What A Life!

OH WOW! What a life! Hello to you! I just want to start by saying that I am healthy and happy and smiling!  I am glad that you guys made it home safely from your trip. Man that’s cool that you got to see some whales! I sure bet it is nice to come back to the cold...but you’re right, it is an extremely beautiful valley! That’s great that you got to relax for a few days and let those knots loosen out of your backs (whether it was from the hard beds or the nice beach.) 

You know what I love about a mission? Every day I get to wake up and re-realize that I get to spend the WHOLE day serving the Lord! What a blessing that is. I have been learning new things about myself and about how to serve this past week. I am finding so much joy in what we are doing and it is helping me to grow, and realize how much the Lord really is there in our lives. I am working on a lot of things but I know that HE is the only one that can shape me into what I need to become to help the work progressing. Something really stuck out to me in our district meeting last week. The elder that was giving our training said something that I had realized before but not really thought too deeply on. He said that this work is not our own, it is the Lords. We are not in this alone and so we should not be trying to do what WE want to do but what HE wants us to do. We are just simply instruments in His hands. He made a comment that is something like: "We know that He himself could come and do the work and just make everyone realize the truth but He has ALLOWED us to come and to serve Him." He has let us come out as missionaries to help others to come unto Christ and to help ourselves to grow! This really is His work and I am striving to listen more carefully to discern the spirit and to act on what it is telling me, instead of doing what I myself think is best. I love it when we have those great realizations!!!

Ah! This week on the side of the work has really been pretty good. We have been busy! I love to be able to say that. Although, we are trying to get some of these awesome people to really get a little more committed. We had too many people bounce on us this week. I really want to help them to understand what a great deal this really is that they KNOW about the truth, or at least some of it. It’s big!!! Anyhow, I love to see when our investigators get so excited to have us come and share. One of them actually let us know that the other day when we went to share! It was so great because we hear that she has not been this excited about the gospel before. I am excited to see what happens in the next two weeks! WE have three people that we are working towards baptism and we think that they might be baptized within the next two or three weeks!

Wow! Can you believe that Christmas is only like a MONTH away! It seems weird to me. We were talking to someone yesterday and she was telling us what they do for Christmas and what other people around do. She says that not really anybody stays at home. Most people go and celebrate at their church where they have activities and music and food. They eat ice cream here during Christmas! WHAT! ha! I have been thinking about that fun Christmas chat with you guys but I honestly have no idea how it’s going to happen or where I am going to be. I will find some things out and let you know. I also have to ask if they believe in Santa Claus here. They don't really have like whole uproar of Christmas here like they do back home. It’s kind of just like any other holiday. Apparently it’s great for the clothing business though...learned that today. Anyway, I just am exited. We have started to sing Christmas hymns and that’s not bad here because Thanksgiving doesn't even exist!

Well, I really wish the best for you guys this coming week and good luck with work and all other activities in life! You are in my heart and I am praying for you and know that the Lord is watching over you! I know this church is the only true church on the face of the earth and that the Book of Mormon really is SO true. If we just read pray and really try to understand its teachings and then actually apply its teachings, our lives will become EVEN better than they ever could be! I have such a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, IT IS TRUE! I know it and I am proud of it. I testify of these things each and every day and have no doubt of Gods overwhelming love.

Much Love From:

Elder Andreasen

SMILIN BIG

P.s. Jonah was eaten by a whale... hehehe