Happy New Year!!

Hey,

 

How's your new area? Where are you?
 My new area is pretty fun and it's an all bike area which is fun in a way haha. I'm in Peoria. We cover the Windrose Park wardand the Peoria ward. My mission leaders are awesome and super nice. My new area is a lot more poor then my last area and I loved my last area. The members were awesome there. But we will see how this area does for me. I know why President sent me to this area cause there was no work being done and my companion said I'm the hardest working missionary he has seen in the area. He has been there for 8 months and his last companion would fake sick a lot and stay in. So we are here to work hard and a lot... meaning all tracting, cause there was no progressing or Investigators in either ward. So were working on that.

 
How are the wards? The members?
 The Wards seem really nice. The member missionary work in the Peoria ward is really good. And the members are pretty nice. My new companion is really quiet and doesn't really talk much, so we don't really have any member friends like my last area. Oh well. I've only been to one ward so I really don't know much. One of our wards is like middle class the Windrose Park ward and the Peoria ward is like low class really poor.
 
What's your new pad like? Is it as nice as the other one?
 Our Appartment is pretty ghetto haha We are in the ghetto of Peoria. My last area had nicer apartments, but these will do good. It really sucks though cause its just me and Elder Ward living in a 2 bedroom app. It gets really lonely, causes he's super quiet. 
 
How's your new companion? Where's he from? What's he like?
 My new Comp is alright definitely not a Elder Beard. I miss elder Beard a lot. Elder Ward is willing to work hard and he doesn't complain which is good. And we work hard. except for the time I got sick on new years eve and threw up and I was also sick on new years, but i still taught Pete our new investigator a lesson and I'll talk about him more later on. So Elder Ward is from Idaho. I just keep getting these Idaho elders hahaha. He's quiet and kinda weird. He didn't play sports in high school. But is willing to work hard and he is a good missionary.
 
What's it like being a district leader? 
 Its pretty crazy. I was so shocked when I got the call from President Beck, but its pretty fun. There's a lot more stress and I have to earn the respect from the Missionaries in my District, but that will all come over time and hard work. Our first district meeting was really stressful, but it went really well and I think my District likes me. Its weird being the youngest yet being in charge of everyone. Its fun though.  I really get to see how the mission works and see what the missionaries need to improve. I also get to do Baptismal Interviews which I am pumped for, so far District leader has been really fun. 
 
Any new investigators?
 Yeah, we have 4 new Investigators, but only 1 is solid. His name is Pete Orora. HE IS AWESOME! We tracted into him on Thursday and set up a return date for Saturday. He is golden. We had like a 3 hour lesson on Saturday 1/1/11. And he cooked us some authentic Mexican food like cactus and red rice but I wasn't feeling good, so i took some home. I committed him to Baptism and he is going to be baptized on the 22nd. I'm so pumped for him. He came to church on Sunday and bore his testimony about us coming to his door and how he was praying to find a church to visit and get his life in order. He is in his 40's. I love teaching him he has some crazy stories about being in a gang in Chicago and crazy stuff. He is a super nice guy and awesome. We will continue to meet with him and he is going to teach us some fighting moves hahah I love him. 
 
Any other news?
 Well on the way to District meeting it snowed on us as we were biking haha its crazy. So I need to buy more sweaters at Goodwill. This week has been really good. And I really have felt the power of prayer in these last couple of days and I know that this church is true. I love you and thank you some much for everything.

Elder Anderson