Monday, November 10, 2014~Week 65
Cainta; 11:35 AM Mon (PH); 8:35 PM Sun (US)

Hello there family!! I hope you're all doing well this week! This past week has been a really good week. Actually... I think it might have been kind of a hard week but I usually forget {I just poked myself in the eye. #OUCH} everything bad that happens because there's ALWAYS at least one good thing every week and that's all I remember when it comes to emailing time. Let me think for a second though.

 Part of our district meeting last Tuesday. The great qualities of our district!

Ito sa akin! Haha we were all compared to an Apostle and I was compared to David A. Bednar. #hollaaaa
And then Elder Lindsey went through and told us all of the Disney characters we remind him of and I remind him of Jane from Tarzan. Because I always talk in a British accent and say weird phrases like, "What's all the hallabaloo about??" and then terrible things happen to me all the time {like when she gets attacked by a herd of crazy baboons} and I'm a little bit spastic sometimes. #thatsmeinanutshell

Who can spot my best friend?

There he is! 

OKAY I remember something. So last Thursday we went on exchanges with the STLs and Sister G. came with me. So we went to one of our investigators named Jerry who I've written about before. He's the one that I said has a SUPER hard heart and mind. That one that said, "Nga nga" to me in that one lesson. So the lessons that we have with Jerry are ALWAYS SOOOOO spiritual. The spirit is working SO hard on this guy. So I was following up with him on the commitments that we gave him last night. Especially with prayer. That was the biggest commitment that we left with him. We just want him to pray and ask Heavenly Father if this is all true. So I followed up with him and he said that yeah he prays, but he still hasn't asked God if it's all true. And then Sister G. shared something about her family. Sister G. and her family were baptized 4 or 5 years ago. She said that before they were baptized, she HATED her step-father. Because he wasn't a good person. He was in to illegal drugs and alcohol and smoking and had a ton of women and every other bad thing you can think of. And then the missionaries came to them and started teaching them and something began to change him. But he was exactly like Jerry. He would go through the motions of going to church, reading the Book of Mormon, praying, etc etc but he still hadn't asked God if it was all true. Then Sister G. said that when he decided to do that, when he decided he would finally just try and ask God, THAT'S when the real change took place. THAT'S when he could give up all his vices and THAT'S when he became a truly different person. She said that after he decided to ask if it was all true, that's when she started to feel love for him for the first time EVER. And then because of that, she decided to listen to the missionaries too and now look where she is. And her step-father is the branch president in their home branch now. I can't tell you how strong the spirit was as Sister G. testified that if he would just STOP hardening his heart and ask God if everything that the missionaries have been teaching him all these years is true, then he would literally feel everything inside him change. His heart would be completely different. After I testified to what she said, we committed him to kneel down later that night and just ASK. And ya know what he said? He said that he would give it a try! SO. We need everyone to pray that as he truly asks God, the spirit will literally just come punch him in the face as hard as he can!! Just like one of those knock-out punches that almost kill you ya know?? That's what we need! So PRAYYYY for Jerry!! :)

This rad little leaf bug thingy was in our room the other night! 

But it was a butterfly pala!

This is just Sister Garcia and her cute face
 trying to catch the leaf bug butterfly.

Hello Garsha.
{We call her Garsha because that's how everyone
pronounces Garcia.We're not sure why....}
She needs a kimono and some red lipstick and she's set! 

So that's all I really want to share this week. It's been kind of a rough week now that I think about it because we keep getting punted by everyone. It's beginning to be a trend. We just get punted ALL the time. And Sister Sauni and I just get a little discouraged because we go out and work every day and we're just not seeing very much progress. BUT there's always something to be grateful for and I'm grateful this week for the investigators that we do have that are SOLID. And I'm so grateful for my companion and how funny she is! Because every time we're punted she just makes this face and I just bust up laughing and then we walk away just dang tired with life but still happy! I don't know if that makes sense.

This is my cute companion shying away
from the camera. Haha she's adorable. 

And then here she is just being cute.

And this week I'm grateful for our investigator Ariel who was just being sooooo funny in the lesson that we had because he was telling us how he wants to become a street preacher for our church and walk along the road preaching about the Book of Mormon and giving away pamphlets to everyone he sees! And then after that he wants to be a ward missionary when he gets baptized! And as a ward missionary, he wants Bishop to assign him to give a talk and he'll speak and teach at the pulpit! And then he'll become a full-time missionary! And then right after that, BISHOP! Hahaha I was dying! I'm just so grateful for laughter and I'm grateful that not a day goes by that I don't laugh with my whole heart! I'm just a grateful soul right now! This list could go on and on!

TODAY

Okay well I hope that you all have a wonderful week! You're all amazing! Share the gospel with everyone! Everyone needs the gospel!! And we're lucky enough to have it! Study from Preach My Gospel in Chapter 6 about Charity and Love. Read about it and then study the scriptures it gives. And then work to develop it! Because if everyone would develop true charity and love, everyone would ALWAYS be sharing the gospel! Try it!! Thanks for all the love and support! I miss you all but I'll see you soon on skype!! It's less than 2 months away! LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

Love, Sister Andersen

I asked for a health update: 

MEDICINE WORKS!! AS far as like stomach problems and such, everything is very much on the mend. I just have to be REALLY careful with what I eat. It's like he's sleeping in my stomach and if I eat anything or drink anything dirty, he'll wake up and attack again. He's just really rude! So right now I'm just working on getting all my energy back up. My body is kind of tired. Haha  I don't think I'll catch up on rest until I'm home again at which time I'M GONNA REST SO DANG HARD!

I asked if there were certain foods that were safe/gentle and what she is avoiding....like, is the baloot party out for New Years? (jk...gag! ha) As far as resting I'll plug in movies and she can vegetate for days.

I just have to make sure that everything I eat is CLEAN. Like, no more baloot {haha} or ANYTHING off the street. No drinking water or juice at people's houses if I'm not absolutely certain it's filtered. Just that kind of stuff. Ahhhhh yes that's perfect. I just want to REST and watch movies and REST and eat yogurt and REST when I get home. Because I'm tired. But I'm doing what Elder Holland said. "Start fast. Run hard. You can rest later."

.#themissionlife #liveandlearn #prayingforahealthyfinish 

Hello moon! :) 

 View from my bunk at night