Monday, April 16, 2012

Hey vos! Que tal eh?

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡HOLA!!!!!

April 16, 2012

Que tal eh? Another beautiful week here in San Vicente Buenos Aires Argentina. It really was a great week! We worked hard and saw some serious results! It is very satisfying when things work out like that.
Before anything else, I failed to recognize that my Grandma Joan had a birthday last week! I love you Grandma!!!!

Me personally, Elder Cameron Mark Anderson, am doing quite well. I am healthy (almost), happy (very), and just super grateful to be where I am doing what I am doing. We found some great people this week. A couple families that are just happy and normal and looking to be good strong Christians. We taught a couple named Lisa and Dan and the whole time she just had big eyes and kept saying, "Wow! It is true isn't it! I've been looking for this!" I wanted to cry I was so darn happy! It is amazing when people actually test the promises in the Book of Mormon and this gospel. We talk with TONS of people every week and the question we always ask is, "Did you read the Book of Mormon?" Generally the response is, "I didn't have time, I was really tired." But when they say yes and they ask God with real intent wanting to know and willing to follow the response, they get answers! God actually responds to prayers! That for me is a miracle. Alot of times, I feel so small. The world is so big and there are so many more people that sometimes I doubt that I am important. That I matter. But then God answers MY prayer. He helps me with MY needs that are specific to ME! That to me is amazing. That I matter to Him. It is something I've learned through alot of prayer, alot of scripture study and alot of obeying the commandments and repenting when I screw up. All we do as missionaries is invite people to do the same! We teach a little and provide the "tools", but more than that we just invite. Kinda cool.

Some fun things that happened this last week. The trains and bus lines are getting cut due to riots. Always an adventure. A part of Buenos Aires has been without Electricity and Gas and Water for a week now. Anarchy is reigning over there right now. No worries, all the Elders are safe and pulled out of there. I was walking down the street and a "friendly fellow" cast the demons out of me...I think he missed a few.  I rode in a car for the first time in 5 months, and I went running for the first time in 6 months! It was awesome!!! So ya! Healthy and happy! Hope you all are doing great!

Love,

Elder Cam






Fotos!

April 8, 2012

Hey All!

Lots of fotos this week!

I hope you like them! Life here in San Vicente is just great! We are working hard and it is so awesome! There is nothing more satisfying than hard work well done. I am alot healthier and therefore alot happier! Funny how those two things often go hand in hand. Everything is just more beautiful when your body is working right!
We had a really good week starting off with interviews with President Stapley in Adrogue. It was really nice to just talk with someone and to have them ask, "How are you? What do you need?" Plus he asked me in English! I always took for granted how nice it is to speak the same language as all the people surrounding you. It is really....convenient. By now I can communicate just fine in Castellano but speaking in English is something I look forward to once in a while.

We've been working lately with alot of really great families that are investigating the church. It is amazing how much love and peace people feel when they really truly seek truth. I know this gospel that  we share is true and makes people genuinely happy and it is beautiful to see that change in people. Once in a while I ask myself "why am I so blessed?" and the answer is always the same "because I (God) love you and you are worth it to me." Even when I don't feel like I am worth it, I am worth it to him. Something I am learning from all this is that I don't deserve anything. That I am blessed far more than what I put in. God is not fair. He slants everything in our favor. It is truly amazing. I love you all and I am doing great!

Love you,

Elder Cam



 Hermana Villa- Relief Society President in San Vicente




Part of a care package from home


Awesome Package from Chad and Trish Christiansen


Another package from Colorado-yeah!




Wednesday, April 4, 2012

8 Months Already

Hey everyone!

Long time since I've written. Sorry about that. It's been pretty crazy lately. But I am doing great and am happy. I have recently turned 8 months old in the mission. That is one third of this experience gone! It is flying by faster than I can comprehend. It is a finite amount of time I am starting to recognize. In my absence of writing I've kinda missed some really big events in all of your lives...so I'm going to take this opportunity now to recognize those.

My Aunt Millie and Bev had birthdays! Hope you are doing awesome and don't feel too old! Just in case I'm buying you both walkers. They are really cheap down here!! Just Kidding! I love you both. Hope you had a happy birthday. Here is a big old Argentine-beso coming your way!

Also my Grandparents Cornelius have now been officially married since forever! So awesome! You are great examples to all of us of love and commitment. Thank you so much and happy anniversary!

Oh ya! And Uncle Butch, Happy Birthday to you too! I'd send you a beso too but that is less culturally acceptable in the states. Here it is more than OK though. So you get a beso too... :)

I'm still in my favorite town of San Vicente and loving life. Some highlights of the past couple weeks would be alot alot of rain and visiting the hospital and experiencing care for the first time from Argentine Health Services. It was a surprisingly good visit and now everything is A-OK. Don't worry, my Dad already leaked the news (which he wasn't supposed to do!) to my Mom. I'm doing great now so no worries.

We've also seen alot of Baptisms here in San-V in the last few weeks. It is beautiful to see people making big changes in their lives and coming unto Christ. I'm sure all of you that read this know a Mormon, and the lifestyle is not the easiest in the world. It requires alot of work and being different. There is a reason why not everyone is Mormon. It is not the easiest thing in the world! You have to commit. If there is one thing I have learned from my mission, it is that people are afraid of commitment, but when they make the decision to actually do it, it changes their lives forever and they are different. I'll let you be the judges if it is a good or bad different. Judge by the Mormons you know and the kind of people they are. I think it is a good difference just for the record.

 Last would be the General Conference where we had the opportunity to hear from the Prophet. He is truly called of God. You can see it in his face and hear it in his voice and feel it wash over you. I encourage all of you to take the time and listen to one of his talks that he gave in the past conference. He is an amazing person inspired by God to lead this Church. His Church. The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.

A quick thought from Pres. Monson: You can't be right doing wrong. You can't be wrong doing right.
I love you all so much. God loves you more. I know that. If you don't know that I challenge you to study it out in your mind and ask Him if it is true. Take a leap of faith!

I just read this email over and it is kinda sassy! Oh well! I love you all so much! I pray for you always.

Love,

Elder Anderson