Email from August 24th

G'day mum,

Hey everything is still going really well in Toukley. We have another baptismal date for September the 13th. so we are really excited about that. It is really cool that Suzie is already helping us with missionary work.

Let me answer a few questions now.
You don't have to worry about writing a lot i don't get that many emails or letters so its good, Dan just told Jeff to write only a few paragraphs because everyone was writing him.

The weather over here is interesting its coming into spring here but winter is weird it gets cold but they have no protection on their houses from cold (like double pain and insulation) so at night it gets really cold . the past few days it has rained off and on, but i think as we start going into September it will start warming up?

Well you will have to let me know how Dan and Laura went In South Africa because there is a kid going to Johannesburg(i can't spell....) SA on his mission. His cousin from Dural ward is in Cape Town so that will be interesting for that family.

I think during the winter the big spiders hid a little I still see them but not as many any more. the biggest ones I see are Huntsman spiders that are harmless. the most deadly ones i see are little red back spiders if you get bit your chances are slim. I still haven't seen the Sydney Funnel web spiders those ones i think are the most deadly in the world, and i guess they are big and aggressive. Right now the only things that i really see are birds you will have to look up what kind of noise's they make cause they are weird.
(remember I can't spell)
Coocaburra ......... Monkey noise
Kokatoo ......... annoying cry noise
Oh yeah! then about this time of season there are a couple of birds that start swooping at you when you are in their territory they are crazy.
Well everything is going good thanks for everything and thanks for the prayers Elder Vogel and I are doing well in Toukley Love you heaps!!
-Elder Blake Andreasen

Email from August 17th

G'day
Just to start off with a few answers to questions. Suzie was baptized this last weekend it was an awsome experience, to be able to see some one walk into church and 3 weeks later get baptized. Elder Vogel baptized her on saturday and I confirmed her on sunday, then later that day we drove down to the fireside with Elder Callister( his wife is frome Grace).
Her baptism dress is the same dress she wore for something kinda like a prom. 2 of the triplets live at home 1 boy 1 girl the other triplet is a girl and the older boy is in the navy in Darwin NT. Well things are going great here in toukley its not every week you have someone like Suzie walk in and want to be baptized and start helping us teach people. the other missionaries envy us now because miracles like that don't happen very often.
Today some other zone members are coming up to toukley chapel and we are going to play some basketball. most of the zone is american now it's kinda weird. usually there are some kiwi's or ausie's in a zone but not any more.
Well time is going really fast for me and i think its only been 8 months not 9? but anyway its seems to fly week by week. Alot of the contacting we do is cold the members don't help us find very often, we maybe get a couple refferals a month.
thanks for the pics of the kids i am going to have to send home my card soon there are some good pics and stuff on it.

Well gotta go love you heap!!
-Elder Blake Andreasen

Cool quote "Hope is the thought before the Faith" -Elder Andreasen "The Bible Ends" -Elder Callister (talking about the apostacy

Email from August 10, 2008

G'day mum,

Hey I have some really good news Suzie that lady that walked in 3 weeks ago is getting baptized this weekend on the 16th. She is really excited. She used to be Catholic but she didn't agree with some of the beliefs. She started searching and that is how she found us. She found out early that the book of Mormon is true. So she has been able to receive all the truths joyfully. She is 44 with 18 year old triplets. Well I am really excited for that as well. She was so prepared it’s not funny. Her baptism is this weekend so this week we will focus on that.
Oh on the 17-19 we get to go to Sidney for some firesides one is with Elder Cook and them some of the area presidency is coming. I am looking forward to that as well.

Today we are going down to Gosford to play rugby again, so I don't have much time to write but to answer some questions:
I don't hear much from other people it’s probably because I don't write back much so that is my fault it’s just hard for me to sit down and write or even type well we are not having a zone conference this transfer because of those fireside's but we should get packages either at interviews which is the first week of September or at transfers which is the 16th of September. so I am not sure when I would receive your package , but could you maybe put some of those slim fit shirts that we got they fit really well. Maybe one of each long and short sleeve. Thanks. Oh yeah my ward mission leader here is really cool he and his family love tootsie rolls. I let them try those ones that you sent oh and I haven’t seen a koala yet just kangaroo's and some other weird stuff, but I don't think you would like a koala they just sleep allot ;-) Hey could you tell me who is on the American basketball team this year. some of the members like basketball so they always tell me that America doesn't have a good team cause they lost last time thinks Woy Woy is a suburb just below Gosford that is where elder brown was serving but now he got moved down to Sydney in Chatswood. That one thing about Australia they have weird suburb names.
well gotta go
Love you heaps!!
-Elder Andreasen
P.S its ok that you got my birthday wrong I don't even proof read mine no time too :)

E-Mail from August 3, 2008

Hey Mom
Well just to answer a few of you questions first. It is transfer week but Elder Vogel and I are staying here in Toulkey, Toulkey is awesome it is an interesting area and you meet some interesting people but I love it. All the missionaries when they leave this area say it was their favorite. Oh yes I got those packages you sent me and will you tell Grandma Lyn thanks for her package as well. All the other missionaries are jealous of my ties now. They will probably end up getting swapped around though soon. Well last week after I wrote that email to you about my sore throat everything just got worse I had a pretty good cold for a couple days but I am fine now. The next Zone conference is in about 3 weeks at the end of August then the one after that will be about half way through September.
Sorry it will be a couple more weeks before I will be able to send another memory card back I just have to fill it up first.
Hey can you do me a favor. Can you send me a cd or jump drive with all the photo's I have sent home on it. Cause so we can remember some of the people that we served with and around we make what we call "sign pages" pretty much it’s a cool way of saying scrap booking but it’s pretty fun.
well other than being sick this week was pretty good Suzie (the lady that walked in a few weeks ago) and her daughter came to church I think they like it Suzie used to be a catholic so she is really enjoying finding the full truth and she is really clinging to it. We are having dinner with her tonight and we will try to set a date for her baptism tonight. We are working with a few other people but they are going pretty slow.
Sounds like you had a pretty full on week with the grandkids and all. Sounds like redden and Austin are still crack up its funny to hear about them and their stories.
Hey make Brent and Griff Come over and look at photo's they need to do something other than what I guess they are probably doing. I bet it will entertain you as well.
So what would you like from Australia I will keep my eyes open for stuff that you would like?
Well for prep day we are going to woy woy to have a barbie. So that should be pretty fun. Oh did I tell you a couple of weeks ago our zone leader was arm wrestling Elder Brown and elder Brown was about to lose then all of a sudden the ZL'ers arm broke. It broke were his bicep is so now he has plate s and bolts for an arm.
He is fine though he is a big tough Tongan Elder he is funny as too!
Well thanks for everything love you heaps!

-Elder Andreasen