Mission Through Photos

June 1

Dear Family,

So let me tell ya’ll how awesome it is up here.  I describe with the Pictures.  Getting to the MTC was great.  Feelings of excitement towards the unknown.  I shared a room w/ 5 other guys,   Some going to Lubbock, some to Pittsburgh.  It was pretty crowded.  My companion in the MTC was super awesome!  But the MTC food did not agree w/ his digestive system.  We were fed 3 meals a day, and then Sat. for hours. So I gained quite a bit of weight.  My District got along very well.  I ate a tulip.  Elder Crop, 37, went home.  It is so important to get things cleared up before you leave for your mission.  I respect that guy for doing what was right.  Had lots of fun 2/ all the zone. Sunday, we were able to go to the temple grounds. So beautiful! (74) THEY ARE GOING TO FIJI!  (79) That’s my zone.  Pretty Awesome bunch.  I have lots of pictures of building, cuz I am going to build them out of Lego.  (90) went to the temple.  It was so beautiful.  (132) my District and Teachers.  They were really cool.  They helped me learn a lot!  (164)  All the elders gave everyone blessings in the zone.  Sister Capron wanted me to give her one first, then I gave Elder McDonald one later as well.  The priesthood is a powerful thing.  No matter who gives the blessing, its all the same.  In my blessing, I remember a certain thing in it that 2 other people said in my blessings as well!! (183) The mission home is beautiful.  Never have I seen so many trees in all my life! (and road kill).  The Pittsburgh church had a downstairs, never seen that before! (189) I got called to Slippery Rock Branch w/ Elder O’Laughlin.  He’s a cool dud.  Apartment is really nice.  (205) That’s the Knox branch Sacrament meeting (206)  I need lint brushes (208)  That’s the Slippery Rock Branch building.  Be thankful wall are in a ward.  It is so different being in a branch!  These guys are the funniest people ever!  (231)   Power went out while I was drying my clothes (233) That game is fun.  Don’t know what its called. (236) Slippery Rock Chapel! (261) Primanti Bros is unique. A sandwich with the Coleslaw & Fries on the sandwich. . . I miss Texas food haha.  (262) A fun story w/ the train breaking that. . I’m too lazy to write it though.  (292) so before I came to Pennsylvania, I thought it was cold, a bunch of liberals, city fol,.  But I was wrong.  Everything I thought about the North has been bunked. (306) saved a turtle from being road kill. (313) I still got it muahahahaha! (323) Golfing.  Tons of golfing courses up here.  It was really fun!  We went w/ a youth in the ward named Marshal and his friend that worked at the Golf course. (336) I’m really bad at Golf. (353) my super awesome swing.  To make a long story short, we went out of order w/ the holes and got kicked out.  We (I) didn’t know better cuz we were just following the guy that worked there.  (359) Jim Shaffer.  The man the myth the legend.  He is my favorite!  He is in the Branch council, and for mothers day he wore a bow tie. For church.  This guy is the funniest guy ever!  And you can hardly understand him cuz he mumbles! (361) We get to se the Amish up here.  Pretty neat.  They don’t like pictures of themselves.  (368) Elder & Sister Brooks are the senior missionaries.  They treat us like their grandkids!  We are so spoiled.  They drive us, feed us, they are awesome.  (371)  the water here is so awful (like up at Philmont) and so we go to a spring and get our water from there,  More natural that way!  Things are going fantastic up here.  Miss ya’ll, but I’m glad I can serve the Lord.  Never in my life have I been this close to him.  My desire to read has skyrocketed.  YALL NEED TO READ! It’s so important!  Give input! Study!  I would have been so much further along if I memorized passages to scripture, not just the scripture itself.  Hope everyone is doing good.  Thanks for your prayers.

Elder Andersen