People with houses like that live in the woods for a reason and have guns and stuff

Hey fam! I forgot my library card and so I'm on Elder Canova's, which means we each get half the time. Sorry :/ This week was great. I am going to spend time on one story that was cool because Elder Canova wants me to write it so he can copy paste it on over to his own email. EFFICIENCY. 

First, though, there are two books that I have read parts of on my mission and I would request them both. "However long and hard the road" by Elder Holland was amazing, I recommend it, and I was wondering if you can get it for me. The second is a book called "That all may be edified" by President Boyd K. Packer. Again, I recommend it, and it taught me a lot about the way the savior teaches. I only got halfway through it before I got transfered and I was wondering if you could find those two on amazon or deseret book and get some hard back copies. Paperback is cool too but I loved reading the hardback of president Packer's book. 

My knee brace doesn't fit me anymore and I have been playing without it (which feels like a sin). I really don't want to hurt my knee again so maybe just ask Larry what he thinks I should do. Can it be re-sized? IDK. My thigh is too big and it cuts the circulation off on my calf. Let me know. 

I got your card. Thanks :)

I am so thankful for a spontanious companion. This week we were in a country area off the side of Charlottesville called Crozet (said Crozay) and we had an appointment with an investigator fall through. As we walked back to the car, I looked to the end of the road and saw a dirt road going right up the mountain. (keep in mind I'm still in the honeymooner stage with these mountains up here and we drive a subaru with AWD) I was so curious to see if there was a view from the top or some campground or something, so up we went. :) 

About 1/4 mile up the dirt road it started to get really bumpy and it was kinda steep. It was like driving back behind SV hill in a car and going on top of the SV. Not that impressive but it was just a tree tunnel trail that had been kind of washed out in some spots and I was exhilarated. Elder Canova and I kept looking at each other like "Should we go back?" and we never did. A couple times there was a pull off and I just decided to keep going. Don't know why. I've always been the type to go to the top :) why stop half way up where the view is only half as good right? I made Claire climb plenty of Mountains ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP using that reasoning. Anyway..... so we kept driving. We saw an abandoned truck and some cool views but just kept going, to a point where we honestly had to keep going because the road was pretty steep and I don't know if I could have backed my way down it. Ok, I sound super disobedient right now in the mission vehicle but I want you to read Jerimiah 16:16 and then hear me out with this story.

As we came up over a ridge, I saw a house. WOW I was blown away. I looked at Elder Canova and said "well, we kind of have to knock now" haha and so we pulled onto the driveway and it wound up and to the left to the side of a big brown cabin with a smaller little cottage off to the side. Two mountain goats hopped away as we walked up. We're talking WOODS here. And it was steep on the side of the hill in the trees. I'll send you pictures I didn't bring my camera sorry. Anyway, I'm just thankful Elder Canova is spontaneous and likes to do scary random things because I have had companions who would not have knocked on that door with me. I'll admit, I was scared. People with houses like that live in the woods for a reason and have guns and stuff. EEGHGT. So we knocked. 

No one answered (see what I did there) and so we looked at the little cottage and there was smoke coming out of the chimney. We left a card on the door and walked over to the cottage. I could hear a tv on. Lots of wood stacked outside. These people keep to themselves. We knocked and a really young looking 85 yr old man opened the door, with a short beard and disheveled white hair. He was wearing white Hanes socks. I noticed because he stepped outside in them. He was pretty short but looked strong. He must chop and haul his own wood because he moved like he was 30 I swear. He looked up at us and said "hello boys" and we preceded to try my best to lighten the weirdness of us showing up at his door by praising the placement of his home and the uniqueness of the mountains and loving him up. He said "why don't you come on in" and we went in! Woah not what we expected but we sat down and some of the first things he said were "Where's the nearest Mormon building to here" and "I didn't know there was a ward this close" and some very careful statements that were telling about his background. We asked "have you ever met with missionaries before?" and he said "I've..........been exposed to the church." we asked how and he told us his son was a member. We asked if he was a member. He said yes. WHAT?!?!

Don Hansen (name changed), 85 (or so), from Minnesota, lifelong member, Endowed, not active, FOUND. He had pictures of NASA astronauts and the first shot that was ever downloaded from  an orbiting spacecraft on the wall. When he went to the other room Elder Canova read the caption "picture taken by Don Hansen" we just sat back and looked at each other and said "NO WAY" This man is a retired mission manager from the Appolo missions. He is so amazing. He is snowed in his house this week (it snowed last night) so we called this morning to see how he is doing and we are gaining a friendship with him. We will try to get him to come speak to some young men or the scouts or something to get him out of the cabin and back in the church. He said he will come back it will just take some work.

MIRACLES HAPPEN
  Love you gotta go bye

Elder Skyler Andreasen
P.S. I choose Christ

I hope I can grow a MUSTACHE by then!

Happy late St Patrick's day! 

I am loving the new area. I wish I had hours and pictures and the words to describe the first view that I had of Charlottesville and the feeling that created. I hadn't seen over the trees for 19 months, and that is NOT an exaggeration. In Richmond it was all buildings, in Newport News it was ghetto and trees, Va beach it was the same as Richmond, but a lot of trees, and in Chesterfield there were trees as well. Trees in VA are like a 35-40 ft. wall alongside every road and yard. You don't ever see past the trees. It's crazy. As we were coming to Waynesboro there was a wall of trees on the right side of the freeway and a wall of trees on the left side of the freeway and at some point way off in the distance down this channel of trees I could see the ridge of a mountain!!!!!!!!!! HOly cow I flipped out. I was so excited. It wasn't big, it was actually quite small, but it was a welcome sight. I told Elder Canova to take me to the best view in town first thing so he took me to this small little hill where you are barely above the trees but it was so amazing! I could see for miles!!! I could see all of the mountains to the left and all of the mountains in front of me and all of the mountains to the right. I wanted to CRY! Is that crazy?! I got my mountain fix and we were back to work quickly but I am so excited. We already convinced a member in our ward to have an investigator picnic activity on the mountain next to their house. It's in the Shenandoah national park and they have a lifetime pass so they agreed to take us to have a picnic in the mountains. I will take pictures. That has been my favorite part so far. I'm in love. We will get to see Monticello and the view of the Shenandoah valley soon. "Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong! West Virginia, mountain Mama, take me home, country roads" I feel right at home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Tell Jordan Snow I am starting to appreciate that bluegrass music he always played. I'm just about living in that song. 

We have only had 1 lesson so far but it was great. It was with Casey, and she is awesome. She is bed and home ridden and desires to be baptized. We are contemplating finding a pool that has an easy ramp access and wheeling her in. This will be a fun one. Her story with the missionaries goes back about a year if I'm not mistaken. She is so fun and particular about everything in her house. She wanted to get to know us and asked us a bunch of questions about our families. You can tell that she loves people and is extremely interested in the culture of the church and of missionaries, the organizational side of the mission, and things such as that. She is very smart and sweet and we love her already! 

Elder Canova and I had a good planning session and have a good direction for the area. This ward is ready for success. Already we have 12 or 13 names on our list of potential member referrals. When a member tells us the name of a friend they are desiring to share the gospel with we just write the name down so that we can follow up. We usually invite them to do something like invite them for a church tour or to Easter services. It seems as though everyone has a friend that is interested in part. We will just do what we can to harvest that. I don't see a whole lot of time for tracting in the future. We have ten ward missionaries and they all want to go out. That is unique and a needed blessing. We also met with the bishop and he gave us a list of names in different categories that he has been thinking about. 

Well, I gotta go. Oh yeah, another thing that happened, it snowed last night! We woke up to snow on the ground. FUN :)

Love you all!

-- 

Elder Skyler Mark Andreasen

p.s. I choose Christ

I need to stop being so sentimental

Hey,

 

Thanks for the email :) That is all such great news! I am so happy for Tanner. What an experience he will have!!! We'll keep in touch. I won't let him be as bad at writing as I am. He's gonna have to keep me updated when I get home and he's in the field.

 

We are taking an Elder to the airport today and we are going to have to leave soon so this will be short. I am getting transfered. I'm headed up to Waynsboro way up in the north next to the D.C. South mission and West VA is in our zone. This will be my 5th zone!  I am excited to have served in most of VA. Richmond, Newport News, VA beach, Chesterfield, Waynsboro, next is Chessapeake and then Midlothian. I will serve in the Charlottesville 2nd ward and be very close to where the Palfreymans lived way back when and I got a list of friends from them that I am supposed to go see. Let the Palfreymans know I'm on my way to see their friends! I will be with an Elder Canova. He was a district leader in our zone a while back and I know him fairly well. He will be awesome! Our address there is 

     

1311 Villa Way Apt A

Charlottesville, VA 22903-6582

 

Like I said, I am really excited to serve up there. I hear it's the closest you can get to Mts in VA and it's the prettiest part of the mission, especially in spring and fall. Hopefully I stay there a while! I can't wait to see the country part of VA! I think it is the outskirts of Charlottesville City and some country area. 

 

This transfer President Perry split 3 more zones and called 10 new zone leaders. Is that crazy or what?! There is so much growth happening right before our eyes it is crazy. 

 

Didi is doing so well and is preparing for March 23rd still with her son Tyrez. Kimberly is being faithful and living as many commandments as she can so that hopefully her family will let her be baptized. Brother C. is still progressing and hopefully will be baptized soon. Sister F. is doing well, we had another lesson with Brother G., the general manager of the biggest car dealership in the Richmond area. He has taught me a lot about business just in small talk, and he is really opening up. He has been through a ton of missionaries and still can't make a decision so we just boldly laid it out and said why aren't you baptized yet? He liked that and said he was just being stubborn. We likened the gospel to his car business and I don't know if it did any good but I really love that guy.

 

This is rough! I have fallen in love with the people in the Swift Creek area, members and non members alike. I am excited about Waynesboro but I am so sad to leave Chesterfield behind. All the members of this ward are AMAZING. GRR. Bitter sweet. Anyway, I need to stop being so sentimental. Plus, they have a gym at the apartment in Charlottesville :) That's something to look forward to right?

 

Ok, I gotta go. I can feel your love and your prayers. I hope you can feel mine. I'll talk to you next week.

Love,

 

Elder Andreasen

P.S. I choose Christ

WHO AM I KIDDING JUST TELL ME NOW!!!!!

Dear ya'all,

I am so excited for Tanner! I just texted President Perry to see what he thinks about a call or a text or even allowing me to check my email ON wednesday. Worst case scenario, I can just wait till Monday. . . . . . WHO AM I KIDDING JUST TELL ME NOW!!!!!

This week has been phenomenal! I know, because I have written it down in my journal. I found some cool scriptures that really taught me why I should keep a journal and why people throughout time have kept records. There are a lot, but I'll just share two. Alma 37:8 and Mosiah 25:5-11. These examples are of individuals who were very thankful for the records that HAD been kept.

Last Monday a funny thing happened, we were coming back from eating at Chic-fil-a and we were with the Belmont Elders, (H.Andreasen and Haight). I was driving and Elder H.Andreasen was sitting shotgun. As we came through an intersection Elder H.Andreasen pointed at a yellow car and said "hey, speed up, that's our investigator!" so I sped up and came to the side of the yellow car. The lady (Sister R.) was smoking a cigarette and when she turned and saw four Elders looking at her in the car next to her her jaw dropped and she put her hand down behind the door like she wasn't smoking and smiled. Elder H. Andreasen yelled "what are you doing?" and we all started laughing and she laughed because she knew she was caught. It was so funny. She brought it back up and I started chanting "throw it out! Throw it out!" and everyone chimed in. She threw it down outside and we all cheered and she was laughing so hard. She turned off the street and we kept going and as Elder H.Andreasen rolled up the window he said "well, that's one way to do it"

Has anyone been getting my post cards? Anyone? Mom and Dad did you get any post cards? I don't know if they are even sending.

Elder Coon was at Leadership Conference in Richmond all week during the days so I was with the Hopewell Elders. Elder John Yoshko Roberts and Elder Starks. You know Elder Roberts right? I absolutely love that man. He is so cool. I haven't really gotten to spend much time with him until now but he is in our zone and I am happy. I like to tell everyone that we are cousins. He is a great friend and counsellor and has a vast gospel knowledge. He even taught me some good chess moves at lunch ;) I just want you guys to know he is doing so well and he is having fun being back in Hopewell. He served there before for 6 months then left and he's back in the same area. I personally am glad he is back. I had the opportunity to teach lessons with him and knock some doors with him and I am excited that he is going to USU when he gets back. I want to stay in contact. I had one of the best roleplays of my whole mission on wednesday with Elder Roberts.

We taught Didi the word of wisdom this week and she took it kind of personally. She thought we were bringing it to her BECAUSE she smokes. We were just bringing it because it's a commandment. No big deal though we tied it all back to the Doctrine of Christ and to the Celestial kingdom and all fears subsided. She is happy to live any commandment that will help her feel the spirit now and get closer to Heavenly Father's kingdom in the future. She is progressing towards the 23rd!!

Kimberly did not get baptized :/ apparently her parents ended up freaking out and the court actually decided that she is going home soon. This is bad news in one sense, because her parents aren't open right now to the church and might not let her go to church or be baptized until she's 18. In another light though, I think this is good. God is not in the business of saving individuals, he is in the business of saving families. I think that this is wisdom in God. If Kimberly goes back home and her parents can see that this is something that she really wants, they might let the missionaries in just to teach her. Doors could be opened here and this family could be changed in stead of just Kimberly alone. Right now it sounds like her parents just hate the W family for trying to baptize their daughter. Kimberly was saying that if they see she really wants it, they wont fight it. They are just mad at the W family. This could turn out for the better!!!!!

A man called us this week named Andrew who met with the missionaries 6 months ago and left but he can't stop thinking about the church and wants to learn more. His father is the baptist minister (BIG) and his dad would flip a lid if he knew but we met with Andrew Wednesday, Saturday, and he came to church. He wants to be baptized but is figuring out what to do with the family thing.

I never kept a journal when I was younger so I have started this thing where I tell my journal of a story from my childhood every night. This has been fun and enlightening to see how the Lord's hand has been in my life all along.

Well, I gotta go. We are going ice skating today with some missionaries in the zone :) STRESS RELIEF

Love,

Elder Andreasen

P.S. I choose Christ