Week 27

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all enjoy this Christmas season and remember it's true meaning. We've had a lot of great experiences with people here spreading the Christmas spirit. We also had a great zone conference this week and were able to celebrate a little bit of Christmas with our President and Sister Layton. This week I've also studied so many great topics and read some fantastic scriptures. The first I'd like to share is from the Book of Mormon. It is found in 3 Nephi 13 verses 19-21  and it says "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." It made me ask myself "at this time of year, where is my heart?" I think many of us know that the things we have aren't the things we get to take with us when we die, but how much time do we spend contemplating the treasures we can have in heaven in comparison to the treasures we can have here on earth. Having an eternal perspective is hard. Sometimes it makes me feel like the progress I am making is tiny haha but then I came across one of my favorite scriptures on the bible. Matthew 11:28-30 says "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." It is easy to feel overwhelmed in life. But if we can understand that we don't have to do it alone, we can receive help from our Savior. But just because we receive help doesn't mean we don't have to do anything. When Christ invites us to "take [his] yoke upon [us]" he's inviting us to work WITH him. I know that Jesus Christ wants to work with each and every one of us. The invitation is for all. He knows we are laboring and that we are heavy laden. He wants us to come unto Him. Moroni 10: 32-33 "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and that they can feel the love of their Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for everyone who has participated in the Light the World initiative! We can continue to light the world when we continue to serve! Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails, letters, packages, and prayers! I really appreciate each and every one!

Elder Anderson

1. Shooting star, make a wish!! Jk its a missle

2. Tracted into a coyote

3. Skyped my family!