Hello Everyone!
I just erased the entire letter I'd been writing today. It was full of action, excitement, and the tale of three hungry missionaries who, due to an unfortunate series of P-days landing on holidays when everything is closed, were out of food. It was a tale of missionaries on a fast sunday worried they'd not get to eat until Monday, but who had this feeling of hope spring in their hearts that the members would have them over. But who? And why? It wasn't that often that missionaries were over for meals with members (albeit there were great blessings to be had for such a kind gesture). Even so, they were hopeful that such would be the case today. Church was over and the missionaries had begun to wonder if their hopes had been in vain. Their hearts sank, and they were just resigning themselves to the thought of perhaps spending lunch-time reviewing Nephi's bow experience to get pointers for next time, when a text came through: "Hi elders, care to come for dinner?" Witnesses to the scene can tell you themselves: There were tears shed, there were awkward three-missionary hugs, and there were prayers of gratitude on the spot.
Now, I share this little anecdote, especially the bit about having deleted this story, because I realized that, while funny, it's not what this is all about. I feel to apologize, since this story also has food as part of the picture, but that is merely an accessory fact; Let's get to the better story.
This past week, I've been in the office about 1000% more than in the past. Running both jobs is really quite challenging, and it will be interesting to see what happens when the Andersons are completely gone in a week and I don't have the spot-help that I have right now (Sister Anderson always likes to be doing something, so she'll help me with my to-do list). But, I change hats at 5 PM and get to proselyte. One night, we had planned to fulfill a home-teaching assignment we'd received. A sister, Jana Rezkova, who had recently suffered a bad fall down the stairs and was just home from the hospital, was excited to hear from us. She was about 70 and was mostly house-ridden in her present state, especially given the weather. The Elders embarked on the drive out into the Czech countryside, onto twisty cobblestone roads between small villages that looked like something out of a whole box of postcards. They finally pulled up at her home, a small cottage with a few apartments in it at the edge of a township just outside of a tiny village out in the middle of nowhere. Stars were gleaming overhead, and the open air was absolutely frigid. They knocked, were buzzed in, and she welcomed them into her home. Her legs were still seriously bandaged, almost as bad as when the Elders had visisted her in the hospital originally. Seriously discolored and bruised, she couldn't do much but hobble, and with great difficulty at that. Then to their surprise, they walked into her front room where there were three place settings all ready to go. She came hobbling in with a large pot and a ladle, and she proceeded to portion out a soup she had prepared. Shocked at what she'd done in her condition, the missionaries expressed their gratitude for the meal and blessed it with her. As they finished their soup, she came in with a larger pot, full of czech sauerkraut, and balancing on her arm a steaming pan of home-made dumplings! The Elders insisted she sit down, but she brushed them off and proceeded to serve them heaping portions of the classic czech food. They helped her carry things from there on out, as she still had sauce and meat to add to the pile, and they were all overcome with her consideration to prepare a meal for the elders despite her severe injuries. Following the meal, the trio sang her several of her favorite hymns and invited the spirit further with a priesthood blessing. However, as has been said many times by many priesthood-bearers, these Elders felt that they had been ministered to by the example of the loving old woman.
In thinking about the experiences of late and of my whole mission, it's remarkable how my perspective has changed over the course of time. I see things much differently than I used to. The examples of the people here preach sermons, the sorts of things they found difficult to write in the book of mormon, or in the bible, or that I find difficult to describe effectively here. But I hope it makes sense when I say that it's all about this kind of example.
I've been studying the Gospel pattern lately, and I've concluded that the Gospel was established to make us pure, to cleanse us and make us into something far greater. I always felt that the example of purifying gold was effective, as we are placed under immense heat and the impurities are drawn from us in successive degrees. It is when we become pure, cleansed, and sanctified, when our patterns of behavior are reflective of the life of Our Exemplar, that we're actually getting somewhere. The Gospel is not about doing good things repeatedly, it's about becoming one who is good continuously. Like this woman, we all need to be looking to become like Him, to have and express his Love, and to show it.
I hope you all have a fantastic week. It's going to be a good one, I can tell. One interesting anecdote: If you keep an eye on solar and star calendars, you'll have noticed there was a partial eclipse of the sun this week that could be seen all over Europe, western Asia, and Northern Africa. I'd never seen one before, and it was really quite impressive.
Love you all,
Elder Anderson
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