Pictures!

Giant Cockroach

Me at the Border

This awesome pet bunny named Russell

Me and my 'Clergy Only' Parking

Elder Hunt and I on his last day in the mission :(

Week 27

Sanderson Family and Friends,                                                                               01/22/2013

Another successful week in this wonderful part of the Lord's vineyard. I hope ya'lls (don't worry, I don't really talk like that) week was just as wonderful. We found 12 new investigators! Some are a little more solid than others but they are still all progressing. One of the coolest families we found was the Alvarez Family. The father is in prison for the next 10+ years, so the young mother Isabel (24) has been struggling to keep the family afloat. I was on exchanges with Elder Bosselman when we found them and we both felt really inspired to teach this young woman and her family about modern revelation. I've never taught that on a first lesson, so it was new but the Spirit insisted. I pulled out my iPod and speakers and we played her a talk from this last General Conference.  We listened to Elder Eyring's address "Where is the Pavilion?  I've never seen a person so moved and touched by the Spirit as was this woman. Through tears she explained to us that she had lost all faith and hope in the existence of a God. She now realized that she was the one that was creating that pavilion that obscured her vision. 

Our other investigators are doing great! Omar and Pete have their baptismal interviews this Sunday! Que padre no? The Verdin Family is progressing but slowly. Carlos' work is getting in the way of the lessons. We have been praying for a miracle to happen. We have a lesson with them tonight and so hopefully all goes well!

Today I wish to speak about the worth of souls. I love this quote by C.S. Lewis that really puts into perspective who we truly are.

"It is a serious thing," says Lewis, "to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. Aside from the blessed Sacrament, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses."  C.S. Lewis "The Weight of Glory"

So the question is...do we see others in this light? Maybe more importantly...do we see ourselves in this light? Our Father in Heaven does. Our Savior does. Jesus Christ willingly suffered and died for us...Why? Because he sees us as what we can become. This Gospel is a gospel of "becoming". We cannot be anxiously engaged is this marvelous work and not have this divine vision that our Father and Brother have. We must see others and ourselves as what we can become. If we do not...we will never improve. Without vision there can be no progression. Our Heavenly Father has clearly stated his vision for us. In Moses 1:39 we read, "For this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Do we not share that same vision? Do we help others have this vision? If not, may we resolve to see others in a different light. Let us forgive others of their 100 pence flaws...our Savior has forgiven our ten thousand talent mistakes. For our Savior has promised us, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Mathew 5:7) My mission has truly raised my vision and I am eternally grateful for that. We must do all we can to help others return home. We are all on this journey...let us lift those who sit by on the wayside believing all is lost. I love you all so much!

con amor

Elder Sanderson

Texas McAllen Mission

Week 26

Sanderson Family,                                                                                                    01/14/2013

This week in the area of Rio Bravo we finally found what every missionary dreams of...a Family! They were a referral from the Senior couple the Papas. The Verdin family is so golden! It is a family of 5 but only 4 are baptismal age.  We contacted them on Friday and had one of the awesomest 1st lessons ever. They mentioned that a lot of out-side forces were threatening their family. So we hit them up with Helaman 5:12 and then transitioned that to 3rd Nephi 11:38-40 where the Savior invites all men to build upon his rock through baptism. They eagerly accepted a baptismal date for the 10th of February! They even came to church this Sunday and loved it so much. In Gospel Principles we learned about the Plan of Salvation and they just loved how that lesson makes life make sense. Wonderful family! Please keep them in your prayers.

As always, I love receiving your letters. Today I wanted to respond to yours Stacie, I think we all may find it applicable. You asked me for some advice about developing the habit of prayer and daily scripture study. These 2 things are probably some of the most important things we could be doing but probably the most undone thing by members of the Church. As I reflect upon the past few years I can honestly say that many of my mistakes and problems have stemmed from my neglect of developing these habits. Nothing is sweeter than knowing your Father in Heaven is aware of you, and when you pray and read you are opening a conduit to Him. Please do not make my same mistakes and continue on without this wonderful gift from God. Develop this habit now.

When teaching my investigators on how they can develop these habits, I give them a simple 3 step formula. to develop a habit you must first have 1) Knowledge- what exactly prayer and scripture study is, how to effectively pray and scripture study..etc  2) Desire- your desire to perform these habits will only be as intense as your desire. This desire cannot be just to check it off our busy schedule because then it will not profit us...you must do this because you want to  3) Repetition- consistently praying and studying your scriptures.  These 3 things will help you develop the wonderful habit of fervent prayer and diligent scripture study. So here is some homework for you Stacie. In 2 weeks time I want you to write me a letter with 1)  Your knowledge of what prayer and scripture study is 2) Scriptures talking about the blessings of scripture study (this will increase your desire) and 3) a log of our scripture studies such as: topics, favorite stories..etc. Ok? I promise that if you try to righteously develop these habits they will come. In 2 weeks I'll send you a letter of my studies as well ok? Andale!

Why is this important?

At the waters of baptism we covenanted with our Heavenly Father that we would take upon the name of Christ and stand as his representative. How could we possibly hope to emulate the Savior if we do not know him? How could we possibly do the will of our Heavenly Father if we never asked for his guidance? We must have a firm and unshakable testimony and deep conversion that Jesus is the Christ if we are to survive the spiritual battle in which we are all enlisted. We develop these over time...through prayer and scripture study.

I love conference address that Elder David A. Bednar gave this last October Conference. I encourage us all to re-read it.  He too talks about the necessity of daily prayer and scripture study. Elder Bednar interpreted the Parable of the Ten Virgins and how at the moment when the bridegroom was near the 5 foolish virgins lacked the oil of conversion in their lamps of testimony. They were in despair and resorted to having to ask the 5 wise Virgins for oil. Of course they refused. Elder Bednar explains...

"Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil of conversion cannot be borrowed?  Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person? Can the knowledge obtained through diligent study and pondering of the scriptures be conveyed to one who is in need? Can the peace the gospel brings to a faithful Latter-day Saint be transferred to an individual experiencing adversity or great challenge? The clear answer to each of these questions is no.

As the wise virgins emphasized properly, each of us must “buy for ourselves.” These inspired women were not describing a business transaction; rather, they were emphasizing our individual responsibility to keep our lamp of testimony burning and to obtain an ample supply of the oil of conversion. This precious oil is acquired one drop at a time—“line upon line [and] precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30), patiently and persistently. No shortcut is available; no last-minute flurry of preparation is possible.

“Wherefore, be faithful, praying always, having your lamps trimmed and burning, and oil with you, that you may be ready at the coming of the Bridegroom” (D&C 33:17) .Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil of conversion cannot be borrowed?

It is my hope and testimony that we might all better the habit of humble prayer and scripture study. May you all have a wonderful week! Thank you for all the wonderful prayers in my behalf. I have seen miracles resulting from them.

con todo mi amor

Elder Craig Sanderson

Texas McAllen Mission

Week 25

Sanderson Family,                                                                                                    01/07/2013

 So I just re-read the letter I sent you last week and there is a few corrections haha. The Brother we are working with is named Mendoza not Medrano. I assume Heavenly Father figured it out and answered our prayers because he came to church with his entire family! Boo-Yah! He has a baptismal date for the 27th of this month.

So an update with some of the people we are working with. This week we found a cool kid named Omar (23). He is kinda a crazy kid but wants to change some of his bad habits. He is really interested in the Holy Ghost and receiving that guidance in his life. His favorite scripture is in Mosiah 5:2, “Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” Omar has this horrible Chilean/Puerto Rican spanish (they don't pronounce the entire word) that is super hard to understand haha. Every lesson with him really tests my language skills. He has a baptismal date for the 27th of this month as well.

Another one of our awesomest investigators is another young man names Pete Villareal (23). He is sorta what we call a "happy Christian" but is very receptive to the Gospel. He came to church this week and absolutely loved it! In Priesthood he even raised his hand and offered suggestions on how the brethren could improve their home teaching haha que padre, no? The ward has really fellowshipped him. Last night we had a lesson on prayer and tried to help him have a spiritual confirmation of his baptismal date. As we helped him formulate a specific question he wanted to ask God, we knelt down on his dirt floor to pray. As Pete began to pray a celestial power entered the room. He offered up one of the more sincere prayers I have ever heard. After the prayer he even asked if I could be the one to baptize him! haha we have only taught him 2 lessons and he already is planning out the baptismal service. His baptismal date is on the 3rd of February.

As of right now we technically have about 15 "Progressing Investigators" but Omar and Pete are my favorites haha.

Ok for the spiritual thought. This week I was studying a talk that was in this really old Ensign I found in our apartment. I cannot remember who gave this talk but he used an awesome quote from C.S. Lewis that I love. He is trying to paraphrase what Christ must say when he asked us to be his disciples.

Christ says, "Give me all. I don't want so much of your money and so much of your work - I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there. I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth or crown it or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked...the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact I will give you myself. My own will shall become yours."

I realize the season of "gift-giving" is past, but may we resolve this year to give of ourselves to Christ. Not just our time or our means..Us...our whole selves. Let us resolve to give him our heart. It is the only thing in which we have to give him that he does not already have.

I have come to realize that the reason they make Missionaries give up so much is so that as a Missionary I can now ask my investigator to give up coffee, lifestyle, or whatever it may be.  Christ gave of himself freely to us...now he asks us the same of us. Give your heart to him and then we can truly call ourselves "Disciples of Christ." If we do so the invitation of our Savior is, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” (Matthew 25:34.) 

with all my love,

Elder Craig Sanderson

Texas McAllen Mission

Week 24

Sanderson Family,                                                                                                    01/02/2013

Happy New Years! Hope everyone's Holiday season was wonderful! Thank you for the awesome Christmas presents. I love my new quad, and all the other Elders love the basketball hoop...not sure the people below us are too fond of it though. Thank you all so much.

For New Years we had what we called a "Celestial P-Day". The Laredo Zone met at the church and spent the entire afternoon playing basketball and volleyball. It was a nice break from soccer...don't get me wrong, soccer is awesome but its way out of my element. Everyone makes fun of me because while playing I always guard people like I would in basketball. So yeah it was fun to actually play something I was familiar with.  Later that night we watched the movie "Forever Strong" and then went straight home. President wanted us inside at all times because it gets pretty crazy. To celebrate the Hispanics here love to shot bullets up in the air. From inside our apartment it sounded like a war was going on outside haha.

Since it was the Holiday season many of our investigators spent the festivities over in Mexico. It sorta sucks because we had to drop them because we have lost contact with them for over a week. They said that they would get back sometime this week so hopefully we can pick them back up and start of the New Year with some baptisms.  This week we found a sweet Part-member family that we are now working with. Brother Medrano's (forgot his first name haha) Family are all very active members and we finally got him to commit to a baptismal date on February 3rd. Keep him in your prayers please. He is an awesome guy and wants an eternal family but struggles at times with the Word of Wisdom. Many missionaries have tried in the past but have given up on him because he keeps relapsing.  He made us promise that we wouldn't give up on him we are all praying for some divine help.

Lately I have been studying some of Elder Maxwell's talks and here are some of my favorite quotations from him. Andele!

“God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.”

“The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. The many other things we 'give' are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”

“Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!”

"If we are serious about our discipleship, Jesus will eventually request each of us to do those very things which are most difficult for us to do.”

 “If, in the end, you have not chosen Jesus Christ it will not matter what you have chosen.”

 “If the kingdom of God is not first, it doesn't matter what's second.”

 “In the economy of Heaven, God does not send thunder if a still, small voice is enough, or a prophet if a priest can do the job.”

“Discouragement is not the absence of adequacy but the absence of courage.”

“God, as a loving Father, will stretch our souls at times. The soul is like a violin string: it makes music only when it is stretched. . . . God will tutor us by trying us because He loves us, not because of indifference!”

Hopefully some of these have helped you focus on what is truly important... I wish you all the best! In the spirit of "New Years resolutions" let us resolve to deepen our own conviction and conversion of this wonderful restored gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let us heed the council of Helaman when he reminds them to fortify themselves. "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." The word “shall” is mandatory.  At one time or another, each of us experiences the winds of adversity.  Some, when faced with adversity and darkening clouds, end up in the “gulf of misery and endless wo,” while others choose to stand and endure.  There they encounter the beautiful sunshine of a more abundant life, full of sunshine, joy, and personal growth.  The challenge for each is essentially the same, but the final destination is so different.  What makes the difference?

Attitude affects destiny.

When all else seems to fail, we can take comfort that He will not. He will support us...but we must let him. Let us come unto him in this great year of 2013. We live in a time and land full of miracles! Now let us be worthy and prepared to receive them.

con amor

Elder Craig Sanderson

Texas McAllen Mission