Email from November 19th

G'day,
I am trying not to get trunky! I have had companions that get trunky and I have seen missionaries that don't get trunky and I don't want to be trunky. I think about home yes, but I am here now!
About school.... Did you get on besmart.com? I would like to go in winter term if there is any way possible, see what you can do please. I will take the ACT test again and this time I won't stay up until 3 in the morning the night before :) and maybe I can just sleep on the beach! :)
I just want to get away and figure things out without any pressure.
Well we'll see what happens.
I am doing ok. I have been sick this week. I had a pretty bad head cold. I feel a bit light headed now and just feel kind of sick. We didn't teach our one investigator this week because he went down to Melbourne so we'll see him next week and try to move his date.
About the long flight of 14 hours. It was crazy. I didn't get out of my seat the whole time, and I was shell shocked about the experience. I was worried I shouldnt play the games on the TV in front of me and I was scared to watch the movies. I just watched as the screen kinda showed a jet flying over the ocean and showing the progress of the flight, it was weird. I don't know what I'll do this time?
Elder Bennett is from Idaho Falls, he has been out for about 18 months. Umm he is a music guy studying music at Ricks.
Today we are going to Werrington to play touch rugby, it will be interesting because we have 2 new missionaries in the zone so we will have to teach them rugby.
Thank you,
Love you heaps,
Elder Andreasen

Email from November 8th

(Sorry that it has taken me over a month to update Blake's website. But below is the last month + of emails. A month from Thursday and he'll be home YEAH!!!)


G'day This week has been good. You remember that Indian guy? Well we set a date for him to be baptized on Dec. 19, I know it is after I go home and it is so far away soooo.. We will try to move it forward, to maybe the 3rd? Other than that not much has happened, oh we taught a Tongan family. It is the sister of a member that just moved into our ward. Last year Thanksgiving I was in Dubbo and the branch president’s wife was from the states so they had a bunch of missionaries over. Then we played some horse shoes and watched a church movie. Thanks for info about school. I don't know what else to do on the application, if you want to go on and look, and update some stuff and check it out. And about rooming I don’t care well... no plans with anyone. Well one thing new that has been going on last week at interviews president asked all the missionaries to read the Book of Mormon in 2 months marking all the references to Jesus Christ, so because I am going home before 2 months I will have to read it quickly, I am in 2 ne 29 and I am learning how much the BoM is another testament of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for everything, I will try to send a card home this week so you can have some pics.
Love you Heaps
Love Elder Andreasen


(Well I am not sure if this is torture before the missionaries come home.. I am guessing Blake might have smooth legs when he gets home) :)

Email from November 1st

G'day
Not much happened this week. We did a lot of work with less active members hopefully something will come of that. The weather has been pretty hot and I think it will only get hotter and hotter until about Dec. 12 then it will be freezing. :) Not much happened for Halloween we saw a few trick or treaters but that was about it, oh then there was a small party in one of the apartments next door.
I haven’t heard from Elder Ucunibaravi, he was supposed to send me some stuff but never did, I am not sure if he is in Hawaii, I am pretty sure he has a brother and sister there though?
My suits are doing fine... the one that I bought is not nice and it is old so I will not bring it home and I am debating on bring 1 or 2 suits home? We will see
I talked to President Scruggs about going to Hawaii BYU and he said he might be able to help so... I think I should start in January that way I don’t really have to worry about transportation, so could you start getting things organized for that, maybe with President as well.
Today we are playing basketball. I am loving it here. The lord blesses me so much. I am really grateful for the experiences the people and everything else that I am learning here.
Thank you for your support, love and prayers.
Love Elder Andreasen

Email from October 26th

G'day This week has been good. On sat I baptized our investigator. He is 13 and is a friend of the Bishops son. Some of his family came to his baptism and confirmation on Sunday, so I hope and pray that all these things will lead to them accepting the gospel. Yes I went to the doctor he gave me some antibiotic to put in my eye; I think it is fixed now? Hopefully it will not come back. On Friday I finally received the Reeses and razor heads, then today we came to the temple and I received the Halloween package, thank you!! Oh that was a picture of Elder Sperry and me. Oh I don't know what to do about Hawaii, I think I want to go there maybe just for a year??? I don't know, did you find out if the credits could transfer to Utah University??? That sounds cool beaner Wednesday! I miss good Mexican food The temple was good today. It was my first time doing..... (Man I suck at spelling) initiatories, now we are going to go play footy as a zone, We were not able to get the Indian guy to church because he had to work. It is good at the same time because he believes he got the job because of us going over to teach him how to pray. Well I am trying to do the things that the Lord needs me to do here. Thank you for your support love and help Love ya heaps!! Love Elder Andreasen

Email from October 18th

This week has been good! We have someone getting baptized this Saturday. I will send pics.... Today we are going to Katoomba which is where the 3 sisters are so I will take pics there as well. This week we also have zone conference those are always something to look forward to; this is my last one... Nothing too much has happened this week; the weather has been really nice. We are just trying to build up a teaching pool in Richmond so we can have a few more people to try to get baptized in the next couple of months. Katoomba is about an hour drive so sorry today email is short. But I am loving it here in Australia Richmond is such a good ward; I am trying to strengthen it in any way I can. Thank you all for your support I love you and pray for you daily Love Elder Andreasen
(As you can see Blake has mastered the Rubik Cube) :)

Email from October 12th

G'day
This week has been busy. It was good though at the end of the week we got to watch conference. 10 hours it was good, I really enjoyed it. I think my 3 favorite talks were, of course Elder Holland, but also Elder Callister (he is now our area president here, I had an interview with him a few months ago... he was a mission president in Canada about 10 months ago) and also that Korean guy his talk was good.
Something good that happened this week was, Elder Bennett and I decided to walk towards the university on Wednesday, we met a guy and he is from India, we set up an appointment to teach him Friday so we went and taught him. He asked if he could come to church with us, and we told him about conference, he wanted to come on Saturday he went for 2 sessions, then when the member dropped him back home they said he started to cry, and said thank you. We will teach him again on Friday...
Well next conference I will be able to sit in my PJ's on the couch, it will be so much better to sit there than 10 hours on a church bench.
Well thanks for the update on everyone, enjoy Hawaii...
Hey I am serious about this... would it be difficult to go to Hawaii for school??? BYU Hawaii?? Or the other university over there? Can you check it out for me? Hawaii seems like a nice place, and there are a few people I know from here that will be going there. Thanks
Not much else has happened this week. I haven't received the package yet, and the past little while I haven't been taking too many pics... i will try to take more.
Oh one thing that happened again this week I don't know if I told you.
But about 5 weeks ago we were digging a hole and Elder George accidentally flicked some dirt in my eye. Then about a week later it got all red, and then it went away. then the next week it went all red again, so I bought some eye drops and it went away for about 3 weeks then yesterday it flared up and got red again, it was quite painful, I will call Sister Scruggs and tell her and probably get it looked at?
But I am doing fine now just a little red, thank you for everything
Love you heaps Love Elder Andreasen

Email from October 5th

G'day,
Well it was Labor Day yesterday so the library was closed. So I don't have much time today. So can you send this email to Dad for me as well thanks.
Elder Bennett is from Idaho Falls, he has been out for about 17 months, and he is a good guy. He went to BYU-Idaho and studied something about music. This is his 4th area, so he usually stays in his area for awhile.
Things are going good here in Richmond. I don't know if I told you but will have a baptism on Oct. 24, we are still trying to find people to teach, and we had a couple families move into the ward that we will work with in finding people. They seem like really nice families.
The weather here has been crazy, a lot of rain! Today is the first real clear day for a while. Everyone says this summer will be hot, and they are getting scared of bush fires happening.
Oh my flat is by some business complexes right on the corner then there is a small empty field then our flats. There are about 13 small flats.
Well I will watch conference next week, I am sure I will enjoy it. I hope all is well over there, I pray for you daily thank you for your help and your prayers Love ya heaps!!
Love Elder Blake Andreasen