Blake's Buddies from the Ward

Email from February 22nd

G'day mum this week was pretty good, it is a pretty short week to talk about because I emailed only 5 days ago, because of the lightning Ridge trip.
I sent a package to you last week with something I think for everyone, most of the stuff is just small, but I hope that they like it. I sent you some things for Andrea's and rich, and also Jen and bill. So can you just get that to them for me next time you see them. I just wanted to send something for everyone to let them know that I am thinking about them, even though most of it is small.
This Saturday we went to orange to have interviews with president Scruggs. That went well. President just interviews everyone 1 zone at a time, our zone is the smallest and we were last to be interviewed. After interviews the zone usually gets something to eat. This time we went and had all you can eat Chinese. I ate more than I have in a long time, it wasn't very good, but for what they lacked in quality they made up for in quantity.
I had to give a talk this Sunday on the Melchizedek priesthood. The first speaker didn't show so I had to take up quite a bit of time. Sunday was still pretty good thought president Ryan was the last speaker so between him and I we took up all of the time. In the branch now we have teachers for all the classes so the only time we have to teach is to fill in.
After church we went and taught this Zimbabwean (can’t spell) guy. He is really nice and he is also really smart. He has studied the bible and knows it really well. The only thing he didn't understand about the plan of salvation is pre-earth life. But he is really nice. Hopefully we can, next time we go over there help him understand it better.
Well next week is transfer but I will let you know if anything changes. I will find out on Saturday night then I will email on that Monday which is Nat's B-day.
Thanks for all the updates, that's too bad about Larry miller. I wonder if you go to the funeral Stockton or Malone would be there.
Well thanks again and love ya heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from February 17th

G'day
Sounds like everything went well last week that would be really cool going snowboarding again. It’s been over a year since I have seen or felt snow, wow that’s ages.
Well this week was really good it has been raining a lot and it has been pretty cool. I hope all of the rain is helping the fires down south.
I was talking to Elder Davis (my zone leader) about going to Lightning Ridge and I told him he should ask president if they could come with us to lightning ridge and president Scruggs said that that was fine. So they helped us out up there. This trip was really good. On the way up because of all the rain a few of the roads had a lot of water on them. I took a video of us driving through some. When we got up to "the ridge" we spent some time with the Hawkins, they are about the only members up there now. I guess awhile back they used to have about 20 members up there, which is pretty amazing if ya take a look at the town. We blessed the sacrament for them then we watched the Testaments with them. That was good as well. The best part was Monday though, first we went and had a light breakfast, we were still pretty full from the feed the night before, and then the Hawkins showed us some places that we could look for opal. This place is just a place where miners dump all the stuff that they dug up and didn't see opal instantly. All that we could find in there was small pieces = with not much color in them. But I guess a while back a tourist found a 25,000 $ opal in the pile. Then the Hawkins booked us in for a tour of The Chambers of the Black Hand. That was really cool. I took a video of that and a few pictures; I will send them with the package. The chambers is all this sand stone that the miners dig through to get to the opal, then this guy decided he like carving in all this sand stone. So he made all the rooms with carvings and stuff in the wall. Sis Hawkins showed us this $75,000 opal that she found in her mine. It was so cool.
We travelled back last night which took longer than it was supposed to because of the water on the road and it was raining.
Things in Dubbo are going well we have a few people that we are teaching but not anyone that is going anywhere yet. On Sunday we were able to get one less active guy to give us a ride to church so that was good.
I think this next transfer I will get moved. I have served in the bush for 6 months now, and that is a fair while.
That house with all the stuff was a house that we did a service project in Condoblin which is in a different branch.
This Saturday we will have interviews then the week after we will find out about transfers Better get going Love you heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Blake's Musical Abilities

Email from February 9th

G'day, I hope everything is going well. Things are going well here. Yes I have received all of your packages, I just got your valentines package, thank you for that. We just went down to Sydney for mission tour. So that is when I got the valentines package. Then the other package you sent I got it in the mail, so that was cool.
So for mission tour, Elder Tad Callister came and taught us, he is in our area presidency. He is really cool, he knows so much about the apostasy so it was really great to hear about that from him. He just finished being a mission president in Canada then got this calling. Oh then after the conference Elder Callister wanted to interview a hand full of missionaries, Pres Scruggs picked them and I was one of them, so that was pretty cool being interviewed by a 70.
I don't know where the wild fires are I have only heard a little bit about them. It is pretty hot here though. oh yeah this next weekend we are going up to lightning ridge again so it will probably be Tuesday before I email again. Oh and thanks again for the packages everything arrived fine. I will probably send my memory card back to you this week as well. My garment size is I think small and its crew neck and brief bottoms.
That is cool to hear about Andy. It will be like 3 years before I see him that crazy. I don’t really need anything as far as toiletries or anything really. Oh can you just make sure that everyone has the new mission address because soon they will stop forwarding them to the new one.
Well I better get going love ya heap!!
Oh and tell Brian not to be jealous that is where the lord needed him and this is where the lord needs me. The scenery is just a nice perk and the games were just a 1 time thing because we are in Dubbo.
Love elder Andreasen

E-Mail from February 2nd

G'day
Well this week was pretty interesting, we went on an exchange with our new zone leaders, so first we went to Orange that is where the zone leader’s area is. Then afterwards we came to Dubbo and worked for a day. Orange is about 1hr and 45min drive from Dubbo. When we were with the ZL we asked them to ask Pres Scruggs if all of the Orange zone could go down and go to the district temple day. He said that that was fine so on Friday we went to Sydney then on Saturday we went and met with Pres Scruggs and he gave us all a little pep talk for the area's that we are in because they are all small branch's and are bush areas. Then after that we went to the temple that was really good. so after the temple session we head back to Dubbo, then 6 hours later we go to pull into our garage and we find out we don't have the flat keys! After a few phone calls we decided to go up and stay at President Ryan’s in his motel. So we stayed there for the past 2 nights. we did get a call yesterday saying they found our keys in another missionaries flat, so they are going to express post them to Dubbo, and if they don't get here today we will go back up and stay at Pres Ryan’s again. Elder Tobiassen just must have placed the keys somewhere and then forgotten to put them in his pocket. It’s ok though because we were able to watch the super bowl with Pres. Ryan which was an extremely good game I loved it and the outcome. I think pres Ryan was cheering for the Cardinals just because they have never been to the super bowl before. The only thing I didn't like was that on Aussie TV they didn't show the funny ads. They just showed lame ESPN ones over and over. Oh well it was still good to watch.
Well this next week we are going to Sydney again for mission conference so it will probably be Tuesday or Wednesday before I email again.

Cute pig sounds like you would have your hands full taking care of a pig and preparing for that conference, I hope that goes well. Will that on your birthday that you go up there? I hope that you have a good birthday. I will send you a package soon with a memory card and another gift for you. I am pretty sure you will like it if it gets through customs. Oh and did you find out about getting stuff into the states for me?
Well I better get going
Love ya heaps!!!
Love Elder Andreasen
I think I will get transferred next time because that will be 6 months in the bush. But we will see the next transfer will be just before Natalie’s birth day.