Elder Anderton Weekly Email

This has been an excelent week, we have been seeing a lot of great miracles happening here and all over the mission. Things are going so great! :) I can't even explain it, I know that there are a lot of things that I still need to work on and figure out in my life, but I really do feel like I am figuring myself out here. I feel like I know exactly who I am and I am becoming so much more comfortable with my talents and not comparing them to others. I believe whole heartedly that Heavenly Father really has created each of us with so much patient attention, we are all truly unique and loved. I may not be as good at a lot of things as others are, but there are things that I feel I have been blessed with and I want to use my blessings to help others. That is what Heavenly Father wants us to do with our talents. I used to always be sad about all the things that I am lacking in where others are thriving, but that doesn't matter. We use what we have and make the best out of it and we will be happy! It is quite simple, we all just need to discover who we are and be exactly who we are. On sunday this guy showed up to church that called us a couple weeks ago asking about english and church. It was so cool! He is amazing he met the missionaries here a couple years ago and told them that he would come to our church and learn about it and now he finally is. He told us that right now there are a couple things he is really interested in, our language and our religion, how perfect! He is a way normal guy and he has a cool family, a wife and a little girl. Elder Brown and I think that he will deffinately get baptized and we are hoping it will happen while we are here. We are going to have a first meeting with him and I believe with his whole family tomorrow, I'm really excited for it. We have been getting so many referals that we have been having a hard time finding time to go find them. We have been so busy that it just feels great! We are doing a lot of good I hope.
We are seeing success in all sorst of shapes and sizes! We have so much going for us! I am very happy right now :) I'm glad that I am here in Poland, I don't feel like I could ever ask for more!
I'm way sorry I want to send home some pictures, but these computers at the internet cafe are no good, there are only a couple that have usb ports that work and they are always zajęty so I can never send pictures home. Knock on wood that next week I will be able to. I want you to see how beautiful this place is, we have been going from castle to castle these last few pdays, it is so cool! Last week we went to this castle way out in the hills of this little old village, it was beatiful! It is all in ruins and you can just run around all over it, no one really is in charge of it or anything. Today we went to this other castle that was kind of the same thing just out on top of this hill, built into the rocks surrounded by these little old farms and stuff. It was so cool, we got to just run around on it and take pictures. I love Kato/Sosnowiec. The Śląsk is such a cool area, the people here are so cool. It is dirty and there are a lot more crazy people and stuff but there is just this special attitude here and there are the coolest castles ever!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love, Elder Brett Anderton!

Reflection on the past two years

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of my entering the mission field. In just a few days I will be hitting my seven month mark of being home. Today during sacrament meeting I started reflecting on some of the lessons that I learned during those 18 months of service. With today being fast Sunday I wanted to focus on how I can become a better person and more like my Savior Jesus Christ. Maybe this is why I started reflecting on the mission. I mean for 18 months or 2 years they continually plead with you to be more like the Savior and miraculous things will follow. Some of those miraculous things end up being those tender mercies the Lord pours out upon you each and every day but you may not think they are too miraculous.

Just a few of the lessons
1. Families CAN and WILL be together FOREVER if we follow the Saviors plan for us.
-To be honest I don't think I really grasped on to this concept until the very last day of my mission. On the last day of the mission we had the opportunity of going to the Orlando Temple. This was the first time I was able to go since being in the MTC. I recall after we finished the endowment session and we entered the Celestial Room, I felt a sense of loneliness. My parents weren't there to greet me as they had done before when I went through the Bountiful Temple and even though I was with other missionaries I still had the longing of others being there. I sat and pondered the reason I went out on a mission. It became clear to me that all those who I had the opportunity to work with and see enter into the waters of baptism were on their way to being with their families FOREVER. I knew right then the importance of following Heavenly Father's plan so that we can be in the celestial kingdom together and not have a sense of longing for others to be there.

2. Faith preceeds the miracle or sign
-In my Doctrine and Covenants class we have been talking a lot about Martin Harris. Martin Harris was one that needed the miracle or sign before he could truly believe. I find myself like that too. Yet the Lord doesn't work that way. Each day in the field we would go out and expect miracles to happen yet all too often I would get discouraged and lose sight of my faith. It was on those days that nothing would happen. On the days that even though it was hard, I would endure with faith that things happened. We have to do our part before the Lord will do His. Even being back here I have gone through some things that try my faith but when I let my faith carry me through the Lord is always there to lift me higher and ease my burdens.

3. Sometimes the Lord allows us to be tried because He sees our FULL potential...we only see things we can't do.
-If you are anything like me you too will dwell on what you aren't good at. There were tons of days that I couldn't give my best effort because I didn't think I was good enough to be out. All too often I would let that get the best of me. I remember one time I was serving with Sister Butterfield back in Seminole. I only had 6 months left and I started to think I wasn't good enough because we couldn't find ANYONE to teach. One day I recall spending an hour in the dark bathroom just crying and feeling like there was no hope for me. I felt as though the light of Christ had gone out of me. It was an awful feeling. I would try to pray and nothing would happen. I kept wondering how the Lord could allow me to feel this way especially because I was a missionary. After awhile I came out of the bathroom and went to the bedroom. Sister Butterfield came in and tried to comfort me. She kept asking me to bear my testimony. I couldn't. I felt so dark and alone. She suggested that I get a priesthood blessing. Upon doing that I felt the love of the Lord through Brother Galloway who gave me the blessing. I remember in the blessing the Lord telling me how proud He was of what I had been accomplishing thus far. At that moment I realized that the Lord was trying me because He sees me in terms of tomorrow where I see me in terms of today. Through that experience I grew and realized that there is much I can do WITH the Lord on my side. If He isn't with me I will never reach my FULL potential.

These are just a few of the lessons that I learned and that I had the opportunity to reflect on today in church. How grateful I am that I heeded the Spirit and went on my mission. I have learned so much and grew a greater love for the gospel, the Savior and Heavenly Father, and even my family. I had the privilege of serving with some wonderful sisters who each taught me something unique. I worked with amazing people who helped me strengthen my love for the truths we have as I taught each of them. They hold a special place in my heart. The Lord knows what each of us need in our lives. President McKay always use to say, "The Lord always hears our prayers but it is usually through others that He answers them."

Saturday Football

The Viewmont Vikings lose to the Bountiful Braves, 0-6. Although Viewmont lost they did play a better game. Trevor continued to step up his game as he played defense. He made sure that the Braves didn't get extra yardage. The previous night Trevor took a punch to the eye in trying to break up a fight between a bountiful kid and a teammate. A group of bountiful teens came over as Trevor came into the game to find friends. When Trevor saw a teammate take a punch to the stomach, he stepped in and ended up getting hit in the eye as well. The school officers came over to see what was going on and ended up questioning all the boys. We are proud of the actions of Trevor. Good job on being a true teammate and great job on not hitting back. Let's go Viewmont!!! Another chance to prove ourselves will come next week as Taylorville comes to Viewmont's home field. Let's get our game faces on boys!!!

The Lord TRULY DOES take care of us

You would think I would learn my lesson and just put all my fears into the Lord's hands but I guess I just haven't mastered that skill yet. Even though I doubt sometimes He always seems to step in just when my burdens seem the heaviest and He lifts them off of me. As I came home from work today I clicked onto my email and found a message from the BYU financial center. As I went to check it out to my surprise a scholarship had been awarded to me. Money that can be used to pay for housing, extra schooling, or to pay off my loan. For a few weeks I have been worrying that I wouldn't have enough money for various things. I have a great job but it isn't paying like my other job did. Now I have the priviledge of working at the MTC more which means even more of a loss in money...yet the spiritual blessing are so much more. Now the Lord has allowed me to live free of those worries and focus on continuing to strive in my education as well as helping those missionaries look like true representatives of Him. How blessed I feel at this time and I owe it all to Him, my Savior and Redeemer.
-Wendy

GREEN LIGHTENING DOES IT AGAIN

Four straight games in a row the Green Lightening girls soccer team has managed to squash their competition. Tonight they dashed any hopes the Blue sharks had of winning. Emmalee played a great game. She covered the entire field tonight as she played goalie, forward and fullback. Some may attribute the win to Mom's excellent coaching or to the fear Em puts into the other team as she imitates a lightening bolt. Whatever it is keep it up girls. **GO GREEN LIGHTENING**

Elder Anderton at the Primary Activity

Elder Anderton Weekly Email

Hi Family,
Things have been going really well for me this week. Elder Brown and I have been really busy meeting with in-active members and referrals. It has been amazing we have gotten referrals! ha ha we got this email from the office that this lady had sent to them. She talked about how she heard on the radio 15 years ago or so, this guy was talking about our church and she became really interested and some how got a hold of a book of Mormon and an ulotki and she tried to find the church here in Kato but it had changed addresses so she had just been reading the book of Mormon and waiting for us to find her. On Saturday Elder Brown and I went out to her apartment and we were ringing her domafon but there was no answer or anything so we rang her neighbors domafon and talked to her. Elder Brown mispronounced the ladies name of whom we were searching, he said Urena so the lady we were talking to told us that she was dead and we were like no way we got this email last week! Then I said Irena then the lady told us that Irena lived next to her but we would have to come back another time. We went out there yesterday and we met with Irena and her son. Irena is about 90 years old ha ha she was really cool though, she has read the Book of Mormon 3 times already and knows it really well! She believes that it is true and wants to come to church really bad so we gave her the address and she should be coming on Sunday. It was way cool! We met this guy the other day that did luge for Poland a couple times in the Olympics and was a paratrooper and now he is a professor at a university in Kraków and is writing two books right now, he has lead a very full life and was way cool, he wants to meet with us more. We have been meeting with lots of cool people this week, it has been a really good week!
Our district changed a little bit this transfer, Elder Hughes is now an AP so now Elder Stroben from Vegas is here as a Zone Leader with Elder Rushton. Elder Brown and I are still together. And Sister Hearth went to Warsaw to train a new missionary and Sister Rouse is still here and she is training a new missionary, Sister Brown. She is from Sandy. It is cool to see what it is like for new missionaries, it makes me see that I have improved and gives me hope that I will keep improving. Sister Brown is doing really well with the language though! She is a lot better than I was when I got here ha ha. On Sunday she bore her testimony in sacrament meeting and she did a really good job. I feel like each week I have been improving as I lead sacrament meeting, I keep asking everyone for suggestions of things that I can do to make it sound better and more proper. It has been helping a lot and people have been more than happy to offer advise. I feel like my Polish has been improving, there are still times that are very humbling very often, but I have been changing some things and working on some things and I can feel it helping a lot.
I think that it would probably be the best thing to write me through the mission office right now. I don't trust the mail in Sosnowiec, I don't really trust the Polish mail at all right now, but I would feel safer with things being sent to the mission office. I will be staying here in Sosnowiec for another two months, the next transfer is November 17th.
I was going to try to send you some pictures today but I'm on a dumb computer so it wont let me, I'm sorry about that. I will have to try again next week.
That isn't good that everyone has been getting sick, I'm sorry about that. I have been luckily staying pretty healthy, I hope that it will stay that way as it is getting colder now. The weather is looking more and more like it did when I got here. Each morning the air is really thick and not foggy but misty or something, I don't know what to call it ha ha. It is really cool looking though in the morning. Right now I am feeling really good, I have been working a lot this past week on my spiritual self and I can feel the difference it is making, things are getting easier as far as the work goes, as far as the language goes and it feels so good. I find myself at the end of each day really excited to kneel down in prayer. I can really feel the spirit and my heart bursting when I pray. It feels so amazing I can't describe it! I feel like physically and mentally I have been maturing a lot. I feel like my body has been filling out more and I need to start working out more but I feel like I have been maturing a lot. Things feel really good right now! Elder Brown and I have a really good balance together, we work hard and it is heard to explain, but I feel like we work hard because we want to be helping people and not just because it is what we are supposed to be doing. I have worked with people out here that don't seem to care that much about what we are doing but they do it because it is what they understand is expected. I feel a difference when I work with Elder Brown, we work because we love helping people! There is nothing better than seeing some one smiling because we helped them have a better day:) I love working with Elder Brown, he is by far my favorite companion thus far!
I thought of one other thing I would like for Christmas if I can ask for this. I really want a hacky sack! ha ha when I was in Poznań I found one in the apartment that a missionary left, I forgot how much fun it was and I started to get really good at it! Elder Nelson was good at it too so we would play hackysack and invite kids people to play with us on whiteboards as creative contacting method ha ha. I gave my hacky sack to Sebastian here the other week because he really wanted it, he is Anna's son. It is almost impossible to find them here in Poland. I have heard of people finding them but I haven't ever been able to find one. I really want one that is filled with the really fine beach sand and the outside is a really soft leather type stuff. If you could find one of those I would love that!
If you thing I brought craziness in the home then you would love Elder Brown! He is way crazy and always says the funniest things that leave me laughing for ever I have so much fun with him! He is such a fun guy!
As far as I know they don't really celebrate Halloween here, they celebrate this holiday called day of the dead, where for one night I think Nov 1st. Everyone puts candles on the graves of their ancestors and stuff like that and as long as there are candles burning on the grave the spirit of that person is believed to be able to wander. I am so excited to see it this year! I have seen peoples pictures and it looks so pretty, there are graves that end up with hundreds of candles on them.
Have a great week!

Love, Elder Anderton