August 13th, 2013

Dear Family, 

This morning we went to the temple. It was so beautiful. We had to wake up at 5 (ouch it was brutal) but it was so worth it. What an amazing place the temple is. How I love it! 

This week has been good. We did a blitz in our area on saturday. Pretty much that means that all the missionaries in our whole zone came and worked in our area for 3 hours to help find new investigators. They switch off between the areas in our zone and this week it was our turn. It was good. It took quite a bit of planning to get maps for each set of missionaries, potentials and formers to go by, and streets to knock. But we got a lot of potentials from it. And it was exciting. 

I have been learning so much about myself this week. It's amazing the things you learn about yourself when you are with someone else 24/7. I have so many flaws and faults and weird quirks. I'm so grateful for my comps who put up with me. I am learning so much about relationships and how to resolve differences and how to just love. I'm just going to paste my letter to President because I am running out of time haha. 

"This has been a good week. Not very much has happened, but I have learned so much. One of the things that I am really working on is love others-having more charity. I have realized that when I am not working my hardest, or not doing my best, or not giving it my all, I rationalize. And as I rationalize it decreases my ability to love and makes me feel more entitled to things, or less charitable. So I am really trying to be exactly obedient to everything-starting studies exactly on time, getting out the door on time, talking to everyone, and making studies more sacred. I have so much to improve, but I am so grateful for the Atonement that makes all improvement possible. 

We went to the temple this morning. What a beautiful experience it was. I loved it. Every time I go I get a little bit better glimpse of how truly amazing it will feel at the end of my life when my Heavenly Father tells me that I am worthy to enter His presence. I want to live so that I can feel that joy. 

On Saturday we did a blitz in our area. It was fun. We found several potentials and got in a lot of knocking, contacting, and other lessons. I am working on increasing my faith that there are people here in HBS that are ready and waiting to hear the gospel from Sister Henderson and I. 

I have learned a valuable lesson this week. I had a rough night and I was frustrated and hurt and battling my pride. As I turned to the Lord for help I received a very clear answer-I don't need to know what's wrong, or what I did to offend, to offer love and support and apology. I am so grateful for that guidance. And I hope that I can continue to incorporate it for the rest of my life. 

Thank you for everything you do for us. We are excited about zone conference tomorrow :)"

So yeah, that was my week. It was good. I'm trying to speed read through the BoM to finish before transfers. It's good for me. I don't know if I"m going to be able to make it, but I"m trying. I LOVE the Book of Mormon. It is so powerful. There are so many lessons we learn from it. This is one of my favorite things I read this week: "Behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live...But there were many were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would heal them. O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly?...Then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God" (Alma 33:19-22). I love that. Would ye not behold quickly? It is that simple. The gospel is so simple. Just do the little things every day that God has asked us to do, and everything will turn out right. 

My challenge this week is this: Spend at least 5 minutes every day in the BoM. Just do it. It is so very worth it. 

I love you! 

Love, 

Sister Andelin 

p.s. I met a lady today that used Grandma's spanish simplified hymn lessons on her mission. It was neat. Her name is Phyllis Heywood and she knew a bunch of our relatives in Arizona. It was fun :)