A Faithful18 year old...

HEY FAMILY!!  

OK, well times is just flying fast!!! Another weeks down and my mission to going too fast!! I'm getting the language!!! I'm understanding a  lot and its finally making sense. I'm still troubled at times in the lessons but I'm getting use to it!! My companion's impressed with me because in our language study, I could teach him nearly the whole restoration, ask commitments and prayer and testimony!! So its coming along slowly!!! Our goal is for me to be able to teach all the lessons the last week me and my companion are together!!!

We had our baptism and marriage for Irwin And Milan last Saturday and it was really a beautiful thing to witness!! Me and my companion had to sing - President asked if we could do an item, and we sang!!!   I totally mucked everything up, and they still thought I was good haha, I pretty sure they're just being to nice to me.

Sacrament is so much different here family - they sing the same songs every week, and we don't have a piano player, so they put on the piano , and it automatically plays the church songs which ALWAYS puts everyone out of time!! Its funny!! I wish you guys could be here!! Its funny at church how everyone wants to sit next to me and my companion!!! especially the old sisters!!

We had our first feed with a member two days ago,The Bulanon family. Jesse Bulanon They are such a wonderful family and to me, they're a huge impact on our Stop Alginado branch, ALWAYS caring and loving to the other members and us missionaries! They  feed us this kumara type vegetable. I took one bite of it, and it tasted like a kumara back home!! So  I ate a lot, and they just kept feeding me, because I dont think my companion liked it - but it was REALLY tasty and nice!! And I think they really like me just because I ate a lot!!  And I think it looked like I wasn't picky too.. 

Anyways I wanted to share something that really stood out to me:

A boy by the name of Jo Jo Bulanon, he's an 18 year in our branch, hes a strong member and very loving to me and my companion!! As we were eating at his brother's Jesses house, he told us, that his little 18 year old brother "jo jo" got offered a scholarship by the government, to go to uni in Baclolod and box, which is a massive opportunity !!! 

His father and mother told him to accept it, accept the once in a lifetime opportunity!! Brother Jesse told us he dropped the scholorship because he wants to serve a mission!!! 

I thought to myself , this 18 year old lives in a bamboo house, is not wealthy at all, and has an opportunity of a lifetime that "could" have given him and his family money!! 

I saw this boy the same age as me, his faith, his testimony of the Saviour and my faith grew as I heard this story!!  I have so much respect for Jo Jo and I love him to pieces!!!

I love these people and their faith in the Lord even though they dont have much!!!

I love it here and I love this gospel!!

Love you my family and have an awesome week:)

Love Elder Anderson

Cooking by Candlelight during a Brownout! That's what they call a blackout!

It's a half hour trip.  I relax and contemplate all that is happening in my life.  I enjoy the motorbike ride.

What I learned from Lehi's Dream/My first Shave

DAD and MUM and Family!

Another week has passed, man it goes so fast!! First I'd like to start off by telling you something that I learned in my personal study!! I read through 1st Nephi chapter 8, which talks about Lehi’s dream. I  was reading in this section because we are teaching missionary work to Irwin and Milan our investigators who are getting married this week and both are being baptized.

They’re really solid and do all our commitments and come to church and so forth. Anyway Ii was reading through it and as he explained in I think verses 16 and 17 it  talks about how Lehi wanted both  Laman and Lemuel to partake of the fruit, but they didn’t. 

It helped me realise that even in strong families, your kids or grandchildren can( hopefully wont) still fall away from the church - it happened to prophet Lehi - two of his sons stayed rebellious even though they saw miracles and angels.

It also helped me realise how grateful  I am to my family and also helped me realise how I don’t want ANY of my kids to ever go less active and fall away from the church. This mission has been the key to whether I chose to follow the world in my life or Jesus Christ!! And with a family like ours and through my testimony in Jesus Christ I chose to follow him.  I am truly grateful for that and for choosing his plan at first !!

As I’ve said time and time again, I love it here and I love the people. Also, the knowledge and patience I’m learning out here is indescribable!! I don’t think I could have never learned everything I’ve learned so far if I didnt decide to come on a mission and serve the Lord!

I’m still growing, I had to shave my chin hairs because apparently to my companion they were too long, Which is a good thing is it not haha??? And apparently I eat a house load compared to my comapnion, haha He eats nothing which is good because I get more food !!

I have to cross these streams to get to my investigator's homes.

I walk up the mountains to teach.

My companion is really good at the language and has taught me a lot. I can understand ALOT more in lessons now and I can open a lesson, say a prayer, explain a little bit of the lesson, and bear my testimony at every principle we teach!! So im getting better!! I  am truly witnessing the gift of tongues!!

Another funny story.  So there’s this less active who we always go to and try and bring him back to church, but he seems to always be working . Anyway I caught him out. We went to go visit him this one time and saw a teaching opportunity on the other side of the road so we went  and talked to this stranger AND out the corner of my eye I saw brother Mahina walk out, spot us and went straight to his back yard!

We then went across the road to brother Mahina’s house and he was in the backyard cutting his-Im being serious the grass was so short, it was like weeds and dirt and he was there cutting it with a machete haha. Me and my companion stood there and looked at each other.!! We then asked to share a message and he said he was busy!! 

haha We then left and cracked up laughing. I said to my companion, do people think we are that stupid then we crack up laughing again!!

Its the best here, walking up mountains, teaching people, walking across streams and just an adventure to get to my investigators.

I love you

Have a good week. Have some weetbix for me.

Elder Anderson

I work in the mountains

Hi Family

Okay so im going to go more indepth with this email. Man one week already gone, wow the time flies, OK well explaining my apartment:

That well outside is our water for the shower, to wash our plates and for water in general -, we buy filtered water across the road so that’s a life saver.  We wash our clothes by hand outsid. This week we are getting a member to wash our clothes and we pay him, just becaue we have so much!!I We have a roof but mosquitos can enter through the roof.   

I  wash in a bucket, its funny, because I see  myself in two years and Im going to be a rugged maori when i get back ,lol.

 Im doing good in the area, the language is hard and Im getting use to it, BUT Im starting to understand, and its sinking in whenever we are teaching. I share my testinmony ,always open with a prayer every single lesson.  The people, love hearing me talk because I only know a little, and because I think they can have a good laugh haha.  But im learning, and me and my companion’s goal is before he leaves,  the last week Ill be leading the area and teaching most of the lessons!!

Please keep my learning the language in your prayers to help me and Sister Anderson, because its not easy and we need that help!!!

I taught my first lesson in a members home, Brother Romeo, I talked about Ether 12:27 and I thought I did alright . He got the message so yes thats my real first lesson in the language.

OKay so im going to show two photos I took.!! Our area is the most ‘bukid’ in the whole Bacoclod area, (which means mountains), so Im out in the real Phillipino world.  We walk up all those big moutains and it sometimes takes 40 minutues to get upto one appointment, or one investigator, so managing where we go is important so we stay in one area for the whole day.

 Every Friday we go out to Canubgan which is a 30 minute ride into the mountains on a motorbike, or how we call it a hubble hubble and Jeremy probably knows!!!  

I sweat continuously here and just got over my sickness, and now I can eat properly, me and my companion are going to get a lot of food!

Its funny because my companion eats NOTHING and I tease him because he has no chest, I mean it looks like he hasnt done a press up in his life -hahah so he wants me to train him  within our 30 minute exercise times in the morning hahah.

There was a cool experience with a recent convert who was going to be a paster in another church, we went and visited him and we got him to come to church - hes a golden investigator.  I  jumped for joy inside because it was good to see him where he needed to be and shows he really soaked in our message. Its weird because even though I may not know the language, I can still communicate with the people. The Lord really helps me with that. Ive really gained  a big understanding of the Book of Mormon, but I still have a lot to lern, so Im focusing on how I can help meet the needs of my investigators.

This morning I was reading about repentence and I learnt that every time we give a commitment, we are inviting them to repent. Throughout my life I always understood that repentance is a change in heart, thoughts and desire and this morning my mind really opened up to the real meaning to repentance, turning andchanging your life towards the Saviour, and my job is to be a guide for the people I teach and commit them to repent. 

It was real awesome, we had our second baptism on sabador,(Saturday) , Marjorie aresgar. She’s 13 and real shy, It was another good experience to witness her being cleanse from sin and her receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Family I have been really blessed to serve here in Stop alginado and I pray for Tacloban everyday that I may serve there. I know it only depends on Heavenly and if he feels it’s right. I love it here, I love you and miss you.

Love Elder Anderson

PS I just wish I could have some weetbix.  That is what I missJ

Click on letter to enlarge

My first area and companion

OK where do i start? Well I think Sister Anderson has told you about us saying goodbye and leaving each other and photos and all. 

But I'll start from where its easy because the computers here are so super slow. 

Hopefully I can put photos in OK, Well the flight over was very long. When we stopped in Japan, we bumped into the first ever missionary that served in the Philippines which was a choice experience.

He was going over to help with the typhoon!!,

When we arrived in Manila. We walked outside the airport and the HEAT HIT ME SO BAD!! 

Its so hot here!! So we stayed in a hotel for like an hour then needed to catch our plane to Bacolod in three hours.  I said goodbye to my companion and district hoping Tacloban would open back up!!! We flew to Bacolod where our president greeted us which was cool! He's a very on to it man a so super nice, He said kia ora to me!! We went to the mission home and had our opening orientation then he called me into his office for an interview.  He said my companion was Elder Burnett an American, who is a good missionary with the language and everything!!! Then he said Im in the Bukid area, which is mountains!! 

He said their turning this area into a stake and he sends only good missionaries there.

I then met my companion, hes super cool and on to it, Im grateful for him and show it in my prayers everyday!!! So then we caught a 4 hour bus drive to a place called STOP Alginado!!! its called this because there's this big stop area for cars and stuff. Sorry im trying to write fast. 

Anyways, first day I get a sore stomach, spewing up, sore throat, fever and everything for 3 days!! it was a killer first three days!!

Its so humid and sticky here. Then we went to our flat and ohhh my family!! Hahaha the worst place i have ever seen in my life. It's known as one of the worst flats in the mission!! 
So my first experience here wasnt the best family!!  When I felt a little better we went out and taught less actives. I can see what Jeremy meant by his love for the people . They are so nice and giving and they have barely anything. The little kids, some the same age as Pepe, they always laugh at me when Im trying to speak the language but I enjoy it!! At the same time Ive never seen so many people stare at me when I walk through the streets and in the mountains,lol!

So Im picking the language up here and there. A 13 year old Phillipino called Dantley Brabatadada was getting baptized the and we arrived  and we went to his house and gave him a lesson and this was the first time i met him and he wanted me to baptize him!! 

At first i thought he was joking at first, but he wanted me to, so I had been here 3 days and I had my first ever baptism!! it was so special to be able to do that for him!! 
Ive gained a good relationship with the boys around my age, they like me and help me with the language!!  The older ladies I think like me too and they laugh about the way I speak. Then the next day I had to bear my testimony in Cebuano!! It was a little scary at first but i thought i did well!

They thought that my language was so good that they thought this is my second transfer which was really nice of them!!! I loove it here - you don't have to worry!! 

Im doing fine with my fan on me every night - the whole night! Haha its my favourite thing!!  I love you Sister Anderson and I miss you like crazy!! I  look at our leaving photos everyday:):)

I would say the whole culture shock really hit me at first, but Im good now!! My companioins real, real protective of me!! It was a good wee.

I love you, and I'll write next week:) love you mum and awa thanks for that inspiring message, tell my nieces  I love them and my future ones. Love you MUM!!!! AND DAD AND ATA and I hope Ata has a  good time in the states:):)

Elder Anderson:)

PS  Please tell everyone that I appreciate their letters so much. I love them all, but don't have time with the computer to write to everyone.

Arrival in Bacolod Mission

Hey Dad and Mum, Elder anderson here, Ive made it to Bacolod!! im finally here after a long trip!! my mission president is the nicest person dad, Its super duper hot and i meet my companion tommorow , He's American!!

So lets see how this goes.  I said bye to Sister Anderson at the MTC which was awesome. Sad but its alright!! We flew to Japan then to Manilla - stayed at a hotel then said goodbye to everyone that was in my zone at the m.t.c. sad but when tacloban opens back up, I may be still on my mission and see them again, 

Im doing fine so no need to worry, Im in a Cebuano speaking part up north in Bacalod, which is good!! i Think its Escalante which is up north. 

Ill write to you next p.day okay!! And I'll send some photos of our last days in the MTC!! Love you have a good week.!! 

My mailing address: 

Elder Teina Anderson

Phillippines Bacolod Mission

P.O Box 660

Lacson &  Galo Streets

Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Philippines 6100

This is my mail, so you can send mail!! 

Love you guys

Tacloban : Nov 14 and 15

MUM and DAD im not kidding you at all! Im serving in Bacolod mission, ilawkano speaking, so i have to learn a new language, I asked if we would have a chance to go back to Tacloban, he said less likely but MAYBE???? Man these photos of the devastation make me sad dad... I will serve the Lord whereever I go dad!!! 

Im super happy right now, all the islanders in my class are going to different missions, and me and the two Americans are going to Bacolod. I cant believe all this has happened!! and the storm to hit my mission out of 21 missions isnt a coincidence. I love you mum and dad, and I havent told sister anderson yet!! tell everyone back home okay dad, and say thanks for all the letters from Jash, Aunty Sal,  Khalid Gilbert, , my Tacloban group are huddled around me looking at these photos of Pepe. Love you mum and dad!!

Im back

DAD our tacloban missionaries just got all the information from the PRESIDENT of the MTC.... so he sat me and my companion down   and he said the first presidency have discussed where we are to serve because theres no water and disease in Tacloban and they have shut the mission down for good. He said MAYBE they will open it back up one day and we will be able to serve there one day.

Mum and Dad.   FAST news, I had a wisdom tooth aching for a week this week and I went to the dentist and got all four wisdom teeth pulled out!!  Just in case I had achings on my mission. 
I went straight to class after it and every body couldnt believe I was totally fine. I had an ice pack on my face the whole day tho.

Elder  L.Tom.Perry came to the MTC . He talked about companionships and unity , so for sure I wouldnt miss that. My mouth is fine now still a little sore but fine. 

OKAY so my mission, im the travel leader and my Tacloban group leave next Monday, 6:00 in the morning so Ill see sister Anderson for the last time in the devotional that Sunday night. So we fly to japan then from japan to Maillla. 

There a mission president will split all us Tacloban elders into both south and north missions, I think either Manilla and Cebu?? So yes i may learn how to speak Tagalog for the time being, but i have some teachers that went to Tacloban and they can speak fluent waray waray, cebuano and understand tagalog so hopefully I can learn Tagalog and speak to Jeremy, 

Well thats my goal anyways but apparently some missionaries that were already in Tacloban have got reassigned fully to a different mission, so yes Mum and Dad hopefully I get to serve in Tacloban because I want to serve these beautiful people, but I dont mind where i end up!!

 L.Tom.Perry also spoke of the missionaries in Tacloban.Elder Tira And Esaiah made it here and Im grateful for them.

Love Elder Anderson.

Hey Dad and Mum,

Another week passed and gone, time flies way way way too fast for me and my companion to even catch up!!

Thanks for the letter Dad, I know you would have given Aunty and Uncle my love. They’re in my prayers every single night. In language class I was finding it a bit hard, I was frustrated this whole week.  We teach two investigators, (they’re our teachers but they act like investigators) and all they do is speak Cebuano back to me. It’s so frustrating because me and my companion prepare a whole lesson, but when they have questions, and they reply in Cebuano REALLY fast, we don’t have a clue what he was saying! Which is so so frustrating cause I know I know some basic doctrine in English, but everything’s in a different language.

So me and my companion were in the room, thinking what we could do to improve, with our own class time or wherever we could think of.  We came up with ideas, and one I said was, we should read the BOM in Cebuano. I thought it was an idea my companion would not be interested in, but he was keen to do it. So we had a goal to read 1st Nephi by the time we leave. (This is reading all in Cebuano by the way.)  We read the first day and I said lets aim to read the whole Book of Mormon in Cebuano before we leave.  He said ye, hah, so that means we have to read 40 pages a day because there are 800 and something  pages in the Cebuano BOM!  40 pages for the next 20 days till we head out to the field. We completed our goal in two days and finished 1st Nephi!  We are going hard and on to 2^nd Nephi. ANY spare time we get, we both read. We read out loud one page each.

Now, the blessings!  I’ve noticed a huge difference in my vocab and understanding and especially my vocab. Yesterday we taught the plan of salvation kaluwasan (plan of salvation) all in Cebuano and could actually know what the investigator was saying in reply which is a huge blessing and I’m grateful for the Book of Mormon!

That’s my story of the week, because I need to write to Dallin, so I’m quickly writing because me and my companion are going to chuck a wash load in, and I need to write to my Nans.

I love it here, it’s a huge blessing being here!!  The foods tasting ALL the same and I  miss the food back home.

This weeks challenge for you guys as a whole family, is to meet someone random,  maybe in the supermarket or wherever, and look at them in a way that respects that they chose the exact plan we did when we were all in the pre-mortal life. Look at them in a way that you know they are also a child of God, and speak to them in a way that can give them the option to partake of the fruit of our gospel. You will feel happy inside that you have reached out to one of God’s children.

Tell Polly I love her letters also Te Awa!! And can you tell Aunty Sally and Jeannette thanks for the letters! I don’t have enough time to reply back to their mails but just let them know what I have said.  That’s all for now!

Love yah, 

Elder Anderson

Hey Family

Thanks for ALL the dear elders they were awesome.  I love all your quotes, they all go with what I learn that day which is cool as and the one from mum was sweet , also Ataahua’s one!! Ok yes, the story about the devotional! Well I was sitting with my district waiting for the devotional to start. I always look out to see where my sis is and she was on the other side of the hall and I stood up and called her over.

 I asked my companion if I could sit next to her and he was 'algoods'. He was right behind me anyways. We talked and it began. 

The person who was speaking - I forget his name, he was asking people to stand up as he asked different questions. He started off by saying all Spanish speaking people to stand and so forth. Then he said, “If you have a sibling here with you, please stand!!” This is in front of ALL the missionaries in Provo.

I was sitting right next to sissy and we looked at each other and stood up proud to be each others brother and sister.

Family, it was funny - everyone looked at us and went AWWWWWWHHHHHHH! Haha! It was funny. I smiled then sat down.  I should of hugged her to make it even more cheesier but that was a huge memory that I wrote about in my journal. 

Uncle Phil sent me and sis a massive package of goodies!!  I will show you a photo of it. I love Aunty and Uncle, they're so good to me. I’m glad our family is tight with theirs and that I'm tight with Elder Nikora Anderson. All my Uncles and Aunties are just the kindest and best I could wish for. 

Ok - the language. I'm starting to understand my teacher now, like I'm sort of getting it. We have taught about 16 lessons to our investigators now, me and my companion, ALL in Cebuano, and we are doing good. We always pray before going in together for the spirit to bring Cebuano to our memory. It works. Slowly. We were taking LESS notes into the lessons, and the last week we have been taking no notes into the lesson!

I do most of the talking, because my companion is quiet but, every lesson I hand the time over to him randomly without telling him prior to going in, so he can teach and get his confidence up. He’s SUCH a lovely companion. He always wants to do the work. Whenever we wake up I always give him a time limit to what time we have to be at class and all he says is, YES MY COMPANION I'M THERE BESIDE YOU, even though he can hardly speak any English. How much more could I be blessed with such a beautiful companion.  Every night, I challenge myself after I say prayers and before I fall asleep,  I say 'I love you my Kauban'.  He says it back to me and it does really make me happy, I can actually say that to someone my age.  I  don’t think  I could do that before, but I have been doing it and it builds our relationship.

The cafe -  its real rich!! Like RICH all the food is too rich for me. But there are real good meals.  I eat morning breakfast 8:15 then lunch 1:15 then dinner 6 . I usually see my dear sister at dinner, but apparently the elders said she was looking for me at breakfast but I had gone back to my flat.  

I'm putting the weight on Dad and Mum. It's cool that I know I'm finally getting big, but it really doesn't bother me now. I like being skinny, haha. 

We had this class where my district were the examples  and we were learning how the Book of Mormon is important for conversion. We then did a demo on our companions and a thought came to my mind while I was beginning to teach him (my companion was the investigator) about a scripture when I was going out with the missionaries back home, a scripture that they shared with Brook. 1 Nephi chapter 8 talking about Lehi partaking of the fruit which blended exactly with what I was saying as I  introduced my investigator to the Book of Mormon. I new with all my heart that was the Spirit bringing thoughts back into my mind, to my remembrance, and I likened that scripture to the gospel, the fruit to make one happy.  The feeling of feeling the Spirit here everyday is beautiful. I've also gained a great love for the Book of Mormon, I understand it A LOT more, and it comes alive. The images play over and over in my head like I'm right there next to Nephi writing in the plates. It’s cool. I know it’s not me, but the Spirit helping me to understand it:) hahahahah! The Americans don't always get my humour, Dad. Its funny cause the islanders do, and they laugh. An elder drew this picture, haha I mean Pepe could have drew it better,  but its funny because I'm cheeky, it can become bad at times, so I'm trying to be less cheeky  Haha!!! 

I go to the temple today, every P day. Such a beautiful temple the Provo one. Its big, real big and so beautiful. I love p days. I get to communicate with family. Tell Polly and Jem and Te Awa and Janet to write too:) Oh and tell Nephi and Ads  that I miss them and mission prep and I'm grateful for them teaching me, because I am far more prepared than  what I would have been if I didn't go to mission prep. 

Love you

Elder Anderson

P.s I think I'm still getting taller, and I think I may be bigger then Jeremy now - tell him I said that :)