Letter from Nov. 18, 2010

Date: Thursday, November 18, 2010, 2:14 PM
meine familie,

So things are going well. . . I know Mom had a lot of questions in her letter to me, but I will answer and say more in the letter that I actually mail home, since time on the computer is limited.
Thanks for all the letters and I can't wait to get those drawings from Caleb and Garrett as well as Lindsay's letter.

So This week as been awesome!
On Sunday for Relief Society, Mary N. Cook (General YW Presidency) spoke to us sisters for RS. She talked to us sisters about virtue and since none of us were young women when that value was added she expanded more on what it means. She said that we must have virtue in order to access the fullness of the Atonement. She told each one of us to ask the question, "Am i virtuous?" and went on to also have us fill in the blanks of "For the atonement to have more powerful benefit in my life I must ______" also She wants us to each say to ourselves over and over again. .. I will be the best______ I can be! We are to put are name into the blank. .. I will be the best Sister Anderson I can be!
She was very good with us sisters as she explained why it is so important to have this as sister missionaries.

For Sunday nights fireside Mark J. Lusvardi (Missionary department/Public Progress) talked about Divine Love and that it is important to take time to get to know someone to really help and understand there needs instead of diving right into the first lesson.

And to take care of all the talks from this week. .. Tuesday nights devotional, Kevin W. Pearson (1st Q. of the Seventy) spoke about four principals under the doctrine of POWER! First is Agency/Accountability: we are set apart to be beyond average. . . NOT average. Our mission here today is our future and our family. Second was Power of divine Identity: A child of God. the question to ask is, "What will I see when I look in the mirror? We are to see A true disciple of Christ. .. a disciple does not try, they do. . . he then quoted Yoda saying "do or do not there is no try." We have been set apart for a mission to become who we really are. Third was Faith: it is a gift based off righteousness, it comes from obedience. finally fourth, Prayer: The relationship needs to be clear. . . we must be under his will not his will under ours.
He goes on to say that every one we will teach already knows the truth. . . it's just our job to help them remember.

Those were the talks from this week and they were very amazing.
Sister Peltier and I also decided to sit down one night and brought ourselves more unified with one another. . . we are now reading from the German Book of Mormon Together and working on talking more German to one another. . . it is a struggle, but Preach my Gospel says that if you are not struggling with the language then you are not doing your part in receiving the gift of tongues. ..

I try to use all the words I know in German when I can even if it does not make since and the investigators we are teaching Sister Peltier and I are becoming more unified together when we teach. It is a great feeling to be able to know you have the Spirit there with you as I teach I am able to speak German that I never really knew that I would remember.

Oh on a side note. .. I am going to stalk up on a 16 month supply of deodorant because I am not getting it there. . . Europe deodorant is just a perfume you spray on your arm pit and it really doesn't do much for ya. . . I have found that out by living with an European. . . She is amazing, but our room does smell from her European deodorant.

So I am about out of time, so once again I will finish writing more in a letter. . .

So Blake, Lindsay, Garrett, and Caleb:Y'all rock and I love hearing from y'all!
Kimberly, David, and Lydia: Same with y'all and watch out world here comes Lydia!
Eric and Kiersten: I saw your sister, Kiersten. .. and also I love hearing from y'all as well.
and Neil: Stay cute little bud. . .
Mom and dad: Love y'all

I will say more in my letter home!!

I love all of y'all and wish email time could be longer

Love sister Anderson <3

Mailed letter from Nov. 18, 2010

Dea Familie,
The MTC is stress-free because the gospel if 24/7, but the language is hard and for sure a struggle. I am getting better at it ... I almost taught a whole lesson on praying to know if the Book of Mormon is true in German ... That was exciting.

Neil is a tough cookie if he wanted to get back on that horse. I don't know if I've mentioned this but there is an Elder here named Ford who has Down's syndrome. He is from Houston and going to Hawaii ... I actually think he's left already though. It was fun to sit with him during meals though.

Well, hopefully you get this letter before you go to El Paso. That'll be fun though to see all of Don & Janet's family. I put Grandma on the prayer box at the temple. We go to the temple every p-day, except next Thursday b/c it's Thanksgiving.

In my district Sister Peltier, me Elder Davis, Elder Marshall and Elder Healey are going to Berlin ... The rest are going to Frankfurt. Branches are zones and we only have German missionaries, since church is in German. On p-days I go to the temple, write letters and do laundry - that is pretty much it.

We do learn gospel studies separate than German but we are to use as much German as possible. My teachers are great and everyone wants to make the sisters as comfortable as possible. Our needs come before the elders.

Sister Stewart, Risenmay and Wakefield are all in Germany now. And so us sisters are the oldest ones now. I don't know what's going on for Thanksgiving yet, but yeah. Things are great though -- I love playing volleyball with the elders during gym. Gym is amazing b/c it's a break from being in the classroom all day. Sister Browne likes to hide in my closet and under my bed to scare me ... oh them Irish. lol

Love, Sister Brittany Anderson