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.

E-Mail from Monday, January 26

G'day wow it sounds like you are really busy. Thank you for the email it was good to hear about all the blessings. And thank you for updating me on everyone. Sorry I didn't email yesterday. Yesterday was Australia day (that is like our 4th of July) we had a branch activity so that was fun. Oh the library was closed on the public holiday so that is why I am emailing today.
Hey I got the package that you sent me today, I didn't think I was going to get it for another 2 weeks but the mission office sent it to Dubbo for some reason. Thank you.
well I do not have much time but to answer some q's we don't do too much tracting in Dubbo because it is a small place and pres Scruggs does not want us to tract it out. We are struggling to find people to teach but we are working with some less active members and part member families to help them come to church.
Thanks again for the package and yeah next time you send something go ahead and send what is left of socks and garments.
Oh I am not sure what I will do with school yet weather I go so SLCC or not. I think I will just to get back into the swing of things.
Oh and about picking me up I am not sure how that would work because my release date is about Dec 22, 3 days before Christmas, but I think we get to call and organize the flight plans when I have 3 months left. But ask President Scruggs and see what he says about it.

Well thank you again and love ya heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from January 18th

G'day
Hey sorry I didn't have much time last week. President Ryan had asked president Scruggs if I and Elder Tobiassen could go and watch the Steelers play the chargers and president Scruggs said that that was fine but he made sure that we knew that this was a special exception. That was pretty fun to see football again I was trying to teach Elder Tobiassen how to play, I think he got the hang of it but he thinks that aussie football they can kick farther but I said that the best aussie kickers play in the NFL. Its kinda fun just to pick at each other which stuff is better in our different countries.
Oh yeah I can't believe the Draper temple is up, well I guess I have been gone 13 months now , but anyway that is cool you got to go through it.
I still haven't got you package and it might take 3 more weeks or so before I get it just because that will be the next time I go to Sydney.
But any way I will have another memory card to send when I get it back.
This week the weather in Dubbo did get really hot about 42 degrees I am not sure what that is in Fahrenheit though.
Well we are going up to President Ryan’s again to play "axis and allies" the board game that we always play when we go up there on our preparation days.
Thank you!!
Love ya heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen
Can you believe this is my 3rd Western Australian companion? I have had 3 from WA 1 from NZ and 2 from Utah, Crazy!
Well we got transfer calls last night Elder Tobiassen and I are both staying here in Dubbo. I think things here in Dubbo are really about to start picking up. Because of the transfer there are going to be closer missionaries instead of being 3 hours away they will only be 2 hours away. So I will be in Dubbo for at least 6 more weeks so that will give me another chance to go to Lightning Ridge were the opals are.
Elder Tobiassen and I had an interesting experience this week; part of our calling in Dubbo is we have to update the branch list. So we went to this place called Coolah (that is where Suzie used to live) to see get that date of death for this lady that on our records said she was dead. We got there and knocked on the door but no one answered, we decided that we were hungry so we found this little pie shop and got a pie and went back to the ladies house and knocked again. We expected to get the nonmember husband to answer the door but a lady answered the door, so we asked for "Vera” and she said that me, and we were shocked we were like you’re supposed to be dead. Anyways we started talking awhile and found out that she joined the church when she was 17 because the Elders were hot and she hasn't been back since she was 19. That was pretty fun.
Oh at sacrament meeting this week we only had 9 people but 1 of those people was this less active family that we are trying to get back to church. That was really good to see the mum there and hopefully we will be able to get the rest of the family back. This is the family that had us over for Christmas lunch and that own the boomerang shop. We are going over tomorrow to work out on their property to help them out. Because the last people that lived there didn't take care of it.

Email from January 11, 2008

G'day

Hey I don't Have much time, Elder Tobiassen and I are up here In Gilgandra where the Branch Pres Live and have to use the tiny library's 1 computer with slow Internet
Just wanted to say that I love y’all heaps, and I promise next week if I don't get transferred I will spend at least an hour emailing.
Oh we were not able to go to lightning ridge again because the family up there is on vacation.
Transfers are next week and I am pretty sure Elder Tobiassen and I will be together at least for one more transfer in Dubbo.
I just want to say before I go thank you for all your prayers and love. This is the lord’s work and I am so excited to be doing it here and now Love ya Heappss!!

Love Elder Andreasen

G'day Mum
Just a quick note can you forward the first email to Dad and stuff I really don't have much time.
Oh, and by the way I do miss your cooking, I tried the other day because we had nothing else to eat to make pasta with a white sauce but I kinda failed at it.
Well love ya heaps
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from January 4th

G'day

Thanks for the email.
Hopefully everyone can start feeling better and get around safely. Is there still much snow there? Oh don't be worried that we play rugby, the real sport is pretty vicious but all we can play as missionaries is touch, so it’s like touch football. It is still really fun though. Wow Griff is going to Boston I am sure Brent flipped when he found out; he loves Boston because of the Red sox.
Hopefully everything goes well with that Dr function thing. I am sure it will be fine.
Ok this week was pretty crazy we didn't get much done because there was a funeral and new years in the way. oh and by the way the funeral went pretty well it was kinda weird because I think the only other funeral that I have been to was Great Grandpa Painter which I barely remember. I just talked about how She was always happy and that that happiness came from having Christ in her life, then I related it to the story of Lehi's vision and how when he took the fruit off the tree and ate it filled his soul with great joy and happiness.
I think it went for about 8 or 9 minutes.
Thanks for the Christmas package the rubix game came in use we have a record board for each of the 6 games I think Elder Tobiassen and I have the same amount of records, but really I don't want to make him feel too bad for not having any :) Well for some reason things that you can't have are always the things that you want, I guess that’s the natural man in us, but I really loved the Reeses pieces that I got for Christmas. So if you do send a package those would be nice.
Well sorry I don't have much time this week we are going to President Ryan’s again. OH he is a big San Diego Chargers fan and they are playing my Steelers next week, so that should be exciting for him to watch. This is the best time of the year for sports, and man am I missing it. Oh well it’s not better than doing the lords work.
Love ya heaps
Love Elder Andreasen