Peace Be Still...

Hello my Amazing FAMILY! Good morning, good afternoon, good evening...I think that about does it. I Just want to let you know that you are the best thing in my life, and I admire each one of your spirits, and well...I just love you. 

This is such a nice day isn't it. It is shining sun outside which really is so nice. The sun has 'in a figurative sense' been shining here and there in this amazing place. WOW, I have been on this beautiful continent for a year and some days, and it is feeling like it, but at the same time, it has gone by SO fast. One of the fastest years in my life...odd, but I think I know why. :) I love the work of God. It is so amazing to be able to be apart of the mission of Christ, to spread His teachings, and to, in a way, witness in HIS name. How beautiful it is to see it changing, and renewing every life, in helping each person to feel HIS love. God is my Father, and I know He loves me...He takes care of me...of us. I know that Jesus Christ is pure, and that can become like Him, and not just that, but others can do the same. Sometimes we just need a little help in this world, and that is why there are missionaries...not just full time.

It has been a challenging week. I like challenging. I have been a little impatient, and I think that I started to lose a little bit of hope, or just was a little discouraged for some. Then, it is as if all I had to do is exercise a little more faith, and just remind myself of the SO many things that the Lord has done for me...and hope was there! Each challenge is a truly divine blessing in each of our lives. I thank God, my Father in Heaven, for each step that He has brought me, to overcome any challenge that has come in this life. It makes me a greater person Flesh and Spirit. I know that as we gain the wisdom and knowledge necessary, we will be able to not just benefit in this life, but also in the next. 

Some great news is, that baptism happened! I am so excited for this great soul! He is powerful. He will make a great build to this branch. We are working with those that the Lord has given us, and we are truly striving hard to find others who are SEEKING, and I look forward to this next week. Am just excited to see what is ahead! I think that's it for now. Love ya TONS and have an amazing week. 

Much Love From:

Elder Andreasen

P.s. Can you believe that there are only 149 days till CHRISTMAS!!!! WAHOO!!! I LOVE Christmas music!

"I will go and do the things which The Lord hath commanded, for I know that"....

Hello! This is a nice day isn't it? I think yes. It has been very nice and just superb weather. Actually yesterday it rained...poured is a better word for it. We got SOAKED but that is what made it fun. 

This week has not been too bad at all. It was really something trying to meet so many people. Something that I love about Elder Ochieng, is that he can just seriously talk! It is so nice. I am learning some sweet social skills from him. I had already learned a lot when I came out on mission, but man!  We are finding many people to share with, and we are coming up with all of these great ideas, and the area just seems to be starting to progress again a little more. It is nice that the branch is taking so many things seriously now! We are able to talk to them more now. They finally are taking the initiative to have PEC every Sunday in the morning, and we are all just trying to work out the kinks within the branch that are seriously holding it back.

The thing that we have seen that is a huge issue, is just forgiveness. There are so many people that have such a hard time forgiving others for offensive things that have happened in the past. We are trying to see less actives and always encourage them in some way, and so one of the lessons that we decided we need to have with all of them is just simply about Charity. They need this pure love of Christ within this branch, and actually just throughout the whole stake, but it is taken one step at a time. Something I have learned, is that I have enough faith to not stop coming to church because of somebody else. As we encourage and help strengthen their faith and their trust in the Lord, I know that our Heavenly Father will soften their hearts, and we will come together as a branch. So, that has been one of the main focuses of the week, and also just meeting with some of our normal, regular friends. We are expecting to have a baptism this Sunday, so we are excited about that!

All is going well with everything else, so I love you, and hope this next week of yours will brighten, as you keep adjusting and situating and loving and smiling and laughing, and praying, and singing, and giving. Keep strong in this crazy world that we are living in! 

Much love from:

Elder Andreasen

DREAM 

Aerocamano! (Thanks! 'in Luo') One of the 42 tribes!

Hello! SO, What a great day ya!? Kind of awesome. That is great that you got to speak in your ward. Speaking is a nice thing sometimes, is what I have realized. And you know about that Baptism and confirmation that you had in your class on Sunday, well I just wanted to say that it really is SO TRUE! That is something that we have to explain to so many people around. The confirmation part of baptism is one of the most important parts, and I love it when we get to explain how it can help someone to really endure to the end. That is really so great that you made it back safe to that nice place. It sounds like there is always something to clean in that yard, but hopefully you’re just finding ways to be happy doing it! Hey dad, you'll have to tell me how the fishing was. 

This week here on my end, was very uneventful really, but things did happen. I got to receive my new companion. HE is GREAT! Kind of awesome that we already new each other from Eldoret. So we are just working hard, and re-filling some our investigator pool and all such things. It is like we only had a half a week to work, but we were able to meet SO many new people. We are just figuring out the whole teaching style of things, and so I am way excited to see what happens this next week. We have been teaching our friend Japhet the lessons after baptism, and I think that we can really get him on a mission next year, if he keeps up the great work! That would be so great. I would love to see him go and bless lives in service for two years full time. 

Hmmm. I really think that there is not too much else left, except that I am healthy and am happy and always trying to smile and laugh, and work hard. I am learning a lot from Elder Ochieng. He is really great, and humble, and has been on mission for only three months, but is just so nice, and ready to work. He just came up from Tanzania, and so the thing is, they only speak Swahili in Tanzania and so he is used to that PURE Swahili and just teaching in Swahili. I decided that I should probably actually start taking learning Swahili seriously and...well...just learn it. I stopped having the desire to learn it for a while, but now I am back on! OH. Also, I just love you and hope that you have an amazingly fantastic week. I really liked the scripture this week in 1 Nephi 17:13. It really made me think how He is that light for us, we should just follow it.  

Elder Andreasen

P.s. There are 42 tribes in Kenya, and they all have sub-tribes. FYI!

DUCK, DUCK, DUCK, DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE!!

Hello you beautiful children of God! You are also known as my family, and I love you! So, sorry about the wait. We had a little bit of a problem getting to the cyber...cause we have been on lockdown so now I am able to write. MAN, lock down is SO boring, but I get to study a lot and become more spiritual I guess. But everything is ok. All is going well. Things are good and safe. Wow though, when everybody saw that there was going to be the 'saba saba' there was a lot of fear going on. It was like no one was going to school or to work, because they were fearing that it was going to turn out as bad as what happened in the 2007 elections. But I think all is hopefully staying under control. We are praying for it to just stay peaceful. SO. The news from transfers is that, I will be staying here, and my companion, Elder Bakubamutwe, will be leaving. It is SO CRAZY though, because he is going to my area in Nthengoni Chulu! I am so excited for him! Watindata! Anyhow, it is really very sad though. We both wanted him to stay... but it’s where the Lord wants. I will be getting an elder that is a Kenyan. His name is Elder Ochieng. He is actually one of the members that was there when I was up in Eldoret in Jerusalem. We are going to have fun! 

This week has just been full of great, spiritual lessons. We had more findings and are seeing that they might progress quickly. We have been teaching a nice Mama and Daughter. They are SO great, and it seriously is just so spiritually intense everytime we go over and share with them. The daughter's name is Sharil. She is actually going to college up in Eldoret, but they are on break for the next like 5 months, so hopefully we can get her baptized and on her way by that time! I love all of the great investigators that we have. That’s it. I just love them. I don't know what to say more. I am really excited for our family of three that are getting baptized soon. Zipporah (the mom) actually couldn't make it to church on Sunday, and we went to see what happened, see if everything was alright. She sprained her ankle at work, and had not slept for more than 24 hours because she stayed at work to finish things up. What amazing umph this friend of ours has. She is doing great though, and we just got to talk with her. She is so open and free with us, which is nice. It makes us know that she really does trust us, and that is so critically important. 

That is great that you got to go back to Utah for the 4th. That is the best to spend that time with family. I love that holiday, and I tried to celebrate a little, but I was not able to get any fireworks...but I got matches. We flicked matches and I cooked some nice french toast and had some soda. haha that is my celebration, but a good one at that! Hmmm. SO iI do have some sandals, and a nice pair of slippers that I could use for the rain. I would never use them here in the rain though, because I do not trust the mud here, but in other areas I might use them. I never did up in Eldoret though. It is going to be fun in the mud though. Well alrighty then. Have a great week. Love ya, and just hope all goes well for you this next week. Enjoy!

Elder Andreasen

Intense Smilin