Letter # 23 PLUS pictures

Dear Family!

I'm so excited Preston got his call !!! I can't believe that he
going to the same mission Grandpa Smith went to. That is so neat!!! Crazy? Wait a second... don't we have another cousin going to Texas as well? Are they going to the same mission? He leaves on May 22, to the M.T.C. How long is he staying at the M.T.C. for?? I only ask because I know they have shorten the stay for English missionaries to 12 days. (from 3 week to 12 days!!) We just had a Spanish Elder come out this transfer and I think he said he was only there for 6 weeks. I've heard that a couple people are being sent to the mission early if they know Spanish well enough... I think they'll make you take a class to see if your beginning, intermediate, or advanced? If you are in the advanced Spanish class you only stay for 2 weeks!! I knew he was going Spanish speaking!!! What did Preston say?  How excited is he? What does Grandpa think? So what all does he need?? Everything... please keep me updated I'm so excited for him :)

So are you going to be transferred? Do you know anything yet?  (she is answering a question either my mom asked) We can't wait to hear. Transfers aren't for another week :( President
Summerhay's has been hinting at it a little... I don't know if I told you about our ward being split?
Well I'll tell you anyways...Once upon a time our ward was huge and the missionaries couldn't get to everyone. This made the members really sad. It was about an hour drive from one end to the ward to the other end! So Sister Westberg and I said that this ward needed to be spit all transfer long... and then magically; one week we came to church and the ward got split.  THE END! So before the split there was 3 sets of missionaries in our ward. A set of Elders and 5 Sisters :) When the split was done, it made it so that both sets of Sisters are in the Naples Ward and the Elders we're all alone in the new ward. (the Vanderbelt Beach Ward) President said he likes having a set of Sisters and Elders in each ward. So he was "thinking" about sending me up North to the new ward and bringing a new Sister down to serve with me. :) That would mean that Sister Westberg will finish training Sister Godwin. I would be moving maybe 10 min. away. But I'll be in a new ward... or at least that's the plan for now, but we won't know for sure until next Saturday. SO don't hold off or worry about sending mail.  I'll still be in the
same address for the time being; or at least for a while. (We have been looking for a place for a while and have no luck.) Right now the plan is to share with the other Sisters. Which I'm honestly not super excited about. Don't get me wrong; I'm excited to see Sister Westberg still :) but 4 sisters to one apartment... It isn't my idea of fun!! Plus I will be 6 miles away from my area... the bike week is going to be fun :) I'm excited to get a new Sister though.

So I don't know if I told you on my last letter or not but we had
interviews with President and he said most likely I will be training for the rest of my mission. So I'll be the senior companion always. Which got me thinking... at the end of this transfer I will have been out for 6 months... That is a third of my whole mission! Time sure does fly, I mean I still feel like a "greeny". President has to keep
reminding me that I'm going to be one of the older Sisters out before
long... I think there are two Sisters that came out a transfer or so before me and the rest of the Sister are brand new or about to go home. Its crazy to think about! I want you guys to know how much I care and love you all!! Preston I'm so proud and excited for you! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! TILL WE MEET AGAIN :)

Sister Sharon Andersen

I am guessing; but I think this is who is in this pictures...

 Sister Williamson, Sister Westburg, SISTER ANDERSEN, and Sister Godwin

 Sister Westburg, New Sister, SISTER ANDERSEN, Sister Godwin, New Sister

New Sister, SISTER ANDERSEN, Sister Godwin, Sister Westburg, Investigators?, New Sister

Letter # 22

Dear family!!
I'm so glad you got my letter already :) I was worried you wouldn't get
it until after p-day... I felt so bad since my email wasn't very long
last week. And I didn't get to tell you half the things that I wanted
too :)  I feel like so much has happened that I haven't given you the
full scoop on...

Well, our Easter was great :) We ate at the Thompsons again (we went
there for Thanksgiving). He's in the mission presidency and loves us!!
His daughter just left on her mission to Spain. It was such a surreal
experience seeing her get ready to leave. It just seemed like it was
such a short time ago that I left to enter the MTC; time is going by
so fast. I think the best way to describe it is: "the days are long, but the
weeks are short". A couple people told me that before I entered the
mission -- can't remember who; but it's so true. You're busy all day teaching,
finding and serving :) that you're so tired by the end of the day. That's
why I haven't been writing a ton of letters because by the end of the day
I'm so tired but I want to start writing more letters because I love
getting them, so I'm going to try to write more.

Preston, you still haven't got your call!!!! I can't believe it has taken
this long; you must be going crazy? My guess is still somewhere out of
the United States Spanish speaking; I don't know why? But that's my
guess :) I can't wait...to find out. I think I'm as excited as Preston
to know :) Preston, I'm so proud of you :) You're going to be such a
great missionary and you're going to learn how to work hard. Keep me
updated on everything; i can't wait :)

Well I don't know if I've updated you on all our investigators lately. I
told you about Leon a couple weeks ago, i think?  We met him during
Christmas time and had been teaching him for a while and thought he
was going really well. We were meeting with him probably 2-4 times a
week and we thought he was really progressing but then out of nowhere...
he snapped, it was kinda scary!!! a 50 year old man yelling at
you! Not our highlight of the week. I don't know even where to
start...we were trying to set a date with him and then he just started
going off saying that we don't think the Bible enough and that we're asking
him to throw away his Bible and only read for the Book of Mormon...At
one point of the meeting, he was slapping himself with the Bible and
then the Book of Mormon. It was BAD!!! We were all in tears, because we
kept trying to tell him we weren't here to argue and he said we're not
arguing and continue to yell. So we were all trying to end on a good
note; but he wouldn't even let us bear our testimony . It was the worst
drop known to mankind :) And then last week...wait, maybe 2 weeks again
we got dropped from Rachel and Samantha and Eric (did I tell you about
them?) That's a long story maybe I'll start a handwritten letter and
tell you about that. But compared to Leon it was nothing...got to look
at the bright side, but honestly we all had the feeling it really isn't
over, she just needs a little space to miss us. She'll want the spirit
back in her life again :) And, at worst, we planted a deep, deep seed,
that when she's ready maybe she'll accept our message.

It's not all bad news; we got a couple solid new progressing investigators
:)...Gary and Georgeann! They're awesome. We were going through our
area book and were looking at people that were taught by the
missionaries more than 2 years ago and seeing if they're interested in
learning more....or might like being taught by sister missionaries :)
(Sorry to say it, but there are just some houses sisters can get into
that elders can't; but I guess that goes both ways :) But anyways...we
just showed up to their house and she let us in and we're like best
friends already! I love her so much already! She's got some problems
we're working though but I think she's ready.. Well I'm out of time
again :( Like I said, the fastest 1 1/2 ever!  Well, I love you guys! And
I'm going to try to write some more letters (and pictures) this week :) 
I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!

~ Sister Sharon Andersen

Community Service ~ Special Olympics

I have been meaning on telling you about this forever... BUT... I keep forgetting :) A couple of weeks ago (like 4 or 5) Sister Westberg and I were able to help with the Special Olympics in Naples. I guess if you go to the Collier County Special Olympics website or something,  there is a pretty cool picture of us :) We were in charge of the long jump, so we did the wave and cheering all day long :) fun community service!  :)   

Letter #21

Dear Family!!
My week went a lot better! So much has happened in such a short
time, so i'll start with the highlights. Only because i'll never get to tell you all i want too :(
Yesterday we had a conference up in Tampa. We were able to hear from Elder Andersen! That's right no typo here, good old "Uncle Andersen" from the Quorum of the 12 came and talked to our whole mission! It was the best!! It is the reason why we did not email yesterday... (sorry I didn't tell you, it was kinda last minute) I guess they were dividing up the Tampa Stake so Sister Andersen (Elder Andersen wife, not me. Funny Story... He kept saying Sister Andersen when he was speaking/talking about his wife of course. It keep throwing me off. And the rest of my zone too! :D )
Anyways; she grew up in Tampa and LOVES IT HERE!!!! He was the Stake President in the Tampa Stake... and was planning on living here his whole life, before he got called to serve. It was pretty much the coolest thing, the love they have for our mission! Also the excitement they showed for the work going on here :) Sister Andersen talked a lot about her family that still lives here. Brother Andersen was so funny and personable (still scary ;) but he talked about how he probably assigned some of us here... because it is his favorite place :) He would say when a "special" picture came up he would be inspired, and think... this is a very special missionary so they need to go to a very special place :) I.E. the Tampa Florida Mission- from the mouth of my seves it is the same is all I have to say :)

I'm out.
~Sister Sharon Andersen

Letter #20

Ohhh My Goodness!! YOU HAD THE BABY!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!! SHE'S BEAUTIFUL :) I LOVE HER ALREADY :D

 

Anyways I can't focus now. I'm so excited and the tears are making it hard to type! :) This week has been crazy! And not in a good way. :( 

I better warn you; I’m going to repeat a lot from my last letter. Sadly not much has changed. Being in a trio is SUPER hard! Training in a trio is even harder. I hate saying that but I am having a really hard time. Last transfer I was just really nervous about training but then it came so easy, it was WAY easier. When Sister Westberg came out we talked everything through. I told her that I needed her involvement and help in every decision we make; because I am still learning. And we had so much fun learning TOGETHER.

Honestly, she was exactly what I needed after having Sister Williamson for a companion. I could totally be myself around her and she starting to understand me. She gets my jokes, and my sense of humor kinda! :) We laugh at each other a lot :)  I really learned more from her than I could ever teach her! She helped and is still helping me so much. I was very blessed to have her my first time training, my trainee came pre-trained. She was ready to work and was fully involved from day one. 

And with this transfer that just not really the case... I told Sister Godwin the same thing when she came in; that it did not matter that I've been out longer than her; we are equals. I wanted her to feel comfortable getting used to missionary work as soon a possible. She took what we said in a completely different way. I feel like she took it as "we don’t know anything". So from the beginning she just has an attitude like she knows it all already. I’m not a controlling or argumentative person AT ALL! But for some reason everything become a debate. Like she felt like she has to prove that she knows more. We have just been struggling how to go about training her without causing problems or yet another debate. It's just really killing the spirit. Any advice?? I'll take whatever you can give me because I can't keep going on like this...

 

And the 'cherry on the top' of this horrible week was we got DROPPED HARD from one of our progressing investigators. Probably the worst drop know to man-kind! I don't even know where to start...We all left crying; in tears, and that included the member that came with us. The investigator was yelling, and hitting himself with the Bible and the Book of Mormon (I might want to clarify; not hitting us; just himself) I don't know if I told you much about him; his name is Leon. He is 50 something, weighs about 300 pounds, and he is Haitian man that was yelling at us! It was scary to say the least. We keep trying to say we weren't there to argue; but then he would say we weren't arguing and continue to yell. It was pretty much the worst day ever!

 

Well now that I've been a total Debbie Dower lol...Not my best week on the mission field! It has been a pretty trying and hard week. ( On the bright side, we have gotten 4 new investigators this week!! So there is a positive :)  Next week is going to be good though; I can just feel it! I'm making the choice to be happy.

 

WELL DANG IT I'M RUNNING OUT OF TIME... I hope you know I want pictures in the mail a.s.a.p! And I want to be kept up to date with how she doing... do you hear me Melissa??  That means you have to take a ton of pictures, AND WRITE BIG FAT LETTERS which shouldn't be to hard ;) She looks beautiful!!! Such a doll. I can't believe how tiny she is! :D  You were in the hospital for 10 days?? Are you kidding me, I want to hear the whole story! Once you put in on your blog you could just forward it to me please? LOVES IT!! I CANT WAIT TO HEAR AND SEE MORE PICTURES. I hope that everyone doing well! Sounds like it! Tell Hayhay (Hailey) and Landon to be good to mommy! And be good big brothers and sisters :)

 

Love you guys so much!!! I am so thankful for you guys!!! Please keep me in your prayers:) Actually mommy could you please put my name on the prayer list at the temple...?

LOVE YOU!!!!!!! MISS YOU ALWAYS- TILL WE MEET AGAIN.

 

Sister Sharon Andersen :)

 

 

Letter #19

Dear family!

 

This week has been CRAZY! I didn't know being in a trio was so hard!  I've heard both sides (from other missionaries; mostly elders and you never know with them ;) that being in a trio is either really good or really BAD and you get nothing done either way.  I've kinda seen both sides this week, we've had our highs and lows. mostly highs but some real lows! This week has been a little rocky and rough.

One thing that we're really struggling with is making decisions; I think it's because Sister Westberg and I have gotten SO use to each other. We were starting to understand the way each other thinks and work through things. we could honestly finish each other thoughts and sentences. And then it's a new transfer and we're adding in someone new into the mix. I don't think we were ready for it. We were just honestly so excited we got to stay together. We weren't ready to train someone together. Because this whole time we were training each other -- cause she was honestly helping me out as much as I was helping her. Cause there is still so much I don't know......I was thinking about it though. I've been out almost 5 months at the end of this transfer, I'll be out 6 months which is 1/3 of my mission! That's crazy!!! It's gone by fast but then it hasn't. It's so true the days are LONG but the weeks are short. Every time we've gone and picked up a new missionary, I just think back when I was in their shoes and it feels like it was so long ago but honestly it wasn't.

 

  ANYWAYS  my new companion :) her name is Sister Godwin -- yes, I typed that right GODWIN! We're planning on using that to our advantage in our lessons somehow but haven't figured it out yet.....but we will! She's 23 going to turn 24 soon (which is kinda weird cause I'm training someone older than me? :) Anyways, she's from Turlock, California. which I love because in our companionship we outnumber Sister Westberg now, cause I'm always telling Sister Westberg how much better California is than Utah :) Now it's 2 versus 1. :)

So Sister Godwin is great!  Not going to lie, it's sometimes hard with 3 people. I kinda feel like someone always feels left out or not included. But luckily, we had a really great night last night!!! We were all talking and worked everything out. And just some such said and out. So we're all really trying to make everyone feel included and LOVED!!! 

 

LOVE YOU!!!!!

 

Sister Sharon Andersen

 

Letter #18

Dear Family!!!

This week has been crazy so much to tell you and NEVER enough time :( I guess i will start with the question mommy send me :) 

1- Know any more about the transfers?- Yes :) 

2- Do you have a new address yet? (Will need to know ASAP so we can send you the tape of Preston getting his call!) - For the time being we are still in the same apartment. :( Our background checks got denied! Can you believe it? Who has a better credit score than the church? ;) Just Kidding! We got denied because we couldn't say/guaranty that we be there for a year. :( It is OK we are going to keep looking at other places to rent. Right now our apartment is in a pretty crappy place...It is super south for our area and we don't have many members by us. The cherry on top is that there is a ton of construction where we live. It's actually kinda scary to ride our bike by that area. I should take pictures so you can understand. (Maybe NOT because I think it would freak mom out a little bit) ....send a tape? Couldn't you record it on your camera or something because I kinda want to see Preston's face when he opens it... and you could just send it in an email??? I can just rent some headphones from the Library. Just let me know. :) 

3- So are you getting a new companion? Getting to train two people at one? (We all want to know!!) I'm going to be in a trio!!! We are getting another sister! :) I'm so excited!! I get to be with Sister Westberg for another 6 weeks :) We are both super excited. I kept getting the feeling that I was going to leave, but honestly I think I was just preparing myself for the worst. I am not ready to leave Naples yet. I love it here!!! I'm honestly just starting to get the hang of things :) However, some of the Elders in our district said "Once you get comfortable, that is when they move you!" :( So I don't know.... but I am staying for at least another 6 weeks :) I can't wait to meet the new sister :) We are picking her up on Tuesday... wait... that is tomorrow!!! I think we have to leave at like 3 or 4 in the morning again; but it's worth it!@! I don't know anything about her yet, but you will find out in my next letter. The same member is driving us up to Tampa so maybe she'll send a picture of the three of us so you don't have to wait until Monday!!?? I guess we will see. I'm super duper excited! I'm praying for her daily! I'm a little worried... I don't know anything about her; even though I love her already! I really don't want her to feel left out since Sister Westberg and I get along so well. I just hope and pray she's fun and ready to for a good time! Because missionary life is crazy!! You have to make it fun, you make the best of what you are given. Just like the quote mommy has at home on the tile "Life is to be ENJOYED not just Endured!!" 

4- Tell dad that I can re-do your room? The guy is holding me back! He does not believe me that you said I could do what I want with your room and if you don't like it, you can change it when you get back. ( I think that you are going to love it! BTW)- Thank You Daddy for keeping your end of the bargain :) Yes, I did tell mom she can do whatever to the room. I totally trust her taste :) Where do you think I got mine from? :D But again; Please don't throw away my stuff, none of my clothes please! A lot of money went into buying those ;) and I wouldn't want to do that again. 


Sounds like you had an awesome Birthday Mom!!! I'm so glad! I can't wait to see the kitchen! Please take before and after pictures! :) How long did they say it was going to take? Hopefully not to long... So I totally blanked and didn't send a card to Kimmy or Preston yet!! I'm a horrible auntie/sister... Sorry!!! Good thing I bought something for Kimmy before I left! :) Some jewelry  I think?? And your next birthday I'll buy you double to make up for it! :) Preston; what did you say you wanted from Florida??  Gator or Dolphin's shirt or hat? Sorry i'm lame. HAPPY LATE B-DAY!!!! Well I am running out of time. :( LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! Pray for you always! Till we meet again!

Sister Sharon Andersen