Being Bold

October 19, 2014

Magandang Tenghali po!

Well this week was so fun and I loved my first whole week with my anak, Sister Valdez! She is so cute and so shy and really lacks confidence, so it is my goal to get her comfortable and feeling like she can do this whole "missionary work" thing. She has been homesick a little bit lately, which I have assured her is normal. I just try to keep her mind off of it by working! That poor girl gets so tired, but there are places to go, investigators to teach, and people to find. The work never ends!!

On Wednesday it was my birthday. I was honestly expecting no one to know or remember.. but they did! Sister Valdez wrote me a sweet note and gave me a Spiderman water bottle that is awesome and cute Sister Sanders made me pancakes for breakfast. She and Sister Wiradi also took the decorations that Grandma sent me and decorated our study room with streamers and balloons. I am just so spoiled!! Duday and Sarah worked with us all afternoon and then we met up with Sister Sanders and Sister Wiradi at Mang Inasal for dinner and Sister Sanders had bought me a big ole chocolate cake to celebrate. I have just never felt so loved! And a great big shout out to all of you who sent your love to me to make this day so special!! Kayo po ang pinakamagaling tao sa buong mundo! Mahal na mahal ko kayo!

On Tuesday we had an AMAZING zone conference in which we learned all about being bold.. and so that day we put or boldness to the test! Sister Valdez and I visited our investigators, Norma and Jose, who live up in the mountains and are in their 50s. We had a great lesson about the Restoration and at the end Sister Valdez invited them to be baptized. They did the usual, "Umm, we will think about it," type of thing. That was not good enough for me. The Spirit just took over and I felt a love that I had never experienced before. I asked them if they knew if our message was true, in which they assured me they did. I am not quite sure what happened next, but I know that Heavenly Father used me as His mouthpiece. I bore the strongest testimony I think I have ever born and told them in the most bold way that I could that they could not return back to their Heavenly Father if they did not take this step. I paused and then after a moment invited them to be baptized. The room was absolutely silent and the Spirit was really working in them. The silence broke when both Jose and Norma accepted the invitation to follow their Savior through baptism.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to be serving. I know that I am still so far from perfect, but I am grateful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to be a representative of His son. I know that sometimes we need to be bold with those we love because the day will come when they will stand worthy of their actions. I know that if we are bold out of love, great things can happen. Sure, some may take the truth to be hard, but we all have to sound the warning voice. I love you and am so grateful for you!!!

Go find someone today to share this glorious gospel with!!

Sister Anderson