It was a good day!

Well ello there my familia!

Let me just say that it was so good to hear from you! And yes, I do realize it is my halfway point, and I am kinda freaking out about it haha. I love it here and I don't really want to leave the Navajo Nation! And These last 8 months or so have flown by and I'm not really sure how time can go so quick! I have never felt time fly by so fast, and it just makes me realize that our time here is limited. And we should make the most use of it that we can. I don't feel like I've done enough and that there isn't enough time left to do all the things that I want to. But, I know that the Lord accepts my offering thus far, and if I keep on keepin on then he will continue to do so.

It sounds like you all had a good fourth of July. We went to a huge breakfast, and then we went to lunch and then we went to a bbq that got rained out and then we went to our Ward Mission Leaders house and then we went home. And we didn't see any fireworks. It was a good day. And we ate a lot. A lot of good food too.

Well as far as transfers go, I am staying here in Gallup and Sister Rowley is going to Farmington. Sister Patrick will be coming here from Farmington. We are trading companions. I know that will look back on this transfer as probably the one I am most grateful for. For the first time I am really grateful for who I am becoming. I know now that I am a good strong person and that the Lord only calls his best to do hard things because he loves them. And I know that you all do hard things, so just know that the Lord loves you a lot.  The Lord just loves everyone so much, and I can feel it. Exaltation comes in this life. It comes because it's through those hard things that the scales of darkness fall from our eyes and that we can truly see God's glory. And when we see God's glory we can know that He loves us and that we are perfect. We are perfect because a perfect God made us perfectly the way he wanted us to be. But, he gave us weaknesses so that we can see how the Atonement fills in all those weakness and shortcomings so perfectly so that no one, including ourselves knows that they're there. The scriptures say that the spirit that has power to posses our body in this life will be the same spirit in the next. If we intend to leave here and be received into an exalted state, then we must be exalted here. We must be exalted in our trials and in our weaknesses and in our shortcomings. God loves us so much that he gave us these weaknesses so that we can truly see his glory (there must be opposition in all things, for without one how could we know the other?) and through seeing that glory learn to rely on him and through relying on him and letting him make up for what we lack we become exalted. It's amazing and a great plan that he has for all of us. He really loves us, he really just wants us to be happy. And man, am I happy. I am happy that I am here and for once, I am happy just being me. I don't need anyone else or anything else to make me happy. I am happy just being me, knowing that God created me the way that he wanted me so that I can be exalted. So that I can become like him. I am happy because he loves me and provided me with a Mediator to get to him and to feel his love. I am happy that my Savior loves me. And in turn I can share that with others. So the Gospel, everything is really about love. Heavenly Father loves us so he gave us a Savior that could mediate for us and so in turn everything in the Gospel points us to the Savior and in turn we feel our Savior's love for us, which is the same love Heavenly Father has for us. And when we feel that our actions line up with his will and we can then be recieved into exaltation. It's a great, amazing, perfect plan that Heavenly Father has laid out for us! And I love it! And I am grateful for it! Nothing else really matters besides the Gospel. And I get to teach people about everyday! How great is my calling!

Anways, I'll get off my soapbox now. Well, this week we were able to set a date for baptism with an investigator and lost a couple of other investigators so that was a bummer. But, we will see how this baptism goes. The wife Rae is less active and she sat down with us and said that she wants to learn more and do better so we are excited about that. She normally walks the other way when we come over. So that was a huge miracle. And then Derrick said he wants to be baptised this month so we are looking forward to that! Let's see, what else. It's been kind of a slow week.

Zone conference was great though! President and Sister Batt are awesome! I love them! We just had a small conference and then ate lunch and then had brief interviews. And one of the testimonies of the elders really got me crying. So the first time they both really get to meet me I was bawling my eyes out!

 Thanks for all you do! I'm so excited to be staying here in Gallup and I love the Navajos! I really don't want to leave New Mexico, because New Mexico is the only place that the Sisters get to work with them. Everywhere else, there aren't many. Anways, I'm so glad the Lord sent me here to this mission! You have to learn to be relaxed here, and who's more chill than me?  Oh and I think I want to learn to play the Ukelele a family was teaching me the other day, and I learned to play the first part of "somewhere over the rainbow" by Israel Kamekowale? I'm not sure how to spell his name. But, I really liked it, and it doesn't hurt my fingers, so if I can get me a Ukulele and some church hymns I would love that.

Ayoo nish ni
Sister Anderson