. And him and his wife told their conversion stories, which are about the coolest stories I have ever heard. His wife was a nun in a convent until she was 22, then left and found the church and after a while, got baptized, served a mission, and met Silvestre who was in that moment a recent convert of 1 year in the church. They need to write a book cause it´s awesome, full of miracles. And Erika loved it. She asked them both how long they took to join the church and silvestre said 1 month. I was like, yeah! and Erika was a little surprised. Then she asked his wife and she said 5 months, and erika was like, yeah, you have to be sure of what you are doing, and I was like, "but really, that´s a long long time. It´s usually shorter than that." She knew I was joking, but not really. hahaha.

So yesterday in church she came alone, we were picking up another investigator and she promised us she would come and she came alone. That´s a big step. Then we were talking after the gospel principles class and she was like, what´s nife...a group of people or a person? And I was like, "nife.....nife...ohhh nefi!" and she told me that she´d been reading the book of mormon. I asked her how she felt and she said good. and I asked her if she prayed. She said the typical answer, "I pray every night." and so i was like, "no...did you pray to ask if the book was true, and about josé smith?" and she was like, yeah. And so I was like how did you feel? She told me that she felt good, that she feels good when we meet and at church, when she sings the hymns and then she says, "I feel really good, but Í won´t get baptized yet." So I told her, "yeah, for sure, you won´t get baptized tomorrow." And she sat and thought, and said....."when do you go home?"

DANGIT!!!!!!!! EVEN MY INVESTIGATORS ARE TRUNKY!!!!!!!!!!!

I told her I was going home next week.....no just kidding, I told her at the end of june and she said, "I´ll get baptized before you go home." I didn´t know what to say, but it made me happy. Then last night at a member´s house the member told me that erika had talked to her and told her the same thing, that she would get baptized before I leave. So now I know I´m riding out on a baptism. I can just quit working, stay inside the piso, buy a nintendo wii and a guitar and coast all the way home. Yes!

That was a joke- to all of you who don´t know me.

So yeah, the work of the Lord is going on. We are working hard, seeing miracles, seeing quite a few failures too. We´re caught right in the middle of a family feud and it really ticks me off. We went to a members house one night, just passing by, we had left something there and she lets it all out that we´re liars and that we like this other family more and that we aren´t the Lord´s representatives by how we are acting. It kind of stunned us, so we talked for a long time and it finally came out that they have a long going emnity with the missionaries cause there was one stupid stupid missionary a year ago. So now everything we do they read into, and now every little thing is read into. I almost started crying. I was so mad and sad. I finally just blew up a little bit and told the mom that I don´t care what missionaries did in the past, she needs to forgive and forget, leave it behind, because it has nothing to do with us and is destroying our work here. She is a recent convert and it´s sad to see that because of a few missionaries and their bad decisions, it throws poison in the water and contaminates everything for a while. Things are a lot better now, but I´ve never really talked back to a member like that. I usually just walk away from problems, but with this one something needs to be done. I think it´s good, they fed us dinner later on in the week. peace offering?

That´s about it, I look forward to talking to you. Don´t worry if I am really awkward now. I was talking to two ex-missionaries from utah yesterday that are studying here and I realized just how weird and strange it would be to be in a group talking about stuff that doesn´t have a purpose behind it. I don´t enjoy it that much. But whatever.
Thanks for all of you help and support. I hope you have a great week.
-Elder Anderson

Now to the West:

So a couple of weeks ago the office couples sent me an email and in it they told me that I was a "fine young man". This reminded me of dad's rule that I wasn't officially a man until I came back from my mission and realized that before that happens there are a couple of things I have to do. So this week I bought 1.7 liters of ice cream and ate ice cream every single morning for breakfast. It was great. I think I might make a habit of it. This week looks like cookies and cream.
Also, when I say ice cream realize that it is the Philippines equivalent of ice cream. Which is made up mostly of hydrogenetized milk solids (whatever that is).

Also, we walked by a house the other day tracting and a lady called me over in english. She was just by the fence, standing with her daughter. She said "wow, you're so cute" "those blue eyes are beautiful" and "have you ever seen any half Filipino half American kids? They're sooo cute" So I was pretty sure what she was getting at. Then she introduces her daughter (pretty cute by the way) and tells me that she's already a registered nurse and is practicing at a local hospital. And then comes the question "how old are you?" so I told her 21. Then she kindof sighs and says "too young...." So I ask her "I'm sorry...?" Then she says" you are only 21 and my daughter is already 25" And then the daughter hits her on the arm and walks inside. And then I said really quickly "but I turn 22 this september..." hahaha. No, I didn't really say that. I just set up a return appointment that we got punted at on sunday. So I guess she really doesn't want me for an inlaw that bad.

I forgot to tell you about this. We were invited to speak at a citywide health seminar two weeks ago. It was cool. There were all these booths and everything, and we went and shared a short message to all the senior citizens. They came in in groups of 5 to 14. So we talked to a lot of people. Then the relief society explained 72 hour kits. It was fun. And we got free lunch. And a cool tag that says EXHIBITOR. It was almost like E3, but instead of the next generation of consols it got vitamin c supplements and ampalaya pills (a really really really bitter fruit here that is supposed to be good for diabetes. It's probably because it sucks all the sweetness out of you and makes you hate your life .It's really bitter.)
Also, President says thanks for the cards and everything. He said it's really apparent that dad's a pilot, and that you are the only parents who send cards and keep up thanking him and stuff. So he said he's sorry he hasn't been able to reply, but he'll try to find a way. My interview was really good. His first question was: so what are your plans after the mission? I told him I was going to study at BYU and enter the air Force and hopefully become an international affairs officer some day (not sure if that's actually a job in the air force). So then he asked me more questions and said he could tell I was going to go really far. Then I told him I hope I go far, because that's what it'll take if I want to get home. I'm almost on the other side of the world here. And then he started to ask another question. I think he was starting to say what, or where, or how, or maybe just tell me that I'm probably the best looking missionary(Elder of course) he's ever seen or probably something like that. It really doesn't matter that much what he didn't say. whatever he was supposed to say he stopped himself and said "well, this is too much like an exit interview. We'll save that for a couple more weeks."
It was a good interview. I realized that everything that's normal weakness or problems is being attributed to trunkiness even if that would have happened anyways. So I don't worry about it anymore. He told me some good stuff. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. So I really want to have that same feeling in three weeks when I get interviewed again. So I'll give my all. In his closing prayer he thanked God for my parents who have such a thankful manner and are offering up prayers constantly for me and those I serve. So good job. Keep up the good work.
The whole zone experienced success this week, and hopefully we can keep the excitement up.
We got some people to church. I was really happy about it. And the branch president's wife was a pro at being a fellowshipper. She's the bomb.
Also, we planned a film showing (pirated copy of Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration) for the 28 and the Branch President told us we should make it into a farewell party for me. And that makes me shy. So I told him no, it could just be a film showing to get referrals. And then realized I'm not looking forward to that part of going home, everyone making a big deal and me being the center of attention. So I figure Brett should just go home at the same time as me, so at least it will be split and I won't feel so awkward. But then again, if Trevor's going to be my companion there's no way I can escape feeling awkward. Cause let's face it, he's just an awkward guy.

Oh yeah, by the way,
Happy Mother's Day mom!!!!!! Don't get spit on by a camel. I've heard they're worse spitters than a big leaguer with a fresh new can of dip.

Slacker

That is the word that my family has used when referring to my blogging of late. I am way overdue with Brett and Kyle updates. So I will put several excerpts from their letters of the past month. You know, they will be home very soon. Then what will I put on the blog? Oh, and Morocco pictures will follow shortly.

Transformers!

The transformation of Optimus Sydney!
We started with this...

Getting closer...

Isn't she beautiful?!

Sydney participated in the Desoto Central Middle School Pageant last night. She didn't win anything but she was definitely the most beautiful girl there!

Yes, Brett and Kyle are still alive

It has been a very long time since I posted anything from Brett and Kyle. They are doing great. Brett is on his last transfer in the office. He has really enjoyed taking care of the financial side of things in Bilbao. And he says he has more landlord negotiation skills than anyone should ever be subjected to! Kyle is in Roxas as the Zone leader as you can see from the picture below he is really enjoying the Philippine culture!



From Kyle:

Happy Monday! I’m feeling good right now. We had the wonderful opportunity to play basketball this morning and I totally dominated under the rim (It’s probably more due to my height than any physical prowess). Then I was put on the team with some other Elders who had been talking it up a bit and even had their own uniforms custom made. They just camped out in our end and waited for me to try and defend and steal under the goal on my own and then chuck the ball to them. So it was okay. At least I got a good work out.
Speaking of workout, I’m officially on a diet. That basically means I take one less scoop of rice. No, we go jogging in the mornings and I work out as well. Just on abs and upper torso. I’m trying to get in shape so I won’t be too shocked when I go back to ROTC. Also, I need to be able to get chicks right away so I can write cool stories to Brett for five weeks that will make him mad.
This all boils down to, it was perfect timing for a package full of candy and pancake mix. Thanks a lot. It was awesome. And the cookies too. And I’m also happy to see that the Walgreens truffles have welcomed the new year with a brand new blue box. Also, I’m assuming the cheese sauce is for mac and cheese. If it’s not, you should try it. And throw in some ground beef and peppers. Actually pretty good.
About the trip. That sounds totally sweet. Chilling on boats, getting a good tan back that doesn’t have a really high collar mark. And the program for dad. I think one thing for me to learn was not to get mad at people when they break the rules. Because that’s our whole purpose as missionaries, to help people keep the rules. It extends to missionaries as well. We had to fix a problem this week, and it was interesting. It wasn’t big, it just kind of bums you out. Fortunately Sunday was awesome.
We had a zone wide fast for people to come to church. It turned out awesome. I learned a lot about fasting. Like, it really works. Okay, so I already knew that, but my faith was strengthened even more. I made an effort this time to think about specific people whenever I felt hungry (not often) and thirsty (the second I started). The thirst is really what gets you, especially because we were going to teach a family on Saturday at 11 and they randomly invited us to eat first. So our schedule got thrown off, especially because I planned to down a liter of water first. Unfortunately their water was from the well, which makes my tummy sick when consumed in large amounts. It was good though, fried salted fish cooked in tomatoes. There was supposed to be eggs added in, but the family is really poor. We offered to go buy some but they didn’t want us to. They ended up coming to church.
Sunday morning I got dressed up. Wore the sweet gold tie. Did my hair for the first time in forever. Wore the shirt I got tailored that’s just a little bit too small. (I’ve lost weight since then so it fits nice). And then we walked to church. And then we waited for the investigators to start pouring in. But first we had to wait for someone to grab a key to unlock the front gate. Mind you this was 20 minutes after priesthood is supposed to start. There were about 4 of us.
But they came eventually. And so did the investigators. We got 9 to show up. Our other family of 4 didn’t show because they had helped to welcomed a new baby into the Christian world by getting plastered after his baptism. It’s okay though, because they were just there to cook and didn’t get back until 3. Which is really late for a culture that’s usually asleep at 7. It’s good though, they’ll come next week. I was extremely surprised to see someone show up that we haven’t taught for 2 weeks. And she brought 3 relatives with her that we made sure to visit after church so we could count them investigators.
All in all, good Sunday, good week. Except for when I randomly heard this jimmy eat world song that made me stop in my tracks while all these middle school memories flowed through my head. Also, trevor check out the band al city. The new missionary brought a cd and I like to wait a couple seconds before reminding him to turn it off because it sounds good.
I love you all. Take care.

From Brett--

So everybody....sorry about last weeks email being so short. I know it probably totally devastated all of you and killed your spirits for a while not being nurtured by the sweet words and spirit of your favorite Elder in the field. Man. As Jackie Kennedy once said, "Bummer Dude!"

So I will deflate my head a bit now and begin to recount my past week. Eduardo did not get baptized, and I´m still bummed, but the best part is that we have had 3 visits since and in every one he has expressed a testimony and a desire to get baptized still. He just needs more time. In the last few weeks his marriage has fallen apart (nothing to do with the church, which surprises us) and he decide to wait until things calm down. Don´t know if it´s the best decision, but it´s what he´s doing. So we have a tentative date set for the 13 of Ferbruary. That is forever away, so hopefully he will in a week or so get good and we will just say, ok, this Saturday. It´s my dream.
Other than that, we have found some cool new people to teach. One muslim from Morrocco. I love Morroccans. And muslims. It´s funny cause it really seems like they would be the first people to recognize the truth of our message and convert. I am convinced that if we just flooded the middle east with the first lesson folleto (pamphlet) and copies of the book of mormon, we would have stakes there before we could have missionaries. Also my professor at BYU beleived that the angel Gabriel really did appear to mohammed and there was just a general apostasy of truth. Go figure. I could see it being true. So his name is Joseph and the best part is that he speaks spanish(kind of a requirement, since we don´t speak arabic.) He´s tight, so we´ll see if he gains a testimony when he reads the book of mormon. It is the best book to give somebody a testimony of the role and mission of jesus christ. So he also taught us some muslim customs and phrases. One "Insh´alla" is one that I have read and heard in countless movies and books right before the terrorist blows himself up. Luckily those books and movies are overdone, cause nothing really happened. No, but he´s tight.
So I have also been going crazy around the office, trying to get stuff tied down and resolve a whole bunch of lio´s(my favorite word, like a complicated jumble mess). And I have put an extra effort into organizing my desk and getting solved many problems that are long and complicated. Why you ask? Cause I am training, starting next Tuesday. Elder Holmes, in my group, is coming to be the new financial secretary, but I will be here training him for 1 transfer. I was shocked when Sean mentioned how he trained for 5 days. So I want everything to be in order so that he can start learning. Unluckily for him, we are still going down in missionaries, 73 in the whole north of Spain. We are closing some cities and sister missionary areas, henceforth we must take care of all the dumb piso closing stuff. And we have to baptize lots of people this transfer, and we have to meet the mission vision which is 1 baptism, and every week 15 lessons, 3 new investigators, and 3 in church. Not going to be easy. They never said it would be easy, they only said it would be worth it. And Actually they never even said that.

Roadshow?! That´s very exciting. Also I felt the long arm of Uncle Sam grabbing me and beginning to tug, I got a letter from the BYU ROTC det. It´s the monthly newsletter, or maybe the semester one, but it clearly outlines the rigors of FTP training sophomore year. Hint, Hint.
So I will try to ignore it and pretend that my meager physical excercise every other morning will get me ready. I also got granddad´s package and it seems like he knows exactly what it is like on a mission. It was the most brilliant package I had ever seen, very well done. Most of it is already gone. I love you all and hope you don´t get sick and I will be praying for all of you. Take it easy.
-Elder Anderson

Rite of Passage

Yesterday Sydney and Trent entered that phase of life looked forward to and hated by all preteens and teens--

BRACES!!

Isn't she beautiful. Is this a great picture for the wedding reception slide show, or what?

Trent tried to avoid the black mail picture but Dr. Shawn was faster! At least it isn't as bad as his sister's.