Week 65...Vintar Philippines

Yah guys. I woke up 20 years old today. I don't feel different to be honest. I still feel tired and sweaty, and like a missionary, and yah. But cool thought, I'll be in the states for my 21st... I'm not trunky though... But anyways all you should tell me happy birthday RIGHT NOW if you haven't yet.

 I'm super bumbed cuz I had cool pics to send you guys but idk what happened, I think the file I need to open got a virus. It's way sayang cuz I had videos of me and Elder Puefua tazing each other with our flash light tazers last night and they were funny. Plus we have this cool area in Vintar called Bucanna and its pretty cool and we took pics up there. But they gone. :(

This week was tight. So Me and Elder Puefua got punted one time and we didn't know what to do but we were hungry so we went to go get some empanadas, but we walked past this noodle place and the owner was like "hey guys eat here! Its free!" so we were like yah sure.  But the reason was because there was a news team there interviewing him about his noodles that he puts in a hot pot with flames coming out the middle. So the news team filmed me and asked me if it tastes good and I spoke Tagalog. Turns out I was on TV for the news in the whole Philippines a couple nights later haha.  People would see me in the street and be like, "HEY WE SAW YOU ON TV!" and I'm like, "COOL. DO YOU WANT THIS PAMPHLET?" Haha.  

We had a big fat zero investigators at church this week. But we did have some long time less actives that we have been visiting come back to church this week! Also a couple weeks ago, some one broke my finding record! It was my old zone leader! Which is dope! But this week me and Elder Puefua are gonna take it back haha. I'll let yall know how it goes next week!

This week, I have a lot of things I need to do better. I have a lot I need to repent of.  I am far from a perfect person\missionary. You guys probably read these emails and see these pics and think my mission is all full of roses and lilies and it is just a walk in the park and all, but these emails I send out are really filtered to be honest.  The mission is so hard. This is the refiners fire. Anyone who has served one of these knows what I am talking about.  Satan is real. And he really really doesn't want me to succeed, and to be happy, and to grow and progress, and he does not want God to answer my prayers. This week I realized how much damage Satan is doing to me. But I also realized that the only reason that is happening is because I let him. Satan only has as much power as we give him.  God was merciful to me this week and He sent His Spirit to open my eyes and he is helping me to wake up and see things clearer again. The Spirit showed me all of Satan's schemes and lies and his trickery that he is using to bring me down and hold me back and stop me from reaching my full potential and make me miserable as possible.

I have 10 months left out here and I know that I need to make it the best part of my mission thus far. I want to be happier, more patient, more grateful, more loving/charitable, more obedient. More everything haha. I need to be better. I will be better. 

Thank for your support and prayers and bday wishes. They are so much appreciated. I am giving my best out here! I need more prayers though haha.

-Elder Andersen