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
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