Let's build MUDMEN

WHAT!!! No way! I can't EVEN believe it! You got another dog!!! Holy cow. I'm looking forward to hearing him bark on that awesome 25 of December! Hmmm, does that mean you are going to be getting the paper again? Wow, so it is snowing and cold there and it is nice and warm here with the occasional rainstorm.  I am realizing how weird it is to not be freezing my tush off in December. I am not going to lie though, it is nnnicce!  

Well, I have some exciting news of my own. One of our investigators has agreed to be baptized on the 22nd of this month! It is so great because she just has expressed to us how ready she really is! She seriously just is so stoked about the whole thing. She told us that she didn't want to wait till next year because it was to far away. She wants to start a new year having been baptized in Christ and in the true church. So awesome! We also found out that finally after a long process of getting things legalized for the marriage, that our investigator Edwin, will be having a wedding a couple days after Christmas and can then be baptized the coming week! The joy that comes from seeing him stick strong and do all to get baptized is a testimony strengthener. Even if I am not here to see them get baptized, I am so happy that I had a chance to be apart of changing their lives and to help bring them to the knowledge of the truth. Keeping strong is so so important. One thing that we have really focused on this past week is helping our recent converts push through trials and have that over bounding faith in our Father in Heaven to know that things can always turn out for the good. I have told you about the persecution that is around and it just never seems to stop. But one of the scriptures that we have really focused their attention towards has been in 1 Nephi 8. Lehi's Vision. I have seen that great strength can be found from these verses and just love to share with them that the word of God IS unbreakable and will never fail! We have also been encouraging prayer. I know that prayer can always help; I have a testimony that is so strong of how God really does listen. The thing is, we have to listen…that is a VERY important part. I really just love when we get investigators who are young adults. It seems like I can really connect with them and show them the great importance of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is really cool too because they are so excepting of new ideas and just of change. Man, the church is true.

So, the branch is starting to plan their Christmas party and they have asked us to give some ideas. I could only give them just a few but they have activities that are planned outside. Funny. I mentioned maybe building some mudmen..."snowmen" but they didn't so much like the idea! haha It really seems like things are going great with you guys back there in the valley. Skyler, tip me on how the season is at the Beav and just how everything is going with them girlies. I LOVE you all so MUCH! Keep up the great work of just being you cause that is rad! And keep listening to Christmas music! Hehe

    

Much love from:

Elder Andreasen

P.s. Nice name for the dog, can guess who came up with that! I think you should probably decorate...TWO weeks left till Christmas!

Start Singing Those Christmas Songs!

WOW! I can't stop smiling right now! IT HURTS! You all just make me want to burst!...In a good way of course. Congrats to you for another Thanksgiving down! It sounds like it was nice. Except, where were all the kids??? They make it fun right!?! I really just love kids, they can teach us SO much and they are just fun! Here in this nice Eldoret, there wasn't really any Thanksgiving. Actually, it is pretty sad. I didn't even know that it was Thanksgiving until Sister Anderson reminded me half way through the day!!! They had their Thanksgiving a week early, so no chance there. So it really was just another day. Got to do service that day though. Anyhow, I am excited for the NEXT holiday. It is officially December, so start singing those Christmas songs! I have! Wow though, I can't believe it's already December. Transfers are coming up! They are actually next week! I am kind of antsy to know what’s coming up. You never know what is going to happen. President Hicken is really random it seems. He moves people around but also keeps if it’s right. I really do love the people here where I am serving but I would like to see somewhere else and meet some new people. I love meeting people!

This Saturday, we got to have an Open House for one of the Branches in our district. Got to meet a lot of people there and it was just such a great experience. I had a lot of fun that day. We got to have the chance to invite people to come and see how the building looks and help them understand a little bit about what we believe. It was awesome because at one point, we got to stand on the side of the dusty road and talk to people that were passing by. We would let them know what was going on and convince some of them to give a few minutes of time out of there day to come and take a look for themselves. That was one of the highlights of the week. We also got to go on exchanges this week and that was fun! I got to go with an awesome elder, his name is Elder Schneider. He is actually from Idaho. He is probably the best missionary I have ever met. He used to be an AP but now he is in our district. It is funny though, we just did exchanges in Huruma, our area. All four of us. Haha! We had done the exchange and were in the different areas when we got a call that...I still had the key to our flat. So we went back to Huruma and it was late and just stayed. But wwoowee, I have learned a LOT about being an even better missionary and giving my all to the Lord.

You know what is great, this past week I have had this huge desire to just simply feast on my scriptures. Something that I am working on is getting to know the scriptures a lot better and I have seen the Lord answer my prayers a little more in that regard. They are now one of my best friends and I love to keep studying them. Oh, you asked about my companion. So Elder Ndwandwe is from South Africa! Sorry if I didn't tell you that before. He is a Zulu and is from Johannesburg. He has been a member since he was about 16 I think it was. He is the youngest and I can't really remember how many are in his family. I think it was around 5 or 6. He is a pretty funny elder. He has three months left and is anticipating THE day. Not much else really to say.

Well, I think that’s it for now. I Love you all VERY much and hope all keeps well!

Much love from:

Elder Andreasen

It's Like Chicken

Well Happy Thanksgiving to you my lovely family! Things just sound like they are going well! I hope all gets fixed with that whole flooding situation, that's just no fun at all! Man you guys just redid Skyler's room, can't believe that you have to do it again. "Pole pole!" Ah! Things here this week have been quite alright. Something exciting that we just found out is that now the mission isn't just English in Kenya but we are allowed to use a lot more Swahili! I am excited because now I am really going to devote some more time to fully learning Swahili so I will be able to serve these people more. BUT that is not the most exciting news! Caroline got BAPTIZED!!! Woot!

I am so happy for and proud of her and her decision to do what she knew was right! It is so crazy though because it was as if she was already a member. She has really been such a part of the branch and jumped in to being everyone’s friend. We knew she knew it was true, not just cause she told us, because she herself has been trying to share it with others and just really shows so much excitement about these things! Actually the other day we went to go and see her and she had five friends that she had invited and two of them really are showing interest. She had already tried to explain what she knew to be true to them! It just really makes me so happy and excited to see her and know that I was one of the missionaries that got to strike that spark in her life and bring her to the knowledge of the truth. Anyhow this week has been good. We have been pushing and been trying to contact some more people and build more of our investigator pool. We have a few investigators but a lot of them have been so busy and such that they can't find time to meet with us. It has been a little bit rough but that does not mean much of anything. They never said it would be easy and I really am starting to love the challenge. Never utter the words "Give up," they won't get you anywhere! I am so happy though for these days!

MAN. It has been dusty and hot and just fun this week. I love the sun though so that doesn't make too much of a difference! I have found out a little more about myself this week. I have seen that I really have changed but also that there is still a LOT that I don't know. I have found that as I humble myself I am able to help others much more. I've seen kind of how stubborn I am I guess. Never noticed it when I was back home. Being honest with myself to see and remember that this is the Lords work and not my own, really helps me and I see how I can always improve. I love our Father in Heaven so very much and know that He IS there. I have a testimony that He does listen and knows us better than we know ourselves. I love you my family so very much and wish the best for you in all of your endeavors. May the Lord bless you and may you seek the guidance that He has put forth for each of us. He loves us and is there. Have a GREAT week! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Elder Andreasen

P.s. Just found out they eat dog in Ghana. YUM! Apparently it’s like chicken there! Hmmm, big chicken?

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

November 11, 2013

Haha! You guys just make me laugh! Off you go! SEE YA! I hope you have enjoyed that sweet vacation. You are right, it does sound like it was well needed. Putting all of those things in order makes you need to take a BREATH! AH 80 degrees, that’s nice. I wish it were 80 here right now!!! It is like it changed back to rainy season this past week. It has been pouring buckets of rain and it has been lower temperatures. It’s nice though cause there isn't so much mud. Oh man! Skyler, that’s not fun at all to have the flu! I hope you get better! I don't like being sick, so many better things to do! haha  

Wow, so this past week has really been great! We had our Zone Conference and it was just so good! We had missionaries come and stay with us in our flat and they traveled for a while to get there. They were from Kitale, which is by the border of Uganda. They were telling us that they had to take a matatu, then bike, then take another matatu, and they had to stay in different places and such. It takes them like two days just to get here! But it was all fun and I really just love hosting other missionaries! The zone conference, we learned a lot! Most of it was about obedience and how powerful it really can be to be obedient. We also got to go over the "Work of Salvation" DVD and got to talk about how we can help our branches improve and help them get started in the member missionary work. It was just great and I felt the spirit SO strong, especially after President Hicken bore his testimony about a lot of things!

This week we have found a Sister that has been coming to church off and on. She is not a member but her husband is! We got to go and meet with her and it was really great! We took a member with us that knows her pretty well and that was nice because she helped us in sharing what we needed to share. She is great and I really don't doubt that she will be converted and baptized soon. We have been teaching Francis and it has been going well. He is really accepting of what we share with him and he says he wants to keep leaning more. Ha, Irene went back home and so we can't even teach her now. It is like last time where we don't know when or if she is coming back! Oh man! So we are working on helping a member with her English! She really wants to be able to read the Book of Mormon and understand it better. We are helping explain what words mean and really are just diving into helping her to just understand more about the gospel. I really enjoy this myself because it makes me think even more about this extraordinary book and its contents. I have gained more and more of a testimony of these things which is GREAT!

Anyhow, I LOVE YOU so very much! That has been some highlights of my week! I know the Church is TRUE!!! I wish the best for you! I hope you’re healthy and happy and smiling! I am! I know your getting tan! haha  Keep feeling the spirit!

Much Love From:
Elder Andreasen

TRANSFERRED????

Well HI you guys! SO, I guess I should PROBABLY start out by telling you where I am! I am still in the same place. HA. Nothing to big happened in transfers but I am excited because I know that this is where the Lord wants me to be! Holy smokes, snow on the ground! That’s got to be fun! Yesterday it actually got a little cold here…it was weird. It seemed like it was a fall day back home; the wind was blowing and it was a bit chilly. I think I am getting kind of weak to the cold though...LAME! Man, it sure gets dusty here. The wind starts blowing and it all just kicks up! OH, so I got my haircut! Um...it came out to be…well, messed up! I just really couldn't stop laughing at myself though…I looked ridiculous. It’s grown back in now though like a weeks worth or so and so it’s not so hilarious.

This past week we have actually been blessed with people that we have found. It has been good because we are working on refilling our investigator pool and we have had some success. Actually, we met this guy that lives in the compound next to ours. We haven't taught him or anything but we talked to him on the street for like fifteen minuets! He is hilarious! He actually works as a medical personnel at the fire station. Hopefully we will see something there. We just have been working with the same people also and just found others.  We actually got to go to a family on Saturday though that I was so SO happy to be able to see. So their circumstances are complicated. The husband is a member and works like five hours away from their home and the mom and the five children are not members. The all around thing is, they live about an hour and a half away from us by car. Because they don't have a car or that form of transportation to get to church every week and such, they aren't able to be baptized! The children actually really want to get baptized but the mom is still feeling for herself that it is true and that it would be something that she could let her family be apart of also. They really are so AMAZING though and Brother Wycliffe (the dad) has been so great in helping them to realize the truths of the restored gospel. Since he is not always around though, it is hard for them to get their questions answered and such. SO, we have made plans to visit this family every month and we can have the father come and we meet and answer questions and discuss this amazing gospel. I really truly am so grateful that I grew up in a place where I could go pretty much anywhere around and would be able to walk to church if I wanted! I keep praying for them and hope that all turns out well.

MAN! I really didn't even do much for Halloween! I did eat good! That’s about  it though. I really honestly wonder myself what other holidays they do celebrate…Hmmm? I will have to look into that. I do know that they did just celebrate their independence day but it really didn't seem like that big of a deal here. I hope your Halloween was fantastic! I Love you VERY very much and hope the best to you this next week. You are in my heart and in my prayers...and on my mind (DON'T BE STUPID!) HAHA! Keep Healthy! It’s the time of getting sick and I know that I'm not around to make you sick but it still happens. Now "I" can say be healthy! Be Happy and strong and remember…you’re AWESOME!

Much love from:

ELDER ANREASEN

SMILE BIG!!!