Hello again from the Philippines - January 31, 2011

Sister Andreasen & Sister Tacbobo

Zone pday bike riding around the lake in San Pablo

I didn't know what pineapple plants looked like, they are so cute!!

Riding the troll on the railroad with the Senior Sisters.

The Zone with the Messamers Family

I love all the cute children

Beautiful San Pablo

Smile

Life in San Pablo is like life in America with some Tagalog hehe. Just joking, but I love it here! I love our investigators. We are working on finding and teaching as many people as we can! I am so excited! Each week we meet new people and I love them and I am so excited, we have so much potential in this area! I just pray each and every day that they will feel the power of the Spirit that comes with this message and do all that I can to remain worthy of that spirit each and every day. Lately I have been thinking a lot about what my MTC teacher, Sister Hawkes always talked to us about, quiet dignity. I think it is something that I always need to work on because I guess I am more of a loud person but I just want to always be able to feel and respond to the subtle prompting of the Holy Ghost and I know that as I develop quiet dignity that will come. It is something I have been working on my whole mission and I just really have been working on it this transfer so that I can be prepared for the investigators! I love the people here so much and I just want them to realize the amazing blessings that come with taking a little faith and trying something new!

So to answer your questions. It is cold some times and hot sometimes, that is not however it is cold some days and hot some days the weather just changes so quickly sometimes. I am still cold at night and still don’t use the electric fan hehe. The threesome is still awesome it makes it easy for us to split on Sundays too :) but may companions Sister Batan and Sister Tacbobo are so amazing I learn so much from them!!!! I love it. And about the TB test, I just got an x-ray because I need it before I leave. Should I bring it home? 

Anyway back to work, 

We have a great progressing investigator Brother Jerry, he should be baptized this coming Sunday but he didn’t come to church and we haven’t been able to talk to him yet so we are a little worried, so I hope it goes through! We have been praying extra hard for him.

Then we have the Sacueza family and we had an appointment and our plan was to give them a baptismal commitment! But they weren’t home! :( We were so sad so I am excited to go see them tomorrow! I just pray that all goes well, they are pretty set on the Catholic religion but I know if the read the Book of Mormon and pray about it they will know! 

Next is Marj! I love her! We met her when we went to teach someone else. We have an investigator who is not really interested and we have been thinking about dropping him but we went to teach him and the member that works for him, that is who gave the referral, her best friend was there. That is Marj. So to clear it up. Jenny, the member gave a referral, Brother Patty (not interested). But her best friend came back from Manila and is living next to her and so we are teaching her now and she is amazing! And she came to church with Jenny on Sunday. Well as we were talking we found out Marj's mom lives right next to jenny's mom in another part of our area so the next day we went to teach her and she is amazing! I am so excited I hope that they can progress together!  Because of the work schedule of Sister Marj she doesn’t get to see her baby very often, who lives with her mom, so if they go to church not only will they grow closer to the Lord but it will also give their family a time to see and grow closer to each other! I love it!

The sisters were teaching a family before I got here but they weren’t really a big priority because the mom and the dad wouldn’t really listen just the kids but they are too young to go to church on their own so we weren’t really sure what we should do so we decided to focus the lesson on the parents, well when we went back they weren’t there but.... Richard was there he is one of their older sons he is 16 and he is really interested he reads and asks questions and I think that he will be progressing really well. He said he isn’t sure that Joseph saw our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ but he committed to pray about it! :)

Each day we meet more and more people and I am really excited for them to progress and to see which ones we will focus on and just to share the gospel with all who will listen! I love the work and I love being a servant of the Lord. I love studying and growing closer to the Spirit. That is actually how I decided to change my major.

I am not sure yet what it will be I need to talk to someone and I also need to talk to dad and maybe Brother Gibbons. I was reading an Ensign in our apartment and I read an article about seminary and how it started and then I thought about all the students at dads school who are members and I thought that maybe you could start to have seminary as a class at school? Can you do that in California? Well I just thought it would be a good idea. And I was thinking that I could still get my degree in education just focusing on religious studies with a minor in home economics. Hehe. I don’t know if this is possible but it sounds like a good idea! I would love it! I don’t know if that was just me thinking up great things in my mind or if it truly is possible! I hope so. But I am still looking to be a teacher but not theater and speech. So just let me know I would love to talk to a counselor, dad, and Brother Gibbons to see if it is possible and what I can do and how I can make what I want to do into a career. It would be great if you could talk with a counselor for me but of course I'm not there but I trust you :)

I love the gospel and I want my whole life to be focused on the church! I love sharing this wonderful message of truth with our brothers and sisters and know that as we grow closer to Him we will want to help others come closer as well! I love you all so much I am grateful for your love and examples in my life!

Love Sister Andreasen

Hello Again!!! - January 24, 2011

Happy Even In The Rain

I love you all so much! And I am grateful for the love and prayers you have for me! I know that it is helping me so much and I really feel the Lord strengthening me here. I feel like I have so much I need to learn! And every day I grow more and more! I am so grateful for my companions! They mean so much to me! I have learned so much from them and I know we are together for a reason, I was reading in the Book of Mormon and in Ether 5:4 it says "And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established..." I liked it and knew that I am supposed to have two companions right now. I am sorry I won’t be able to send pictures this week but next week :)  So we went back to teach Tatay Lino and we asked him to pray about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smith and he said the answer he got was that he can’t serve to churches and he is "too old" to change now, but he wants us to teach his family and he wants to work with us to help us bring souls unto the savior. I love him so much! He is awesome and I am not giving up on him. So we committed him to pray again specifically and to read in 3 Nephi 11, which I am hoping, has a really big effect on him! He will be a great member because once he knows it is true he will just continue to progress.

We were able to teach the Sacueza family and they are great too.  We showed the restoration video and it went well they have a lot of questions about the Book of Mormon and I am really excited to teach them about it next time! They will benefit so much from the gospel and I know it will just make them a stronger family. We went and ate at a member’s house and the said they didn't know of anyone they could refer to us but they said if we were teaching a family they would go with us so I am really excited! They have scheduled to go work with us and be the fellowshippers for this family! I love it!

Then the Bermejo family, were brother is a tricycle driver, we were able to teach them on Tuesday and it went well so we were excited for the next lesson to talk about the restoration and the Book of Mormon but on Saturday brother was home, however something was wrong with his tricycle so we were only able to teach sister but brother said he would be home again to listen next Tuesday! So we are excited!

We were able to teach only one of the kids this week. Geno, he is awesome but he says he prayed and didn’t get an answer so we are trying to help him understand the feelings of the spirit. He didn’t come to church though and we don’t know why or what happened but his grandmother didn’t come as well so maybe that was a problem.

We are teaching Brother Jerry who will be baptized on February 6 and I'm so excited for his baptism but we had to teach about the law of chastity and it was the first time I had to teach someone who is in his late 20s and not married, plus he is a guy! I was so nervous because it is just kind of weird, but it went well and he understood and we also got to talk about the importance of marriage and the temple and I think it was a really good lesson and I am grateful for the spirit that makes everything better even when we are weak and lacking and nervous haha. 

We do tracting anytime we are punted so we have met some great new people so if they continue to progress this week I will have some more great stories! The one thing we are focusing on is getting them to come to church! It is a big help in them knowing that this is the true church! So we just keep fasting and praying for them!

I also had a great experience with the Relief Society president. My first Sunday she bore her testimony and I didn’t know who she was but she said that her husband was less active and I don’t know why but something just told me that we need to go see him. Then this Sunday she came up to me and said that she felt like we need to come over and try and talk to her husband! So we have an appointment and I am so excited!!!! She also has three sons, one is less active and one is sort of active and one is a returned missionary. haha. So hopefully we can help! Her son that is a returned missionary served in Australia!!!! I though you might like that mom :) it made me think of you! Oh we always go eat at a member’s house and she said that she would talk to you on facebook but she is a little shy to add you, Sister Owie Salayog so if you want you can add her. She is so sweet! She and her family are amazing! I love them so so much! They are a really good example to me of righteous living and following the gospel standards! She is a returned missionary! They have two little boys and I am always reminded of Kristy and Heather when we go to their house, the last time I even heard cars in the background hehe. Last time she was talking about the dreams she gave up to go on a mission and for her family. I am so grateful for smart amazing women who could do anything they want and choose to stay home with there kids and be the mother the Lord needs them to be! What a great example of forgetting ourselves and following the will of the Lord!

I love the work I am so grateful for all that I am learning in this area and I know that the Lord truly needs me here and I am grateful for his guiding hand! I love you all so so much!!!!

Love, Sister Andreasen

The Lord Puts People In Our Path - January 17, 2011

Hello :)

I feel like you didn’t have a lot of time with your last email. Hehe but I loved the stories and I love the kids so much! I just know that they are getting so big! 

Thank you so much for the package!!!!! You’re amazing!

Oh and before I forget for like the fiftieth time HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Wow each time I know a birthday is close I always think about you! And then when I start writing the email I never say it. Then after we leave the computer shop I remember I forgot to say happy birthday. So happy birthday mom! Michael! Grandma! And Paul! I love you all!!!!!!!

Thanks again for the package I don’t need the stuff it is just stuff I want so thank you! Thank you so so much!!!! About the Liahona I don’t think you ordered one for Jill so I think I will have to order another one. I hope it is done by transfer day because I need to send it! Which could be a lot for six! 

So about this week it has been great! The Sunday attendance was a little sad and we got punted a lot but that is because it was fiesta in San Pablo so every one was celebrating in the main part of town and no one was home, even the kids didn’t have school. 

But we were able to teach Brother Jerry, the sisters didn’t officially teach the restoration so we decided to review and watch the movie and it was amazing!!!! The spirit was so strong and after he bore his testimony that he knows the church is true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and I love it! I cried, as I’m sure you could guess.  It is just that the spirit was so strong and I was so grateful for the truth and the opportunity to be a missionary and share the message because each time my testimony is strengthened! 

We were also able to recommit some investigators for baptism so I am excited for them! They say that they really want to be baptized but they are having a hard time keeping commitments so we will see in the coming weeks if they will use the lesson we taught about faith! 

We had to drop an investigator and it was really hard but right after we met another lady and we were able to teach her and she is very open and willing to keep the commitments. I just felt like she was the person we needed to find and I think she really needs the comfort that will come from living the gospel! We tracted into a new sister, Sister Lian and she was nice and we were able to teach her and she was fine with it but there was something missing. The next time we went back we asked he if her husband was always gone because we want to teach them as a whole family and she said that he goes to work early and comes home late so we probably won’t be able to teach him. We asked about his day off and she said he has one day off on Tuesday and we asked if we could come on Tuesday and she said that he probably won’t be home, she seemed like she was trying to avoid it so we gave up for the moment and just decided to teach. After we sang a hymn a tricycle pulled up! It was her husband!!!! Yes!!!!!! We got to teach him and he asked questions and wants to know more! And he said that Tuesday is his day off and we could come anytime he will be there! He seems really excited to know more and I know that he is what was missing! I am so excited for them. He asked questions about church and we invited him to go on Sunday, he didn’t end up coming, but I think they will progress! I know that he came home for a break at that exact moment so that we could teach him! I know the lord puts people in our path and I am so grateful for his hand in this work! We taught the Sacueze family again and brother read what we left him but he said he isn’t looking to get baptized. So we explained that we just want to invite people to come unto Christ. I think it could have been a rather disappointing experience but I didn’t feel it at all! I just felt a hope that it will be okay just keep teaching and they will accept the truth! I know that we are suppose to teach them and every time I have been to their home I just get a strong feeling that I am supposed to be there! 

We weren’t really able to teach the youth because of the fiesta! Which I was so sad about but next week they will be home and we are going to talk about the restoration! I am so excited! Especially for Geno, his grandma is a member and his mom is open to listen as well and she is very happy that Geno wants to know more and she even helps us find times when we can teach him! :)

I just love the work!!!!!!!

The Lord blessed us last night. We were out looking for new people to teach and we went to a member’s home to ask for a referral and we got a phone call from president. He told me that we needed to be in our apartment at 6 so that we could greet our new companion! Yep that is right we are now a threesome! Sister Batan is our new temporary companion. She was serving in Pakil!!! Awe! My first area! But her companion had to go home and it was very unexpected, we don’t know what happened just that she needed to go home. So Sister Batan is coming to work with us in our area until transfer day. So we are now three and I am happy! I know that this is just help from the Lord and he is giving me an opportunity to learn and grow. I love my companions so much! They are sweet sisters and I have a lot to learn from them. I am just working on serving them and giving them the love they need! The Lord truly has blessed my life in more ways than I can ever imagine and I am so grateful for his merciful hand that touches my life! 

I am grateful for your love and I love you all so much!!!!!!

Love, Sister Andreasen

It Is Awesome The Way The Spirit Works - January 10, 2010

Hello again :)

You are right it does mean opposite and this area is so baliktad! Ha-ha! But I am loving it and we got the numbers in the area back up so I am excited for that! We have some good investigators but I have also been finding that a lot of them are ones that have been taught for a really long time so we are giving them a fresh new chance and if the still don’t keep commitments we will have to drop some of them, which is sad because they are really nice.  I think one of the big things I want to focus on in this area is finding the elect! The area is really big and so I know that we really need to focus our efforts on finding those who will grow and mature in the gospel.  We have also been doing a lot of tracting and meeting new people, which is super fun! 

So first I will tell you about Jerry! He is awesome and I am really excited for his progression! He had a baptismal goal date but then he didn’t come to church. So we recommitted him and he is excited and so are we!  We knew that he had some word of wisdom problems and so my companion was a little scared to teach the word of wisdom because she didn’t know how he would take it but I just said well he wants to be baptized and so it will be okay and we need to teach it now so he can be ready. So we taught it and he does have some things that he needs to work on but he said that if it is for the Lord and for his good he will do it! He is way awesome! 

So side note about my companion Sister Tacbobo! I love her she is way sweet. She is from Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro Mission. Which is in the low part and I have noticed that they speak pretty good English from the lower part of the Philippines. She is the youngest of four too, and I am her follow up trainer :) she is batch with my anak Sister Pascual! She is super fun but I think we will probably only be together one transfer so that is a little sad!   

Okay, so back to the work, we went tracting and we found this lady and she said we could teach her, then she got up because she had to take care of something and she didn’t come back, it was outside, but her husband came up so we started the lesson with him then the wife came and the husband left it was really crazy and not very orderly or effective for the spirit, but then we had an older man come and listen and a young girl and they were really interested and said we could teach them! So we went back and the older man really wants to come closer to Christ! He reminded me of dad because we wanted to sing a song with him and he saw the hymnbook and asked if How Great Thou Art was in the hymnbook so that is what we sang! I love that hymn and I think a lot of the reason is because of dad! :) Anyway he is awesome. Then we weren’t able to teach the girl Jengiline but we invited her to church and she came!!!! I love it!

Then we were going to a different area and we were walking to an appointment and some kids called out to us and sometimes you don’t know if they are serious or just joking around but I felt like we should go talk to them and we taught about 6 of them and they are so cute and really have a desire! I love it.  We need to go to each one of their houses so that we can try and talk to their parents too! But we invited them to come to church on Sunday and they came! And that is so amazing because they live really far from the church and they walked!!!! Wow! They are so awesome! Then one of them, Geno, my favorite, when he got to the church said "this is where we came when my grandpa died" then we found out and saw his grandma is in our ward!!!! It is so awesome the way the spirit works!!!!!

Then in our tracting we have been lead to two less active members who really need the gospel back in their lives and who really want to come back to church! They are so awesome! I have just seen the hand of the Lord so much here in San Pablo! I am so grateful for my experiences in this area it has only been a short time and I know that the Lord is directing the work! I am so grateful for the comfort of the Lord, his help and his guidance just to help me know that I need to be here! I am so grateful for the area and I am starting to get close to some of the members and I am grateful for their kindness!

Sometimes it really does feel like I am serving in the states! The other night we had a dinner appointment and the house was so nice! And the food was so good; we had an appetizer, soup, the main dish, and dessert! It was crazy! Then we got a ride home in their car! It is so different from Barra! It is a big adjustment and Barra will always be in my heart but I know I am where the Lord needs me to be. I have work to do and I have a lot more to learn and I am grateful that the Lord knows! Oh, I went tracting on Sunday with one of the senior sisters and I saw this walk way with some houses and felt that it is where we should go, the first house had the door open so we ended up talking to the Sacueza family and I love them!!!! I hope that they progress! I just felt as we were teaching them that this is the message they need right now, then we come to find out that he knows the stake president and his sister is a member!!!! So I am really excited for them and have a lot of hope for their progression!!!!

Oh, funny story because I know you love them. So Sister Tacbobo and I have the same shoes and so she went to go wash hers off before we went to work. Then I went to get mine to clean them off too and I as I went to get them I realized that they were both right feet. Hahaha. She didn’t even realize she had finished cleaning them and still didn’t know.  I said you know those are for the same feet and she just burst out laughing. It was so funny. It isn’t as good as when it happened but I want it written down because it is so funny! Ha-ha. 

About things that you can send. If you want to send another shirt you can because I love the ones that you sent and the stuff for Christmas was perfect I just pouched it so I hope they like it :) but it made me happy! If you do send another shirt maybe one that is 3/4 length sleeves or long sleeves because I get cold sometimes especially at church, I know that sounds crazy. Then velveeta shells and cheese hehe, it is like mac and cheese but better hehe. And if they have some kind of powdered soup that you just add hot water, and instant breakfast :) that would be great! Oh and peanut butter again if it isn’t too heavy. And any other foodstuff that is easy and fast to make that is easy to send. Oh and mints (lifesaver wintergreen :)) that would be amazing!!! Oh and my companion says chocolates, that is always a favorite. Hehe wow, this is coming out to be a lot. If you have room some ties that I can send to members in Barra! Especially the ones that are getting ready to leave on missions. Maybe Michael can help you find some good inexpensive ones :) sorry if that is a lot! I guess I have been thinking of things you could send if you sent one more package :) oh if it fits cereal. Hehe. Don’t worry if you can’t send it all it is a lot and I don’t need it all! Just things I have thought of. I do love packages from you mostly because I know how much you were thinking of me when you bought the stuff and I realize once again how blessed I am!!!! I love you all so much!!!!!

So just so I can makes sure I don’t forget anything is there anything that you want besides the Liahonas? I want to get these really cool belts made of karabaw horns! And I was just wondering if they guys want one? Just let me know I think they are pretty expensive though like 1,000 pesos. 

Well I love you all so much! I am so grateful for your love and kindness, and making sure I am okay even though I am far and sometimes it is probably hard for you! I know how much you care! Grandpa is so cute! But I don’t need the air conditioning we don’t even use the fan because I am cold hehe. But I am glad for his love and even something simple like air conditioning hehe. I love that you all care so much! I know that the Lord has blessed me in mores ways then I could ever imagine and sometimes I don’t understand why but strive to be worthy of the love and the blessing each and everyday as I strive to follow the spirit and do the will of the Lord! I am so grateful for your help and support I love you all! I hope you got more pictures this week if they don’t all go through I will try again next week! I love you all!

Love, Sister Andreasen

So Let's Get To It! - January 3, 2010

Baliktad. Hahaha! So that is what I have to say about this transfer! I miss Barra like crazy I thought going on a mission I would only have to leave family once :( I was wrong. But the work goes on and I am happy to move forward with it.
So you heard right from Joshua, I am in San Pablo mismo. Wow! Talk about big change. So I don’t walk out to sand every day and we don’t teach by the seashore. I don’t have to ride a little boat to part of my area. I do get to ride in a car on Tuesdays and Fridays because the Messamers, the couple missionaries, work with us and they take us to our appointments. These days are called STS days daw. Which means Spoil the Sisters day. Haha. They treat us to ice cream and they also want to have us over for dinner some night. We were also invited to the mission home for dinner some time. Wow! I go to church in an actually chapel and there are more seats than people, which I’m not used to, and it is freezing cold because there is air conditioner! We even have air conditioning in our apartment. Hehe, which we don’t use because it would be so expensive. Right now I don't even us an electric fan because I’m cold. Hehe. 

So that is my story of how different the areas are!
But I still love it! I know it is what the Lord wants. Oh another thing is my companion speaks English more than I do hehe. Sister Pascual didn’t like it when I spoke English and I think my new companion, Sister Tacbobo, would like it if I always spoke English hehe. She is way fun! I love her! I know I will be learning a lot from her! So sad story, the first full day in San Pablo wasn’t full because we had a curfew the next day as well, but we got to watch fire works from our roof because our apartments are awesome! Haha. The chapel is really far from our apartment maybe 10......... steps. Haha. But back to the story, the second day January 1 I got really sick! Stomach sick, I don’t know what I ate but we weren’t able to go work! Second day and no work! I hate it! But I think my stomach is back to normal, which is good.
So lets go back to me leaving Barra. The last week was really hard because it was Christmas and then it was last appointments. The first of the "last appointments" was the Teves family and I just cried! I couldn’t help myself it hurt so bad to leave them because they still aren’t sure about the church, the know our message is true but don’t want to leave the Catholic Church! Ahh! But then I had to say good-bye and I just lost it! I think that was one of the hardest! Then what made it even hard is Sister Maluo started to cry! I love them so much!!!!
I was able to have a going away lunch and dinner every day before I left, the people in Barra are so sweet but it was also hard because I knew it was the last time I would see them. Monday was at  the Branch President’s house. Then Tuesday was Rago and Joshua’s family, Wednesday was Sister Glo and Sister Remy! I love them so much! Then I was sad to leave and not be able to teach Brother Fernando, he is amazing! And he and his wife Glenda are progressing but we weren’t able to teach because of Christmas and then brother was gone on an interview! :( But we were able to teach the Ibradelzo family and it was so bitter sweet!!!! We set a baptismal goal date and they are excited! And I’m so happy for them!!!! There is the family that I have been looking for and I won’t be there to see their baptism! It was such a good moment though and they are really excited to just do what is right and to come closer to our Savior and Father in Heaven! I love it! I know that Barra will continue to progress and I am happy for it!
I am also happy to be here in San Pablo!!! It is a big change and even though I cried my eyes out!!!!!! I know that it is going to be okay! The Lord gave me that comfort the week before transfer day. I prayed and I just felt this feeling that I need to be in my next area and the Lord has a plan for me and I will really grow and become a better missionary so I am excited for that! I know that the Lord has a plan for me and I am grateful for the comfort! There is a lot of work to do here in San Pablo and I am ready to get to it! The members here are sweet too! We had a lot come up and offer dinner appointments and to work with us so that is good! I am happy that they are supportive. I have also been able to meet families I have heard about from Sisters Smith, Ganaden, and Arrieta because they all served here. So that was a fun connection. We do have one investigator who I am really excited about and that is Jerry. He had a baptismal goal date but then he hasn’t been to church so we set another goal date and he is excited to go to church and really excited for baptism. Then my companion was nervous to teach about the Word of Wisdom because she knows he has problems with this, but I just said better now then later so that is what we taught and he said. Okay. haha! It was so easy! He is awesome. He said it isn’t going to be easy but I am going to do my best because that is what God wants! Amazing!!!! Plus priesthood! Yes!
I love the work and I know that the lord has a plan for his children and he blesses us and gives us opportunities to learn and grow and be better. I hope I can give the same strength to the area and my companion that I know they will give me!
I love the work I am so grateful for your love and the stories you share! You are always in my heart!!!!!
Until next week, which is when, I should be sending pictures!
I love you!!!
Sister Andreasen