Monday, June 9, 2014~Week 43
Antipolo; 12:56 PM Mon (PH); 10:56 PM Sun (US)

Hello family and friends! 

TODAY

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON!!!!! I can't believe that you're already 14 years old! Whaaaaaaaaaaaat??? Everyone is getting so old and it's driving me crazy! Speaking of old, I turn 20 in like 3 months. #weird #ayawko #ijustrealizedthatmaybeishouldntdohastagsintagalogbecauseyoudontknowwherethespacesare #ayawko = ayaw ko. Anywayyyy.... Happy Happy Birthday Aaron!! You are such a stud! Thanks for always being such a great example to me of how to be yourself and love life and all that great stuff that you do so well!! Keep it up! Keep being YOU! Because YOU are awesome! I sent you a nice little birthday letter but I can assure you that it will be late! I apologize! At least it's coming though! So have a great birthday kid brother! 
Love youuuuu!!!

So it's been a super great and tiring week! So on Wednesday morning, we went to the mission home with all the trainers and and trainees and we ate breakfast together and then started into the day! We don't get to find out who our anak is until the end of the day! Bastos iyan diba? 

All the newbies! Can you guess which one is mine?

Anyway, so at one point during the day, they split up the trainers and the trainees and they did like a workshop type thing. Basically though, President and the APs just kept saying how important this calling to be a trainer is. President told us that every time he does transfers, he doesn't pick the new APs or Zone Leaders or Sister Training Leaders or anything else first. The very first thing he does is choose the trainers. He told us that the trainers are the best in the mission at the time. The trainers honestly hold the future of the mission. The influence that the trainers have on the trainees effects how those missionaries will turn out and ultimately effects the entire mission. So it's a very sacred and important calling. He told us that it's the most important calling you will have on your mission. So c l e a r l y this is super important! I just got super humbled though that Heavenly Father and President both trust me enough to give me a brand new missionary to train. I remember when i got my trainer and I thought that she knew everything and was super perfect and wonderful and I thought about the fact that that's how all these missionaries are. They are scared and far away from home and don't really know and understand missionary life yet and we've been given this great opportunity to see everything wonderful about a mission and make their faith strong right from the very beginning! 
{PAUSE! Sooo just to let you all know, it just started raining SO FREAKING HARD OUTSIDE! IT'S CRAZYYYYYYYYY!!! Holy cow we're gonna die on the way home! Hahahaha I love the Philippines! It was bloody hot and sunny like an hour ago!}

This is Elder Ballon! We came into the field at the same time!
 He's one of my best friends here in the mission!

Okay and then after that, we all went to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. It was sooooo amazing. 

They gave us all the opportunity to go around and just explore by ourselves and feel the spirit there. And the spirit really was there. It was so quiet and peaceful and beautiful.

Elder Ballon and Elder Houston

 I just walked through the tunnels where all the names of thousands of soldiers are written and thought about the sacrifice that they made. They sacrificed their very lives so that millions of people could go free. And they succeeded.

 

 And because they succeeded, President Gordon B. Hinckley was able to come to the Philippines and dedicate this beautiful country for missionary work. He went to that very cemetery and offered such a beautiful prayer that President Revillo read to us for the opening up of missionary work here. 

This is the chapel where President Hinckley
dedicated the Philippines for missionary work.

The spirit was so strong and I am so grateful for the opportunity we had to go there, on the way out of the cemetery, I saw engraved on one of the walls, "Let us here highly resolve that the cause for which they died shall live."

 That had a huge impact on me. All of those people that died in that war, died so that people could be free; so that they could be free to choose their religion and choose how they worship. They died so that missionaries could come here and share the true and everlasting gospel with everyone that they could. They died so that I, Sister Andersen, could be a missionary today in the Philippines. Which means that it's my duty to God, to those men who died, to the people here in the Philippines, to my family, to President Revillo, and to myself to make sure that I do everything I can right now so that they did not die in vain. What a privilege and a blessing. I'm so so grateful to be a part of this right now!

The long awaited picture for mom! Me with Pres and Sis Revillo.

Anyway, after that, we went back to the mission home and they announced companionships! First of all, I would just like to say that this batch that came in is soooooooooooo strong! They all have the greatest testimonies and spirits and I'm so grateful that I got to hear all of them bear their testimonies because they really strengthened mine so much! Anyway, so they called up one elder and announced who his companion would be. And then they called up Sister Hernandez. And when she stood up there, I could feel it. I was like, that's my companion. She's my anak! And then they said, "And her nanay is......wearing a purple dress!" {I was wearing a purple dress.... just to let you know.} I was like I knew it!!

 Family Picture! 

Soooo my anak is 19 years old and cute as ever! She's from Tacloban City and she's a survivor of Yolanda. You know that story of the ten Sister missionaries that were on top of the roof for 5 hours after their apartment flooded? Sister Hernandez was there! She was supposed to go on a short term mission for a week or two but the day after she started, the storm hit. She's a trooper. I looooooove her! I'll have to tell you more about her next week because my time is basically up! But she's super awesome and I'm so lucky to have her as my companion!

Really quick, the baptism was super a w e s o m e!!

I've never seen Jayson cry but he cried when he bore his testimony! It's just so amazing to see the change that people go through and how wonderful it is when they truly let the gospel change their lives! I looooooooove baptisms! It was wonderful!!

Jayson and Liane's Baptism!

That's my tatay Elder Cendana (my DL/"father" from my first area)
 He went home in April but he went to the temple
 and was visiting one of the members in his old area
and it happened to be our dinner appointment!

 So basically, this was a really great week and I'm so tired! But we've got another great week ahead of us and I'm excited for it!! I'm excited to have an anak because I know that I'm gonna learn so much more from training her than she will ever learn from me! This is gonna be an awesome transfer!!

 Last night at Bishop's house for dinner!

CONGRATS TO MY BEST FRIEND JANESSA MARIE HOUSTON!! I cried when I read where you were going!! You are going to be the BEST missionary ever and I'm so super duper excited for you! I'm gonna go home and write you a nice letter! I really miss your hugs by the way! I got a little jealous of all the pictures of you hugging everyone! It's okay! April 2016!!! Hollaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Congrats girl! LOVE YOU! Happy Birthday again to Aaron! Hope it's a super great day filled with every fatty food you can find because you don't ever put on weight anyway! Thanks for all the love and support! You never cease to amaze me! I'm so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends!! Have a great week!! LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

Love, Sister Andersen

PS: Hahahahahaha before I go I have to tell you that I just remembered that I did my laundry today and hung it up to dry. Yeahhhhhhhhhhh it's not dry. Hahahahaha I love the Philippines!