Thoughts From Sister Anderson

My Cousin Julia has always been such a great example to me. I love reading about her adventures and love seeing how she has blessed so many lives. She is the kind of girl that has the light of Christ in her at all times and is always happy. Here is a little bit of her blog. The way she words things is amazing and helps make understanding the gospel easier.

Here is her blog if you want to see more: Sister in New Zealand
     I just want you to close your eyes right now and imagine Heavenly Father standing in front of you, Imagine having a REAL conversation with Him.. what would you thank Him for? What would you ask? I know Heavenly Father is real. And we need to talk to him that way. There is a night and day difference in my life when my prayers are sincere and when they are not. It’s a small little thing but it really does make the biggest difference. It's like with anyone.. if you want to have a good relationship with someone you have to sincerely try to get to know them and let them get to know you. And just like any relationship, you have to work at it. It's not always easy, I mean even on a mission it's easy to slip into having not really sincere prayers. But I know it's important and that’s a goal I have for myself is to have very sincere prayers all the time. Continuous improvement is what this gospel is all about.. if we are standing still then it's not working. We need to be moving forward “Prayer doesn’t change Gods will, it changes us.”

I am taking this challenge and making prayer a more important part of my day and working on imagining if he was standing right there. Who wants to take the challenge with me?

Gratitude

        I was reading through my journal and read and reflected on the amazing trip to Fiji I went on. I love Fiji with all of my heart and have learned so much. The number one thing I noticed in everyone is that they aren't afraid to go up and talk to you. It's amazing! No one has their phones to play with or other distractions and they fill their time uplifting and learning about others. Wherever you are, you always feel so loved because nobody is afraid to say bula (hi) to you. You honestly feel like a big huge family. Also, this stood out to me so much but nobody is afraid to share what they believe. I saw this Fijian woman in the bathroom and she asked if we were mormon and told us to circle up to say a prayer with her so we can be safe. I thought, "no one would dare say a prayer with a stranger in a bathroom where I live."  I then asked myself, what keeps me from standing out and not being afraid from sharing what I believe. Is it being afraid of embarrassment? You also always hear them sing or hum hymns or church songs while they are working.
            Right when I got to the village, I just burst into tears. All I saw was smiling faces and realized that these people have nothing. It broke my heart and made me wonder why are they so happy? They are actually happier then me most of the time and they don't have what I have. As the week went by, I became so happy. A happiness that can't be fulfilled with worldly things. This happiness was caused by friendship, love, service, kindness, gratitude, and the love of the Savior. The whole week I found joy and gratitude in so many things I would have never even thought of being grateful for at home. I was so grateful for a comfy bed at home, a nights rest without loud roosters, rats, and dogs, no bed bugs, clothes, carpet, and so much more.
             This amazing trip also taught me a lot about how each and every one of us are sons and daughters of God. You could feel it. God loves everyone no matter where you live, what you look like, or what religion you are. I felt the Lords love for each and every person I met. It made me want to be more like a Fijian.

The amazing Hailey, Brad, and Trevor made a video about the trip! I could go on and on explaining how wonderful they are. I thought they were amazing before but, as I got to know them, it made me want to be more like them. They are so selfless, caring, christlike, and also just love having a good time. The amazing and talented Breea also made amazing videos on the trip too that shows everything perfectly.
Here is videos from the trip:)

Fiji Trip By Tell The Birds (Breea Guttery)