Email from August 16th

G'day
I am getting transferred to Richmond, my new comp is from New Zealand his name is elder George. He came out the same time as me. I am not real excited about getting moved, but I have a lot of things to do today because I have to say goodbyes and get all packed up again. I was in this area for 6 months so that means I will probably die in Richmond? Because I have 4 months left. Wow it is flying by.
Sorry this week is short
I have a few questions though.
Is my birthday on Sept. 9 or 7, because on the pedigree chart you made for me when I came out says the 9th, but I am pretty sure it’s the 7th? :)
oh and about school do I have to have foreign language to get into u of u , I think I heard you do,, or can you sneak me in because I took 2 years of Spanish it just wasn't when it counted 9-12 grade?????
I love you heaps!!!!
Thank you for everything
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from August 9th

G’day things are going well here.
Ummm not much new this week. The apartments that all the senior couples were staying at got sold so they all have to move, so we helped a couple of them last week and in the next week we have to move 2 more. Man was i sore! Elder Bybee and I carried all of the fridges from the top floor down 2 stories but they were the double over stair cases. Then we had to take all of the rest of the things down. So other than that not much new.
Question time.
Yes i still live in aprtment on 129 park road Dundas, but transfers are next week so i will let you know of any major changes.
OH about the 13 of december that should be fine, i will just wing it ;-) No one is very close to baptism in our area. we still are just filling up the teaching pool. In the district though over in ryde ward they are doing awesome, the sisters have a baptism date for the end of this month and they are teaching a lot of people, the same as the elders they are teaching a lot of people. They are all Chinese UNI students.
Well when I get off the mission I will tell y7ou all about my companions some I like some I don’t but right now I need to love the one I am with no matter if he is my favorite or not.
YES we knock on doors, it is not a very effective way to find people to teach, the best way to find is through members, but tracting must get done. The best converts are the ones members find but they just have a hard time with that, we are trying to help them but not much success yet.

Up until this week we had a car but we had to give it to other missionaries that needed it so we are just bussing walking and training.
Oh this week I tried to make a Chinese dish called HOT POT its kind of like fondue I took a pic and a video. It was ok I don't know how to make it but I tried and it was edible.
Thank you for the pictures everyone looks happy so that is good Thank you for your support and everything Love you heapss!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from August 2nd

G'day
This week has been OK yesterday we had 2 Indian guys that we have been teaching come to church. They also have a friend that we teach but just wasn't able to come to church. It is interesting teaching them because they don't really believe in Jesus Christ and they don’t have very good English. But that’s good because no one in China believes in God either so it is a new concept for them too.
WOW my little sister is getting married this week!!
OH I only saw Sister Scruggs sister for like 2 minutes, but it was good hearing some Utah accents again. Don't take offense or anything but it just sounds weird talking to the fam on the phone because of the accent.
OH in the package I just need socks, sour patch kids, Swedish fish. I think that’s it.
Well the weather is beautiful over here. It’s a bit chilly in the morning but when we go out to work all I wear is a long sleeve shirt. Then sometimes I have to roll my sleeves up.
Well I remember 1 funny experience. We were walking down the road in a very suburban area and all of a sudden we see a wild turkey crossing the road? I was a bit confused by it so I kind of started hunting it, but it flew on top of a building and Elder Savage said that I can’t climb up there.. That was interesting.
Well the work is really starting to pick up here in Ryde district; I am trying to figure out what I can do to help the district members.
Thank you for everything,
Pray always
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from July 27th

G'day
We went to the temple today so that is why I am emailing a day late.
WOW! I cant believe my little sister is getting married.
I completely forgot about the 24 of July. Elder Bybee and I were on exchange and he reminded me right before we went to bed that night. One of the weirdest and another crazy experience , Elder Bybee and i were walking down a road and long story short we saw a drunk all drugged up, so we called and got an ambulance. You will have to ask me about this story so you can get the longer better version.
OHH I heard ICE Age 3 came out how was it?!!
Sorry I am not very good at writing, I just don't know what to write and sometimes don't think..
DID you remember if Elder Bybee has the same eye problem as Me.? I told you what it was last week.
I really wish you could send Cafe Rio, but since you cant maybe just Swedish fish, jelly belly, ???????
Thank you for everything! All is well here, and i am loving it!
Love you Heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from July 17th

G’day the weeks really seem to fly by!!
Thank you for the update on everyone, I pray for you all every day.
I will answer those questions first so I don’t forget

1. What is the weirdest or interesting thing he has eaten? (I was guessing it was the Kangaroo when you first got there, if not let me know)
The weirdest thing that I have eaten, it wasn't in a meal, but it was a thousand year old egg. I am pretty sure it’s not thousand years old but it looks like it, I guess it is some Chinese food. Boy was it nasty it’s like a hardboiled egg but it’s BLACK!! You peel the shell ITS STILL BLACK!! I had to eat it though, it was like a challenge that a few missionaries had to do, a few of them were gagging not me though, and it was hard to hold back.





2. What is your favorite thing about Australia?
Well right now it is being able to share the gospel, and the people that you are able to meet, but about Australia.... it is cool to see all the different cultures that are here, oh can I say one of my least favorite things. The men wear short shorts, it is so weird

3. What work have you done... that’s meant a lot to you?
The greatest thing that you can see is others, whether they are active, less active or non members, be strengthened by the gospel,

4. Funny or interesting thing that’s happened?
Wow being a missionary, I think it is impossible to go a day without something funny or interesting, man some of the people we meet, the dogs, oh did I tell you in my first area I got chased by a massive Rottweiler (SP?) I am loving it here.






OH I am still in the same flat with 4 missionaries, E. Savage, E. Bybee, E. Kat. Ha-ha elder Bybee, is cool he is from St. George; I think he has the exact same eye problem as me. He says it is called strabismus. Is that what I have?
We are doing well thank you for everything Love ya heapss!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from July 12th

OOpss!! I just wrote you an email and it got deleted ugghh!!
Hey things are going well here. Elder Savage and I are doing well he is a really smart guy. I was able to get to know him a little in the mtc. Right now we are just working with a few of the same people and we are trying hard to build up our teaching pool.
This transfer I was called to be the district leader over Ryde district, and you should be getting something in the mail saying that. Oh one of the first things that I had to do was pretty crazy. .... The sisters are supposed to call in each night when they get in just to make sure they are safe it gets to about 10 and I call a few times and they don't answer so after calling the zone leader they said if they don't answer by 10 30 they will call president to see what to do. So of course they don't answer so president say that I and elder savage need to go to their flat to see if they are home. we get to their flat at 11 and start ringing the bell no answer we rang for about 10 minutes still nothing so we call president and said that he is sending over someone with a key then and that moment the lights go on in the flat.. Well they were asleep and left the phone on silent in the other room. That was fun :(
Oh I never got anything about SLCC or the Jazz in the mail yet.
Hopefully it will come soon.
Well love you heaps thank you for all your support. I am loving serving the Lord here in Australia Love you Heaps!!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from July 5th

WOW everyone is moving, well we got transfer calls and I am not moving. My new companion is Elder Savage; he came out the same time as me. I asked him if he knew any Savages in Sandy and he said no. He is from Colorado but he has lived quite a few different places even in the Dural ward when he was young.
Well we have had a really good week this week we have been able to find a lot of people to work with and we hope that we will be able to get some of them to progress.
Just really quickly, I think I would still like engineering but I thought you just had to take generals because that is what the U requires?
But things are going well here
Thank you for everything, hopefully everyone can get settled and stop moving
Love,
Elder Blake Andreasen