Email from December 28th

G'day

Hey it was great to be able to talk to every one on Christmas. After I had talked to everyone we went to help coordinate a Sister's funeral. I still have no clue what to say. She is about the only member in her family so maybe i will try to teach all of her family that are not members. I only have to talk for five minutes but that will still be hard to fill. Oh well.
Well not much else has happened since I just talked to you on Christmas, other than yesterday we were able to go to the family's house that had over for Christmas dinner and we started teaching the mom. She had a baby boy pass away about 18 years ago and she said that was the hardest thing for her to do in her life. Then we taught her and i think she really felt comfort in what we shared. That's what the gospel does though ehh!!
Oh thanks for the pictures I love to be able to see everyone. The branch Pres. has two boys that are 7 and 5 and the have a baby girl on the way so it is almost the same as Andrea and Rich's family.
Oh to answer about the food storage some people have food storage but not much. This one guy in Toukley had a huge fish tank in His garage and would raise and eat fish and he also used his swimming pool for a fish tank as well. He also had a bee farm thing that he would make honey and also candles from the wax.
We don't have much to do on new years but we are probably going to go bowling with some less active members new years eve, other than that all we have to do is deep clean our flats. President Scruggs has told us during the holidays that we have to get our flat clean because we can't really tract or anything during the holidays.
Well i better get going. it was good talking to everyone.
Love ya heaps!
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from December 21st

G'day
Wow that's crazy to here about all the snow and ice over there. It sounds so wierd to me right now because it is so hot here. I think I would rather have a white Christmas. It is hard for me to realize that it is Christmas because I am so used to it being cold.
This week we went down to Sydney for our Christmas Zone conference. That was really fun. we went down Thursday. Then friday we went to the temple had a little temple devotional then we went to a chapel had a big lunch then watched some MOVIES. That was way fun we watched Fred Clause and also Iron Man. Then we received all of our Christmas packages. And that took up the whole day it was great fun. Then on saturday we drove back to Dubbo.
For Christmas we we invited to a couple of different places for lunch we will only be able to make it to 2 of them for lunch. Then yesterday we went to visit an investigator and we were talking about christmas and then they invited us for dinner, and for lunch we are going to some non members house and also for the other lunch a less actives house. Ohhh yeah we also get to sleep in on christmas.
Oh just to answer the q's NO that was not my toe that was Elder Weston's. After about a few weeks of when I was with him he decided to go to the doctors about it so we went and they couldn't remove it till january so he decided to do it himself.
Well we decided to try a new place to email because it is free but this place only has one computer so we have to share . So I am going to let Elder Tobiassen email now, but everything is going really well here in the outback of hot Dubbo.
Love ya heaps
Love Elder Blake Andreasen

Email from December 14th

G'day

Hey we didn't end up going to Lightning Ridge this weekend but I will make it up there this next month. What kind of opal would you like Reddens was just a cheap boulder opal from Queensland. The opal that you can get from LR is black opal it can get very pretty.
just to answer some questions.
Dubbo is the farthest west the mission goes and the branch area is about the size of Utah so Lightning Ridge is part of the branch and there are about 8 members up there and we are to go and give them the sacrament every now and then, then just spend some time with them.
Elder Tobiassen and I are serving as the counselors in the branch presidency but within the next few months I think they will be able to fill the positions with members.
That hotel we stayed at with the dead mouse was in Brewarrina the hotel was right above the pub. So we had to walk into the pub to get our key. haha that was a good night.?
haha the pooping toys were funny I wasn't embarrassed you shouldn't either.
well I better get going thanks for the emails love ya heaps!!!
Love Elder Andreasen.
oh I think the last phone card you bought will still work and it has heaps of minutes

Some New Pictures!

Email from December 7th

G'day mum,

Hey we just got transfer calls yesterday, and Elder Heslop is moving to Springwood and my new companion is Elder Tobiassen.
Elder Tobiassen is from western Australia close to were elder brown was from i guess they new each other before .
this week not much happened, other than transfers.
You will have to forgive me of me typing the keyboard I am using is weird.
this next week we are going back up to lightning ridge and other places so I will so if we can stop again in that little town to email.
the branch is slowly getting bigger out here in Dubbo ( let me know how you were saying it) since Elder Heslop has been here 3 families have moved in, also i don't know how much longer we will have to have the branch presidency positions. Pres Scruggs is coming out this next week for some business so i will see him quickly then head up to lightning ridge.
Well i am excited to serve out here with elder Tobiassen I think we will be able to get a lot done out here. He has been out just shorter than me.
You should get that package sometime this week. I sent some Vegiemite and more tim tams but someone said they don't let that stuff in anymore so we will see what goes through.
well we have to head down to Sydney now to go to transfers so I will take off

Thanks love ya heaps~

Love Elder Andreasen

E-Mail from November 30th

G'day mom
Hey so sorry I don't have any time to write much. I forgot to write Dad last week so I spent most of the time writing him this week.
I am sending a package this week so that can be my sorry present.
Oh don't erase the pictures again
Love ya heaps
Elder Andreasen

Email from November 23rd

G'day mum,

Yeah this week we went down to Sydney for Zone Conference, that was really good. I just love zone conference because you learn so much, then you go back to your area excited and ready to do the Lord's work the Lord's way. I just wish I could always get that boost not just once or twice a transfer (6 weeks).

After zone conference Pres. Scruggs interviewed the bush Elders. That is us in Dubbo and Bathurst. I went to zone conference hoping I would get 2 packages the one with the cookies then my glasses. the glasses were not there. but at the interview President called the office to see if another package arrived and it did. So that was really lucky.

Thanks for the cookies they somehow got through customs but by the time I got them they were pretty old. Those little Halloween toys are pretty disturbing. Pooping in a trick or treat bag LOL. I got the memory card and I will send the other on soon. This new card has alot of pics from the zoo. So could you send some to Hayden when it gets there. Because he and Kylie wanted to know what kind of animals I see here.

I will send some other stuff as well I think I will send something for Redden's baptism. When is that again? soon eh?

OH I almost forgot. Our Branch presidents wife is American so she had us all ( Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange senior couple) over for Thanksgiving Dinner. We played horse shoes and watch a football movie that president said we could watch. So that was really fun.

We don't hear much at all about prop 8 out here in Dubbo. I am not sure if they do in Sydney. I bet they would a bit in Sydney especially in the south mission on the coast because that is like a gay capitol over here?

Yes i got a package from grandma about 5 weeks ago will you tell her thanks for me. It had some cloths and candy in it. That was really nice of her I really enjoyed what she sent.

All I got this time when i went to Sydney was those 2 packages from you and a letter from you with with Jazz info, then a letter from Grandma Janice, and that's about all the past little while.

President Ryan the branch president is a big football fan his favorite team is the Chargers so he is keeping me updated on that, just last week my Steelers beat the Chargers 10 to 11. He was pretty upset about that.

Hey just one question about the NBA who is Oklahoma City I forgot. It looks like they are having a hard season 1 win 12 loss's. 10 losing streak pretty sad. Maybe you should cheer for them maybe they will win.

Well i better get going I think mine is a bit more of a novel than yours

Love ya heaps and thanks

Love Elder Blake Andreasen