October 24, 2011

NO EMAIL WAS SENT TO MOM AND DAD THIS WEEK!!!! YES HIS MOM IS ANGRY!!!!!!

October 17, 2011

Hello Family,

This week has been the hardest yet. The first of the week was so disappointing! We had 11 people in a row bail on us in like 15 different appointments. OH MAN I PRAYED SO HARD. Haha, I have learned a lot this week though, that's why we have challenges right? In the time between Friday and Sunday we found and taught 5 new investigators and this one lady, we'll call her Marie, actually came to church! My first! I'll tell you all about it.

Last week, probably Thursday, we get a call from Marie, whom we had never met, saying that she was in a really tough bind with money and was about to become homeless. She said she was calling to see if the Mormons could help and had gotten our number from a friend. I had to be kind of a jerk because she just kept telling me that we had a lot of money to give away and that she would really apreciate some of it. I told her we had a lot of people struggling inside of our church and I was sorry that as a missionary I couldn't give her money because I didn't have any either. She basically talked my ear off for 20 min and said "oh boy, ok. So what you're telling me is the Mormons can't help. Got it" haha i was a little torqued but I asked if we could come over and visit anyway and she accepted. Marie is the funniest lady I have ever met. She invited a friend over and bought like 6 packs of cookies for the lesson and some Hawaiian punch that wasn't name brand (she made sure to apologize about that) Her friend's name is Jai Philippe and she calls him John Philippe the Frenchman. We didn't even know he was a member until halfway through the lesson it was the funnest time I've ever had in someone's home. So there I was, in the small living room of her apartment which had one chair, almost like a throne. She was sitting in it eating cookies, in her own words, "like a truck driver". Elder Tramell and I were on the floor on pillows on either side of Marie and we had a member with us sitting across from her and she kept telling him to eat more cookies because he wasn't eating anything. Jai was sitting next to me and he is a whole story by himself. He has Gold fangs that he wears in the hood because he doesn't want to get jumped. SO FUNNY. Anyway, her dog, Snoopy, is in the middle of all of us trying to get our cookies while we talk and she just keeps eating and eating. For every two cookies she ate she gives one to snoopy, and then tells Brother Deju to eat some more. She said it was a celebration of her new friends. It was awesome. She said she would read the Book of Mormon and then Jai was just making jokes during the whole lesson. Oh and we were eating our cookies and drinking our punch out of the fine china from her great grandma. There was a moment where all of these things came together and I just started laughing. Jai was tickling my side (weird) and I was holding a little teacup with off brand Hawaiian punch and a stack of like 10 cookies that I couldn't eat as fast as she kept loading them on my really nice china plate, she gave snoop a cookie and told Brother Deju to eat some more, and I look at Elder Tramell and we just started laughing so hard. It was as crazy as it sounds. We left her with a book of Mormon and she read from it, she came to church yesterday and loved it. She learned all about work for the dead in gospel principles and asked if it was ok for her to baptize all of her dead catholic relatives. I told her yes. haha, and then the spirit told me to do something funky, and I extended the invitation to be baptized in between sunday school and relief society. She accepted. She said she believes all of this and really had a great time in Relief society. It sounds like they are going to be able to help her find a job after all. :) The Lord will provide!

I am doing so well. In district training I was asked to do a training on Substance over Flash, or being a good missionary at heart as opposed to just acting like a good missionary. It was scary, but it went well. I then recieved the most influential talk that I have ever read. I encourage all who have a missionary, are a missionary, or want to be the best missionary they can be, to read this talk. It has changed me already. It's called "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence E. Corbridge. I have learned so much from it and I wish EVERY SINGLE missionary EVER could read it. Please try to find it it's amazing. Mom and Dad, if you want to know what my goals are and figure out what I'm gunning for, it's in there.

I love this gospel! I have become so much happier, I have seen people realize their divine potential, I feel the spirit when I read, ponder, and pray, and I testify that this Church is the true church. There's no way around it. :) It blesses families and individuals and brings us closer to Jesus Christ. I love you all and pray for you every day! Mom, get well soon ok? I love you. Dad, you are the man. It sounds like you are still bald because your words are wise. Just kidding i'm sorry. Tanner, good job:) from what I hear you are really maturing. Keep it up. to anyone else that is reading this, I love you and I want you to know that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, and that your Father in heaven loves you. He is the most powerful being in the universe and numbers every hair on your head. PRAYER WORKS, and the Book of Mormon is legit.

Elder Andreasen.

October 11, 2011

HEYO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must say the E-mails this week were superb. The library was closed yesterday so I couldn't write and I was devastated. I love hearing from home. I love hearing that you are all doing well. Tell Clayton I love him and we need to e mail back and forth ok? I miss everyone but the Church has never been more true. I have never been so happy or felt more blessed. I love this work and I am gaining the testimony I have always dreamed of. The funny thing about our testimonies is they don't grow until you bare them to someone else. I absolutely love baring my testimony every second of the day. Sunday and Monday for personal study I read 2Nephi 2 and 9, highlighting all the references to Jesus Christ and his attributes and actions. I would mirror these scriptures in testifying to you the Greatness and Glory and Mercy of our Savior. He has done so much for us. That was quite a faith building exercise for me and I would recommend it to anyone anywhere.

Dad thank you for your letters and all of the support. You write me more than anyone and I feel bad I don't have as much time as I would like to write letters but I'm going to try to write you back. 

Right now Elder Tramell and I have 5 investigators :) The downtown Richmond Branch is amazing. The members are all about missionary work and sharing this message with everyone. We take someone from the branch to almost every lesson and I am so grateful to them for their testimonies. I would encourage anyone reading this to try and go out with the missionaries once, you will be addicted after the first lesson. I love missionary work and I know you will too. Also, always be thinking and watching for those people in your life that are being prepared to hear the gospel, because everyone is. Keep those people in your mind and contact the missionaries and go with them to teach that person. Laboring for the salvation of souls is a noble work and you will be so blessed for your efforts.

 Like I said, we are teaching 5 people. Ashlee and Cedric live next door to each other and are both amazing spirits. Cedric knows the bible in and out and when we told him there was another book he jumped up and yelled "I knew there was another book! I knew there was!" He was so happy to hear about the Book of Mormon and he is set to be baptized on the 29'th of this month but he won't be able to for a while. He has a great desire to learn that is an example even to me.

Ashlee is a single mother of three and is so young. I bore my testimony to her of her divine nature and that God loves her, she really felt the spirit and is reading, we just can't catch her when she's home she's like me before my mission. 

Anthony is way cool, he is a father but not a husband, which seems to happen a lot here, but we haven't met his family yet. We always teach out on the front porch for some reason. He has a really bad memory though and we have discussed the restoration with him twice and he just doesn't remember any of it the next time we go over. That is really frustrating but we will figure it out. 

 John is the next one we are teaching, an amazing guy. He has a big problem with the W.O.W. and he told us the first time we went over that he wanted so badly to stop drinking and smoking but he couldn't. Before we went on in the lesson I stopped and told him to look me in the eyes. I told him that I promised, if he read the book and accepted the message of the restoration of Jesus Christs gospel, he would get help. He would be able to stop and think clearly. I had no clue what to say after that so we went on in the lesson, then we got to the end and again I had a prompting to start talking and I did. What I asked him to do surprised even myself because after I said it I was so afraid he was going to be offended or something. I said "John, next time we come over how about we start fresh and sober, I'm going to call you Wednesday morning and remind you not to drink or smoke at all that day, and if you do, I promise you will have a clear head in our lesson and the Holy Ghost will be with us so you can understand and know for yourself that this is true and it's for you." He waited a second then agreed. I'll tell you what, the next time we went over there he was sober. He swore a lot, because he said he needed a drink to take the edge off so he wasn't so jittery, but I prayed before we started that we could rely on the Holy Ghost to take the edge off. It did. He is reading and said his first prayer with us. We meet again tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.

We find new people that are being prepared every day. This work is moving forward, God's hand is so visible if we are looking for it.

I love this so much. I always tell Elder Tramell how amazing it is that your whole day can suck, you can be rejected 20 times and have someone yell at you in their home, it can rain all day, your bike tire can pop, but on the way home we meet a man named Marcus and bare simple testimony of Jesus Christ and his atonement and we walk into the apartment jolly as can be. It's an amazing thing, your testimony. I once learned from Shane Roberts that if you bare your testimony to someone they will never be the same. Bare it always, because this life is about service. This life is the time to prepare to meet God, and perform our labors. Alma 34:32. and if you cross reference labors you will find that it says good works. Serve others, you will never ever be more happy. :)

Elder Skyler Mark Andreasen

A Comment from Mark and Paula,
Wow, what a letter. This makes a parent proud. Skyler is full of the spirit of being a missionary and of missionary work. We are going to try to live up to his challenge. We love him and are ever so proud of him. 

October 3, 2011

October 3, 2011

WELL HELLO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey tell Tanner thanks! I'll write him on paper.

I have one hour to mail but it's really a half hour because we have to write our reports to the mission Pres in that time. I do print your mail so it doesn't take to much time and that helps. I can E-mail anyone really I just have to personally be wise about it. Whoever wants to E-mail me can, I just might have to write them back by hand so whatever you want to do. I do not have a rain Jacket I've kept my eyes open and we are asking around for extras left in appartments and the ZL's are sure they can find me one. I have an umbrella so it's not that bad I'll keep searching. If worst comes to worst I usually just borrow someone's who is in a car that day so I'm ok don't go buy one. I'll let you know though. I'm ok with the G's I have so no problems there but I do have a couple requests. I need more shirts. If you could please send me my reading rainbow shirt I would love it.  There are really cool thrift stores here so I'm going to get some shirts today but just my reading rainbow. Also if you could tell the Andersons that they need to tell Ben hi and remind him that I'm doing this for him.

So this recent convert had us over for dinner and it was nothing to write home about. Also, we had some pasta the other week that was nothing to write home about and the weather here is not anything to write home about. I stepped in a puddle one day, but I wouldn't consider it anything to write home about. 

This week has been pretty sweet, Elder Tramell and I are starting to see some success. We have only taught a handfull of lessons but we really work well together and the spirit is always strong when we are being obedient. I loved conference. It was so sweet. I watched all of it, and got so much out of it. Some of my favorite talks were D. Todd Christofferson Sat. Night and Jeffrey R. Holland in the priesthood session. I hope everyone was listening in that one. It pumped me up so much. Satan is real and his hand is easier to see in our lives then God's hand. We are at war. Everything we do should testify of Christ. I have had to learn this as a missionary but it applies to everyone. Stay on your toes because the adversary is ALWAYS waiting for the right moment to hit you in your weakest spot with a temptation. In moments when he does hit me with temptation, I have found great power in memorizing scripture, and my favorite to recite is 2Nephi 4:27-28 I loved W. Christopher Wadell's talk too. "Our challenge is figuring out how to use what the Lord has already revealed (Priesthood, Welfare programs, Atonement, Book of Mormon, etc.)"The Atonement happened, so we just need to apply it in our lives.

I hope everyone is doing well. I haven't heard anything from the Wazzoobies like Zing and Jewbee and T-bird but I know the Lord is blessing all of them. I lost Elder Green's adress and I sent one to Elder Anderson but I haven't seen anything back. Imma write Elder Lemon today. I miss all of them. I miss everyone! But I know now more than ever that this is the Lord's work and I am privileged to be on his errand today. Joseph Smith didn't see the Father and the Son for nothing. Did you know that it took 50 men to translate the Bible at 1 page a day? The Book of Mormon was not translated at the rate of 8 pages a day by the power of God so that we could maybe read it sometimes. It was brought forth in this day to us for a reason. This work is not done and we can all do our part. I love serving :) I've already changed so much in 4 weeks. Imagine what another 23 months can do? Just think of it this way Mom, you only get to bare your testimony 23 more times in fast & testimony meeting. It's not that long. In fact, it's probably not long enough. I'm gonna keep smiling (thanks to Claire) and working hard and praying for all of you, because I do pray for all of you! I hope you are all doing well. Mom, get well soon k? I love you. I hope you aren't in to much pain. Recovery sucks.

WAZOO ERRYBODY, WAZOO

Elder Skyler Mark Andreasen

Pictures from Virginia