It's About Finding Joy In The Journey - November 22, 2010

Hello to all,

I love you all so very much! So I was planning on sending pictures but I don’t have an adapter so not this week! I am so sad because I have some great pictures!

I know I'm not really trunky because I love this work and I never want to stop. I guess it is just a word we us whenever you think about home, family, school, or marriage. Hehe we call president trunky all the time because anytime he speaks to us he always talks about his family and then about temple marriage! Ahhhh! Hehe. I love President!

 So the progression in Talao Talao isn’t going as I hoped it would so I am just thinking about what I am going to do so that I can help them but if they don’t progress in the next couple of weeks we may need to drop the area which will make me so sad! But it is all for the good of the work and finding souls that are ready! We are excited for the progress of the other areas!

We are so excited that Sister Andrea will be baptized this Saturday! She is so ready and so excited for the baptism and so are we!!!! I love it! I love her! We are just working with Brother Roland because he is a member, it is just a sticky situation but it will all work out if we go to the Lord with a humble heart!

We are also supposed to have the baptism of Sister Lay-Ann but I don’t think it will go through because of her dad but we are going to work pray and fast!!!! I know that we can do it! I know that we will be able to help her overcome the trials that are keeping her from being a member of the church.

We also have another investigator who wasn’t progressing she wasn’t taking the lessons seriously and I though we would have to drop her but she is now really wanting to learn and is coming to church, it is great! I love it! Even though she is nervous about baptism we set a baptismal goal date and I am so excited for her!

Speaking of baptismal goal dates we set them with the Teves family and I am so excited! They to are nervous but I really think as they keep doing what they should they will gain a solid and firm testimony that the church is true, enough to do whatever it takes to come to church! and be baptized!

We are also working with a young woman whose whole family is members except her and she is really hard-headed but I know that she knows the church is true. We taught her before but she was really not interested and so we started teaching her again and she actually seems interested and I feel she will progress and I am excited for her and her family!

We started making goals with Tatay Emilliano and he is doing so much better! We started a new thing where he will write down his progress and also write down blessings he receives each day to help him feel the spirit in his life and I think it will really help him! I’m so excited and I hope that this opens the door for him to move forward and progress to the waters of baptism!

We also started teaching a 14 year old girl who is what they call a “tomboy”. Her cousins are members and she said she wants to be Mormon. Hehe. But she doesn’t want to wear a skirt to church. Ever since I met her when she was talking with her cousin I knew we needed to teach her and this Sunday we had the chance! I was so excited and she is really receptive! I know that Heavenly Father just wants her to know that she is loved and to really understand life. I am excited for her and I am excited for her progression! plus her cousin said that he would come with us to teach her which will be really good for him, he is 15 and he wants to serve a mission but has a cigarette problem so we are going to help him with that!

I love the work!!! I love the people here! Life just makes me happy each day even if there are trials or hardships we can overcome and find joy in every day!

So we had a cottage meeting this Sunday and the lesson was on love in the home. The person who gave the lesson gave out slips of paper that said thank you and I love you. Then asked when the last time we said this to our parents was. I had I love you and I couldn’t stop myself from crying! It was the first time since the very beginning of my mission that I have been home sick! Hehehe. I just thought that every Monday I say I love you but that it has been a over a year since I was able to give you and dad a hug and tell you face to face I love you and how grateful I am for you and all that you do for me!!!!! I love you so much and am so grateful that you are my parents!

I know that this church is about finding joy in the journey! I am so blessed and s grateful fro life! So grateful to be a missionary and learn and grow! Next week I will send pictures and it will be three baptisms!!! Crazy! I love it!

I love you all so so much! Until next week!

Love, Sister Andreasen

Some Days It Rains, Some Days the Sun Is Shining - November 15, 2010

I love you all! I love hearing about all the fun times you have but it seems like since I have been on the mission you do more family things and it makes me miss you all so much! So while we are being trunky I will be going home March 23^rd! I hate to think about it and I never want to leave I love it here! I am excited for one thing and that is that I get to go to the temple the day before I go home. So to be honest I have known for a while I just haven’t wanted to say anything because it makes me sad. Mom will you let me know when I can register for school! Ahhh! Trunky eww! I hate it! But I know that I need to get started with school right away. Oh, and can you please not make a big deal about me coming home? Just have family and close friends but besides that I just want it to be a simple thing. Lets just not talk about it. Hehe. I love you all so much!

It is another transfer and I am so happy that I am not transferred! Because of course you know I love Barra!!!!!!!!! 
Yes we did have a baptism! It was amazing! Sister Sarina!!!! She is so cute and her testimony is so strong I love it! It was she and the daughter of Sister Remy! Cute! So Sarin has been an investigator forever!!!!!! 

And finally she is a member now! The baptism was great and I will send pictures as soon as I can!  

I had some sad things happen this week. In one day I had two investigator families tell us that they didn’t want to continue in the lessons and it broke my heart!!!! I love them so much and I can’t stand to lose them! I just pray that the Lord will soften their hearts. Also we went to teach Tatay Emiliano and he was drinking! AHH! I don’t know what to do to help him! So I am fasting and praying for guidance! I know that he can do it he just needs to have faith, but now we are trying to teach his daughter in law so that he will have help in his word of wisdom problems.

Then we had some great experiences! First the best, we went to teach Malou and Elhood and they have been putting off praying about Joseph Smith. So we asked them if they did it and Sister said she did, then she said, "I felt happy, I know its true!!" ahh!!!!! I love it. They are still a little hesitant about baptism so I know they have other concerns but I'm so excited because we set a baptismal goal date and they are moving closer!!! Then we met a new lady and she is awesome! We asked her if she would read the pamphlet we left and she said that she would because she liked the feeling that she got when we taught and she knows it is true. I love the work!

So to go back to trunky, they do have primary programs and it was this Sunday and it was so cute! I loved it! It just made me think of the kids! I love them so much!

I am still loving the work and just working hard to be a good missionary and be diligent in all things! How grateful I am for the truth and that I get to share it everyday. Some days are really good, some days are sad, some days it rains, some days the sun is shining, sometimes I get stressed and sometimes I just feel the peace of truth but at the end of ever day I am happy if I know I did all I could to invite people to come closer to Christ! I love the work!

I hope that you are all still doing well! I hope that I can send pictures next week because they are pretty much amazing!!!!

Oh, I also got a haircut! ahh! Don’t worry it is just a trim and I got bangs hehe. Sister Remy cut my hair so I have pictures of that too. 

New Hair Cut

And then pictures of me playing with her cute kids! I love it! It reminds me of the babies!

Well, it is late now so I should go sorry this was a short one. I will have more next week. I love you all so much!!!!

Love, Sister Andreasen

I Am Just So Grateful - November 8, 2010

I love you all so much!!!!

Thank you so much for everything! I love you so much.

So no news about the fish :( but I think at this time things will start getting better. So this week we were not in Barra for about 4 days!!!!!! That was a killer! I don’t know what I am going to do when I have to transfer! I just love it so much! Anyway, the training was amazing! There is a new curriculum and it is completely inspired from the Lord! And I love it like crazy! We had training in the morning and worked in the night but we went to a different area and I got to work with Sister Spjute!!!!! An American, that is something I never thought I would experience not to mention she is pretty much one of my best friends in the mission! Side note: she is going to live with Sister Smith when she gets home, who lives in California, so when I am not at school we are going to hang out and that will be amazing. Okay enough of that! It was so great to work with her! Their area is so hard and it reminded me of Calamba and she said that she is struggling and I was so glad that I had my experience in Calamba so that I could really say I understand and I think it just made us both happy and positive as we tracted in her area. I think we both really learned a lot. The trainings in the morning were so spiritual and I just can’t get enough of the spirit that the Lord gives his missionaries! It is so amazing! I don’t know why he blesses me so much but I am thankful for it each and every day! I love the work and I know that there is no better thing to do than this! We also had a testimony meeting and the spirit was amazing once again and I can’t help but just beam with joy!!!! I love my Savior!!!!

Then we came home on Thursday night and as we walked the path back to our house on a cool night surrounded by palm trees I couldn’t help but feel at peace and be glad to be back to my island. Hehe I call it mine because I love it so much!!!! Then we worked in Talao Talao and everyone was busy but it gave us a chance to meet new investigators who are amazing!!!! I love it!!! ahhh! We also worked in Dalahican and Ranzohan and I just missed our investigators so much!!!!! Some people don’t like to say my or our investigators they say they are the Lords and that is true, we are all the Lords, but at this time he has allowed me to feel of his love for them and just like the Lord says that we are his they are mine not because of anything I have done but because of the love I have for them and I am proud to say that the Lord has allowed me to teach and love them! ahhh! This work is amazing! We also taught in Barra and we had so many branch missionaries work with us that we could split and it worked well and I think that we will be able to start splitting a little more to teach more people! I hate being away from my companion but I love that we can teach more people!!!! Awesome!

Then we had stake conference and president came so we were able to see him again which was awesome! And he gave one of our members a blessing and one of our investigators an interview! We all cried and the spirit was so strong and our investigator is so ready for baptism! I love that the Lord just softens the hearts of these people and I can be an instrument in his hands and reap rewards of the work of the Lord!

I also have a story, it was simple but it just built my testimony! One of our member’s Sister Remy told Sister Andrea that they would go together to church in Lucena, which is further away. So the night before I got a message from Sister Remy and she asked if she could work after so that they would have money because they wouldn’t be able to pay to go and come back from church. I asked her if she had enough to get to the church in the morning and she said yes. It is sad because everyone in Barra went together and the branch budget paid for it but the people in Dalahican need to go a different way so it was hard for them. So I told her if she could pay to get there I would help them get home. She said that she didn’t like that and didn’t want me to pay she would just work after. I told her not to and that the Lord would provide. I don’t know why I just promised so quickly not knowing at all what would happen. Then the next day we all went to church and as we were getting ready to leave I figured that I would just end up paying even if she didn’t like it. Then right before all the Dalahican members and investigators were about to leave we saw our branch president and he said wait let me give you money for all of them for the trip home!!!!!! The Lord did provide and it was so simple but it just made me realize he knows each one of us he knows our needs no matter how small and he wants to show us his love and his miracles if we just trust in him, sacrifice a little, and exercise faith he will do his part and we will see his hand in our lives!!!! I love it!

So about the baptisms last week! They were amazing and I can’t upload pictures but I will next week! It was so spiritual and exciting because it was in the ocean! We went on a boat and then we reached a part in the middle were the water was low and the sand was high and the boat got stuck; yet we were in the middle. So Brother Joshua, branch mission leader, gets a large wood stick to help push us out of the sand so we can start driving again, but he was the one who preformed the baptism so he was wet and as he pushed with all his might to get us unstuck, he slipped and fell into the water it was scary at first and then so funny after we knew he was okay. Then he and the boat driver got in the water, Joshua was already in the water and completely wet at this point haha, and they pushed the boat to the point that it would move freely in the water, it was an experience :) hehe. I love our branch everyone is so supportive and helpful in the work and with our investigators I love it! Especially the branch mission leader! I have had other branch mission leaders but they weren’t returned missionaries and we had to work really hard just to talk with them and get their help with baptisms but Joshua is a returned missionary and he is always ready to help the missionaries and our investigators, it is great and our branch president, President Suaybaguio is the same way! He even works with us! He is so helpful and really cares about the missionaries! Actually we have a lot of Suaybaguios in the branch and stake they are all family and amazing!!!! I love them. They have adopted me, but it is just a mission adoption! Don’t worry mom! I love you! Just as long as I am here they have treated me like family! I will take pictures of them all and tell you who each of them is, I love them! I love Barra! I love the members! I love our amazing investigators!!!! They are progressing so much and I know it is because of their open hearts and willingness to follow the Lord! I love you so much! I am so grateful that you have raised me with a love of the gospel and love of my Savior! Thank you!!!!

So one quick story and then I have to get going. I missed Barra so much when we were in Lipa, Sister Spjute's area, and the people that drove the tricycles and jeepneys were not very nice and thought we were so stupid because we were American, it was so sad! Then I went back to Barra and we went to ride a tricycle to Dalahican where we always ride and the tricycle drivers know us. And we had to ride on the side and all the tricycle drives that weren’t driving told the one that was drive to "be careful with our sisters" it was so cute! Even though they aren’t members all the people here are so nice and so loving and I am just full of gratitude that the Lord has allowed me to experience such love!!!!!!

I am so grateful for the message of the gospel because it is all about love, the love of our Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ!!!!! I love the gospel and I love you all! I pray for you always! I might not comment on everything you say but I love it all and I miss you I think about you when you have a birthday and when you tell stories of the family I laugh and smile and it just warms my heart to know that even though we are far away you are still mine! Just as we are all the Lord’s he has given me investigators and he has given me you all and I am proud to call you mine! my family! I love you dearly!

With all my love,

Sister Andreasen

P.S. I am so excited for our upcoming baptism! The daughter and sister in law of Sister Remy!!!! yay!!!! I will tell more next Monday :)

I Love This Work! - November 1, 2010

So let me answer your questions so I don’t forget. I didn’t answer you about the weather and I thought about that as we left the computer shop. Sorry! It has been rainy but not too bad the only bad thing was one time we missed working in Ranzohan because we have to cross the water and we got a text that it wasn’t safe. So I hope that doesn’t happen again! But last night the rain and wind was so strong but nothing too bad. We have a little flood in our apartment because the water comes in but it is just in our kitchen so we are okay. Right now Barra is way flooded! I hope that it gets better before we go back because we leave today and head to the training. But the weather hasn’t been too bad for us. What you heard is right though. After a big storm people just help each other get back together and then the next day the go to work and move on with life! Like there are no problems! It is because they are supper amazing! I have Pinoy pride!!! Hehe! I love it!

Then about the pictures. It was really funny about the little boy who peed in my shoe hehe. I laughed too. The shoes I have right now aren’t that great but they will be fine! No complaints. :) Then the picture of us in blue and pink is an activity of the youth; we wore their dresses, they sang Come Come Ye Saints and that was their outfit! 

Cute right! I love the youth they are so amazing! 

Then the picture of me with a letter and sad face is the letter coming from the mission home. They call it the "trunky letter" it is about when you will be going home and what airport and addresses for family and stake president to make sure it is all right and you get it when you only have 6 months left so I took a picture with it and a sad face! Hehe!

The Trunky Letter 

So I do love my area and the branch is like family to me! They are amazing and I love it here so much! Our branch missionaries are so helpful and always work with us! I love the work. We dropped a lot of baptismal goal dates because they weren’t progressing but it is a good thing because we are reviewing about the restoration to help them gain a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon! I know that if this happens they will gain enough faith to come to church and keep all the commandments no matter how hard it is for them.  Right now all the people in my area are kind of going through a hard time because at this time we they are suppose to have lots of fish but there isn’t any right now so they are just waiting hoping that this month they will come in! I love them all so much. We have a family that I just love they live on Ranzohan. The Teves family, and they are progressing and we just finished teaching about the Book of Mormon and I really believe that even though it is hard for them to change their views because they are Catholic and that is all they know I really feel like they are gaining a testimony of the truth and I love it!

I Love the Barra Branch!

We also met a new family in Talao Talao and they are progressing and want to come to church.  I am excited for the next visit to explain about the restoration and the Book of Mormon! I know that they will feel the truth because every time we teach the spirit is so strong! We have so many progressing investigators and I know that the spirit is guiding us to find the people that need to be taught! We have baptisms coming up on the 13, 20, and 27!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!! I love it!!!! Hehe! I love the work! I think that each day of my mission the Lord just blesses me more and more and no matter what trial comes I know that it isn’t a big deal.  I have even gotten better about not worrying if you can believe it or not. I love the work and it is just such a blessing to have these people in my life and to help people come closer to Christ each and every day!

We have a member in the branch who is so sweet! Her name is Remy and I love her, she is the sister in law of one of our investigators! I will send pictures! Oh I have a picture with her at the baptism! She always wants to work with us and she is just great! I love it! Oh speaking of the pictures from the baptism I will be sending them next week! They are so cute! I have a funny story too! Because our branch mission leader fell in the water of the boat!! So funny! Don’t worry he is okay but it was a funny story for next week when I send the pictures. Hehehe the baptism was great the two little girls are awesome and they love the church, they bore their testimony and I love being able to help them practice first because they aren’t as nervous and we get to hear the really whole testimony!!!

So we were able to tell Sister Andrea that she can get baptized!!!!!! I was so excited! Her eyes filled with tears when we told her and she said that this is what she has been praying for! I love the work! I love helping people see what they need to do to be ready to return to our Father in Heaven! I know that it makes me a better person too!

You are so right mom, when you said that I am where I need to be! It is so true I love it here! I am excited for the training and the opportunity to learn and grow! I know that it will really help in the work and also help my companion and me. 

Sister Pascual is amazing! She is working hard even when the work here is tiring because we work early in the morning and walk a lot! She keeps up and just studies her little heart out! I love it!

About the Christmas package. I need hairspray and toothpaste! That would be awesome! Then everyone here wants chocolate hehe. They all ask me to bring chocolate to them that is coming from home. Ha-ha. Then it would be cool if I could get the small Books of Mormon if you can, I don’t know if they have them at the bookstore. Then oh, the song My Mary where John Bytheway sings! And Oh Lord My Redeemer. Then whatever you want just send the love, you know pictures drawings from the kids and cards! I love that! But I am pretty good, don’t need a whole lot. The chocolate though would be great because I know that all the member want some. Hehe.

Hahaha!!! The pictures of Travis were so funny! I miss that stunning guy hahahahahahahaha! The pictures of the kids were so cute! I loved it! They are getting so big I can’t even handle it! When did Lizzy get so big she is still supposed to be the baby! I won’t have any babies to hold when I get home! Don’t let Tyler get big I will have to hold him! Hehe! I love you all I can’t believe it is already close to Christmas! It is exciting but I can’t believe it.  Actually Christmas started in September, you all are the ones that are a little behind hehehe. No but really they started playing Christmas music and putting up Christmas decor in September. Here in the Philippines hehe it is crazy but awesome! When I think about Christmas I think I will get to see the family and that is a great Christmas gift! But still far away it I only November. 1!

Haha about my clothes. It is a good thing that this is the one companion that is about my size. I have given her a skirt and a couple shirts because they don’t fit well they still fit just not well but I don’t really feel like I have lost a lot of weight people say it here when they see my pictures from the MTC but I don’t see it and I don’t feel like it. Oh well maybe I will when I go home and see other people that aren’t so small hehehe.

I was sad to hear about the puppies but I know it just means that they should have kids hehehe. So that I can have a baby to hold when I get home hehehe. Don’t worry Michael it’s just a joke! Haha miss you guys! I still haven’t seen pictures of all the dogs. I still can’t believe that you and dad have two!!!

Well I love the work. I know that the Lord is truly blessing me. I was talking with Sister Clave before she left and I told her that I was nervous to train and she said that you will have greater spiritual promptings and it is true! I know that the Lord is blessing me and helping me to stay positive and see the good. And as my companion would say "you know... be happy" he he she is cute she has a hard time with English so we are working on speaking English at companion study and that is what she said!

Beautiful Faces - Witnesses of Truth!

Well I still love it as always it is so true what you wrote on the blog life in Barra is amazing! I'm happy and healthy no worries! :)

I love you all and I love feeling of your love through your emails! I pray for you every day! And I know you pray for me and I am grateful for all our love and prayers! I will report about the training next week it should be really good!

Oh about Jacob 5 yeah it is pretty much amazing! It is true that if you know the time line of the Lord as far as the church, great apostasy, restoration, and second coming it makes a lot more sense! I am so blessed to be a full time servant in the Lord’s vineyard! And I am grateful for your examples to me because it is not as easy to do the work when you are surrounded by the world everyday and I know that is what you are doing I love you so much! I am excited for you to study PMG! It is amazing and not just for missionaries! Chapter 3 and 6 are my favorites! I love you! Until next week!

Love, Sister Andreasen