Week 34: Service Week

This week was a pretty packed week! Packed full of activities and stories! Although not in the correct order chonologically, first I'd like to announce that I'm now AN UNCLE! Aaaah yeah! I've got a nephew! Zachary Aaron Reinert is his name and I'm pumped! Just thought I would throw that in first. Pictures will come next week.

Now back to the beginning of last week. Last Monday, all the elders in Charleroi went with our ward mission leader, Patrick, to see some cool places! We went to Denant, Belgium, which is famous for a few things.

 Denant!

A big cathedral there, it's super tall!

It's the birthplace of the saxophone!

Just me chilling with the guy who invented the saxophone, nbd.

On our way up to the fortress!

At the top!

We walked all through the fortress

And it was like we were in war!

Then I decided to dance. Check it!

Belgium!

So that was last Monday! Then on Tuesday we ate at a member family's home, and it turns out that their daughter was super excited to talk to us because she had served her mission with one of my teachers at the MTC! What a coincidence!

Wednesday was the start of our service! We went over to our ami Jean-Pierre's house and helped him set up his satellite dish haha it was hard! And we ended up not getting the angle right...good thing he has two twin daughters who want to watch tv really badly, because after we left they went out, gave the satellite dish a couple good whacks, and now it works great! haha

Friday, the bishop needed us to come help with some people moving in our ward, so we did even more service! It went really well and they were really thankful for our help. Then that night we went to another member's house to help her move some stuff into her car, because she's handicapped and because she really wanted to feed us. And man it was good haha

Saturday was "Les mains serviables", or "Helping Hands"! It was a huge activity where we collected food, clothes, and had a blood drive at the chapel. It went great!

This is where we did all of the organizing and folding of the clothes haha

These are all the missionaries in Charleroi! And a member that I pulled into the picture haha

It was an awesome day! And the local news came and filmed us for a little while too haha. It was an awesome activity and a great success!

This last week, our mission president mentioned that we can invite our investigators to come to church, and promise them that if they write a question down and bring it to church, that it will be answered. Cool promise right? Well, I decided to try it for myself haha and you know what? It works. I was kind of skeptical, but I paid attention to the lessons and talks and to the thoughts that came to my mind, and I got multiple answers to my question! So my challenge to you, is to do the same thing this next Sunday! And every Sunday!

Well, it was a fantastic week, and now my new week has started with news of me being an uncle, so I'm pretty excited!

I hope you all have an awesome week!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 33: Le Don Des Langues

Well, this week sure had its ups and downs! It was full of excitement though! Excitement, nervousness, happiness, thankfulness, tons of things!

This last week I said goodbye to my last companion, Elder Burgess and that was pretty sad. We got to be really good friends! I was also nervous about training, and now I'm amazed at how well it's going!

 Elder Burgess saying goodbye to a member family!

Our last train ride together! haha

Last Tuesday we prepared the apartment all day (putting together beds, dressers, desks, etc) because our apartment changed from being for 2 people to being for 4. So, that wasn't a super eventful day, but Wednesday sure was!

Wednesday I headed to Paris to pick up my new companion! In Paris I got to see my trainer because it was actually the last day of his mission. The day I started training! So that was pretty cool. Then I met Elder Haskell and we headed off to Charleroi!

Me and my new companion, Elder Haskell!

It was an interesting trip, because I was the only missionary going back to Charleroi. All the other missionaries had never been here before! So I was the group leader for 2 sister missionaries and 3 elders. We made it here just fine, don't worry haha.

So, over the past few days we've been going to visit lots of people, eat at their homes, share spiritual messages, and help people move towards baptism! Doing missionary work! It's been great!

This is Patrick, our Ward Mission Leader, cooking us lunch!

What else happened this week...well, while walking around in the city we found this:

Don't worry Mom, it's not dangerous haha

And another Statue of Liberty!

I also spoke in church yesterday, and that went well, and we had a lot of people in our investigator and new convert class! That was awesome!

I titled this post "Le don des langues" because it means "the gift of tongues". Oh boy do I know that's real. When I called home about a week ago, before even knowing that I would be training, my Dad told me that when I train, I will really see the gift of tongues working in me and that I would start learning the language a lot faster. Well, the next day I found out that I was training and my Dad couldnt have been more right! I've seen miracles with the language this week, and I know it's because the Lord wants me to do His work and help the new missionary. I know that I'll keep seeing those miracles too!

I hope you're all doing awesome and you're working hard at whatever you're working on. Always remember that the Lord will help you along the way!

Oh, and shout out to Spencer Riggs who got his mission call to the Scottsdale Arizona mission! I'm so excited for you and proud of you man! You'll love it!

à la prochaine mes amis!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 32: Mother's Day and Transfers

It's been an exciting week! A lot of different things happened, and I got to do some cool stuff too!

Cool stuff like what? Like calling my family on Mother's Day! There were a few other cool things too, so we can start with those haha

I had an exchange this week and I was a little worried about it. Why? Because I was going to be with a Tahitian elder who hardly spoke english! I would have to speak frnehc the whole time! Well, it worked out! It was actually pretty great, and we were able to talk the whole time! So thank goodness my french skills are at least where they are haha but that doesnt mean I still dont have a lot to learn! I definitely will keep learning, and I'm being put on the fast track for it too! I'll explain that a little later haha

After the exchange last week, we also got to see our ami Jean-Pierre, and that went well. He still has the desire to be baptized, and he wants to change his life! And he is already starting to! We're really excited for him and I'm excited to keep teaching him!

The other two kids that we're teaching are doing well too, they come to church every week and they're always excited to see us! It's funny because now I'm one of those missionaries that kids love to run up to and talk to haha. My companion and I are both like that!

As everyone knows, Sunday was Mother's Day! It was a great day at church, the men in the ward here sang a song for the women, and then the Primary kids did a little program and everyone loved that more than the men singing, but we cant compete with cute kids! Then after church, it was time to call our families! It was awesome to talk to my parents and my brother and to see them on skype (my call at Christmas was on the phone). It was cool to just chat and talk like old times! I love that my family gets along so well!

Then last night I got a call on the phone, and it was the assistants telling me that I'm going to be staying in Charleroi and I'll be training the next 2 tranfers! Ai karumba! Hopefully I can handle it! I know that if the Lord thinks I can do it, that I'll be able to. So I'll be headed to Paris this Wednesday to pick up the new missionary! I'm excited, nervous, and little scared, and then also sad to see my current companion go, but I know that I'll just need to put in all the effort I can and set a good example for my new companion!

My district this last transfer

Elder Burgess and I in a shopping center here haha it was under construction, but still open!

I dont eat these super often, but I should probably still cut down on it haha

 Just a funny sign by our Ward Mission Leaders house haha

I hope you're all doing awesome! I little spiritual lift for me this week was Alma 58:40, you should read it! Despite all the other distractions and problems in life, we can always remember the Lord is there for us!

Until next week! Keep it classy! And keep being the best you can be!

Elder Daniel Anderson

Week 31: Belgian Travels

This week was pretty exciting, and it started with a trip to Brussels! For zone conference haha so not for vacation, but it was still great! I learned a lot during the conference and it's always good to see the mission president and his wife. The church building in Brussels is in the middle of the city, and so it's one of the tallest chapels I've ever been in! It had about 7 or 8 floors and so many stairs! It was pretty cool!

Just some nice Charleroi scenery from the train haha

Stairs in the church

One of the rooms in the church...not sure why they have a hang out room haha

On Wednesday it was May Day, and a holiday here, so we went out to a super nice park to so some contacting! Our buddy Patrick took us, and it was out in the countryside and by an Abby that had been destroyed in 1794, but a lot of the walls are still standing. It was super cool! There were a ton of people there too! We didnt find anyone to teach, but we got some fresh air haha always look on the bright side!

Friday, our Ward Mission Leader, Patrick, took us out to eat some frites, that are supposedly the best frites in all of Belgium! He had some returned missionaries come back to visit, so we went with them. They were really good frites! And they asked about where in Texas I lived, I told them Katy, and then one of them knew the Allsops, a family that lives there. The world is small! haha

Oh, a scripture that I came across this week that I liked, 3 Nephi 13:34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof." Sounds a little weird right? Well, the french translation says for the last part "Each day has it's own hardships/worries", which makes it a little more clear, at least for me! So we shouldn't worry too much about things that are coming, but do everything we can TODAY to do what we need to :)

This weekend we also visited one of our amis, and he has been having a hard time. He said that we always seem to show up right when he needs someone, so we were glad to be there for him. He wants to be baptized too, so we are working with him to get him ready! That visit made me think about the little things in life. Some people would have never thought that our visits were very special (like me haha I didnt think I was doing anything that great!) but other people recognize the little things. So, I'm going to make an effort this week to look for the little things in life that bring me joy each day! And the day we went to visit our ami, it was that when we walked into his house and the radio was on, he was jamming to some Kool and the Gang and it put a smile on my face! haha "Getcha back up off the wall, dance!" haha

Look for the little things in life that make you happy! There are probably more than you realize!

 One thing that made me happy this week.

Running low on breakfast food, so I had a waffle nutella sandwich, and a banana for vitamins haha don't worry, this isn't my usual breakfast haha

Have an awesome week!

Elder Daniel Anderson