MISSION


KENYA NAIROBI AFRICA MISSION

Sunday, September 22, 2013

September 16, 2013

Wow! HELLO!!! I am just wanting to say that I am doing great! I am happy and healthy, and I love that I am able to live in this great big AFRICA! Things back home sound pretty smooth, so that makes me happy to hear that! haha!

Today has been a great day, my companion has left, got on a plane at 8:00 in the morning, and I am spending the next three days with the zone leaders. I WISH I knew who my new companion is going be but they moved transfer news from being on Saturdays, to Mondays. I will find out who my comp. is tonight!!! I am sorry you have to wait till next week to get to know but I will make sure to tell you all about him!

Lets seeeee now, what has happened during this fine week... well, it is getting to be the change from rainy to dry season here. I have started to see some dust...actually A LOT of dust haha but I love the sun! Like everybody says that it is so dry, which it is, but the air here is more humid than back home, and there is always a nice breeze, (either natural, or from the trucks). SUPER awesome thing is on Sunday, we had those four newly baptized members from last week got confirmed and that was just cool! We throughout the week actually taught them about the Holy Spirit and how receiving it was really going to help their life. It was good to explain to them that the Lord has given us this extraordinary gift, and we get to have it with us at all times. It is great to be able to look back at my own baptism and see really what I was doing, and the things that I was planning to accomplish in my life. It sometimes is hard for me to relate to those who are just coming into the church at a later age in their life, because I grew up in the church. At the same time, it reminds me that I have been set on such a sure foundation that You as my parents would not let break away. I like that I can remember my life and the ways that the Holy Ghost really has helped me as a comforter and as a guide. I have born my testimony about this to my investigators and my testimony just keeps growing from it.

SO to answer your questions, there are not to many members that come to our branch on Sunday. We have a lot of those who have been lost but we try to encourage all that we can to come. We do have the normal three hour block which is from ten to one. Since my comp is gone, I might actually have to start teaching the Gospel Principles class sometimes so that is going to be fun and good to help me to understand even MORE about the gospel. We just got the Aaronic priesthood class started two Sundays ago and that is very good. There is a Relief Society and a Primary so it is all coming along good. Sometimes we need to encourage the Branch Presidency but they are strong and are doing a lot. The members are just really trying to keep each other up and going and they are sticking strong! I actually haven't had to speak yet, just been asked to bear my testimony. That is something that we are trying to work on is helping people know how to give talks haha. Sometimes they really don't like it and don't understand maybe what a talk is…but they are still awesome.

MAIL…they do send a pouch of mail up from the Mission Office in Nairobi every week. Whenever we see the couples, if we have mail that week that has come in, we usually get it from them. I am getting mail from some people which is good.

Man so I actually have time to write today, which is really nice, but I am writing about 3:30 your time and I wish that we could chat. I am pretty sure that dark thirty is not going happen! haha!

I do want to tell you about one of our specific investigators that we found while contacting last week. Her name is Caren. We were just going from compound to compound knocking at the door of the compounds. You actually have to do that by the way, you can't just walk into the compound where the huts or flats are or you will be scolded! Anyway, so we came to the bottom of this hill and knocked at her compound and waited. We were invited in and told a little about what missionaries were and what we do and she invited us in. She really has been prepared by the Lord! She has had some difficulties in her life and has traveled a little around Kenya but ended coming back and staying with her parents there in Huruma. But she says that every thing that has happened to her has really made her think about life and about maybe trying to become what God wants her to be. SO she had been led back to Huruma, and had been going to all these different churches around but didn't know which one was right and didn't think that any of them felt right to join. Can you say JOSEPH SMITH! It was cool because we were able to share with her about the restoration and introduce the plan of salvation a little bit to her. She is truly interested! This last week when we were teaching her, we had taught her how to pray, she said that she had seen the Lord really answering her prayers in a peaceful comfort just like we explained and that all it takes is just the time to really listen after you pray. It was so amazing to be able to hear that from her because she really just has been so confused in life and the Lord shows that He does answer and care and that we just have to listen. Testimony builder. We introduced the BOM to her actually this last week too and she is just so willing to give this book a try! I testified to her that I knew that it is more than just any other book and that it does not replace the Bible because she said all she wants to hear about lately is anything about  the Bible. I have faith in this soul and I know she is going to keep progressing.

WOW. MMMM. Phil Collins is playing in the cyber right now! haha. Music is huge here. When you step into most matatus, there usually is some kind of music going. Skyler, I think you'd have fun in some of these matatus' , lots of them have crazy bass! It’s a different world! There is reggae actually all around so I did prepare myself with listening to my Bob Marley cd's back home! haah. The culture here in Africa is just lax. It is just Acuna Matata as lots of people say. It's fun, and everybody just likes to enjoy...which isn't always the best, that is where we can help introduce the gospel. Well, I don't think I really have to much more to say about the week. I will say though that I do love being a missionary, and I know that this where I am supposed to be right now. I love you SO SO SO MUCH! I pray for you and wish the best for the next week! I am excited for the next week and just love the work! I can't stop smiling and laughing!

Love
Elder Andreasen
KEEP SMILING!

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