Staying Put

Hi Ya! How are all of you doing! I can tell you that I am doing so well! I love you all! I love my beautiful Eldoret, it is really becoming my home now. I am going to be here probably for at least the next two transfers. Elder Kisesi is most likely going to be leaving this next transfer and I will just be here...still! haha. I feel like I have really been spoiled with how amazing of a place it is. All is well with my Visa by the way. We here are taken care of, but still no sign yet that things will be changing for the "let in" for new missionaries. 

The work this week has been going good. We actually started meeting a lot of new people around that seem really promising. We have been tracking and just finding a lot this past week. We are working on trying to keep getting closer to members and getting more referrals from them. That is actually something that is really just so so important that we keep looking at. Members are seriously SO powerful and we want to make sure that they feel comfortable with us. We actually have been working with the ward mission leader a lot lately. He is a serious inspiration to us and personally just an example to me. He is an RM and is a hard working guy. That is something that he has really taught me. As we have been talking with him, he has shown us ways that we can really become even harder working missionaries and has these powerful and useful tools for the work. I have seen that all I need IS that exact obedience. I need to stay diligent and have self perseverance in everything I do. This won't just help me here but throughout my whole life. I am making sure that I simply am not lazy and that I do everything to my best ability and at my top effort. I love that we get the chance to change. We have been also working on bringing back those that have become less active most recently. That is something that has been faced here. You are right, Satan does come and discourage but we are always trying to encourage them back. Those that I baptized back in Huruma actually have been struggling a little bit because of all of the persecution but the missionaries there are taking good care of them.

Wow! You guys sound so great! Way to go dad for finishing the Book of Mormon again! That is seriously Awesome! It really does teach so much and it does just build faith and I love that!  I hope you guys just keep being awesome and happy and I love ya tons. Have a great week!

Elder Andreasen

Keep Smiling!

P.S. Hey Grandpa Davis! Happy Birthday! Way to go for making it this far! That’s a few years in the past and I am hoping you keep going more years ahead!  Thank you so much for your great example and I hope you have a fantastic Birthday! I love you very much and wish the best and pray for you! I wish I could send you a cake! Make it the best 83rd birthday that you could ever have!

Love Tanner.

6 Months!!

Well hey you guys! Happy Day! I am doing great this fine day. Isn't it weird, 1/4 of my mission is pretty much gone…WEIRD! It seems like a short amount of time that I have been out here but it also seems like there is still a lot of time that I get to spend serving the Lord on this mission. That makes me super excited!

Hmm, I want to start out by telling you guys what happened yesterday. We got to attend the dedication of a new chapel in one of the areas in Eldoret! I am so happy that it was finally dedicated, we have been waiting for it since I got here. It was such a spiritually uplifting day! The mission president actually came up and dedicated it. It is a beautiful building and is a district building so it is about as big as one back home. It was so good though to see the mission president. He really is such a humble man and I can definitely tell that he is inspired in what he does. We all were able to be interviewed by him and it was just excellent! It actually was the last week of the transfer and so when he was interviewing us, he let us know transfer news. Elder Kisesi and I are staying here in this beautiful Eldoret! Man! Something that is going on in the mission right now is Satan is really trying to mess up the work! I remember that I mentioned problems with visas and things, so the country is pretty much not letting any missionaries at ALL into the mission! We are seeing missionaries finish their missions but no new missionaries are arriving. It is hard on the mission because we need them. We have had to see some areas get closed out and it is crazy what is happening. BUT the cool thing is, we as missionaries have really upped the level of effort and are getting more work done in the mission with less missionaries than previous!

AW!...so this past week has really been so nice! We have had answers to our prayers and have found three new people that are really willing to learn more about the gospel! One in particular makes me laugh. We have only met with her at one family home evening and she was a referral from a member. She lives in the same compound as the family. She would see us walk in and she would get scared and run inside. She is about twenty and she has heard rumors of us being devil worshipers, we suck blood, sacrifice our children, and things...ya know the usual. She was simply curious why the family would ever let these people into their home. We are good buddies now and are excited to see what’s in the future! Haha. There is a lot more that I want to tell you but that would just keep making this longer and LONGER. We are working with our ward mission leader more, we are working with members more, trying to see more less actives, and the goal for this branch within the next year is for it to become a stake…wow!

Kenya is still Kenya, it is hot and very dusty. I like the food and am trying always to stay healthy. I laugh out loud and I smile as much as I can! Have a great week love you guys a ton!

Elder Andreasen

Grinning? YES!

Hot and Dusty and Just Nice

Hey you guys! Howz Life!? So thank you for your letter, it is great to hear from you guys every week! I am doing fantastic! I am feeling the love of the Lord and just pretty happy. I can tell you that Africa is still pretty much the same but it is hot and dusty and just nice. The baptism that we had was just so great! I was so happy to see her go into the waters of Mormon! Neither of us actually baptized her though, her cousin did, part of the family that gave us the referral. It is good that he was the one though because what a great way to get ready for a mission! Her name is Agnes and she is 15. She is currently staying with Mama Steve (Sister Emily) a.k.a. Mom of the Jerusalem missionaries! This is so good because she is enveloped in a strongly spiritual atmosphere. I love that when we go over, she has read like half of the Book of Mormon! haha Anyhow, am very excited for her.

This week in the work, it actually has been a really rough week. We have been bounced a lot and people just seem to not want to see us or something. But the good thing is, we have been working with some investigators more closely and they are gaining a greater testimony of the things that we are sharing. One of the investigators names is Kevin. He is about 22 and is just super up beat and every time we go there, I really end up learning more. He has like these crazy deep questions and we try to stay on topic but it is hard with him because of such great questions. We also had a guy come to church, whose name is Joel, and we are good buds! He had talked to some other missionaries once a while back and lost contact but I can see him in the white clothes already! We can only teach him once a week on Sundays though because of how far out he is. He came last week and we gave him a pamphlet. He came yesterday and had read the whole thing and even done the scripture study in the back...HE READ! It really does not happen very often at all but he is ready.

That is really too bad to hear about Denise and I will be praying for Jay. I do thank the Lord for the great health that I have been blessed with. It sounds like things are just things back there and that’s good. I will always be praying for you. That is good for you Sky...keep up the good work! Jeter! Stop terrible 2ing!!! And I love you all very much! That is great to hear that Morgan is recovering. It would have not been good to see it go the other way but that is the Lords protection.

Alright, have a great week. Love ya tons and keep spreading the gospel!

Elder Andreasen

Happy New Year!!! 2014

Well Hey you guys! Happy New Year. It is definitely weird to say that it is 2014. I can officially say that I will be going home next year! Not that it really matters to me, I love it here in Kenya! Wow so guess what, my day has been SO good! We got to go and do something as a zone. We went to some other waterfalls that are actually around my old area. These waterfalls were a lot more fun! We got to climb around and there is this place where you can go behind the falls. It really is just one of the most beautiful places that I have been! I got some sweet pics of the place and I am trying to find a card reader so that I can send all of these pics. I actually have been taking some pics of my area a little bit and things too. I just tried sending some but all is not going through for me to be able to attach these photos but I'll find a way! 

I got a letter from someone asking if Kenya is like South Africa. I must tell you that if you see pics of SA then you are seeing some nice things and nice streets and things. Kenya on the other hand is really the general Africa that you would picture. Mud huts, dirt streets, especially when you go from the one main paved road. We actually have had a chance to help fix a mud hut and that was fun and I am excited to actually fully build one!!! ... playing in the mud.

Wow, that is so good that you got that letter in Relief Society mom. When she asked me, it was seriously very hard for me to respond because I have SO much to say about the Savior and it is difficult to summarize it in just a paragraph. OH! PLEASE tell Denise that I love her and that she is in my thoughts. She is an inspiration and she really has so much faith, tell her thank you.

New Years wasn't anything too special but they do celebrate it more than Christmas here. It is Exciting and we get through more Word of Wisdom pamphlets. Things are starting to pick back up after the holidays. We had a slow week last week and we went on exchanges, so we are back in business. We still are planning on having a baptism this next Sunday. Don't know who is going to be baptizing but I'll let you know. We right now are really trying to keep working with members and we have had a lot of progress with that. Our next goal is to make sure that we are getting to the Less Actives and help them a little more to come back. The work is just moving right along and it is not easy but so WORTH IT! My companion and I make one heck of a team and I am so excited for this next week.

WOW! Skyler moved out! That is crazy and fun! I guess it will be a little more quiet. You know, I look forward to that time when we all get to be together as a family again. It might not be for long but it might happen a little. Anyhow, I don't have too much more to say but I am just happy to be here. I do get to share my testimony several times a day and really have found such a love for these people in this area! I love you guys and wish the best for you. Have a great rest of the week!

Love:

Elder Andreasen

Always Smilin!

P.S. The bishopric sent me a package and I just want them to know that I got it. Tell them thanks for that and all they are doing. I am grateful kabisa for them. So if you could maybe pass along.

P.S.S. Is there any word on Sister Morgan Taylor and how she is doing?