I'm in Downtown Richmond, VA

Hey how ya'all doin? 

Everybody says this so I'm trying to get used to it. it's so weird. Ok , I have a blanket. I have five blankets and if you get too worried I could sleep with all five :) I'm telling you mom, you need to quit worrying. I'm just living my life, on a mission in DOWNTOWN RICHMOND VIRGINIA!!!! When we were sleeping at Pres. Perry's house we were all anticipating where we would be called to serve our first area and Elder Miller was like I bet we're both on bikes. Elder Miller and Elder Nelson and I were the only ones called to biking areas. i did get a bike. It's a trek 4-series and it's so sweet. someone along the lines put road slicks on it and it was the coolest bike in the garage (they told us before we even left for our area we had to pick out a bike and they had every bike in the mission at the mission home so I had to choose one right off) I got a pretty good bike but nobody has told me a price yet they are trying to get the missionary's info who left it so when I contact him i'll offer him 200 and see where that goes. I'm sure he'll be happy to get an offer it's a little beat up.

 

I love my area. it is one of the smallest areas in the mission but has SO many people in it. I am on the campus of VCU every day. My new adress is 900 West Marshall St. #106 Richmond VA 23220. Our appartment is the coolest place. It's called The Biggs and it has the biggest rooms I have ever seen. I'll send pictures.

 

My trainer's name is Elder Tramell, he's from Mckalla Alabama or however you spell that but he's been out 3 months or so and we got shotgunned into the area which means he knows nothing about it either. We started from scratch which is pretty tough but I'm so excited for the challenge. It's been so cool to meet everyone on the street, my specialty right? We have met so many people that are just high as a kyte. We met some guy on the street and I asked him what his name was and he mumbled "My name is cook it up and I'm the owner of the united states of america" to which I said that's awesome man where are you from and he was just staring at my ring so he asked me what it meant and I said Choose The Right and all he said was "now that's what's up". So i invited him to church. Later that night we met someone who said he has never told anyone his name but he'd tell us because our badges said Jesus on them and his name was Dennis but when we call him we are supposed to call him Nothing so no one knows. He says Jesus must have left earth because he was way too hot. "Jesus must be in outer space or somethin because he is red hot, he can't even BE on earth anymore. Ya know those monks that just stand on their heads in the mountains and learn things for 50 years.............." He had some cool beliefs I guess.

 

I love downtown, it's so sweet. We have 4 elders serving here because there is a lot of work to do, but the members are so so sweet. We are meeting with two of them this week for dinner and to get some referrals but EVERY member gives us someone to talk to. We are having a lot of fun. The ward mission leader is this guy named Brother Chamblace, and he is so excited about missionary work. We are gonna see some success here I know it. We have 6 new investigators since thursday which just means we have an appointment set up but we'll see how it goes. So far, I haven't been able to teach a lesson yet but we have our first one set up for tomorrow so I'm so excited to bare testimony of these things and invite people to come unto Christ.

 

This is the funnest thing I've ever done. Every day I think to myself at least once, "Im on a mission" it's so sweet. I hope things at home continue to go well. Tanner, good job on the ticket man but my record is like 22 over so beat that! You better write me back I know you're busy but it is so good to hear from you and from everyone. Ive gotta go, but keep on keepin on and if you can send me the stuff from the Wazoo crew and any other missionaries like Layne. I lost his adress but I need it. Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wazoo

Elder Skyler Mark Andreasen

 

P.S. check out downtown richmond VA on google maps or something and look up 2nd st. there are so many cool people here.

 

Elder Tramell and I live with the Zone Leaders, who are such studs. One is Elder Harris from St George and the other is ElderWheelock and I forgot where he's from but we play basketball on sat. and Mon. and 530 am and It's so much fun

Safe in Virginia

I'm a little slow writing this.
6:30 Wednesday morning (Sept 21) Skyler called us from the airport.  His group was headed to Virginia.  They hadn't gotten much sleep but sounded excited for the journey.  They didn't have much time so he said he would call us on his layover in Atlanta.  Around 11:30 a.m. he called us from Atlanta.  He had gotten a good nap on the airplane and shared an experience of where one of the sisters had shared the gospel with a passenger on the plane.  They were having a very good trip.  He had been elected flight leader so he was making sure everyone was getting their luggage to the right places and seated properly.  All the traveling we have done as a family I'm sure prepared him for this assignment.  He sounded very good and excited to get to Virginia.  Paula cried a little again and I of course gave him some advice.  It was nice to hear his voice.  He also mentioned that he really enjoyed the MTC and would miss some of the things he experienced there.
Later that afternoon, Elder Rickson who is one of the assistants called Paula and informed her that Skyler had made it safe and was excited to have him there.  He felt of his spirit and knew that they had a great missionary joining their mission.  He has local ties to us here as he is the nephew of our friends John & Kris Apedaile.  He is also very close friends with our neighbors son Trevor Hansen.  It was a great day Wednesday and we look forward to hearing from him Monday to see where he is serving.

Last MTC Letter

Hey there everybody!!! Dad, I did recieve your letter and thanks for the picture. I'll be honest, at first I had no clue what it was but I recognized it pretty quick. Elder Miller and I just got out of the temple it was a great session. Thank you for sending those adresses and stuff. So I leave for Virginia tomorrow!!!!!!! I'm so excited. I haven't done any packing yet so I think I'll start with that after dinner. We did our wash today and all I've been doing is writing letters and eating and stuff. It's been a great Preparation day.

        I think if one person has influenced me the most on my mission so far it would be Billy Bob Thorton. We wake up pretty early to get good showers and what not and every time my alarm goes off I either think "Tiiiime to get up........" or "BEAVERS N DUCKS"

        We were released as Zone Leaders on Sunday and that sucked because I now feel lazy and have to deal with more study time in the wake of extra meetings. I'd rather be at meetings. Don't get me wrong, I learn a lot and love to read the scriptures, but when you have 2 3-hour study blocks in a day you try to get away from it as much as possible. I smell burning feathers all the time. Elder Miller smells them too. Also, I can't believe I've been spelling Wassail wrong my whole life, I thought it was wassle. 

       I have to be at the travel office at 4 am and our flight leaves SLC at 7:50. I don't know how long the flight is because our plans are in the room but we have a couple hours in Atlanta and that's when I'll be calling. We're going to get on the P.A. on the plane and make sure everyone there has heard about the Book of Mormon so we can know who to teach on the way. That reminds me, tonight I'm going to get on the P.A. in our residence hall at 10:00 and make sure every elder gets in one last pop-lock-n-drop it before bed. Our district has made this a nightly practice.

       Someone write the Wazoo crew and tell them that I found a video in our Days Inn hotel room in Vegas at four in the morning of everyone sleeping, we all had some symptoms that night. Oh, and  E. Miller is from Cali and he says Shamoo is a fake, and he has a season pass to sea world so he knows. He says there's multiple shamoos and that just bugs me. I had a lot of faith in shamoo. There's an Elder in my district that says people are like tumbleweeds and that when they come in front of us on our path we need to not swerve and crash but we should just speed up and hit them with the full force of the gospel. This isn't true, ask Elder Anderson. If it was, we would have like 20 investigators chillin on the side of our house by the boat every fall.

        I just overheard Elder Tumbleweed say that we only have 709 days left on our missions. Then I overheard some typing. Then I overheard my companion say dinner is at 4:30. Then someone said that we're really doing it and that we'll be real missionaries in 24 hours. THAT IS SO EXCITING! I am having so much fun, I wish I could see all of my friends and my family and the real shamoo but I've given those things up now, I'm on a MISSION. I have gained such a strong testimony and companionship of the spirit. Diligence and working hard makes hard work fun. I just hope that still applies to the field. I'm sure it does.

       Just to finish off strong, Id like to tell you a story that happened on sunday. We were on our temple walk and I turned to E. Miller and said, "All I ever say in my journal is how much I love you" What I meant by this was that I was thankful that I had a comp. that was a goof and really fun and wasn't a BIEBER D. We turned the corner and he just kept looking in front of us as he says, "yeah, my journal probably thinks I'm gay"

                               -Elder Skyler Andreasen

       P.S. WAZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Week 2 Letter

September 13, 2011

HELLO!!!!

The MTC is treating me well. I am actually going to bed before 11 and I didn't know that was possible. The food here is like being on an all inclusive cruise ship, in that after seven days every meal tastes the same and it's only good if you cover it in Guacamole. the salads are spot on, I have like a thousand croutons a day. I have made so many new friends and Elder Miller and I are having a blast. Did someone tell Bob that Elder Anderson loves him? I'm still worried about that. I am so glad the surgery went well, I was praying for you constantly Mom. But I know you're already over it. We got our flight plans this week and I have to pack next tuesday because we leave at FOUR IN THE MORNING! That's going to be so fun though I can't wait to be in Virginia. I am so so stoked. I have gotten all of your boxes and I use my knee brace when I work out. That backpack was much needed and it's perfect thanks. How long is mom in the hospital? I really want to write Brock and Blake and Andy Bales and Ryan and if you could get a hold of Jaden that would be awesome I don't have his adress. Also, I want to tell you a story.

               Last thursday we were teaching a fake investigator who threw a curveball at us and asked us all sorts of questions about why God does bad things if he loves us and her mom just died so I was trying so hard to think of this scripture that I had read that week and it wouldn't come. We told her that our Heavenly father gives us challenges to strengthen us but it was weak because we didn't have any scripture back-up. So she listened and it was good but I got out of the lesson still racking my brain about this scripture and as I walked in the classroom I went "Oh shoot, I remember! Ether 12:27. It would have been perfect!" We read it together and decided to use it next time we taught nancy. Just to show her why would give us families and then take them away. (tough question) anyway......... I recieve a letter from dad and I read through it as I sit down after the lesson and at the end is this statement.

            "Here''s a scripture for you that I have used in my life when I need a faith boost. Ether 12:27"

              It was so cool! I told everyone in the room what had happened and we read Ether 12:27. It was great. Everyone loved it! But there is an underlying story here. As I looked to my right I saw Elder Kelly, from Las Vegas, with his scriptures open to Ether 12:27 and his head was down and he was crying. I left the group and asked him if he was ok and he looked up at me with a smile and said "You tell your dad thanks for sending that scripture. I have been having such a hard time here and I didn't know why the MTC was such a challenge for me when it was so easy for everyone else. I've been praying that things would be easier, this is an answer to my prayers."

               

          Hey Dad, thanks:) that scripture has helped me too. Elder Bednar spoke to the MTC a while ago and we got to see a video of it but in there he told of a random act of kindness that he performed out of nowhere when he gave some money to a general authority as a missionary, just because he thought they might get hungry on the train ride. That money ended up saving his life and Elder Bednar didn't find out for like 20 years that his random act of kindness even made a difference. In fact, he even forgot about it. What I learned from his talk was this, sometimes the spirit doesn't need to work through an overwhelming feeling to do something or a voice in your head. Just by being a good boy or a good girl  (Elder Bednar's words) you can have confidence that the spirit is guiding you constantly. You may never know the impact you'll have in someone's life just by being who you are. Dad, how does it feel that you had a hand in helping one of God's children come closer to Jesus Christ? and you probably weren't even thinking when you did that. Thanks for being who you are. You and Mom will never know how many times you saved my life. I love you, and the next time I E-mail I will be a day away from the real thing. Next week I leave for Virginia and I can't wait to be the Lord's mouthpiece!

 

I have seen so many people I know and EVERYONE is doing so well. Andy Maughan is always around, I see Zander constantly as you'll see in some pictures, he's on my floor in my residence hall. I see Tanner Hunt all the time and Kyle Moore sits by me sometimes in the meals. I'm loving this mission thing.

 

To the Wazoo Crew, Wazoo. To everyone else, Wazoo too.  Love

Elder Skyler Mark Andreasen

Week 1 Letter

September 6, 2010

WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it's been one week. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you my Preperation day in the MTC is on tuesdays. First off, I want you to know that I love you. I have had a lot of time to think about our family. I miss you guys but I know you will be ok. I gotta keep my heart locked. Will someone tell Bob Beutler that Elder Anderson loves him please? I totally forgot. It's been on my mind every day. Also Mom, Elder Anderson says hi from like six months ago. Just thought you should know. So a scary but awesome thing happened my fifth day in. I am a zone leader. I really don't have to do that much more than I did it Just means I get to act in the place of our branch pres in keeping our zone in line. But our zone is the best and we all do the right thing so my job is easy. It has been a blessing to serve as zone leader with Elder Miller because we get to use our knowledge and spirit to help and serve the other elders who may be struggling or anything like that. In our district we have no sisters but in district c there are three and they are way fun. Elders Miller, Reynolds, Nielson, Nelson, Dotson, and I are headed to Richmond Virginia. Elders Fuller, Kelly, Smith, Hardy, and Wood are headed to Houston. The other district in our zone leaves tomorrow, half to Fresno, and half to Fort Lauterdale, with one sister going to SLC south. I love them all so much. They're great. We will be getting three new districts on Wed. and that should be way fun. Elder Miller and i get to do their orientation and tour of the MTC so I'm way excited to meet them all. One of the best things we have done as a district was yesterday when we had one Elder at a time sit in the middle of the room and each of us told one thing we love about him. After one week we all had some amazing and uplifting things to say to eachother. That is the work of the Lord. 

I have so much to say and only a couple more minutes but I am doing great. I'll write some letters to you and stuff but know that I am having fun and Elder Miller and I are striving to be exactly obedient. I have seen direct blessings from this. I want you to know Elder Fuller is from hawaii and he is the wisest and most handsome Elder I've seen yet at the MTC. Also, Elder Nielson says Hello. He's from st george.

I love you all so much but I have 2 more minutes so i need to go!

Be exactly obedient Tanner. You will be blessed.

Love ya,

Elder Andreasen

First days in the MTC

We received a letter and some pictures from Skyler today.  It was so great to hear from him.  He is doing GREAT as we expected.   Attached is the letter and some pictures.

MTC Day Pictures

MTC Day

Well it finally came and wow what a heart breaker of a day.  Yes we cried.  However, he was soooo excited to begin this new journey in his life.  When we arrived at the curb, his friend Tyler Lemon was there to greet him.  They hugged and it was pretty cool.

As we pulled away, Paula yelled I LOVE YOU SKYLER!!!  It was pretty cool as you know all the other Elders were wishing that was their mom saying that to them.  We cried and couldn't talk to each other for awhile as we gathered our emotions.

It is great knowing your son is on a mission.  Of course we worry and miss him, but we also know he is on the Lord's errand and that is where he is most needed.