Last Week in East Moline?

Hello Everyone,

Transfers are this week and I most likely will be getting transferred, we find out tomorrow. This week was a good one even tho I got a really bad cold out of nowhere! I don't know why I always get colds. But Hopefully it’s gone soon.

This week we spent more time knocking to save miles, and we did a ton of knocking. We found a few new investigators and had a few guys get really mad at us for coming to their house. Some people have some serious hatred towards us for some reason, and they use colorful language! Haha

The best thing from this week is that we got an awesome new investigator on Saturday and he came to church on Sunday! We knocked on his door and he let us in! He is a black midget and he is awesome! I think he is in his 20s and lives alone, never really gone to a church before but is really willing to learn. He came to church for all 3 hours and stayed for the ward pot luck afterwards! Same with our other investigator Francine, I was so glad to have both of them there! Demetrice is the new guys name and we set a baptism date with him for the 9th of September! Now I wanna stay here in this area, but I don't think I will make it another transfer.

We played a little more ball with some guys on the streets and that was fun, I sure hope a lot of guys show up for ball on Tuesday night! Have a Great week Everyone!

Love, Elder Anderson

John Deere World Headquarters

We saved this racoons life

Me and some corn

Heat Wave/Corn Wave

This week was so hot! The humidity is killer, constantly dripping sweat! On top of that they have cut down on our miles for the car, we get 1,400 a month. Which is crazy, I'm normally used to like 1,800. We also have a really big area so we can’t get to the outside towns anymore. We have been walking a lot lately in this heat, which means a lot of knocking. There has also been a ton of rain here this week which just makes the humidity worse! The corn out here is getting so tall and there is so much corn, just waves and waves of corn for as far as you can see once you get out of the city. Its nuts!

We have been meeting with an investigator that moved into our area about a month ago, we go over a couple times a week to teach her. She has a bunch of little kids, she is from Africa, and she has a newborn that she is trying to help to sleep through the night. So she doesn't get much sleep, she hasn't been able to come to church yet. She also smokes and drinks so we will have to help her with that.

Francine is doing good we met with her once this week. We had Sis. Hirst there with us and it was awesome. Sis. Hirst comforted her and we talked about how missionaries will leave but members will be there. So now she has another familiar face at church. She didn't make it to church yesterday tho, Sis Hirst went to go pick her up but I guess Francine was busy. Sis Hirst also took them some big fans to help cool off there house because their A/C doesn't work.

We also had exchanges and Zone Conference this week, so that was fun. On exchanges all four of us went and 2 of us were on one side of the street and two on the other, and we just both worked down the street haha it was fun. Knocked out a few streets doing that.

Last night we were knocking a street and we talked to a cool kid that plays basketball and we just gave him a card, then kept knocking. But he went outside to play basketball in the driveway and we were heading in for the night. But the Spirit kept saying go play with him and invite him to Tuesday night basketball at the church. Haha I just kept thinking of how cool the conversion story would be haha. But I was like no lets just go in, then I was like wait! Then like nah let’s go in, but then the Spirit slapped me and told me to go play with him, haha so we did. It was a nice outdoor court, we were in a nice area, the kid was about 17 yrs old probably. We started playing 21, a fun game. He was pretty good at ball, he plays for the local high school, but I was dancing on him and breaking his ankles! Haha I won, and you could tell he was embarrassed and thought it was pretty funny that he just got beat by some missionary! haha but I told him to come to Basketball on Tuesday nights so I really hope he does! Haha I love playing street ball with people out here, they all think it’s crazy that I play in church clothes, but then they get beat. hahaha Super fun sharing the gospel that way!

Love,

Elder Anderson

Me and some corn

Helicopter ride over Nauvoo

Nauvoo Pageant

This week was filled with a lot of lessons and knocking. We found several new investigators and set aside several investigators. Monday night we had Dinner with the Snyder family, they're an awesome family who live out in the fields but have an amazing yard with a pool and lots of land. Their house is kinda up on a hill, it’s their dream house and really cool. So many fireflies flying all around out there too it was cool.

Tuesday we went to the Food Pantry out in Geneseo for the last time since the mission has cut down on our miles. So we have been very careful of how far we drive everyday. Wednesday we got to hit the pavement and went knocking most of the day. We found several new investigators and taught lots of lessons.

Thursday we had District Meeting and the Zone Leaders talked for a little bit and told us how we can better help get our investigators to church and it was awesome, I learned a lot. They talked about explaining what goes on at church with people and relating everything we teach back to church and starting off with church. Friday was another hit the pavement day!

Saturday we got to go to the Nauvoo Pageant! The Snyder Family gave us a ride down and it was awesome! We went to a few plays during the day that were really good and cool. They are performed by missionaries that get set apart for 4 months to do it and they are really good at what they do. Then we walked around the temple and got some fudge at the fudge shop! At night the Pageant started and right as you walk in there is a guy that passes out a newspaper. Then you walk a little further and theirs senior missionaries that say here is the real one throw that one in the trash because it is anti mormon. Talks about tons of stuff. SO crazy that those guys have nothing better to do, and they call themselves christian, that's not very christian like. I'd love to sit down and teach/show those guys the truth.

Anyways awesome time in Nauvoo and awesome week! It truly is a miracle what the saints did, the Lord was with them every step of the way! And He is with us every step of the way if we are willing to use the Atonement and strive for greatness everyday! I love you all!

Love, Elder Anderson

The Nauvoo Pageant 2017

America

Hello, This week was fun! Tuesday for the 4th of July we went to the Wards Pancake Breakfast which was good, then we got to work until 4. We got in a few lessons and one new investigator! No members invited us to do anything with them so we stayed in the apartment for the night. Suuupppeerrr boring! I sure missed all the fun things we would do for the 4th back home!

Wednesday we got a few lessons and 3 new Investigators! A Recent Convert took us out to what was apparently the first Dairy Queen, just one of the small ones where you sit outside. Pretty cool! That night we went by an investigator we found the week before and he said he was praying for truth and then we showed up. We talked for a while and we gave him a Book of Mormon and he said he would do some research which is never good, it just means they will get antied. Sure enough, we’re pretty sure he did since he had a lot of really crazy deep questions. Like Kolob stuff, haha but we cleared it up and he said he was gonna give us the Book of Mormon back but he said he will give it another try and pray about it. We told him to make sure he is studying from the source and praying about it.  

Thursday we had Interviews with the Badgers, those are always great! We were able to find 3 New Investigators that day also. Friday we had exchanges, I went with Elder Fox to his area we had a lot of fun. Elder Fox and I have served around each other almost our entire missions so it’s awesome! We were able to find a few New Investigators for them.

Saturday we were trying to round up Investigators and get them to church. I always make a big list of everyone we can go by and invite to church. I also find a lot of former Investigators from the Area book and go by them. It helps a lot and a lot of People say they will come but most don't.

However on Sunday morning we had scheduled to go to Francine's to remind her about church, so we went by but no one answered. We went and took lunch then I felt prompted to go back one more time right before church, so we did and her mom answered and said she was asleep. But she went and woke her up! haha and she said she wanted to come! So we hurried and went to the church and got a member to pick her up with us! She stayed for all three hours and said she liked it! Francine has lived in the USA for 10 years now, she is 20 years old and very shy. So it was awesome that she came to church fighting the shyness. We hope she will continue to progress.

Well it’s been an awesome week! Keep studying from the source and praying! Overcome your fears and follow spiritual promptings! Those are some random things that I saw this week from our Investigators haha! Didn't get any pictures this week, maybe next week sorry! Have a great week everyone!

Love, Elder Anderson

Hola Familia!

Hola Familia,

Another week down! It was a good one! I hit my 8 month mark! I have been baptized!! haha Time really flies! This week was great! We have had the Zone Leaders stay at our house all last week and all this week because their car is in the shop. So that has been a blessing because my comp and I don’t get along too great but it’s not to bad!

This week we found 7 new investigators and I was shocked at how cool some of them are! I really hope we can start working with them this week and meeting with them regularly! We have just been knocking on a lot of doors everyday and talking to as many people as possible. A goal that I set for this transfer is to go by 2 members homes a day just to build trust and hopefully get some sweet referrals! It has been going good but no referrals yet. We also never get dinners here, we only had one or two last week and nothing this week. Nobody even signed up to have us over for the 4th, kinda a bummer.

Most everyone in the ward is gone on vacation, probably to Utah where their all from lol. None of the bishopric was there yesterday so the Stake President had to come. Things are good out here tho!

I love you all and happy fourth!

Love, Elder Anderson