Letter #47

Dear Family!!

This week has been so great!! I forgot how much I enjoy training. I love "greenie fire"!!  I love serving with new missionaries :) They are so excited and ready to work! It get's me excited and wanting to work even harder. It can also be a very reflective experience; being able to see where we all started out. I sometimes get down on myself because I feel like I should be further along coming up on my year mark. I should know more, and be doing more! I kinda think I need to be the "perfect missionary" but then I look back from where I started and I have changed and grown a lot! I don't have a problem talking with random people now! hahaha I sometime still get nervous teaching, but I think that is normal. I love the people though! I try to picture everyone how Christ sees them; as my brother and sisters! :0 I also always picture them in white :) 

I may not be where I want to be, but I think that's how it will always be. That is just the way of life we are all here learning and  growing. We are just at different stages of moving forward. There are only two ways of moving; I choose forward! I want to continue to grow and improve myself everyday! :)

So about my new companion :) She is the best!! I love her already :) Her name is Sister Kitchen and she is 19! She is from Fruit Heights, Utah. She is super excited to be out here and so funny. We have been getting along great :) She like sports and baking so... we have kinda been baking up a storm! hahaha! I am getting a little worried about my "6 months to sexy." She is a very bad influence on me in that regard. hahahaha! Well I forgot to mention she is freakishly tall. Like really really tall!! She is 6- 1 and makes me look really short! :( But she is great and ready to work.

I was a little worried about taking over the area after 2 1/2 months. Even though I'm the one driving, I still have no idea where I am going! hahahah. At least I know the people... that's what is most important. So this week because I'm still getting used to training again has been a little on the slower side. We didn't have a ton of set appointments, it was a lot of drop by's. That means we drive around and hope ~1) that  people are home ~ 2) that people answer the door for us. It's breaks my heart when you hear people inside and they are shhhhing their pets acting like there not home. :( * But we do have a funny story. We were visiting this recent covert of about 2 years and we rang the door bell. His little daughter come to the window and runs to tell her dad who is there and she says " I think it is the preachers" Sister Kitchen and I couldn't help cracking up to that one! hahaha! We have been focusing on visiting the less active members or the returning members with the new "To The Rescue" program. Have you head much about it? We are really focusing on strengthening the members we already have. As we do that, the Lord will bless us with more people to teach. We have already seen it working here... after visiting some less actives we have starting to teach their family :) The Lord defiantly has a hand in this work and is preparing people evey day. I keep reminding my self even if all I do is just plant a couple of seeds for other missionaries or members to harvest in the future it will all be worth it! It is all the Lord's work!! I signed up to do whatever is asked of me...

 I love you guys so much!! God be with you till' we meet again! :)

LOVE YOU! XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOXOXOXOOOXOXOOXOX

Love, Sister Sharon Andersen

P.S.- mommy still thinking what i want for Christmas. :)

P.S.S- I love that Grandma and Grandpa Andersen are coming to Florida for their mission!! I wish they could have been come to my mission but that's alright hahaha!  LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (my fathers parents have been called to the Tallahassee, Florida Mission; they enter the MTC at the end of October)