Kamusta pamilya ko. This week was........... difficult I guess you could say. Something of an emotional roller coaster really. We had some really good things happen, but also some not so good things happen. The Reqirons are still doing great, and I really love teaching them. We also have some other new investigators that are all right too, but it's hard to tell after just one lesson. Well you know brother Noel Tulipaz I told you about? Well he is refusing to listen to us right now cause his wife won't buy him cigarettes. He doesn't have any work right now, cause right now is the really poor season, the locals call it tigporaot. It just means like extreme poverty. They call it that during this time cause there is no work in the sugar cane fields. No planting and no harvesting for a couple months. It's really hard on the people who just work in them and nothing else. So anyway, Sister Tulipaz has been the one earning the money for the family by washing clothes and other things like that, and she talked to him and told him they didn't have enough money to keep buying him cigarettes, so he got upset and won't listen to us now. We figured out he was kind of just listening to us to get what he wants, cause he knows his wife wants him to become a member so bad, so yeah, he won't listen to us. But he has a really good fellowshipper that I am confident can really bring him around and humble himself. So hopefully, if not this week, sometime, we can start teaching him again. The other disappointments are from pretty much everyone else we have taught. We had a lot of people express sincere interest in listening to us and everything, but because of negative comments of other people they said they don't want us to come back. One of the ones that hurt the most was this one family we taught. The Spirit was way strong and it was a really good lesson. The mom and the daughter had listened to us a couple times when we taught the Reqirons, and we gave the daughter a Book of Mormon. Finally the dad consented to let us teach them, and we did and had a great lesson. The daughter had already read up to Words of Mormon! Then the dads extended family, who are all very "die hard" Catholics came and talked to him and said a bunch of untrue stuff about the Church and us, (the same person actually who told the Reqirons we were gold hunters) and discouraged them from listening. The mom and the daughter still listen, but the dad won't let them come to church.. But the wife said he reads the Book of Mormon and said when we taught them he couldn't understand what he was feeling. So we are praying his heart will be softened and will again listen to us no matter what people say to them, just like the Reqirons. There were more disappointments too. There is this one place with tons of members, inactive, and active. Lots of part member families etc.. you think the place would be a gold mine. But it's not. It's like a diamond mine. In the sense that it is the hardest mineral in the world. All the part members hide when we come, the inactives just say they don't have time and don't really care. It is definitely true in the Book of Mormon where it says that after people receive the gospel and then go inactive, they become more hardened and it would be better for them that they had never known these things. So yeah kind of a bummer. But don't get me wrong I love the work! We had 7 investigators at church! That was awesome! And in the mission, even though there are disappointments in other people, you're not disappointed in yourself if you know you did everything you could. Of course you feel way sad for the people who just choose not to listen to you and everything, but that's the way it has to be. So this next week we're just going to do our best to really find some different places to focus, and find the people the Lord is preparing for us to find. It'll be like a treasure hunt! uh....... haha. Sorry I didn't really comment about you folks this week. I'll try to do better. Forgive me? Well I love you all and truly appreciate all you do for me. If it weren't for all you guys I probably wouldn't be here! Ok, welp, better go! Love you! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey there family. Well sounds like you all have had a good week. Well all you who I actually heard about. Which isn't very many, so I'll just assume the rest of you are great as well. I'm glad Lara decided to do cross country. I'm sure she'll like it. I wasn't very good until my senior year, but I still liked it. I wasn't even that good my senior year actually haha. Ah, coach Snell is still there? Thats good, he's a really good guy, I like him a lot. Tell him hello for me. This week has been a good one for me as well. I really love our investigators and look forward to teaching and finding new ones each day, and I can't think of a cooler place to do it than here! The Reqiron family I told you about last week is still doing great, although we're not sure when they can be baptized cause brother needs to be interviewed by President Tobias because of some past issues, but other than that they are doing great, and have great faith. They walked a good 2 1/2 miles to church yesterday, even with their little kids. They are the kind of people you know won't go inactive. This week while we were teaching them we asked them if they had any questions, and we could tell they wanted to ask one but were kinda shy, but we finally got it out of them. They said they were talking to some of their neighbors and they told them that we are here in the Philippines looking for treasure hahaha. I just busted up laughing. I don't know why, but I have actually heard that a lot. For some reason people think the "Mormons" are here looking for secret treasure! I guess it's kinda the same thing that we all have horns and stuff like that. It's just funny though. We are also teaching this guy named Noel Tulipaz, and his son, who is 9. His wife, Sister Tulipaz, is a very active member, and actually referred the Reqirons to us. So one day we were at her house, and I started talking to brother and asked if we could teach him. He said ok, and we've been teaching him since. He is really good and has a real desire to be with his family forever. I feel like he is one of those people that has always had an interest in the church/ wants to become a member, they just need an invitation. He is doing great as well. He just has a problem with smoking cigarettes, but he can stop that. Anybody can. When I was back in Kabankalan we taught a guy the word of wisdom, and he was smoking 20 sticks a day. We went back 2 days later and he was down to 1 stick a day! It's amazing what faith can do! We're also teaching some other part member families and other people too and they're doing all right. I'm really enjoying my time here and trying to make the most of it. It's September already! Today was fun, we went to this part in our area, and it's right next to the beach. It was way pretty and we just went exploring for a good 3 miles or so. Really pretty. I'll try and send some of the pictures. All right well thanks for all the love, prayers, and everything else. Love you all. Love, Greg

Well sounds like you all have been getting some pretty intense weather! Sounds like here! The weather here this past week has been either really rainy/windy/stormy or just super hot. Today it's just super hot. Tomorrow it'll probably be pouring rain. Who knows. Well this week has been really good! To start off with I guess, Mom, your prediction about me going to the Philippines and eating dog was correct. I ate dog this week! And I have to admit it was pretty delicious! His name was Mateo. Anyway, we also had a successful baptism and confirmation this week! Brother Romeo Alvez. He's been coming to church for over a year now, and all the rest of his family are members, but he couldn't kick his cigarettes. Well, he finally did, and so he was able to be baptized. He was really happy to finally be a member along with the rest of their family. It was their dog that we ate, I guess in celebration for his baptism or something. Our other investigators are doing well. Especially the Reqiron family. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met I think. They are very simple people, but they are so willing to accept the gospel. They never have a problem with anything that we teach them, and they keep their commitments that we give them. It's always so much better to teach people that are truly prepared, instead of just trying to get people to listen to you. Our main focus right now is working with part member families, and unordained male members etc. That is the revelation President Tobias has given us. Rather than spending time tracting (basically wasting time) Look for the part member families on the CMIS and in the process we can find lots of people to talk to and therefore have many more investigators. It also helps the units organize their records much better. But that's not the whole reason for it. It's mostly so we can talk to all these people and get new investigators without having to go "tracting" So we have quite a few part member families we are teaching. Also a few of the members have really been helping us out with the work,and giving us referrals and other things. It's amazing how much of a difference they make! So I'm attatching a few pictures for you all. These are all of the baptism of brother alvez. So we have the Alvez family first, then Brother Alvez with Elder Groves and I, and then we have a big group picture of all of us at the baptism. I'll send some more of mateo. and also this week we saw some guy chopping up a karabaw that had died, so I took a picture of that as well. One cool thing we do here is we take showers from the rain pouring off the roof of the house. It's almost like a real shower! All right, well I guess that is all for me this week. Thanks for all your love, and everything else. Love, Elder Andersen 

 

 These are just a couple of me showering in the rain, and then one with the Elders quorum president and his family. All right guess thats it. Love ya!

  Well the first two are the ones of the karabaw getting cut up. CAUTION: NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACHED. The next one is Mateo, the dog. Or I guess what was left of Mateo. The last one is one of Mateo before he got eaten!

Hey family. Mom, come on, you know I don't speak Spanish! I'll forgive you though. So yes! I did transfer! My new area is called Caduha-an. It's pretty much just a small place with nothing more than a small market a few churches, and then people that live there for some reason. Mostly for the sugar cane farming I think. Either that, or they just commute to bigger places to work. Anyway, it's a cool place I really like it. Kabankalan was a hard place for me to leave, I really came to love the people there. Transferring is always bitter sweet. Especially because you don't know if you will ever see those people again. But that is part of the mission experience. So yeah, my new companion is Elder Groves. He's from Petaluma, California. By the bay area. I like him and we get along well so that's good. We live in a house of 4 again. We actually live in a place called Manapla. It's pretty close to our area, we just ride a bus out there everyday. The work is going well. We are going to have a baptism next saturday! Also we got a referral this week, who are really good. We were teaching them and we gave them an invitation to be baptized, they accepted, then the father asked when they could be baptized! Pretty neat! I think there are six of them in the family, but only 3 of them are old enough to be baptized. So if everything goes according to plan they will be baptized on September 17th! We have some other investigators that are doing well too. Rain. Well pretty much every month out of the year is rainy season except may and june. Or April and May. I forget. But yeah, it rains a lot. And we work even if it rains. Sometimes we are wet for most the day. But other times we just wait in people's houses until it dies down a little bit, and then make a break for it. Yeah, there are less bugs when it rains. They have a hard time flying when that happens. My feet are fine. No, I don't have foot fungus. My shoes are ok. I just need to get some insoles for them and they'll be great. The little cushion pad thing is wearing out. But other than that, they are just fine. Uhh I can't just really answer your other questions. I don't really like sharing all my spiritual experiences with the world, ya know? Those are kinda just for me.. I do know corrine mosely. Not well, but I went to high school with her. So, I'm the only one out from the ward now huh? Coolio. Yeah, missions really do change people. There are a lot of things I didn't understand before I went on a mission, but now I realize a lot.. I'm not sure I'm gonna recognize anyone in the ward when I get back. Good thing I won't be going there long! All right, well I gotta go. I think I've answered the majority of your questions for the week. Thanks for all your love and support! Love, Elder Andersen

Hey family. Well shoot, sorry Mom I just don't what to say about how raspberries you have coming out of your ears! And just so you know you didn't ask me a single question! Thats cool that dad got a new motorcycle. What does it look like? And when you say old, how old do you mean? His other one was pretty ancient! I'm glad you had a good time in D.C. When I get home I'd like to go visit all my siblings, but I'm afraid I won't have the time or money, since I start school again a month after I get back! Things have been going well here. We got the news though that 2 missionaries here in Kabankalan are being pulled out, cause apparently the mission has a shortage of missionaries right now. Right now there are 4 of us assigned here, so there will only be two left, but we won't know until tomorrow who is transferring and who is staying. Our work this week was made a little difficult this week with the ridiculous amounts of rain we got. Some places were flooded. Not too bad, the worst I saw was about up to the knees. One of the members died this week and I was asked to speak at her funeral! Don't ask me why, cause I wasn't even particularly close to her, but I spoke nonetheless. She was only baptized about two months ago. And I'm not joking when I say she looked like she just came out of a concentration camp, but she still came to church every sunday even though she was sick. It was a nice service. Funerals here are a little different though. And then the "burial" isn't really a burial cause they don't put 'em in the ground, they just put them in a cement box. But yeah it was good. OK well I gotta go, thanks for all the love and everything else. Love, Greg

Hey family! Well this week has been all righty. I'm really enjoying the work here in Kabankalan and wouldn't mind staying another 6 weeks. Things are going well here and I'm excited about it. We've got some good investigators that are progressing towards baptism, and a lot of new ones that hopefully will get to that point as well. We're really trying to get the ward excited about doing missionary work/ retention and getting them to work with us etc.. I can't think of any awesome experiences cause I have them everyday and they all just kinda get mashed together! But I love this place, and I love the work. Yesterday we had a zone activity. We pretty much just played basketball for like 5 hours. I got fried! My upper arms and shoulders did really bad cause my white shirts come down to my elbow almost, so everything above that got burned crispy. It hurts a little bit but I'll pull through. I feel like my emails get shorter and shorter every week... Is there anything you guys wanna know about the mission or the Philippines or anything? All right well thanks for all the support, prayers, and everything else you do! Love you! Elder Andersen

Hey Fam, what's crackin? This week has been a pretty busy one for us. We had zone conference, and we also had this Jubilee exhibit thing at the stake center explaining all about the church and everything, it was really cool. They gave tours and at the end we would answer people's questions and it was just really good. They said they had over 430 visitors attend throughout the week! It was a great way to find new people to teach! We got a referral from it that we taught yesterday and they are really good. Their daughter is actually a member, cause she married a member guy in Dubai, and they are visiting right now. Not that that has anything to do with anything. But they did say that they church has meeting houses now in UAE and Saudi Arabia and some other countries. But they said it's weird to see missionaries cause they obviously don't have those there in their wards. Anyway, so most of our time was taken up with our meetings and stuff. Our investigators are doing well and we should have some be baptized at the end of this month, and if not, in September. Time flies! In a couple of weeks from now I'll already have a couple of friends back from their missions. Crazy bus. It's been raining a lot here still cause of the Baguios. We're lucky here cause they don't really cause any damage, but up in Luzon, there's always people that die and their houses get destroyed and stuff. Things are going well though, and I'm enjoying the work. I got interviewed by President Tobias at zone conference, and he was like, "So half of your life is over here on the mission. Who is Elder Andersen today?" I just sat there for a few minutes and looked back at the past year, and everything I've experienced, how I've changed personally, and just everything. Before I know it, I'll be back home. But I know that the church is true, and I'm so grateful to have it in my life, and I've seen the power it has to change lives. So I guess that is it for me this week. Thanks for everything! Love you all! Oh and yes I did get my package this week. Thanks! Love Elder Andersen