Week 39 (I Think)

Dear Everyone,

This past week was wild. A lot of crazy things happen and it seems like the best place to start would be the beginning. So last Thursday during our planning session Elder Bankhead and I set goals for this week. We set a goal for new investigators to find and then this week we had met our goal on Tuesday. We hadn't ever met our goal that early in the week before and we slowly came to understand why. As the days went on in the week we had a lot of unexpected responsibilities come our way that we had to take care of and we kind of laughed about how that was why we were able to reach our goal so early in the week but then Friday came. On Friday morning we had our regular district meeting and then we were supposed to have exchanges with another set of Elders but one of them (Elder Rasmussen) was sick so we decided to postpone the exchange. So we had a really good day out working and visiting/teaching people and then in the evening it started to rain but that doesn't stop missionaries haha so at about 8 we were walking to go contact someone and we were about a half a mile away from our car when our phone rang. The Elders we were supposed to have exchanges with called us and asked if we could drive them to Bakersfield to take Elder Rasmussen to the hospital. Turns out he wasn't just sick but it was a previous condition flaring up and he needed to get medical attention as soon as he could. He had previously spent about two weeks in a hospital in Bakersfield earlier in his mission and so his specialist doctor was there and so we packed an overnight bag, picked him up, and drove to Bakersfield. The drive is about and hour and a half and it was raining the whole way so that was an adventure. But we got him to the emergency room and he was processed really quickly and while we were waiting for him to get put into a bed President and Sister Layton showed up. We all went and visited with Elder Rasmussen and decided that I would stay in the hospital with him overnight if needed and that the other Elders would stay in Bakersfield with some other missionaries. Elder Rasmussen and I waited in the hospital until about 1:15 and then a doctor came in and gave him his prescriptions and sent us home. So we got picked up and taken to where the other Elders were and got some sleep. The next morning President Layton called and asked to meet with Elder Rasmussen at noon. So Elder Bankhead and Elder Rasmussen's companion drove back to Palmdale and I stayed with elder Rasmussen and would drive him to his meeting with President Layton at the office. When we got to the office we were told that we would both be getting transferred to Bakersfield. So on Saturday afternoon we drove back down to Palmdale to pack our things and then on Sunday after church we would drive back up to Bakersfield and start working in our new areas.

So I will now be serving in the Bakersfield 2nd ward and my new companion's name is Elder Broadhead haha don't get him confused with my last companion Elder Bankhead. The whole experience this past weekend showed me how in control Heavenly Father is. How He is aware of every little detail of our lives. He knows us and our needs. He gives us opportunities to help us grow.

This week I also said goodbye to one of my favorite missionaries. Elder Vellver was one of my Zone Leaders when I was serving in Rosamond. I learned so much from him about how to be a missionary and just about life. About who I want to be and the kind of person I want to become. It's hard now that I'm starting to see a lot of my good friends go home. My trainer went home and I replaced him when I went to Palmdale and now for the next few transfers I will see a lot of the missionaries I'm closest with go back home. Its just a reminder to me that time keeps moving and most often it moves too fast. Don't waste the time you have and don't take it for granted. I'll do my best to send some pictures next week! Thank you to everyone who has supported me and emailed me! I really appreciate it! They're something I really look forward to each week! Sorry if I ever don't reply! I don't mean to, sometimes crazy things happen! I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,

Elder Anderson