Hello everyone. Well sounds like I'm not even going to recognize the house when I get home! But I don't remember reading anything about you doing anything to the basement, so I'll still have my lair hahaha. Andrea's pregnant? Since when? Dogs can be overweight? Lot's of new things are happening with you all. As for me, nothing really new happened. Still just working hard on the rescue and really trying to get people to come back to church and everything. We had stake conference yesterday, it was pretty good. The stake center was stuffed to the max, which I didn't know could happen with Filipinos! So that's a good thing though, but there were a lot of people that weren't there so I wonder what's going to happen when they all become active again! I encountered something new this week. Last night we were at this members house visiting them and some guy walked by the house and the member called him in and was like Elders this guy loves to read the Book of Mormon, but he's not a member. So the guy came in and sat down and we talked to him. He has read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price and whatever else, and of course the Bible. He goes to the public plaza and preaches to people and debates with pastors and stuff using the Book of Mormon! He said sometimes people ask him to baptize them and he says, "I can't, I don't have the authority. You have to go to the Mormons, that's the true church." Also he had such an amazing understanding of the scriptures and like prophecies and the great apostasy and everything. He was going off about how there is only one true church and the reformists and then he kept referring to the Jews and Gentiles, it blew me away! This guy has a better understanding of our church than 95% of the Members in it here, and he's not even a member! He said he knows the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true, Joseph Smith was a true prophet, everything. He even mentioned Joseph Smith was shot because he was running for President, and people didn't want him to etc, and so he was persecuted and eventually murdered. I can count on my two hands the number of members I've met on my mission that know that. I asked him why he wasn't a member, and why he is denying himself essentially candidacy for the Celestial Kingdom. He replied he's still a little tough but he's working on it. Cause he was already baptized into his former religion that has now fallen apart, but he said he's just not ready yet. Way crazy. So we're gonna try and really help him out. He's never been to church before so we just want him to try that first. But yeah, that's my cool experience for the week. Things are going well with the work. It's still just as hot as ever. Mom, whats your recipe for chocolate pudding, I lost it? OK thanks for everything, love you all! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey Family, this week has been all right. Good things are starting to happen here in Magsungay. Elder Mariner and I are doing great and it's a lot of fun. President Monson's daughter, and sister Wixom of the Primary general presidency, along with Elder Jon U. Michael Teh of the seventy came and did a fireside in Bacolod, but we weren't allowed to attend. Bummer. Oh well. The work this week was fine. We're just really pushing the rescue. The are presidency said they don't care if we get any baptisms as long as we are bringing people back to church. I think it's awesome. It's a lot harder working with them though cause they hearts are harder, but I can feel and see how much the Lord wants those of his children to come back. It's been a little frustrating the past couple of weeks cause people keep promising us they will come to church and then they don't. Way lame. But it's all right, we are just going to keep on working with them and help resolve their concerns. A lot of them are shy because they have been inactive for so long, it's hard for them to come back. Especially if they have returned to word of wisdom problems and other things. A lot really depends on us to let them see we really care about them, and we love them no matter what their problems are. Despise the sin not the sinner. We found a couple new investigators this week. The mom's name is Vicky. We met her cause we bought some stuff from her store. She has a little store and then a carinderia ( "The Carinderia is a local eatery selling and serving and viands with wooden benches. It's also known as a "turo-turo" wherein customers literally point what they want to eat from an array of cauldrons.The carinderia was considered as a respite of travelers having originated as a quick food service in busy crossroads. Today, carinderias have evolved according to the needs to Filipinos there are now variations including the travelling carinderia and the high-class carinderia.") She is way nice. She has a little brother that is a member in Manila, so she said she was interested in listening to us. We taught her a quick lesson and it was pretty good. We have another appointment with her tomorrow, with free food :) Can't beat that! All right well hope things are all going well with you. All is well in Zion? Joke. Ok well love you ALL. Go hard. Love Elder Andersen

Hey family, this week has been pretty good. Elder Mariner and I are having a good time, he's a lot of fun and he makes me laugh  way hard when he tells me about Samoa and everything he did back home. He's way good at rugby! He's way shy to talk about it and wouldn't tell me anything, but I found out he was on the Samoan national rugby team (under 19 years age) But still way good! The work is slowly getting better. We don't even try to find new investigators, since we're focusing so hard on the rescue. Investigators just sort of come to us from using the cmis list and stuff cause there are a lot of part member families and stuff like that. So it's getting better. Still got a lot of work to do though. Yeah apparently that earthquake caused some major damage over in Negros Occidental. There was like a landslide and stuff. More than 40+ people died. Some of our missionaries got pulled out of their areas for a while too, but everything is fine. That side of the island has really been getting hit hard by stuff lately. earlier in the year they had terrible floods that destroyed so much and a lot of people died, then this earthquake. I feel really lucky to be on this side! So things are going well though. Sorry I don't have much time to write, I  always say that but time is short, only 5 months left! But I really do read your emails and thanks for them. love you all. Love, Elder Andersen

Hey family. Well first off, Yes I am in a new area! I'm in a place called Magsungay. Right in the city! It's been weird having to ride in jeepneys and going to malls and stuff to do shopping, and having places to eat like Mcdonalds and stuff haha. But things are good here in this area, it's part of Bacolod, but it's not right downtown so it's not all nasty and dirty and stuff. There are four of us assigned to this ward. My companion is Elder Mariner. He's from Samoa, and he's big. One of his thighs is as big as both of mine put together. I really like him a lot, but he's having a really hard time and might go home early.. We've been trying to do everything we can to get him to stay. He only has 4 months left. He doesn't really want to go home early, and President Tobias doesn't really want to send him home, but I dunno. Elder Mariner is super funny though. He always tells me these way hilarious stories about Samoa and I die laughing. If he trusts you and likes you he's just like a big teddy bear, but if he doesn't like you, he is way mean and wants to kill you. He broke his hand a couple weeks ago cause he got really mad and punched a wall haha. But we get along just great. I just really want to help him. Like I said, there are four of us assigned to this ward, which makes it the smallest area in the mission. Definitely a switch up from my last area. Also people are way good at English here. We've been doing a lot of work with less actives and part members, as well as unordained members. In our side of the area there are only two active members, and the rest of them are all inactives/less actives. The other two elders in the ward have the side with all the active members. It's all right though, we'll get the ones on our side active so that the ward will be strong. Thanks Dad, for what you told me it is so true. I have seen it happen. Just don't ever get up on them, you never know what effect you can have on them. But I'm trying to work hard and do work here in Magsungay, which literally means "to horn" because sungay is horns, like on a cow or a bull and stuff and Magsungay is the verb form of that. Cool language lesson. All right well I better get going before Elder Mariner starves to death, that guy eats like no one I have ever seen before! Two nights ago he ate at least 15 cups of rice! All right well I love you all and am thankful for all that you do. Oh P.S. if you could send this to Bishop Huntsman (that's weird) for me that'd be cool. He emailed me a really nice, encouraging email. P.s.s. it is earthquaking right now! Based on my internal richter scale I'd say it's about a 4.5. Don't worry, the building is not falling down, and no one is screaming... yet.  Ok well gotta go, Love you all! Love, Elder Andersen