Whew. So today was supposed to be P-day. But Elder Albrechtsen and I spent the better part of the day (8am-4pm) at the airport trying to pick up a package for President Glazier. All I really want to say about that is that it was an incredible waste of time and that nobody there had any idea what was going on. But we got the package. But also, I now don't have too much time to write. This week was pretty tough. In fact, it was really tough. My faith has been tried, and I have found out by sad experience that it was lacking. Elder Muñoz and I came home from a day that was completely filled with fallen appointments and absolutely no success. Our investigators, who were few, stopped progressing, and some of them didn't seem to want to let us in. We even decided to drop some of them. Anyway, that night we got home and we were just frustrated. I don't think I have ever felt so discouraged in my life. Elder Albrechtsen chewed us out for having bad attitudes, and that escalated into an argument. We finally decided that we just needed to pray. By the end of that prayer, Elder Muñoz and I were crying. It was quite a humbling experience. Afterward, while we were in the middle of planning, Elder Muñoz asked to borrow my little pocket knife, took the picture of his girlfriend that he kept in his scriptures, and said something along the lines of, 'sorry honey, I'll have time to think about you later.', and he cut it to pieces. I smiled a bit when he did that. I feel like I haven't quite learned the lesson I am supposed to learn yet, but that definitely was a spiritually and emotionally intense night. This week while studying in the Book of Mormon, I read in Jacob 4:10, which says 'seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand.' I feel like in my prayers and in my desires lately I have been trying to counsel the Lord into doing the things I want Him to do. So now I am going to start 'taking counsel from his hand.' Elder Bruce R. McConkie counseled that our prayers may be made more meaningful and effective, and we might learn and grow more if we change our 'why' questions into 'what' questions. In fact, he said that 'why' questions are actually expressions of resentment and lack of faith. So instead of asking WHY I am not having the success that I desire here in the mission, I might ask WHAT I am supposed to learn from all of this. This week I have been made aware of my spiritual weakness and immaturity. But weaknesses are given so that we will be humble. And I haven't been humble yet. But it is a process. I want to share my testimony again with you guys. It has been a while. So get your Google Translate ready. Yo sé que nosotros somos hijos de un Padre Celestial, y que él siempre está pendiente de nosotros. Él sabe nuestras necesidades. Él quiere ayudarnos con nuestras debilidades e incapacidades. Porque Él sabía que esta vida nos sería difícil, nos preparó la manera para que regresáramos a su presencia para vivir en felicidad eterna con nuestras familias. Envió a su hijo, Jesucristo, para compensar con nuestras faltas. Jesucristo se sacrificó para que acudiéramos a Él para recibir su gracia en nuestras imperfecciones, y nos dio el ejemplo perfecto. Yo sé que Él quiere socorrernos y darnos el poder limpiador de su Expiación, pero solo podemos recibirlo a través de convenios sagrados, tales como el bautismo de agua y del Espíritu. La autoridad para efectuar estas ordenanzas salvadoras está en la tierra, y podemos recibirlas para poner nuestras vidas de acuerdo con el plan que Dios tiene preparado para nosotros, pero este poder solo se encuentra en la iglesia restaurada de Jesucristo. Y esto es La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Los amo muchísimo, y quiero que ustedes sepan que yo sé que Jesucristo vive. Espero que todos tengan una buena semana. See you in two.

Elder Andreasen

Family: Love you derms. I hope this week wasn't as crazy for you as it was for me. I hope you know that I am trying my best to do the Lord's work here. I don't always do as well as I could, but I am always trying. I am still struggling to feel like a missionary when I am pretty much an accountant most of the week. It's like trying to balance a part time job with being a full-time missionary. But I am growing and learning and being stretched by my experiences. I love you. And I'll see you derms in two.