Well hey all. So, I transferred again, and am now up in the mountains in a place called Dian-ay! And when I say mountains, I mean mountains, holy cow! It's way cool though, I'll have to see if I can send ya'll some pictures next week or somethin. Also, a lot of the people are Cebuano here, so it's exciting to try and learn. I hope I can get it down by the time I get home! My companion is Elder Winfield from Tuscon, Arizona. He's real cool and we get along well and have a lot in common. I always seem to find weird connections with my American companions, and this one is that two of his older siblings worked at Jacob lake. Russell and

Hilary Winfield. So Miriam and Andrea, do you know either of them? Weird huh? I didn't think anyone else knew that place existed. But this week was good and I'm really enjoying the work here. I definitely don't feel like I'm going home in 3 months, other than the fact I am always tired, which might have something to do with all the mountain climbing we've been doing. This place is kinda what I thought of when I thought Philippines. I'm trying to adjust to Cebuano. It's not too hard, cause it's close to Illongo, but there are differences. If the people are speaking pure Cebuano, I can probably only understand about 50% of the conversation. My companion doesn't know Cebuano either, but it's all right cause people here understand Illongo too. Just understanding them is the problem sometimes haha. Well, I suppose that it for me this week. Love you all! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey Family, what's kickin? Well this week has been good. We had zone conference this past week. It was really good. I was able to talk with President Tobias about some of the problems and challenges in the branch I'm serving in. And just got some good motivation to sprint to the finish of my mission. Only 2 transfers left! I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. I just try to avoid thinking about it too much. Well our work has been about the same. We get around to about 90% of the members each week, or at least to their houses. One of the biggest challenges in this area, is that no one is home from about 1 to 5, so we get punted a lot from out appointments, cause everyone is out working in the sugarcane and rice fields. But at least we get to stop by and let people know we care about them. Another challenge is that we can't teach if there are no males in the home. So even if there are some people home, and no males, you still can't teach them. Our attendance was at 23 this sunday. I was hoping for a lot more, but you know that's life. I taught the youth book of mormon sunday school class. There was only 3 of them, and I was teaching and explaining about mosiah 7-9 and everything that happened there. How the people of King Limhi discovered the civilization of the Jaredites. Then I asked them if they knew who the Jaredites were. They didn't. So then I had to go off and explain the story of the Jaredites. They also didn't know the story of the Tower of Babel. Haha. Spiritual babies. But it's ok, I'm glad I could help them grow in a knowledge of the gospel. Transfers are on Wednesday. I'm not sure if I'll transfer or not. I won't find out until tomorrow. If I don't, I'll most likely be in this area until the end of my mission. So I sent you some pictures finally! We went to a mini zoo today for p-day. It was actually really cool! And, as you can see, we got to hold big snakes! That one we're holding weighs 100 pounds, and they said it ate 3 chickens last night! A couple other elders came with us and the senior couple. They are the Adams couple from Bountiful, Utah. They are way cool and we love having them here. Anyway, I guess that is all for me right now. Love you all and hope that all is well. Love, Greg

Hey Fam. Welp, this week has been all right. Hard to believe it's P-day again! I don't know where the time goes! This week we've just continued in trying to help this branch. One of the problems though, is that the district doesn't really do anything to help this branch. You have to remember all of these people have been members for less than 5 years and have never gone to church anywhere else except the small little meetinghouse, and have no idea how the church is supposed to run. The district has never sent a high councilman or anything to help them out to know what they need to do. The branch president here was like, "We always have meetings, and they always tell me to do things, and I tell them I don't know how, and they say "Don't worry, we'll help you" and then they never do. So then I just try to figure things out on my own." I also discovered this branch has never had Liahonas. How are they supposed to do their home and visiting teaching if they don't have the message they're supposed to share? How are they supposed to study the words of the living prophets?? It's ridiculous. But we have zone conference tomorrow so I'll talk to President Tobias about it. Hopefully he can do something about it. The members here are really all spiritual babies, so when we teach them we can only feed them milk and honey, cause they aren't ready for the meat yet. Someday........ but at least our attendance went up to 25 yesterday. That's the highest it's been since I've been here. The problem is, where are the other 55 members? So it's making progress, slowly, but surely. It's been ridiculously hot lately. I think this is the hottest it's been my whole mission! I'm pretty much constantly sweating. Ok well, I think thats all for me this week! Love you all! Love, Greg

Hey all! Sounds like you all had a good easter. Mom, you seemed to have enjoyed hiding the eggs haha. I'll get some good snake pictures for you all in a couple weeks! Well everyone seems to be becoming world travelers! The Arctic, Europe, Yugoslavia! Why doesn't anyone want to come to the Philippines? It's a great place! Only our family huh? Well I might still have to be anti social. It's hard talking to white people that aren't missionaries. What exactly are the dates for this family reunion? Anywho they don't really celebrate easter here.. well they do, just in a really strange way. The have Good Friday or Holy Friday, and they all parade around chanting stuff and worshipping statues of Jesus and Mama Mary and other weird stuff. When I saw it last year I thought it was like the Ku Klux Klan or something cause all these priests were dressed up in these robes that looked like kkk robes and had torches cause it was like 3 in the morning and were carrying a cross. I thought they were gonna go burn it or something. But they didn't. Crazy Catholics. Well we watched general conference this week. It was way awesome, and I felt like all they're messages were centered on to what I'm trying to help these people here and the issues they're facing. Especially about families and forgiving others. And being a worthy priesthood holder. Elder Packer and Elder Hales weren't lookin too great. I don't know if they're going to be at the next general conference. But anyway, it was really good. Except it was only in English so most our members didn't really understand it. So we're gonna help them with that. Things have been getting better with the work. I mean, we're not seeing huge, rapid changes, but we are seeing some. Attendance went up last week so that was good. We even had 3 investigators at church! We also got a referral and we visited the family, and they seem really cool. They have 8 kids and live in a house the size of our living room. Thats how it is for a lot of people. So this week should actually be able to teach them. And now we know where most people live so we're really starting to do some real work. Things are going well. I had a sad, but neat experience this week. On sunday we were out working and we passed by these people and there was this drunk guy and he was only wearing briefs, and all the people were teasing him and stuff, and they had got him to carry this big heavy piece of wood on his shoulder and run around with it, and then they saw me and they were like run to the cano! Run to the Cano! So the guy, stumbling all over is trying to run to me but before he got to me he fell over into the sugar cane field and the big piece of wood was on his neck and he was just lying there and all the people were laughing and pointing at him, so I went over to him and picked the wood off of his neck and helped him up, and at that time I was blessed with just a feeling of true charity for this man. It was just a cool little experience where the Lord let me see through his eyes for a couple of minutes. After that I just told the guy not to drink anymore. I'm gonna go back and try and teach him this week and see if he'll receive us. But yeah, that's pretty much it for me this week. Thank you all very much for your prayers and everything you do for me. I need them, so keep em coming! Well I love you all! Until next week, Love Elder Andersen

Hey family. Well this week has proven just as challenging as last. This week there was a big fiesta, so that did not help at all cause everyone was out partying and watching everything at the fiesta. Also this week was graduation week, and it was on Sunday, so only 11 people came to church! 3 out of 26 recent converts, one of which went back to church at the bible baptist church! I don't know how these people were baptized, or why the elders before us even baptized them! So yeah.. But it's good we're still working hard and just doing everything we can to help out the branch. The problem is most of them won't help themselves. They are kinda way lazy.. so we're working on them to get their little tails in order! It's hard in working with a new branch cause there aren't really any strong members that have good solid testimonies and can help the newer members get through their problems. They're all kinda in the same boat.. But yeah things are good in the barnyard.. We get to watch general conference next week so I'm excited for that. My last one on the mission! WOW! OK well I guess that's all for me this week! Love you all! Love, Greg

Hey what up family. Well sounds like everything is going well in Idaho. Yes Mom, I'm pretty positive I get home the 18th. They should be sending you something in the mail, or emailing you or something sometime. I don't know. So family reunion huh? Sweeeeeeet. Is this the big one where I don't know anyone so I just have to be anti-social? This week has been.... good, but challenging. Since my companion and I are new to the area we spent all our time trying to find members, and trying to figure out the place. So at least now, for the most part we know where we're going. This branch is a baby branch though. We only had 16 people at church on sunday! And the only other male besides us and the branch president was a 12 year old deacon. The total membership is just 80+ but still, where were all those people? And the sad thing is, that is how the membership has been mostly this year. It has times when it jumps to around 40, but then it goes down the next sunday. One of the biggest challenges I've seen with the members here is work. If they didn't have work, they would come to church. The problem is, most of them have work cause they live on hacienda's, and don't get to choose their schedules or anything. The boss just tells them what their work is for the day, and if they don't do it, then they don't get work the next week. And since the church is way new here still, the members' faith isn't too strong yet. Another thing we're working on. I feel a little overwhelmed since me, my companion, and the branch president do everything here. I played the piano, blessed the sacrament, and gave a talk! The branch president taught relief society, sunday school, and also gave a talk. His name is President Samolde. He is 60 years old, and has been a member since 2007, and the branch president since 2009, when this branch was created. He is way funny and cracks me up. Also he has no teeth. But he has a good positive attitude, even in the face of so many problems. So at least we have that going for us. This branch also has 26 recent converts, and I think all of them but 2 are women and children. Not exactly a help to the branch..  We're really going to focus on the men in this branch because that is what it needs desperately. This week it has also been pouring rain! That didn't help much with the work. Well actually, in the morning it's super hot and humid until about 1:00 and then the rain pours up to 4 or 5. Our house is one of the worst I've seen in the mission haha. Makes you feel like you're getting the real Philippines experience. But it does have running water. The biggest problem is we just have a metal roof, no insulation or anything, so when it gets super hot and humid in the morning, our house turns into a toaster oven! It's really hard to concentrate during studies sometimes haha. One more thing is, I feel like I live on a farm haha. ALL our neighbors have chickens, turkeys, goats, pigs, cats, and dogs! It's quite the place here in Moises Padilla! It's really pretty here though. Everything is so green and the mountains are awesome. Kinda reminds me of home a little bit. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to bring an oxygen tank with me if I climb any mountains when I get home! All righty, well I think that is it for me this week! Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Oh I forgot, they announced a few weeks who my new mission president will be for the last 18 days of my mission. His name is Marlo O. Lopez. I think he is a Filipino but lives in Hawaii. He might not be filipino I'm not sure, but he is coming from Hawaii. He was in charge of the CES or something there. Ok, well thats all folks! Love you! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey family. Well there's been a lot that has happened this week. First off, my Samoan companion Elder Mariner transferred, and then I was supposed to stay in Magsungay and my new companion was Elder Malit! My Filipino American companion from Lehi that I had before! So that was way cool, but then we were only together for 5 days and we both got transferred out. There are more missionaries leaving in the mission than there are coming in, so there were 4 of us in Magsungay, so they needed 2 of us. So now I am in a place called Moises Padilla. It's pretty close to my first area La Castellana. I'm way excited to be back here though! The Moises Padilla branch has a total of 81 members, and only 1 Melchezidek Priesthood holder, the branch president. They meet in a little house. The average attendance is about 45 so they have 55% attendance, sadly, one of, if not the highest percentage in the Philippines. President Tobias interviewed me before he transferred me and told me this was going to be a challenge. So I'm really going to try and help this place out. It won't be a walk in the park, but I can do it with some help from above. My new companion is Elder Macapugas. We've only been together since yesterday, but so far I like him. I haven't had a chance to work yet, but I got my walkin shoes on cause this place is in the middle of nowhere in the mountains. Way cool. All right, well I think that is pretty much all for me right now. Thanks for everything! Love you all! Love, Elder Andersen