Week 60: Activities

Well, this week actually had quite a few activities that we were involved in here in Versailles!

First off, with the Work of Salvation program, we've been trying to get members a little more involved in missionary work. A major way that we've been doing it is trying to have Family Home Evenings at members homes. Well, we had a member call us up a week and a half ago to ask about it. He was a member who was in the Antony ward, and he just moved to the Versailles ward! My companion and I both know him really well! He said that him and his wife just moved into the ward boundaries and wanted to have the missionaries over, and he was surprised to find out that it was us two! So he invited us over for last Monday night. The day before going to his house, he told us that he was inviting 3 non member friend over too! What an awesome member! Seriously, it was such an awesome experience and we had such a great time! We had good discussions and the member was so happy that we had come. He even said he would be doing it again so that his friends could get to know us even better! That really was a miracle for us!

On Wednesday we were invited to a Young Men's activity, so that we could get to know the young men. Of course, it was an eating activity haha. It went great and we had such a good time getting to know each other!

On Saturday, my companion and I went to the chapel to prepare it for a baptism. It was a baptism for an 8 year old girl from another ward. The father was so thankful for our help and there were some little miracles that happened (like figuring out how to work the projector haha) and the baptism was fantastic. It was such an awesome experience, and we even got to talk to a lot of non member friends and family members that they had invited to the baptism! 

We lost our car this week. Haha okay, we didn't lose it, we just gave it back. This week we gave a few senior couple missionaries rides home at night, and that made us feel good because they were so thankful for our service.Also, a new senior missionary couple arrived here, and we picked them up from their hotel to bring them to the mission home. We lost our car because the mission was trading in the car that we had for a new one, and then giving the new one to the senior couple haha. It's okay though, because we'll be getting another car soon.

We haven't got a whole lot planned for this week yet, but I'm sure it'll be as eventful as we can make it! And that's how your week will be too! Make it the best that it can be!

Oh, and have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're going to be celebrating a little bit here haha we're having a meeting with our zone where we'll eat some Thanksgiving style food (rotisserie chicken, veggie platters, mashed potatoes, stuff like that) and then talk a little bit, and then back to work! And Thanksgiving night we're going to be doing splits with members of the ward here to visit less active members! What an awesome way to spend Thanksgiving! Plus, it'll help me keep my figure haha

Have a great week! And remember who you are! Haha and keep warm!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 59: Exciting Week!

This week was a very exciting week! But at the beginning of the week, we had no idea that it was going to be so exciting haha.

Early this week we went to visit a recent convert in the ward. Her name is Emelienne. She is SUPER nice and she loves the missionaries! She was baptized a few months ago. She lives with her son who isn't a member yet, but when we went to visit her, he wasn't there. Turns out, last week he was in the parking lot in his car, but forgot something in the apartment, so he left the car running, ran up to the apartment, and when he went back down, his car had been stolen. So, he had to move in with a friend closer to his work. We ended up talking to her about not letting challenges in life bring us down and to work with what we've got and deal with whatever comes our way! And never lose faith! It was a super good lesson and I was thankful that we had it too. Also, we learned that no matter how safe something might seem, we should never let our guard down! Because someone might steal your car! haha and it has a great spiritual analogy that can go along with it too!

On Thursday we visited a less active member, and she has been having a rough time in her life lately. We invited her to come to church and she came! And she brought her 3 kids too! It's always great to see that, especially when the member testifies themselves of the importance of church in their life.

Later on Thursday, we found out that we would be having 2 general authorities come to visit Paris haha on Saturday! Not a lot of notice, but the mission made it happen! Not the whole mission was invited to come, because that would have been too complicated, but the 4 zones around Paris came. It was at our chapel in Versailles and so we were in charge of setting up and ordering all the food haha. The conference went so well! The general authorities that came were President Osguthorpe, General President of Sunday School, and Brother Ridd, Second Counselor in the General Young Men's Presidency. We went up to shake their hands before the meeting and Brother Ridd asked me where I was from, I said "Katy, Texas" (instead of just Houston, like I normally do) and he immediately asked who my stake president was, and he said that he knew President Allen because Brother Ridd had lived for 11 years just off of the Katy Freeway and Highway 6! It was super cool to talk to him! Then the conference was really great and they talked to us about real intent, desire, decisions, and determination. It was awesome!

Yesterday there were 2 baptisms at the Versailles chapel, but neither one was for our ward. One was for the Antony ward though! So my companion and I had been put in charge of making sure that the baptismal font and the building were all ready for the baptism, so we got to stay for it! There was another big meeting that was going on in the chapel, so we had to have the baptismal service in a smaller room. It was awesome to see the missionaries and the members that I knew when I was in Antony! The man who got baptized was SO happy to be baptized and to start his new life! It was such an incredible baptism. While we waited for him to change his clothes after the baptism, we sang hymns together in the smaller room that we had. Everyone was so happy and we could feel the Spirit so strong. When the newly baptized man walked in, he was so happy to be in there with us. It was such an awesome experience!

So, all in all, it was an incredible week! Oh, and in other news, we gave Soeur Poznanski her car back and they gave us another one haha. I think that is all for this week!

I hope you all have an amazing week and that you make the most of it! Keep working hard and keep smiling!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 58: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

This last week was an interesting one, that's for sure! Not super super eventful, but still a good week!

On Monday we visited a recent convert who has been having trouble adapting to life as a member. Before, she had the missionaries who had taught her, but now they have left and she misses them. We visitied her and she is doing a lot better now! We reminded her of how much the Lord loves her and that the missionaries brought her the happiness that she has now and that she can't let it go to waste! She's been doing better yesterday at church :)

On Friday, we had our interviews with Président Poznanski and Sœur Poznanski, and they were great! After the interviews at the mission home, Président Poznanski asked us if we had gotten our car yet (when I moved to this area we were supposed to get a car). We said no, and then he and his wife asked "Well, then how are you going to get back to your apartment?" and we said "The train?" Well, they weren't too happy with that answer, so Sœur Poznanski gave us her car until we get one haha. The trick was, Président Poznanski asked if I had ever driven in the mission before and I said no, then he asked if I had ever driven a manuel before, and I said no again haha. So, a senior missionary hopped in the car with me, I spent about 20 minutes driving, then I had to watch a safe driving video, and then they sent us off! So, this last week I learned that an old dog CAN learn new tricks, because I got to learn how to drive a manuel transmission in Paris haha no stress! But hey, now I have a new skill that I can use for the rest of my life!

We've had to drive a decent amount since then too, so it's a good thing that we have the car! I also received a package this week! It actually got to France on October 31st (right on time for Halloween!) but I had been transferred. But I assure you that the candy is still delicious! Thank you so much Mom!

Well, it's starting to get cold here now, and that's not my favorite thing, but I'm surviving! I'm excited to see what miracles there are that I'm going to see!

I hope you all have an awesome week!

à la prochaine!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 57: Versailles

Well, here I am in Versailles! It's a little crazy to be here haha I was a little surprised when I got transferred, but I'm super excited to be in Versailles! It was sad to leave Antony because I liked it a lot there, but I'm sure I'll see the people there again sometime!

Oh, here is my new mailing address:

Les Missionnaires

Elder Daniel Anderson

6, rue Romain Gary

78180 Montigny Les Bretonneux

FRANCE

So this last week actually started while I was still in Antony. Elder Lamb and I had gone to teach an ami last week and when we got to his house, there were missionaries from another church there. Our ami (his name is Djédjé Kohio, and he's from the Ivory Coast) didnt mean to plan it that way, but needless to say, it was a little awkward for everyone in the room haha.

Well, they had been there first, so we sat and listened to what they were teachin him, and then our ami asked us to share what we thought. Without bashing, we simply shared our beliefs and invited everyone to pray to know what the truth was. Everyone agreed on that, the lesson ended, and the other missionaries left. Then the ami came over to talk to us for a little bit. We talked and we told him that I would be moving to another city and he was a little sad, but he gave me his address and told me that I had to send him a wedding invitation when I get home haha. He then thanked us for coming and said how much he had appreciated the visit and set up a next rendezvous. Then a couple days later, we're in the apartment and our phone rings and it's Kohio! He said that he wanted to meet with us more often, because he wants to be baptized! He said that he knew that he wanted to be baptized and that he wanted to do it soon because he has no reason to wait. He knows what he needs to do and wants to be taught everything! It was such a miracle! We definitely thanked our Heavenly Father for that blessing!

Then on Tuesday I went on exchanges with Elder Nelson and we taught a couple awesome lessons. We had a great time! Then we went to pick up a couple missionaries from a train station in Paris who were going to be staying in our apartment that night. And then that night, I spent packing. On Wednesday I spent the day in a train station in Paris with Elder Lamb helping incoming missionaries from other cities know how to get to where they needed, and then once that was over I headed to Versailles with my new companion! Elder Jensen! He was actually my second district leader on the mission, and I went on exchanges with him in La Rochelle! Then he went to Charleroi at the same time as me! Then he got transferred to Antony, where I ended up replacing him, and now he's my companion! We've been around each other our whole missions! So we know each other well and it's going to be great!

Being in Versailles sure is different! There are 4 companionships of missionaries in the ward here, 3 senior couples, and then the mission president! We also will be driving a car soon, so that'll be another new adventure!

Yesterday there was a baptism here! It was so great! A couple months ago a man was baptized here and yesterday his wife was baptized! It was such an awesome experience for their family! And that is the best part of the gospel! That families can be together forever!

I know that I've been promising pictures for a long time, so here are some!

JUST LIST ALL OF THE PICTURES ON HERE FROM THE FIRST EMAIL THAT YOU GET TO THE LAST.

Patrick and me, and Gwendoline and Véronique in Charleroi

Our new mission car! I wish haha

The Van Hulst family!

Last meal at Patrick's house

Cool moon picture from the apartment during the day haha

Me and a lion haha classic, right?

The kids that got baptized while I was in Charleroi!

The parents of the kids haha the Tedesco family!

2 awesome guys from the other Charleroi ward

This is one of my buddies on the mission, Elder Paruahi. He's from Tahiti and this was just before he headed home.

It's amazing what you can find while helping people move...

 an old copy of monopoly in french that we also found haha

Me and Elder Anderson from my MTC group on our year mark!

Me at Sacré Coeur!

This is in one of the Paris church houses, it's the staircase that leads up to the YSA section haha pretty fancy!

Elder Lamb and I in front of the Eiffel Tower at night!

Eiffel Tower at night!

hai food! Thank you Soeur Ferrazza!

More Thai food! It was soo good!

I hope that makes up for the lack of pictures lately! I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween and an awesome week and that this next one is even better! Keep smiling!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 56: Transfer Surprises

So, I need to start out with a little shout out because it is a special day today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATRINA! It's my sister's birthday and she deserves a happy birthday! She's the one who makes this blog happen, so if I ever tell any good stories, it's probably just her changing my words around to make me sound cool haha but really, she's awesome!

Also, another shout out, I want to say thank you so much to the Katy 2nd Ward Beehives! I got your card! Thank you so much, you girls are awesome!

This week was an interesting one, that's for sure! It was the last week of the transfer and it was also my companions birthday this week! So, we got invited over a lot haha. But first...

On Tuesday we went and visited a man that we had met at the Chinese restaurant last week, and on our way, our train got cancelled. So...we called him to tell him, and he said he would just come pick us up. YES. So he took us to his house, and when we walked in he started playing an old cassette tape of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! So we listened to "Onward Christian Soldiers!" with him haha and it was old school! The lesson went pretty well, and he's a cool guy from Madagascar. It's pretty exciting how the Lord puts people in our path for us to find and help!

On Wednesday, we had a super interesting experience. My companion, Elder Lamb, had an aunt who was actually in town and our mission president gave her permission to take us out to dinner for Elder Lamb's birthday! So, she came and took us out to get some fancy pizza over by the Eiffel Tower. No big deal I guess....haha I was in awe. It was so cool! And she was super nice! She even took a picture of me and Elder Lamb and emailed it to my mom from her phone haha.

On Thursday we went over to a member's house (Soeur Ferrazza) to do a little service, and then to eat! Well, her and a thai friend made some DELICIOUS thai food! Wow it was incredible. I was so happy haha she had done it for my companions birthday, but I sure felt like it was mine haha I was so happy to be eating Thai food! I'll be sending pictures soon!

So, another miracle. Do you remember when I told the story of when we went to visit a less active member, they weren't there, so we contacted some people and found 2 people that said they would come to church? And then we found a man on the bus too? Well, this last week, that less active member (who actually is not less active, but left the church completely when he was younger) called us up and said that he wanted to meet with us. He had been reading some in the Book of Mormon and he had been watching Mormon Messages on youtube, and he felt like he needed to see us. So we went to see him, of course! It was an incredible meeting! He told us about his life, and about spiritual experiences that he had had in his life and how special they were to him. He talked about his parents and brothers and how much he loves them and respects the good examples they are to him. He told us about how he sings Primary songs with his 3 year old son before he goes to bed every night. He told us also that the night we had passed by and he wasn't there, it was a miracle. He said that the day before he had prayed for a really long time asking how he could improve his life and what he needed to do to have the life that he wanted. The next night, we passed by his house (and missionaries hadn't passed by in a year) and he wasn't there. When he got home, his wife (who is not a member of the church) told him that we had passed by, and he said he knew immediately that it was a sign. Sometimes we don't understand the reason for everything, but when we look back, we can understand perfectly. Before we left that appointment, he asked us if we could sing with him, so he grabbed his guitar and we sang "I am a Child of God" and then "The Army of Helaman" song. It was a really special night.

Also, another surprise! And a little background: this transfer I've been having some problems with my back. It's getting better now, don't worry! But until it's completely better, the mission president wants me to take it easy a little, so I'm not going to be a zone leader this next transfer. But he said that he's going to put me right back as soon as he can haha so we'll see what happens. So, I'm being transferred this week! And I'm going to be living in....Versailles! Haha not bad right? haha I guess I'm being spoiled a little, but I don't mind! I know I'm going to love it! I'm sad that I'm already leaving Antony, because I really like the people here, but I know it will be great in Versailles too!

Now for a little wisdom from the mission president's wife, Soeur Poznanski. This week she told us to never give up on our goals! She said that when we make good goals, Satan will try to stop us because he doesn't want us to succeed, and that makes it look, at times, like our goals are impossible to attain. Don't give in to that temptation! We might have challenges along the way, but don't ever give up! Get back up, and show Satan that you are better than him! He can't bring you down to be miserable like him! Soeur Poznanski is a smart lady, trust me! I mean, even Elder Ballard copied her "bring a soul to Christ for Christmas" idea! haha everyone in the mission loved that during General Conference! That has been our goal here for Christmas for the past 2 years!

Our mission motto this year is Ether 3:5, and it's a powerful, but simple scripture. Read it! And think about how much power the Lord has already shown in your life, even if they are little things. And remember always that you can rely on Him to help you!

Have an awesome week! Keep smiling!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 55: More Exchanges?

This last week started with a trip last Monday to Sacré Coeur. Yes, I went to Catholic Church! Okay, not really, I just went to the cathedral haha I don't have any pictures that I can send right now, but I'll send an email soon with all the pictures that I've been taking recently. It was an awesome cathedral though! And the view from it was incredible! You can see all of Paris! I promise I'll send pictures soon haha

That same night we had some missionaries coming in from far because they had something to do in Paris the next day, so we led them through the Paris metro system haha and it went well! I never thought I would understand the Paris metro system, but now it's no big deal! The missionaries we were helping are good friends of mine, one was trained by an Elder who was with me in the MTC (Elder Mataele) and that missionary is now training! That sure made me feel old haha.

On the way to help them, while on the metro, a girl tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was mormon, so I said yes and she was so relieved haha she had moved to Paris a month earlier from Madagascar and had been looking for the church! We were in the right place at the right time!

We met with Cédric this week (the man we met on the bridge last week) and he really wants to turn his life around! We're really excited for him and he is so sincere! He came to church again and he's doing so much better!

On Thursday we ate at a Chinese Buffet (paid for by Soeur Ferrazza haha) and it was super good! And while we were in there, we started talking with 2 different families about the church! They asked us who we were, and then we had great conversations with them! We're going to visit one of the families this week!

On Thursday night and Friday morning I had an exchange with Elder Coffey, one of the assistants to the mission president. It was awesome! We found a few people and taught some lessons! One of the people we met was from the Philippines and was interested to learn more and asked if she could invite friends too!

On Saturday we helped a family move from one apartment to another for most of the day, and then we went to une Soirée Africaine! An African themed party at the church! Alejandro and Rolando came, and also a few other amis! It was awesome! I'll send pictures of that as soon as I can too. It was an incredible activity, and even though the missionaries had to leave before it was over, some amis stayed because they were having so much fun!

It was a week full of awesome experiences! And I learned a lot! One of the biggest things I learned this week is that it is never too late to change our lives! It's never too late to do whatever it takes to commit ourselves to follow Christ! That should always be our goal in life!

Make it an awesome week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 54: Exchanges

This week I went on a couple exchanges that were awesome! The first one was with an elder that used to be an assistant to the mission president, and him and I already knew each other. It was an awesome exchange and we got a lot done! We taught 3 people, and one of them was a man with a baptismal date! During the lesson we asked him if he had been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it, and he told us that he had been doing it, and that he received an answer to his prayers. We waited with our breath held, and then he said that he knew that the Book of Mormon was true. Whenever he is tired, something always urges him to read it, even if it's just a little. He said the way he feels in the church makes him know that it's true and it's where he belongs. It was an incredible meeting! He's getting baptized this Saturday!

We also had a first lesson with a man named Max, and he loved the lesson! He said that he wanted to know for himself what our church teaches, and he loved the teachings. He had already read a little in the Book of Mormon and he was excited to come to church too!

My next exchange was with Elder Nelson, the new missionary in our apartment. It was really good! While we were on our way to a lesson, our tram randomly got stopped, and no one understood what was going on. So we all got off the tram and waited for the next one. We called the man that we were going to visit to tell him we would be late, and then got on the next tram. While walking to the appointment (across a bridge over the Seine River), we saw a man that seemed to be looking at us as he walked past, so we stopped and talked with him. Turns out he is a member and was baptized 2 years earlier, but went inactive soon after because things got hard in his life. He said that he had been praying for help recently and he knew that God had put us in his path that day while he was walking home from work. That tram hadn't kicked everyone off for nothing! Maybe it kicked everyone else off for nothing, but not us!

Also this week we taught a bus driver while he was driving the bus haha and he decided he wanted to meet with us more, and the lesson went really well! We're really excited to keep teaching him!

On Saturday there was a baptism of a girl who found the church online, met with the missionaries for a year, and is now 18 and got baptized! She invited 10 friends to her baptism that weren't members! It was awesome!

One Sunday at church, guess who came. The man we met on the bridge on the way to our appointment! It was his first time coming to church in a super long time and he was so happy to be there! He had been in a different ward before, and so it was his first time at our ward too. He's just awesome!

Well, those are the highlights of the week! I hope you guys have an awesome week! Keep making good decisions and being the best you can be! I'm off to see a little bit of Paris haha

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 53: Week of Conference

So, this week had a lot of conference in it for me! I'll explain that a little later haha first, at the beginning of this week we had a miracle happen! We went to go visit a less active member, and he wasn't home. Sounds like a good miracle, right? Well, we decided to do a little contacting in the area, and so we started with a prayer. The first man we talked to was interested and talked to us for a bit, and said he would like to come to church sometime! 

After the contact, we prayed to thank Heavenly Father for that blessing and then continued to contact people. A few people later, we met another man who said he would really be interested in coming to church, and he actually lives pretty close to us. This was all in a matter of 20 minutes! Then we had to go catch the bus to make it home in time. 

When we were on the bus, a man sat next to me and asked "Are you paid to do what you do, or is it just faith?" and that sparked an incredible conversation and friendship! He turned out to be a 26 year old lawyer who had studied at UCLA, was French, spoke 5 languages, had worked on a case for Chevron (just another connection haha), and had already read the Book of Mormon! We talked with him for a while as he walked home, and he said he was super interested and he was also super open! So, even though we didnt get to teach the less active, the Lord knew where we needed to be and made a way for us to be there!

On Friday we had Zone Conference, and that was awesome as always! We had to give another training, which went well, and then Président Poznanski gave us our new goal for the end of the year! It's that every companionship in the mission brings a family to Christ by Christmas! Everyone is super excited about it! Also at the conference, I got to talk to an Elder from Thailand! He's from Chiang Mai and it was super cool to talk to him!

Then there was General Conference. What an amazing weekend! I hope everyone got to watch or listen to General Conference, because it really was incredible! Also, there are now 15 million members of the church! That's awesome! 

A few things that I loved from conference were these paraphrased quotes:

Elder Ulisses Saores: We will avoid detours and sadness in life if we walk hand in hand with the Lord.

Elder Edward Dube: Faith always points to the future.

President Monson: Home Teaching - Teach, Inspire, and Motivate!

Also from President Monson, the poem that he cited that said "Good timber does not grow with ease."

It was an inspiring weekend and if you haven't already, I challenge all of you to watch every session of conference! I know the Spirit will testify to you fo the things that you can do in your life to bring yourself closer to the Savior! I know it worked for me!

Have an incredible week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 52: Life in Paris

First off, shout out to my bro Markus! It's his birthday today!! If you haven't said happy birthday to him yet, you should! He's the coolest dude ever and I'm so lucky to have him as my brother!

This week was an interesting one haha not a tone of stuff happened, but I had some good experiences! Last Wednesday was the first training that I have had to give as a Zone Leader. I was pretty nervous about it! It went great though, and the training that we gave was really inspiring for all the missionaries. It was about how we are all in this together and that w're all on the same team! Also, that we should always be an invitation to learn. That's so true! People should see members of the church as invitations to learn! We should always be ready to share the Gospel when the opportunity presents itself! It was a great training, and a great learning experience for me!  

I also got to meet some of our amis here, and that has been really fun! We're teaching some great people here! Even though I don't know them super well yet, I'm loving it here!

One of our amis is Alejandro, a man from Peru. He's super nice! We were planning on meeting with him last Saturday, and the day before he called us and asked if he could invite a friend to come too. His friend is Rolando, and he lived in the US for a few months. So we met with them, gave them a tour of the church, and turns out that Rolando's whole family are members and his brother served a mission in Columbia! But Rolando isn't a member! So it's going to be pretty excited teaching him! Miracles happen! They both also came to church and Sunday and said that they really liked it. Again, miracles happen.

That's about all for this last week, I'm sorry that it isn't that exciting! I'll try to have more adventures to share next week! And pictures too!

BUT, before next week, we have General Conference this weekend! Go watch it! Watch it online! Make sure you hear it somehow, because it's an incredible opportunity and experience!

Keep it real! à la prochaine!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 51: Livin' In Paris

Well, I'm in Paris! You know, living that life of a missionary. It's definitely a lot different here! It's not what I was used to before, but I love it! I started my mission in a small ville here in France (Poitiers, which is now no longer in my mission, but in the southern France mission) then I went to Charleroi which was a pretty good sized ville, and now I'm in Paris. Sure, we only have a part of it and the suburbs around it, but it's a whole lot different than anything I've done before! My life has definitely gotten busier!

It was sad saying goodbye to everyone in Charleroi, and seeing people cry is never my favorite things, but it was time for a change. The Lord needed me somewhere else! The transfer went fine, and it was exciting to get to my new ville! My new companion is Elder Lamb, he is from Utah, and he is awesome! He's super funny and we get along great! I'm really excited about this transfer!

I don't have any pictures this week because I forgot to bring the stuff with me, but next week I'll put them up! We started this week by doing some renovation on a house! Not bad, right? We didn't do a TON, but that's impossible in one day. It was a cool experience though! We were doing service for a member, and she was so thankful! And she fed us really well afterwards!

On Friday we had mission council, which was a long meeting for all the leaders. It was a really good meeting! I sure learned a lot and I'm excited about the miracles that we're going to see in our mission! After the meeting, we headed back to our area because we had a sports night planned, but I didn't play any sports haha I sat and talked with a less active member that gave us a ride. He is super awesome and I was really happy that I got to talk with him!

After that was a lot of planning, a lot of missionary work, and the church on Sunday! I got to meet a member from Thailand that we knew when we lived in Thailand, so that was super cool! Church was great, as always, and I even got to go up and introduce myself and bear my testimony!

We're going to be having an exciting week, so I'm looking forward to it! I hope you guys all have an awesome week too!

Keep it real and keep working hard!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 50: Je vais en France!

Well, it's the day of transfer emails. I guess every few emails home, I say that haha but it seems like there's a lot of time in between!

I'm going to start with a quick summary of how this week went though haha. First, last P-day, our Ward Mission Leader, Patrick, took us to see a castle! It was incredible haha I had my pre conceptions of how it was going to be, but it blew my mind. Here are some pictures:

Ephesians 6:13-19 The Armor of God!

So, that was a pretty awesome way to start the week! I was loving life pretty good!

Then after that, our ami Dogan is still doing incredible and is super excited for his baptism in October! He is doing EVERYTHING possible to keep all of the commandments and wants to make the changes in his life! That is what the Gospel is all about! October 19th is going to be an incredible day in Charleroi!

I've been feeling pretty sure that I was leaving Charleroi soon, so I've seen a lot of members, less active families, and amis that I've worked with during the last 6 months to say goodbye. It's sad! But I know I'll come back to see all the people here someday! And we've left them with the bread of life, and that can keep them happy for their entire lives!

Sunday, we headed up to Brussels for special conference with Bishop Dean M. Davies of the Presiding Bishropric. It was an AMAZING conference! All the missionaries had to stand, along with a lot of members, because there just wasn't enough space for everyone! Bishop Davies also gave an amazing talk and I learned a lot! He shared a story about when he was on the high council and how he told his daughter one time that he had to go to another church that day (to give a talk) and she responded "Heavenly Father won't be very happy!" haha he shared a lot of great stories with us!

Then last night I got a call from Président Poznanski. Well, he gave me a little heads up of what transfers were going to be like for me! I'm heading to Antony to be a zone leader! I'm pretty nervous about it haha but I know that as long as I do what the Lord asks of me, that things will be great! It'll take a lot of prayer and work, but I'm willing to do it! Oh, and Antony is southern Paris area, so big city here I come haha

Sorry, that's all I have time to write, but here is my new address:

27, rue de Fontenay

92340 Bourg-La-Reine

France

I hope you all have an awesome week! Make it memorable, and make it spiritual! Thank you all for all of your prayers!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 49: Last Week

Well, this is the last week of the transfer. It's always sad to see the end of a transfer come around. C'est triste! I've been in Charleroi for about 6 months now, and sadly, I'm probably going to be leaving next week. It'll be an awesome new adventure! But I'll still miss it here.

So, a miracle that happened last week that I forgot to share. We were street contacting here in town, and we decided to walk down this street, that really didnt have many people on it, but we decided to go down it anyways. Halfways down the road, someone comes running up to us and asked if we were Mormon, and it turns out that he was a Bulgarian member who was in town for 2 months for work, but had no idea where the church was and can't speak french (he speaks english though haha). So we were able to help him out and it was a nice little miracle :)

I went to Mons this last week for exchanges! It was awesome, and it's been along time since I've been there. It's a beautiful city! A lot of cool stuff happened during the exchange too! We met an american guy who plays basketball for the team in Mons, and he played college ball for Xavier. His name is Justin Cage haha he immediately offered us free tickets to come to some games because we're american haha. Just after that we were talking to an older lady and in the middle of the conversation she turned to me and said "I bet you go out dancing with girls a lot huh? You look like you would have a lot of girls to go out dancing with. Is that true?" hahaha it made me laugh and then got to explain that we don't do that kind of stuff as missionaries haha. Later that night we were knocking doors and an Italian guy let us in and fed us pasta! He had known a member of the church when he was young and so he wanted to treat us a little bit haha.

We also met an awesome guy street contacting that was super interested and only spoke english. He already had a Book of Mormon and wanted to learn more, but he just didnt know where to go! Good thing there are missionaries!

Back in Charleroi, we had another miracle! We had received a referral from the chruch headquarters (from the website) of someone who wanted to meet with us. Awesome right?! Well, his phone number didnt work and we got his address, but not his house number. So what did we do? We went and knocked all the doors on his road! And guess what happened! We didnt find him. Instead, we found a family. AWESOME. They had a lot of questions about religion, and they are really believing, but they didnt understand why there were so many interpretations of the Bible. They also wanted clarification on a few things, and it was just a perfect rendez-vous! And they loved talking with us and they really want to meet with us again! We're still going to try to find the other guy that we got the info for, but we know that one way or another, the Lord wanted us on that street for a reason!

Oh wait, another miracle. Dogan has a baptismal date! The 19th of October! He's so excited about it and so are we! We had to put it a little later because he doesnt have a lot of time to meet with us, but he is really pumped and can't wait to get baptized!

This next Sunday we have a Conference in Brussels with the Second Counselor of the Presiding Bishropric which should be awesome! It's for the whole stake so I'll get to see lots of people that I know from all over Belgium! Plus, listen to a general authority haha not too shabby!

I gotta hit the road, but I'll leave you with some lyrics from a hymn:

Be Still, My Soul verse 2:

"Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: The waves and wind still know, His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below."

We are always being looked after, don't you worry! Pray to your Father in heaven when you need comfort, and you will be comorted. That's a promise!

Have an awesome week! And keep it real!

Oh, and I'll send a bunch of pictures next week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 48: Life and Miracles

So, this was an interesting week. Now that I've checked my email, I know that a lot has been going on back home! It's a little weird because life just goes on without me haha. It's an interesting thing to think about...but I guess life is going on over here too while I work! Also, a lot of my old friends in the mission are heading home this transfer because they've finished their missions! It's exciting for them! I'm pumped for them and it's cool to think that I'll hear about how their lives are going while I'm still on my mission haha. They are friends for life!

Things have been going pretty well here!  This week started with a Zone Conference with Président and Soeur Poznanski in Brussels, and that was awesome! Interviews with them are always incredible! We also talked about a personal activity in Preach My Gospel on pg.152. It asks you to think about the end of your mission and think about what you want to have accomplished. Here are the questions:

1) What do you want to say you have done as a missionary?

2) What do you want to have become?

3) What differences would you want others to notice in you?

The best part about this activity is that we can apply it to any goal and any amount of time! I'm challenging you all to do the same thing with some goals that you have! Answer those questions and work to achieve those goals!

Also at zone conference we learned that there are 257 missionaries in our mission, and we're going to have more soon. We also have 15 senior couples. That's a lot of people! We have also been planning to have Elder Oaks come and have a conference with our mission, but he actually can't come. Well, he's still coming, but he'll be too busy opening a 3rd stake in Paris and converting another district to a stake! We were preparing for his arrival by having the goal to get 100 baptisms before his arrival (starting in June) and guess what! We got it! 2 weeks before his arrival! Miracles happen! We accomplished double the average! It's a little bit of a bummer that we won't have a conference with Elder Oaks, but it's still amazing to see what we can accomplish when we put our trust in the Lord!

Last Week I mentioned that a member introduced us to a friend of his that had some questions about the life after this one. So we talked to him last week, invited him to church, and invited him to pray everyday. He said he wasn't sure if he'd come to church, but he would pray. Well, he showed up at church on Sunday! He said that during the week he prayed everyday, and he could see the change in his life! He was more calm and even when things happened that would normally bother him, he remained calm. So, he decided to check out the church because there must be something to it! And he said he would bring his son with him next week! It's incredible! Members do the best work!

Well, I've gotta head out, but I'll leave you with some pictures from this week.

A Bulgarian member that chased us down on the street!

Awesome doorbell!

This is my companion, ward mission leader, and the return missionary who was visiting this week with his new fiancée!

Oh, and I can't forget, I've gotta give a shout out to Grandma Anderson! Happy Birthday Grandma! I hope it was awesome!

Keep it real! And have a fanatstic week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 47: Awesomeness

This week was an awesome week! Why? Well, I've got some explaining to do!

To start off, I mentioned last week a man that came to a ward BBQ and he also came to church last week. We had an awesome lesson with him and he prayed for the first time in his life, and right afterwards he said that he felt very relieved and good. Well, if that wasn't awesome enough, he just keeps getting better! He had come to church and asked if he could have a copy of Gospel Principles (because we used it in class), so we gave him one. Well, he has read a ton of it and loves it! And he loves coming to church! He told us that he agrees with the Word of Wisdom, and without us even teaching it to him, he had already stopped drinking tea! He had read up in Gospel Principles, he's been praying, and he just loves the church! So in our last rendezvous with him, we asked if he would be baptized and he said yes! Then he said it again at church yesterday, so things have been going preeetty good over here! Maybe this is why I've been kept in Charleroi for so long! Interesting point: Dogan lives in a house that we have knocked before. I had knocked it with Elder Burgess when I first got here. Well, apparently Dogan just barely moved there a couple months ago, so that's why we didnt find him sooner! But now we've found him and thigns are going great!

This last week we also went over to a member's house to eat and it was delicious! The Dad works for the bus system here, so he gave me the bus driver uniform clip on tie! It's a cool one for the collection haha. Oh, and then a girl gave me a little heart cut out that she made...she was 5 years old haha.

We gave a lot of blessings this week, and people were very appreciative. It's amazing to see the power of the priesthood and also the respect that people have for it.

Jean Pierre is back! We finally got to see him again! It's been a little over a month now, but he's doing pretty good! He's found some friends, so he's doing a little better and he said that he's going to get his car in working order soon so that he can come to church! We're really hoping for the best for him!

We got a couple member referrals this week that were incredible! They were given to us from two families that we have been helping to strengthen lately, and now they are sharing the Gospel with their friends! THAT is what missionary work is all about! Our prayers have definitely been being answered!

I was sick on Saturday, which was a bummer. Then yesterday I had a migraine. Then today I woke up with a sore back haha but I'm okay now. I'm falling apart! Okay, not really haha I'm doing good now, don't worry! But even with those set backs, we were still able to get a lot done! Nothin's gonna tear me down!

A little scripture for the week, I read 3 Nephi 19:23 this morning and it was awesome! Christ prayed for everyone who would believe in the words of the apostles, so that means he prayed for us! That's some good motivation if I've ever had any!

Here are some pictures that I've taken recently!

Check it out! I'm back in Texas!

 And now I'm in England...

And now I'm in a hurricane haha

Okay back in Europe at a members house haha

I hope you're all doing great! Keep working hard!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 46: Baptisms Are Always Great!

Yep, baptisms are always great! And we got to see one this week! This last Saturday the sister missionaries here had a baptism in our ward! The girl's name is Forgive and she is 20 years old. She's from Ghana and her mom is wanting to get baptized in a couple weeks too! It was an awesome baptism and everyone was so happy! It's amazing to see the change in people's lives and how when they really apply the Gospel fully, that they REALLY DO see the blessings! That's something that I got to learn in my life, and it still amazes me when I see the same changes in other people! The Gospel is true!

So I kind of just told the most exciting part of the week, but there were still a couple other cool things that happened!

We had our district meeting with the whole zone this week, so we went to Liège again! I don't have any new pictures haha sorry! But to remind you, it was the place with the super cool train station haha. The meeting was super good! I learned a lot and it really inspired me to want to do the very best that I can! I love meetings like that haha that's what they're for! The assistants also came, and that was cool to get to know them a little bit. One of them grew up with my last companion, so that was fun to exchange stories!

This week we also had a BBQ! Say whaaat? In Belgium? You betcha! And it was pretty good! Not exactly the same as back home, but it was still pretty good!

We had invited a lot of people to it, but other than a few less actives (who came!), no one else had said that they would come. The day of the BBQ we had a rendezvous set up for 11, but the person wasnt there. It was a fake address haha oh well! We had only walked for half an hour in the rain haha. So then we decided to head to the BBQ because we had gotten a call that morning from someone that said they were going to show up! An ami! So he showed, said he couldnt stay long but he wanted to talk to people and see the church. Long story short, we taught him the first lesson, answered questions that he had, and taught him to pray. And then he prayed for the first time in his life. Right afterwards he let out a sigh and said "I feel so...relieved. I think there is something to this." YES! So it was an alazing rdv! He also came to church on Sunday and loved it! We have another rdv with him this week and hopefully some more after that! Oh, en plus (french for, "and there's more") he already knows some people in our ward from work! Just perfect!

Just chillin at the church eating some meet!

So, it was an awesome week haha and we're really hoping it just keeps getting better! I'm still here in Charleroi for a reason! And I'm gonna find it!

Just a couple pics from this week:

Look at the second floor window...weird huh?

This is my attempt of taking a picture when it was super sunny and still raining haha

I hope you're all doing fantastic and that life just gets better and better as you make it that way! That's the best way to do it! The grass is always greener where you water it! (yep, I just used that reference haha)

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 45: New Companion

Well, my "son" is gone. He's been transferred away and left me here. I'm not bummed that I'm staying, but it was sad to see him go! He's awesome, and I know he's gonna do awesome things on his mission! So, I had thought that I was leaving, so we made sure we took pictures with everyone. So here are some!

This is our "amis class" at church. We teach Gwendoline right now, and Jhon is a recent convert!

This is me with the "most interesting man in the world" and his family! They're super awesome!

After saying all of the goodbyes, we headed to Brussels so that my companion could catch his train, so of course, it was picture time again!

This was a phone charging station that was free...as long as you made the energy yourself!

This is Elder Staples, I've known him for a long time!

It was sad to see Elder Stucki leave too, he's one of my good friends on the mission now!

So, after they all got on their trains to leave, I had to wait in the train station all day waiting for my new companion. And guess who I saw?

The branch president from Poitiers and his wife!

They had been on vacation and just happened to be at the train station at the same time as me! It was an awesome surprise!

My new companion is Elder Young and he's from Rigby, Idaho. He's a cool guy and we're hoping to see some awesome stuff this next transfer!

We were able to teach Gwendoline this week after she got back from vacation, and it went okay. We're still trying to figure out how to motivate her to apply all the things that she has already learned about the Gospel!

We received a ton of referrals this week, which was super nice! We're hoping that those all work out pretty well! We also have a BBQ at the church this week, so we went around inviting everyone possible to it! We're really hoping that there is a big turn out! I know I'll be there!

I know this was kind of short and to the point, and I'm sorry! I just ran out of time! Next week I'll give more updates!

Keep it real, and stay strong! And enjoy this next week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 44: Transfers

It's that time again! Transfers this week! Exciting news to come!

So, during this past week, I knew that my family was on vacation. Yeah, maybe I felt a little jealous, but what about it?! I still put in work! I still need to throw out some shout outs, like Happy Birthday Grandpa!!! I hope it was an awesome birthday! And also, congratulations to Katrina, Aaron and Zach! I wish I could have been there for the baby blessing! I'm sure it was awesome :)

It might sounds like I miss home a little bit right now, but don't worry, people are taking good care of me here, that's for sure!

They feed us good over here! The other half was for my companion haha

This is the Tricot family, they're super nice!

This last week, we got a text from a recent convert named Jhon. He seemed a little worried about something and wanted to meet with us pronto, so we hurried over to the park to talk to him. He seemed like something was on his mind and so we shared a spiritual thought with him, and then he opened up. We were prepared for the worst, and then he says "I'm really nervous, because I want to bear my testimony on Sunday, but I'm not sure if I'll be brave enough to do it." What a relief! THAT I can help with! We gave him a good pep talk and he was ready to go! That was a little miracle that happened this week for us :)

Oh, I also went on an exchange with Elder Stucki this week, one of the Elders that I live with. It was awesome! He's gotten to be one of my really good friends out here, so I'm pretty sad that he's being transferred. But I'm sure that I'll see him again before the end of my mission haha so no worries!

So, transfers. We got the news! And....I'm staying in Charleroi! For a 4th transfer! I'm actually pretty pumped about it haha I like it here! I'll be getting a new companion though because the companion that I just trained is being transferred to another city. That's kind of sad too, but I know he'll have a blast!

I know I don't have a lot to say today and I'm sorry! I promise that I'll write more next week! Oh, and I'll have more pictures too haha don't you worry!

Have an awesome week, and I hope you're all praying and reading your scriptures every night! It's important!

I hope you all have an awesome week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 43

This last week was pretty awesome! I'll start from the top so that it all makes sense. haha

Patrick, our ward mission leader, took us out again on his last Monday of vacation haha he's a super nice guy! He took us to some caves! They were awesome! They were kind of like Carlsbad caverns, minus the crying part (only a select few will understand that reference, so if you don't, you can ask around hahaha)

Editors Note:  I'll fill you in because I know what he is talking about.  One summer we went to Carlsbad caverns...and it had been a particularily long couple of days driving out there.  On the day we went to Carlsbad caverns, all the kids wanted to kill each other.  Ermmmm....were TRYING to kill each other.  By the time we got out of the car to go to the caves pretty much everyone was in tears and ANGRY.  There are pictures to prove it.  If I had them with me, I would post...sorry.  End of Note.

Here are some sweet pictures from the caves!

I'm not gonna write captions for them haha they explain themselves I guess haha they're rocks!

During the tour, everyone in the tour, except for us, spoke dutch. The tour guide spoke both french and dutch, so it wasn't a problem, but what was cool was that they referred to us as francophones, or french speakers. I don't know if I would count myself as a fluent french speaker, but it was nice of someone else to tell me that haha. I learned a lot during the tour too!

After we got back from the caves, we did our emails, where a surprise was waiting! We received a referral from the church website! And it gave us an address, phone number, and a little message that said (In french) "I wish to be put in contact with the Mormon missionaries because I wish to become Mormon. Thank you." Does it get better than that?! I was pumped! We have been working and working and not understanding why we hadn't been having much success, but someone had seen our work and brought the people to us! We got in contact with the referral and went and taught him! His name is Romuald, he is 28 years old, from Togo, and he is very interested in our church! We're really excited about him, and he said that when he knows that the church is true, he will be baptized! That was definitely an exciting part of the week :)

I also went on exchanges this week with one of my old companions haha that was a little weird! It was only weird because it took me back in the day haha the exchange went well! We met a lady, taught her, and she accepted to have us come back, so the other companionship will be in charge of that haha it was a good exchange!

My companion and I got let in porting the other day too, and the man told us that he had seen something on the TV about our church and wanted to talk to us to see if it was really true. He had also seen us around town all the time and asked himself why we would do such a thing, so he let us teach him. He ended up not being interested, but we were able to clear up a lot of his questions, so it wasn't a failure!

That was my week! I also found a few pictures that I forget to send the last couple weeks, so here you go!

Check it out! Root Beer!

It was delicious. There is a military base in another city in our district, and the elders there brought it for me. It's all about the people you know! And yes, I shared it with everyone haha.

 This is Bernard! A less active that we would visit that has been coming to church for the past 2 months now!

So I like poopies and light tan, what about it? This was at a less active's house haha

I hope you all have an awesome week! Oh, and for a little scripture study, read Helaman 10 and 11 and check out how much patience Nephi has!

Keep it real!

Elder Daniel Anderson