Hello Family!
So next week I think I will be sending email addresses, can you forward my emails to the people that I give you addresses for?
So I loved your last letter it is so good to hear from you I really needed it! Last week was a big trial! It is hard to readjust but I am doing great with the Lords help. The days are hot and some days get long but pmg says that diligence is work even if you are tired and I am doing just that! It is the hardest work I have every done. When I come home at night I am so tired because we have walked a lot, it has been hot, and I have been trying so hard to learn Tagalog.
I am speaking it all the time and am trying to do more. It is the hardest on pdays because that is when we see the other elders from America. But it is okay because my companion is helping me so much. We always do some type of reading from pmg or the scriptures in Tagalog. It is awesome. Tagalog is hard. Haha. But I love it and I cant wait to learn it more so that I can help the people here.
Speaking of here. Sorry I realized I didn’t tell you about my area after I was off the comp. I am in Pakil! I love it here! It is a big area and it is a little of both to answer the question about city or rural. I love the people in my area they are all so kind we have a dinner apt on Tuesday with a family we haven’t even taught yet we met this guy while tracting and he said to come back so we did and then they couldn’t have a lesson to be honest I'm not sure why but we set up an apt and they said they would feed us! They are so sweet!
One lady we are teaching is Marites Gaseja! She is my favorite so far! She has such a strong testimony and she reads the Book of Mormon and she writes her feelings and thoughts and she always writes about what we talk to her about. She has three kids under the age of 10 and their dad left her about a year ago she is still hoping he will come back. We want her to be baptized but she hasn’t been to church because in order to support her family she has to work on Sundays. We are working on helping her with that so she can come to church and be baptized! She said she will do all she can to come and if they don’t have food she will have to work harder! She is so sweet and I know that as she puts her faith in the Lord he will provide a way for her to come to church and support her family.
We are teaching a lot of people they are so amazing they are all so nice and patient with me as I stumble through my teachings! I can feel the spirit and that is the most important thing. We have a lot of people who we are teaching that are reading the BoM and keeping commitments except the commitment to go to church! Which is the most important so that is what we are focusing on now.
One sister we teach is named Susa she is very kind and she has two cute children, she is progressing well but she doesn’t want to go to church because her husband doesn’t want to come. He isn’t listening to the lessons but we went over the other night and he listened to us and after we had a family home evening! It was great!
The members in the Pakil branch are so sweet! They always want to help and the youth and ysa are so close they have activities together. They are really involved in missionary work. I wish I could have really good conversations with all of them but they aren’t because I'll start to talk to them and then I wont know what they are saying. Haha. But they are amazing. Maryanne and Laiza May are sisters who are 15 and 13 they are recent converts and come teach with us a lot. Also John Mark and Francis come sometimes! It is really nice to have their strong testimonies and to be able to see them grown because they were just recently baptized. Especially Francis because he was just baptized right before I got here.
They are all so great! They like to laugh at me and usually it is funny but sometimes it is hard because I want so badly to talk to them. I am still adjusting but it is going well. Once I have the language down I will be able to do so much more. But I am actually picking out things I want to buy for food find streets and remembering people so that is good!
The food is good and bad! Everyone said it is the best. I have found that some things are good and somethings are not! Haha. I love bananas! And then my companion is helping me to make food. I also just tried this root plant I'm not sure what it is called but it was really good! I have also had some fish, which was all right, and some muscles, which were really good! The food is really good when it has the right seasoning on it but when it is plain it isn’t so good. My companion always tells me that I don’t eat a lot but I'm just not as hungry here. Everyone tries to make me eat more. Haha.
Well today we climbed this mountain and when I say mountain I mean a mountain! Really! It was one of the hardest things that I have ever done physically! I can’t believe I even made it I will show you pics some time. They are really expensive though so I don’t know how much money is in my account and I haven’t been able to go to an atm but I think it is all in pesos anyway so I wouldn't really know. So can you check on that please I'm just a little worried? You know me haha. Not really worried but I just want to make sure I don’t have only $5 in there. Which if I do something is wrong. Haha. Anywoo, enough about money!
The mountain we climbed was beautiful I could see my whole area! It was amazing! Then we had lunch as a district!
Who are amazing! The elders in our district are so nice and they always help me with my Tagalog. The American elders always make me feel better too because they help me know I'm not the only one having a hard time with Tagalog.
I'm learning more. It is easier to understand some things now. I just do my best. Thank you for the package that will be great! I'm going to ask my mission president’s wife is I can leave the wood stuff I get you at their house until I leave, missionaries leave stuff there a lot. So then I won't have to worry about carrying it all around San Pablo with me.
I will have to send you a copy of our mission song it is pinaka-the best! Haha that just means the best it is Taglish I thought it was just something said in the mtc but the Filipinos say it too!
Our area has milk; it is one of the few because it is hard to keep things cold here so they don't have a lot of milk. I got some and it is so good! I don’t know why it is so different here but I like it!
My companion helps me know what I should and shouldn’t get. When I am a little worried about food I ask her what her last companion (an American) had or did so that I know for sure. Haha. I had the chance to try some chicken feet, head, intestines, or blood but I past. Haha. I figure if I really need to have any of that stuff it will just be at a member’s house and then I will have to eat it. Oh and mom, don’t worry most of the stuff isn’t straight blood! It is mixed with milk and made into a type of sauce. It isn’t against the wow or members couldn’t have it and missionaries do. It’s approved. However that doesn’t mean I am going to have any!!!!!!! Trust me! Only if I absolutely have to. Which I think won’t happen. So we tracted this one family who is way far up this mountain and I was struggling, but today was worse and I know I will feel it even more tomorrow! ahhh! Haha! It will be crazy!
So we have meetings in our apt. They are called CIOA meetings, yes that stands for critters in our apt. meetings. The other night we had a cockroach, a lizard, a spider, and a mouse. The mouse has made our home his we need to buy a mouse trap today on our way home. We named him Moroni for the time being. Haha. We just have to laugh! "The church is still true!" "Yes it is" has become the phase of me and my companion!
I love the Philippines it is hard but it is amazing and I know that I am helping the Lord even on days when I feel like I'm just making it harder to teach I know the Lord is helping me and I know that he is allowing me to feel how much he truly does love his children here in the Philippines! I love them all so much! The children are so cute! I love them. I wish I could just give then all big hugs! They like to shake our hands and bless me. I will show you what I mean by that when I come home, yep you have to wait that long. Haha. The people are great they are why I'm here! I'm just trying to help them with all that they need because I love them!
For Christmas I would just like pics of the family and letters! A little money would be nice so I can buy some things here. Right now I am in the wood carving area so that is why I ask about all the wood stuff because this is where you get it. Umm some other things that I would like, Ziploc bags if they have some that are bigger than the two normal that would be great from my journal because it is bigger than the big size and I don’t want it to get messed up if it gets wet. Some sweet things. My companion wants to try stuff just anything you can think of. She had me try these things like vanilla wafers and she really likes them so if you could send some vanilla wafers. Then some cds of music; Hilary Weeks and maybe some children’s choirs if you have any (my companion likes them) bug spray, and if its not to heavy little candies that I can give to the little kids here.
Well I have to go I love you all so so much! take care!
I know the Church is true and it gives us so much strength! I am thankful for it and for you! I love you all so much!!!!!
Until next week!
Mahal kita, sister Andreasen
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