Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, family, siblings, and missionaries!
It is so great to hear from so many of you! We pray for you daily, and hope you are all well and happy and safe!
50 years ago today, we went to the Logan Temple to receive my endowment and get married for time and all eternity! What a wonderful event, and it has been 50 years of bliss!! We have had a lot of fun reminiscing over the places we have been, the things we have done and the people we have met and loved along the way! Also how times have changed! We went from not having a phone for for our first 3 years of marriage, to each having one in hand all the time, no TV for our 1st 3 years and now a TV in almost every room, from mail, that I love to get to emails that are instant! Life is amazing, and we are glad we are a part of this progress! But we loved the olden days! It really ages us to think we lived in the olden days!
Our family is the greatest blessing to us in these 50 years. Angela arrived 10 1/2 months after we were married, and that was a wonderful start! Now with our 7 married children we have almost 37 grandchildren, almost 5 married grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren! From the 2 of us, we now number 62, and we are the happiest grandparents, and parents in the whole world! This morning we made time to go to the Beautiful Manila Temple and do an endowment, while there I gave so many thankful prayers for the 62 blessings mentioned above, and for the Gospel that has been our guide through out our lives! Grateful for wonderful loving parents that raised us in the Gospel and taught us to read and learn from the scriptures, to pray, to have FHE, to work and to play together as a family, to make sacrifices and to serve and love one another! I love the Gospel, I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I love being a missionary, which brings me to my companion that I love so much! He is my light, and has brought so much happiness into my life, and he loves me and is so good to me! I love having him by my side! In fact, here we are in a tiny apartment, kind of like camping, no hot water, washing and hanging clothes out to dry, very few modern devices, like beaters and a bowl, no oven, just making due with what we have! It's like starting over again, We have each other and that is the best! Funny thing is we feel like newly weds too! Enough about 50 years, except, it wasn't in our plan to share it alone, without our family, in the Philippines! Who would have thought it! We are grateful for this incredible opportunity, and it is amazing to see the Lords hand in this work and feel the spirit we feel!! Daily we can see miracles, and we are happy!!
We had a once in a life time week last week, as it was Mission Presidents Seminar, and we stayed in a beautiful, amazing hotel for 4 days! Then also, it was a blessing to be taught by Elder and Sister Neil Andersen, Elder and Sister Dale Renlund , and Elder and Sister Maynes! It was wonderful to be with them through out the week, eating dinner with them shaking hands and visiting with them! It was a spiritual experience we wont forget, and one we will treasure! Also the Area Presidency whom we have grown to love so much as we work with them daily! Elder and Sister Ardern, Elder and Sister Bowen, and Elder and Sister Haynie! Family, you can get your ensigns and show the children these brethren that we were with last week! The Philippine people were thrilled to have 2 apostles and President of the Seventy's! It has been a great blessing for them as well! It rejuvenates us all, and makes us want to be better people! We Give thanks for that experience!
As you can tell we are fine and happy, and this has become to long, so I better sign off! Please know we think about you every day, and pray for our wonderful family always! We love your prayers and love and support! You are all a blessing in our lives! We love you! Thanks for all you do for us!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Mom and Dad
Grandpa and Grandma
Elder and Sister Anderson
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