Elder Tommy is on the 2nd row in the middle.  

Why hello there! How are you all doing this fine day? It has been another great week here in Tijuana. It has been just full of lots of fun good stuff. Honestly, not a whole lot new but none the less it was a great week.

                As I said last week, we were planning on baptizing this week, but there was a few little issues so we are gonna wait for another week or two. Tomorrow should be the wedding of Brother and Sister G, and so we are pretty excited about that! This week is the plan to get them baptized also. She is the coolest, she doesn’t know very much, but everything she learns from the Book of Mormon, the pamphlets, and us, she goes and shares with everyone. She is just sharing all of the joys of the gospel she is learning with everyone. It is awesome. She also brought this week to church an older daughter of hers that we didn’t know. We are starting to teach her now as well.

                So this ward is really picking things up here. When I got here they were going quite slow actually and there wasn’t really emphasis or enthusiasm about missionary work, but now that they have seen success and that we have been a little persistent with them about it, they are really picking up the pace. Every month, the ward council along with us the full time missionaries put a baptismal goal for well the upcoming month. When I got here the ward always wanted to put the goal at 1 or 2, but now they are working hard and have seen the success and want to put goals of 5 or 6. Now with these goals that we are putting we are able to work more with the ward so we can reach a common goal. Currently, we have about 8-10 investigators that are all preparing for a baptism. There is a lot of potential here and I am excited to be here.

                Let’s see here. So after the flood in our house we finally have everything dry and back into order. We even got our oven up and running. I have missed ovens so much. We have made brownies, cookies, and well, I am planning on making some German Pancakes this week too!

                On Sunday I got a pretty sad phone call from Elder Lundberg. He is now back in the Florido Zone where we were at and well Saturday night the father of the twins that I had baptized passed away. While I was there they found that he had stomach cancer and well in this short amount of time it has gone through him pretty quickly. I got permission from President to go over to the funeral Sunday night. While I was on the bus heading over there, elder Lundberg called and told me that they had asked him to speak and me to give a musical number and I was kind of freaking out there because I didn’t know what I would sing or do. I told him ok and that I would come up with something, but unfortunately we were already in the bus like half way out there. And well that is when I remembered that for some reason like one month ago I had printed off a copy of the song “Abide With Me”  that my Mom had sent me and I had folded it up and left it in my backpack. I checked my backpack and sure enough it was there. I quickly pulled out my Spanish hymnbook and started writing down the words in Spanish on the sheet music so that I would be able to read and sing at the same time.

                By the time we got to the church there was already quite a lot of people there I was able to say hi and give my condolences to the family and then I used the bishops keyboard and ran through the song a few times. I felt alright so I went it and it was time. There were some very nice messages shared and the Spirit was incredible there. Elder Lundberg shared some experiences of us with them and it was well quite touching. He basically just testified of the Plan of Salvation and how through Jesus Christ we will live again. I was then able to sing this hymn (Mom, Bishop Cuanalo recorded it, I asked him to send it to you). The words to the song are incredible. I especially love the last phrase, “Oh Savior stay this night with me, behold ´tis eventide.” I was able to get through the song, but after it brought back lots of emotions from when Reed passed away. I remember praying that same thing that night, “Oh Savior stay this night with me” and I know that he did. I am so thankful for the plan of Salvation and for our Savior Jesus Christ who threw him all is possible.

                Whenever I remember Reed and see passing’s such as this, it helps me remember and refocus myself to live righteously. To live in the way that I must so that I may use the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and trust in the promise of God that our family can be together forever.

                I love you all, the Gospel is real. Remember who you are and act accordingly so that the promises of God may be completed.

Elder Tommy Anderson