1 Month Down

Dearest Loved Ones :)

 It has been 1 month already!! Wow time is flying by.  This week was really awesome and I have learned and grown a ton!  We have these fake investigators that we are teaching and that is going really well. My German is really coming along nicely, it will be interesting to see what its like once I actually get to Germany! I am sure that will be a huge shock!! haha.  I am loving my district they are all awesome and each of them bring so much to the table, we will all do so amazing in Germany.

Earlier this week I met an Elder Solomon from Hamilton NZ!!  He said he knows Teina and Te Awa!!

Its pretty funny, all the brown elders treat me like family and come up and hug me, never met any of them before.

This week was a great week for German!  A ton of things I was struggling with just clicked!  So I am speaking really well!  The gift of tongues is so real!  I am no where near fluent, but there is no way I could speak German this well after just 1 month with out some huge help from the spirit. I think I'll be speaking near fluent at about 6 months at this rate!

I love everyone in the district so much!  They really are an amazing group of guys and I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve them ! This week has been a little rough in some areas and there have been a few concerns, so if you guys could fast for them and keep us all in yours prayers that would be great! Also, I'm sorry I haven't written in a while all the free time I have has been full of interviewing Elders and sitting in on Inventorys just trying to fix everything.  hahaha.  But yeah, all is good with me and my companion!!!  I love them!

How is everything back at home?!?!  Tell me everything!  Once again, CONGRATS on SBO Kowhai!  You will do an amazing job!!!

We leave on June 11th.  I'm not sure the time and stuff but don't plan anything that day except for a phone call from ME!!  ....  I get the travel plans for our district this saturday, so I'll write you when I find out the times!!

The MTC is fun, I am enjoying it.  I am SOOOO excited to get to Germany though!!! I love you guys!!

Love Elder Anderson!!

P-Day E-mail!

A beautiful e-mail from our Elder today.  Here it is in it's entirety. I'm gonna leave the Elders names in this time.  If you'd like to join us in praying for them, that would be awesome.  

Dearest Loved ones,

Hey! This week has been super fun and interesting and I am learning a ton. My German is coming along great and I am learning more and more everyday. This week has been a little rough for some of the other Elders in our zone with learning the language and the stress of being away from home. Its made me notice that I really have been blessed with a pretty calm personality. When rough stuff hits it really does just roll off and everything is all good! I really do miss you guys, but all is good. I am loving it here and in just 3 weeks I have made a ton of really close life long friends.

The other day I was feeling super sick, so I asked for a blessing. My really good friend Elder Hawker did the anointing and my comp Elder Muller gave the blessing, it really was such an amazing moment. I love these Elders So much! Its cool to think that all my really close friends right now are worthy hard working priesthood holders. I am so grateful to all of them!

On Sunday our branch president called me in for an interview, he called me as our District Leader. He said that he has prayed about it for a while and he said that he thinks I will do  an amazing job. He said "I've noticed that all the other Elders like to follow your lead and do what you are doing, that is such a blessing. You can help them and show them hard work and diligence. But be careful, it can also be a curse, because if you lead them astray and lead them to disobedience, it will come down on you. "So I better start working even harder!!! haha Also, remember the following in your prayers: Elders Lassley, Emery, Hawker, Moeller, Muller, Allen and Bradner. They are such an amazing group of Elders and missionaries!

I love the work and it is building me into such a better person! The MTC is fun, my teachers are amazing!! They really teach us and lead by the spirit. I am learning so much from them and I consider them great friends too! Our zone is amazing. The majority of us are going to Frankfurt, then there are a few going to Alpine! I love you guys! Write me as often as you can, it makes me so happy!!

You are amazing! Thank you all for your love and support!!

Love, Elder Nikora Philip Anderson.

Pictures and More Snippets

Nikora  Elder Anderson didn't have a lot of time to explain the pics he sent.  Well, no time really.  In the e-mails we got with pics, it was just pics.  But I think these pictures speak volumes.  Enjoy:

If I'm absorbing information correctly.  I believe the red dot means you're brand new to the MTC.

I believe this is Elder Anderson and his companion on his left (our right) and his other room mates on his left.

I'm guessing this is his District.  He said there were 8 of them.

Nik and Nick

I guess Nik got more sun than the other before entering the MTC! Hahaha!

The previous post explains this pic.  Pretty Awesome!

A blurry pic of a lot of Missionaries!  

Looks like "P" Day!

Roommates! 

Chillaxin'

 I'm thinking, "American missionaries showin' their German pride!"

Awesome!

Here are a few snippets from Kyrstin:

"The MTC is great! I am having the time of my life learning to work so hard and becoming more in tune with the spirit, it really is so amazing. I am now teaching the 1st lesson fluently (almost) we got our new fake investigator today and he was an atheist. So we just go in and I was able to speak to him and make friends and teach him that he has a loving Heavenly Father all in German!! So great. I love my zone that I am in. The Elders and Sisters in it are becoming some of my best buds and its only been 13 days!! I was reading Ether 12:27 today. It is so great. Just the thought that I am doing pretty much that in my mission so that hopefully I am a better person in every aspect of my life when I get home."

"I love Sundays here. We just have sacrament and personal study and our temple walk. I read the sacrament prayer today in German! I didn't even mess up! I love my district and zone, they keep me sane. Such a great group of guys or Elders haha"

"There is so much on my mind, and I hope that I can get it all out!! Today was an especially moving and spiritual day.. You know how church things usually don't move me to tears? Well today I was a total bawl baby!! We were going through watching Mormon Messages in class and we watched one about moms, and it was so powerful you should defiantly watch it, I was just so moved by it.  Also I watched one about fathers. You should look this one up too. Agh I hope that I can one day be a great, loving dad. ...It was just like wow, I could be a dad in like 4 years. It hit me. I need to be prepared for that physically, spiritually, etc. I think my mission is going to be fantastic preparation for that. The last one that I watched was entitled "Mountains to Climb" please watch this one too. Agh I was just a mess today!! A spiritual mess, but a mess non-the-less!"

A fun Pic Nik sent to Kyrstin!  She sent him the mustaches that they won at the nickelcade!  They're so cute!

It must be Christmas!

Nope, it's P day!  And that means we got our e-mail this morning!  BUT we also got a letter in the mail, pictures and a letter from his companion (we sent him a package too)!!  So good to see Nik's face!

First, the e-mail.

"Guten tag meine Familie!
Week 2 of my mission is done!...

...Yesterday we had a big devotional and Elder Russell M Nelson came and spoke to all of us.  It was so awesome and powerful.  The main part of his message was just forget yourself and serve other and love everyone!  It was really so great!

We are already teaching lessons to some untersuchers "investigators.  I can teach the first lesson in broken german already!  I still have a long way to go, but it is crazy how far I have come in just 2 weeks!...

Happy Mothers Day Mammy! I hope it was awesome!  I'm sad I wasn't able to call home on Mother's Day!

The spirit here is so strong and I am learning how to work so hard!  My mitarbeiter "companion" and I are getting along so well, it really is such a blessing that we get along so well!  I am so happy I am out here serving, I miss home and everything so much.  But I know that this is really shaping my future for the better!

My classes are long!  I am in a classroom for 9 hours a day!  And you know how much I love sitting in a classroom hahaha.  It's ok though, it is for the Lord (said in a nacho accent).
My knowledge of the gospel is growing greater each and every day!  And the same with the German language!

..."The food her is getting kinda old, but other than that the MTC is great!!!  Crazy story....
So there are over 5,000 desks in the MTC and they are always getting moved around.  I sit in my assigned desk the first week and flip over the table part and guess what is written on the bottom? "Elder Zelezniak Poland 2012-2014"  Hahaha!  How crazy is that, I'm sitting in the exact desk he sat in!  That's Aunty Kim's nephew!  I got a pic of it, I'll try and figure out pics later and send it to you.

I love you guys so much!!
Love Elder Nikora Philip Anderson

Again, I took out bits and pieces that were more business related (Thanks for the package) or just didn't need to be shared.
Shortly after getting Nik's e-mail, we got this one from his companion:

"Thank you so much Brother Anderson.  I was glad to get your letter and the package.  It is always nice to know someone is thinking of you.
So yeah I am a convert to the Church, although I have gone most of my life with my mom who is also a convert.  My dad is Catholic.  My parents make it work though despite the disagreements in religion.  I got baptized when I was 18 and I have been a member now for close to 2 years this coming June.  I am glad I have got your son as a companion.  I was worried about that originally, before coming here like who I would get as a companion but him and I get along really well.  When it is time to focus we focus and get a lot done and when we need a short 15 minute break we take one and laugh about whatever and then start working again.  Everyday we push ourselves to progress a little more and that has been really good for us and our district.  Elder Anderson is doing really well with his German.  He is picking up on it quickly and though I have had some background in the language he is catching up to me so either that means I have to work harder or he is just blessed with natural intellect!  I think it's a mixture of both but he really is doing really well and I am glad he takes this seriously with a strong spirit.  You have raised a good son and I am thankful he is my companion.
Thank you again for the package and for the letter.  The watch fits perfectly and it's awesome to finally have one.

Thank you, 
Elder ------------

I loved getting this e-mail.  It's one thing for your Elder tell you he's working hard and doing well, but for his companion to compliment him that way was heart warming and made me smile.

I'll end this post here and later prepare another post for the pics that he sent and his written letter that we got in the mail.

A Real Live Letter!

Well there's nothing like getting a letter in the mail from your missionary son!  Finally we got a real live letter, in an envelope, hand written!

"Dear Mommy, Dad, Kowhai and Puggbies...."

"...I keep telling myself...'The hardest steel is made in the hottest flame.' hard times are good for me and I have already noticed so much growth!!"

This next part made me smile.  While he talks about hard times I can see he's working to keep a positive attitude and definitely hasn't lost his ability to find humor.  President Hinckley was always a great example of finding the humor.

"The food here is pretty good! It's like a buffet, kinda, and every week we get unlimited ice cream on Wednesday "Mittwoch" and Saturday "Samstag".  Not gonna lie,...I need to eat more fruit!"

He thanks us for writing and keeping him in our prayers. He's loving the learning and the busy schedule.  And he asked for his Nana's e-mail address in New Zealand.  (Sweet boy!)
And the best part, "I love you!"  What mother doesn't love those words.

If you'd like to write to Nik at the MTC his address is:

Elder Nikora Philip Anderson
MTC Mailbox # 132
GER-FRA 0612
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

When he leaves the MTC we'll post his Mission address.

More Snippets

Kyrstin is so awesome.  She sent more snippets from Nik.  We so appreciate her willingness to share them with us.

"So today was a pretty good day!  We woke up, went on a mile run, then we went to breakfast and then class.  Then the good part.  We taught another "Investigator" and the spirit helped me teach an amazing lesson!  All in German!!  So thank you so much if you have been praying for me,  it really does work!!  After that we went to dinner.  Me and Elder --------- kept staring at random Elders in the lunch room trying to freak them out cause we were bored!  It is fantastic here in the MTC.  I am learning so much and I am going to learn so much on my mission."

"So today was a super great day, I fasted all day and there were some super fantastic speakers and firesides!  I have the opening prayer in Sacrament today.  I said it all in German!  There were a couple mistakes, but that is ok cause I have come so far in just 5 days!!...I had such a good day we had a fireside and the guy just talked about working hard.  It really motivated me.  I need to work hard throughout everything, not just the stuff I like!!"

"Ok lets be real.  It has only been six days.  And it is already the hardest thing I have done in my entire life.  It is so good for me and I love this gospel.  this is the right thing to be doing!!  The MTC is fun.  Every day is jam packed busy with 6 hours of studying the scriptures and German!  It is good for me and I love the growth that I am going through."

"Today was an amazing day.  We learned so much about the Atonement of our Savior and how through that we can find ever lasting happiness!... I have had a few really amazing spiritual experiences here!!"

He's still not been able to send pictures.  That's pretty understandable.  He's only allowed a certain amount of time on the computer, so I'd imagine he doesn't want to use it all downloading pics.  Hopefully he'll be able to soon.

Our First E-mail/Letter!

We finally got our first e-mail/letter from Elder Anderson today!  It sounds like he's doing well, learning a lot and enjoying his time in the MTC.  Here are some excerpts from his e-mail/letters to both the family and his "very good friend" Kyrstin.

"We have been learning tons of duetch.  I can already pray in it.  The first Sunday they called me up in Sacrament and had me pray in German, it was awkward, being my first time, but it all worked out well.  The spirit is really helping me learn the language.  My companion or "mitarbeiter" is awesome.  He is a convert and was baptized at 18 yrs old.  My roommates are awesome guys.  So far we have been getting along great!  The rest of our district is awesome.  Love them."

Short and sweet!  Wonderful to hear just this bit.  I removed a bit where he mentioned his companions names.  We don't want to infringe on any one's privacy.

Here are some bits that Kyrstin has graciously shared with us.  Thanks Kyrstin!

"After that we went to do lesson training.  Me and my companion rocked it.  Literally.  So we are in a room full of about 100 people and these actors come in and all of us have to say things to them like we are really teaching them.  So people are getting no where with this one guy.  So I raise my hand to talk to him and I'm like, "Do you believe in prayer?"  Well next thing I know I talked him into literally kneeling down with us to pray and he starts bawling.  So is everybody else, the spirit was so strong.  It was such a good day."
...
"It is so spiritual.  I am so excited for the growth that will happen over the next 2 years!"
...
"So, the story for today, woke up right on time and read some scriptures then went about doing things. It was kinda uneventful.  But one thing really stood out!!  The Lord taught me some humility today.  So they called the zone leaders and everything today and I was all prideful and I was like, "I'll definitely get called"...except for guess what?  I wasn't.  I it's rough for me to listen to people but the Lord loves me and wants me to learn obedience and humility!  So pretty much there is no better place to learn that than on my mission."
...
"So the MTC!! It is pretty fun.  I woke up and studied some Deutch!  Then I got to leave and I went for a run around the temple.  It was good getting some fresh air!  The food here is pretty good.  I like it!!  So we have only been here for 3 days and we had to give our first discussion to an investigator speaking only German!  It was crazy hard and it was trial by fire.  But I will grow so much because of those experiences!"
...
"Recognize the Lord's blessings in your life.  That is so important!"
...
"My district and my companion are all doing great, we are already best bro friends!!"

Welcome!

Nikora has asked that I keep this blog for any friends or family who'd like to follow.  As we receive letters or e-mails from our Elder we'll share pictures and quotes.

On December 27th, 2012, Nikora received his call to serve while vacationing with family in New Zealand.  Being called to serve in the Germany Frankfurt Mission with a report date of May 1, 2013, Nik has spent these last few months working, preparing and spending time with family and friends.

When his day to report came, Nik was ready.

Today will be his 6th day at the MTC.  We have yet to here from him and we're hoping to soon.

Just before saying goodbye and parting ways at the MTC.