Hey Fam. Things were good this week. My companion, Elder Malit, was sick again this week, so we didn't get a whole lot of work done. But the lessons we did get were really good. Anyway, we had to go to Bacolod to go to the doctor. It wasn't anything serious, just an infection. So he has some antibiotics and stuff and he's doing fine now. Ok I'm not sure what questions Mom asked, but I'll try to answer something. It's not like I have all day to sit here and thoroughly read and answer peoples emails though, but I promise I read them! So our investigators. Our most promising ones are the Abria family, and the mom of the family is the daughter of our new branch president, and their family is awesome, and I'm pretty sure they are going to be baptized. We have another family, just a mom who is "divorced" (there's no real divorce in the Philippines, it's kinda weird) and her 3 kids. They are really good too. Then we have this other guy, Pedro, who is just this old guy, but he is interested cause one of his daughters is a member. Anyway, he's way cool and makes hilarious comments that crack me up. Probably one of the cooler old guys I know. Then we have Brother Reginate who I told you about before. We weren't able to teach him this week so that was disappointing, he's trying to sell some land in Iloilo so he wasn't here, but once that is over, he should be good to go. Once he quits smoking. He used to be a chain smoker, but once we taught him about the word of wisdom, he cut down to 1 cigarette a day, and hopefully now he is smoke free. We did a csp at one of the members house, ad thats where I climbed that coconut tree. They are a lot harder to climb than they look by the way! Well I'm not sure what else to write, ha that was basically my whole week.. But I hope everything is going ok for you all there in America, and I love you, and thanks for all your support and everything! Also, can you email me some pictures of everyone in the family, and maybe one of the rexburg temple, Byu-Idaho, anything else you find interesting (landscapes, buildings, whatever) and our house and surrounding areas and stuff, if thats at all possible. Just so I can show people what it's like where I live. Just email them to me, and I will put them on my sd card and print them off. Thats a lot easier than you guys sending them to me via mail. Ok well love you all! Have a great week! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey Family, here's some pictures of me climbing a coconut tree! I tried to send you a video of like the ocean and stuff, but it was too big.. so I'll see what I can do this week to make a smaller one.

Hey family! This week has been pretty good. I guess the big news is our branch got reorganized on sunday! So thats exciting for us/challenging, cause we really have to help the new branch president know what he is supposed to do.. But it's all good. I really hope the former branch president becomes the branch mission leader, cause we don't have one of those, and he is really awesome. For the first time in this branch's history, the stake president visited! (they've been a branch since 2007) Yeah the stake pres. was not such a great guy, and was doing some very not good things, but then the Philippines general presidency came and told him what was up, so he's with the program now. Uh our investigators are good, and progressing, I don't really have much time to write a long email today sorry! I guess I'm just really not that good at writing period. I do hope to write you a hand written letter sometime! And maybe send you pictures of where I am! So yes, things are good. I'm excited for general conference, except we watch it a week after you guys do, and then on May 1st we have stake conference, and it's a satellite broadcast from Salt Lake, so that should be really good too. If i'm still here. But I feel like I'll be here for another transfer. OK well I guess thats all from me this week. Wow BYU made it into the sweet 16? It's a miracle! Ha well maybe they can be Florida. They did last year. Oh mom! That slimy part is the good part of the coconut! Thats the best part! It's sooooo good I love it. What other part of the coconut is there to eat? Oh and dad I was watching this profile of this guy on Mormon.org, Helmut Wondra, he's a concert manager in Vienna, and does a lot of cool things there. You should watch it and then try to contact him, I bet he could get you into some really cool stuff for the Europe tour! Ok well I guess thats it for me. Love you all! THanks for all your support! Love, your son, brother, uncle, whatever else, and missionary Elder Andersen

Hey Family. This week has been pretty great. Done a lot of work,
taught a lot of people, and everything is just going well! It's been
really rainy this week. the road on the way here to the internet place
was flooded up to my ankles. I don't know if it has anything to do
with that Tsunami or anything though. Yeah, we didn't really get
affected by it at all. And I don't think we ever would here in Negros
Occidental, cause It's kinda protected on all sides, so nothing too
bad happens here. So this week has been good. On Friday we went to the
middle of nowhere to these members "farm" to do a service project. It
was really cool. To get there we had to cross this HUGE river in this
tiny little boat that could only take 2 people at a time and the waves
on the river were huge also haha it was quite a trip! The boat guy was
insane and was just always swearing and yelling and stuff, but we made
it just fine. Anyway, so then we did our service project, which
involved chopping wood- Filipino style, which is with a machete. It's
a lot harder than it looks! Then we got all these coconuts and cut em
open and made this drink, it's delicious! You know how I hated coconut
in America? Well real coconut is reeeeeally good. So yeah that was
really fun. We didn't have any baptims this week but it's ok. We have
a couple investigators with a baptismal date and we're really looking
forward to that. Oh yeah Rachel is getting married huh? Well, big
gulps huh... See you later! Love Elder Andersen

Hey everyone! Well I have a new companion! His name is Elder Malit, he's Filipino... American! He's from Lehi, Utah. Funny story. We were talking, and I told him I have family in Lehi, and then he was like wait... is your cousin Megan Andersen? And I was like yeah, why? Apparently he tried to date her, and she rejected him like 4 times haha. I thought it was pretty funny that here I am in the middle of nowhere in the Philippines with this odd connection with my companion. So yeah, he's a Filipino American, but he doesn't know Tagalog, and he hasn't been here too long, so he's still learning to speak Illongo. But yeah it's already 100 times better than last transfer. One, cause I'm in charge, and two, because he is really willing to work and learn, which I really appreciate so I don't have to do everything by myself anymore! The work is going well. We've basically just started over again, because there wasn't a lot of progress here last transfer do to... certain complications... but now we're getting a lot of work done and just trying our best to share the gospel with everyone and find the elect. We're teaching this really cool guy right now who used to be a big shot. He was like the vice president or something for Philippines engineering. He was a millionaire. He said he used to be able to have anything he wanted, girls, money, just whatever. And then somehow he lost it all. And so now he lives in Himoga-an in a bamboo shack kind of hiding from society. He's really cool though. I feel he is just ready for the truth. He said to me he can already feel the change in his life from this church, and so hopefully he will choose to continue and be baptized. This week has been really hot, and just what you'd expect from living on a tropical island. I'm hoping to get the chance to eat bat this week. Some of the young men said they are going to catch some, so we'll see what happens. Mom, just to let you know, yes I do read your emails, but you don't really ever ask me any questions so don't get upset that I don't answer any. Well I guess thats it for me this week. Thanks for all your prayers and everything else, love you all!

Hey Family, and... admirers? If I have any.. Anyway, so transfer announcements were today, and I'm staying in my area, but my companion is transferring (Yay!) and I am going senior companion. Which isn't really that big of a deal cause I was basically the senior this transfer. This way it'll just be a lot easier for me so I'm happy about it. I won't know who my companion is till wednesday though, so you'll all have to wait till next monday to find out who he is. He could be this huge Samoan that will just destroy me. But we'll see. I won't know what to do if he's American, cause I've only had Filipino companions ha. The weather this week has been a little crazy. Really hot the first of the week, but the past few days have been cold and rainy and stormy. The work has been ... all right. It'll be lots better when my companion is gone though. Oh! We had a baptism on saturday! Those are always awesome. I feel bad for those people in missions where they get like 0 baptisms. It would be hard for me to feel successful. I'm not sure what else to write about... So ask me some questions or something next time if you want a longer email. sige, well I best be going. Thanks for everything! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey Family, this week has been... good. A little less productive than I would have hoped but its all good. Things here are pretty much the same. Hot, sunny, beach, coconut trees, etc.. I bet that sounds good to you all in your winter wonderland! So this week we did a lot of tracting, which is why it was less effective than I would have liked. Because everyone knows there is a better way to do missionary work, and that is through the members. But when you don't have referrals from members, which is sadly more often than not, you gotta do finding on your own. Hopefully we can get this branch rolling though, it has a lot of potential. Wow so only one week left in this transfer! Next monday I'll know if I'm transferring or whats gonna happen! Time flies when you're doin the Lord's work! One of our investigators had a successful baptismal interview, and will be baptized on Saturday! On the sad side, my sd card to my camera is broken.. Hopefully all my pictures are not lost or I might cry! And I have to buy a new one. Grrr. Oh well. Hmm sorry this email is so short and boring, I can't think of anything else to tell you all, except thanks for your prayers and support and everything! Love you all, Love Elder Andersen

Well Happy Valentines Day to you all from the Philippines! Well where to start.. This week has been pretty good! On Thursday Elder Michael John U. Teh of the first quorum of the seventy, and second counselor in the Philippines General Presidency came and did a mission tour. He came and spoke to us at zone conference, and it was all just really good. He and his wife are really nice, and greeted every one of us one by one. They are both really good speakers as well, and amazing at English, even though they are both Filipino. They sound like Americans and everything, but when they speak Tagalog, or Cebuano, they sound like native speakers. I'm way jealous of their language skills! Anyway, so that was great, and then on Saturday we had 2 baptisms! Thats always awesome! Other than that our work has been a little slow this week with all our meetings and traveling and what not, so hopefully we get back in the groove this next week. Things are going well just as always. I'm still healthy and I believe disease free! We found a snake in our kitchen this morning, that was a first for me! Good thing it was relatively small. My companion was really scared of it though, and killed it with the broom. Thats the usual though here, finding strange creatures in your house and disposing of them before they eat you or something. Sorry I don't really have much to say! What are all your questions?? Tell Mom I hope she gets feeling better soon, and I know her pain. Actually mine was probably a little worse, but still I know her pain. Hey I wouldn't be complaining about free food, thats the best! Oh yeah Dad, I was finally able to eat a jackfruit this week! It's really good. I've eaten it before, but not like the fruit. They eat it when it's not ripe and cook it with like chicken and stuff and use it sorta as a vegetable and eat it with rice, but I like it better as a fruit. Basically all the fruit here is really good. Ok well I best be goin now. Thanks for all your prayers and support and everything else. The Church is true! Love, Elder Andersen