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