Week 26 Santo Domingo Philippines

Monday:  We were in Laoag. We had Christmas con. It was way fun. First I got my shirt from the zone which actually wasn't mine because it was way too small, and everyone kept telling me that I looked super buff.  Then we figured it out and I got the right size. We had this huge dinner party with the whole mission and each zone did a skit and song. It was kinda awkward though, because our Zone leaders got emergency transferred (because they were disobedient) and they were in charge of our skit, and I don't think the skit was exactly appropriate for missionaries. (There was break dancing and a dance battle and false prophets)  So that was really uncomfortable, but our Zone leaders had a blast haha.  Oh well, just move on.

Tuesday:  We had the Christmas conference part of the Christmas con.  President Andradas talks were super good. Felt the spirit. Later I met this fellow Utah person named Elder Huber. We talked a lot, cool guy.  

Wednesday: No lessons....No people. pretty crappy day.  Personal study was good though.

Thursday:  Christmas eve day!  We only got to teach one lesson to an RC.  Elder Legaspi called his parents for Christmas. All day me and Elder Legaspi kept joking with each other saying, " Is it Christmas?"

Friday: Christmas! I woke up in the morning and totally forgot it was Christmas.  I finished Joseph Smith Teachings. So sick.  We had our Christmas party in the evening, which was fun. But we had to go home early because of curfew.  

Saturday: Christmas in America day!  I skyped the fam! it was super fun to talk to them and laugh with them again! I miss 'em. Apparently my English is still good but I have rice cheeks...

Sunday:  No one came to the first hour of church, we were the only ones there. So no Relief society or elders quorum class haha. But there was this one visitor from Olongapo mission who beat boxed church hymns for us.

Today: Went to the beach in San Juan with a bunch of members! The beaches are so flipping gorgeous here! and the water is like perfect! I wish I Could swim so bad!

Well guys I hope your Christmas' were awesome, and I hope you all have a happy new year!  Be careful all y'all.  

The Church is true. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.  Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I know these things are true, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Andersen

Christ is the gift

Christmas con yooo

Too cool to stand (more like too tall)

Da beach

 The little dogs are nice though

Week 25 Santo Domingo Philippines

Hey everyone,

This week was pretty slow. All the Catholics are doing this Christmas tradition where everyone goes to church for 10 straight days leading up to Christmas, and then they call it good and don't go to church until next year.  Also many of the people we are teaching are super busy preparing for Christmas or they are gone. SO yah, The work wasn't the best this week. We place tons of pamphlets every day, but  most of the people don't want to listen to us. They pretty much just take pamphlets because we are nice and i am white and tall and somewhat okay in Tagalog.  

Excited for Christmas! I am in Laoag right now, and we have tons of activities planned for later. Also super excited to Skype the fam later this week!

I have been studying the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith this week. I have had many spiritual experiences and insights as a result as my studies. I have grown much closer to my Father in Heaven and my Savior, as well as gained a stronger testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith.  It's been a week full of personal enlightenment and personal revelation for me. God listens to your prayers. There is no doubt in my mind that is true.

Sorry, not much to report this week. But thank you for prayers and support. And all of you have a Merry Christmas! Naragsak a Paskua ken nagasat a baro tawen! Maligayang Pasko!  

 Remember the real reason!

-Elder Andersen

FHE

Pogi siya naman

This kid is nuts, he climbed this one tree and was like making monkey sounds and hanging by one arm. I thought he was gonna fall and die.

Yah. cool people.

Week 24 Santo Domingo Philippines

Yahhhh. Star Wars comes out in three days!! HAHAH YAH WAHOO I'm so mad talaga.  I see star wars adds and posters all over the local 7 eleven, uhhhgggg. It looks sooo good.  

Monday:  We had a Zone practice in Vigan for the Christmas conference. One of our Zone leaders showed up in a Pacers jersey over his garments, so the sleeves were hangin out.....idk man.

Tuesday:  I had a bad day, I don't remember why, but I vented to my journal that day haha.  The work was hard and the finding was unfruitful. And Elder Legaspi got a hair cut, and there was this weird movie called My sisters keeper playing in the Salon, and it was about these cancer patients that fell in love and all this stuff happened and then one of them died and there was tons of swearing and yah It totally made me feel weird and totally took the Spirit away. haha.  Weird movie man.

Wednesday:  Long day, taught, found and stuff.  I finally finished the New testament. Cool beans.

Thursday:  Had District meeting. I learned a lot from the Spirit and really applied what i learned later while we were teaching. It was about teaching with the Spirit and focusing on the people and listening to them and asking inspired questions and creating an environment to help them feel the Spirit. Since then, all the lessons have been so much better.    We had an interesting lesson with a Less active whom we cannot get to come to church. He was called to be the branch first counselor a couple years ago, but got released after one month, and he has been totally less active ever since.  He and his wife are members, but all their kids save one were never baptized, and his wife is totally content on being less active, (she is pretty much still catholic).  I started off by asking him what the most important thing in his life was to him. He immediately told us that his biggest desire was to be sealed in the temple with his family, but that there was no hope.  We followed the spirit and taught him from the scriptures and tried to help him see that there is hope, but that he just has to act. He just dodged us the whole time and kept on making excuses.  He has given up.  We really did follow the spirit, and we compared him to the story of Alma the elder when he prayed for his son Alma the younger when there was probably virtually 'no hope', but because of the faith and righteousness of the father, an angel came to Alma and the sons of Mosiah.  Still the less active hardened his heart, for whatever reason, I know not.  Man. bummer naman.

Friday: Taught a really good lesson one to these investigators, but they are afraid to accept baptism because of Catholicism.

Saturday:  We were supposed to have a priesthood activity in the morning, but the Branch President got sick and didn't inform any other priesthood authorities, so yah that got canceled. We were supposed to go to the beach too. :(  Found a funny girl who was really good in English, and she was actually leaving for BAgiou the next day. But we taught her lesson 1 and then got her info in Bagiou so we can refer her to the Bagiou mission.

Sunday: Fast Sunday sa amin.  We surprisingly had an investigator come to church, and she even bore her testimony. But she pretty much just told everyone about how she wants to be baptized but its not the right time yet, and the exact reason she will not say. But I think it is also because of Catholicism.  I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon and Moroni's promise.    We later went to Vigan and watched the Christmas devotional at the district center. The music and the talks were really good, and it made me Utah sick a little bit. haha.

Iyon lang. Naragsak a Paskua! Have fun with Star Wars and Christmas! I'm totally not jealous! (I'm totally jealous) Buts it's okay cause Christmas will be cool here too.
Love you all. Talaga, mahal ko kayong lahat! 
-Elder Andersen

Dinner in da filipeens, wen.


Hahaha. aaha, ahah, hahah . ha.



 Idk man. If you have a selfie camera, you kinda gotta use it.  Shout out to grandma Linda for the camera!

Week 23 Santo Domingo Philippines

Hey guys, sorry I really stink at  taking cool pictures. I made it a personal goal in my weekly planner to take more interesting pictures for you guys.

Yah! The work is still Matumal (Slow) !  We lost an investigator that we thought had lots of potential, he was the one who has the big house and whose head looked like it would explode when we taught him. He texted us and told us thanks for our time and to have good luck on our missions, he said he decided to stay Catholic.  :((((((((   Bummer dude, seriously, so much potential.... Bummer talaga.

Thursday... we were trying to cross the street when this American on a motorcycle yelled, "Hey look Catholics!"   I politely told him we were Mormons, then he drove really close to us and said, "Nah, You are Catholics."  Then he went on this crazy rant quoting tons of random scriptures from the Bible, and told us we were gonna go to hell.  He was like really loud and sounded angry. Then He was like, " You know what you outta do? You outta throw away that book of Mormon, that book of the devil, and read the king James version of the bible!!"  Then he said," By the way, there is no marriage out there, on those other planets! You wanna know why?! Because the Lord Jesus, the Almighty, the Creator, is gonna burn em all up!!"  Then he told us that we worshiped Satan, and more about how we need to forsake the Book of Mormon in order to be saved.  I politely told him that we serve Jesus Christ and do nothing but preach repentance on His name.  He was like, " Nah, you don't serve Him."  Then he said," I know what you guys call yourselves, THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. (Then he got really loud) But there is one word missing, ONE WORD. You know what it is?"  "What" -me    "LORD!" And then he sped off on his motorcycle, really fast. Me and Elder Legaspi just laughed.  The guy was so American. I have no idea why he called us Catholics even though he totally knew who we were, I also have no idea why he is here in the Philippines. Everything he said made little to no sense, it was just really loud and angry. Like he legit sounded like he wanted to punch us.  Dude, we are just trying to cross the street, calm down.  He also gave us this peace of paper with these creepy cartoons and scriptures from the Bible captioning them.  I think He is the Preacher at the Messiah Baptist Church here in Santo Domingo, so weird seriously.

We met as a zone earlier today and planned our song and skit for Christmas Con, it was really fun, and lots of laughs.  Christmas will be fun I hope.

I read the Epistle of James yesterday. Really good stuff.

Thank you for your prayers and support, and emails. Means so much really.  Hopefully in the coming weeks, we will find scattered Israel. It's really hard right now, but we press forward, for we know to whom we are entrusted.  

-Elder Andersen

Here is a much cooler pic of the bear cat, accept I kinda look awk, but whatever, it's a flippin bear cat.

 I named him Ingay (Ing-ay)  Which means noisy. He is crazy

 This is basketball in the Philippines! haha!

 Yahhhh

 P-DAY IN VIGAN

Member baptism Yahhhhh