What a Week!!

DISCLAIMER: This story is 100% true, with witnesses, and verified evidence. Some of the things in this email are a little personal, but I thought you might even get a kick out of it.

Wow, I cannot even begin to describe how odd this week was. I believe I should begin right at the beginning, where I arrived in Santa Rosa(capital city of the province, the Pampa). Okay...maybe when I left on last Monday night. I took my hour and a half bus ride back to General Acha, and sure enough, the whole city is about 1km by 1km. Pretty small. I got to the house and it was more than small. The house in total with living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen is about 9ft by 35ft. But, I actually really like it. I live here alone with Elder Aldridge. We woke up on Tuesday morning and we went to town cleaning, because it was definitely nasty. We went shopping for the week, and we planned for what was going on this week. We went out in the Afternoon and started working with a part member family, where some of them are recent converts and the others are now investigating. So we were teaching them all together because we want to bring this whole family together. We stopped and got some fruit on the way back to house...which would begin an event that I shall never forget...The fruit I ate that night was less than appetizing. It was either too ripe, or not ripe enough. Anyways, I went off to bed that night everything normal...and I woke up in the middle of the night with a serious stomach ache, and I couldn't seem to go back to sleep. I was really tired the next morning and was just aching, but Aldrigde and I did our normal morning routine with running and studying, and we were out the door. We went and talked to some investigators, and found some new people to teach, but my stomach still just seemed to be bothering me. We went to lunch with Sister Zwanger.(You will love this member, she is a sweetheart) The food was sooo good, but I just hurt every time I swallowed. I couldn't seem to say no to her, I just kept eating but it hurt. Anyways, we took off again and found some more new investigators, but my stomach was still hurting and I knew that something had to have made me sick. We wrapped up the evening and we headed home. I lost everything from lunch and dinner, nothing would stay down on Wednesday evening.Nothing. I tried to sleep again that night, but just every which way I would try to rest, I could not find comfort. We got up the next morning, and my companion told me how it was...¨Andersen! Call the mission doctor, you haven't been able to eat for an entire day and keep anything down.¨So I called the mission doctor Thursday morning, and I told him my symptoms of diarrhea, and non stop vomit. He told me to buy these two medicines from a pharmacy and to stay on clear liquids only for 24 hours. Well we went out Thursday morning to work and to get these medicines. I was glad I was going to get better now, because this stomach ache really sucked. Well, we actually didn't work in the afternoon, and I spent the afternoon and evening in front of the toilet, not even being able to keep down water. I would drink a sip and five minutes later it was up and out. Sister Zwanger made some lighter food for me to eat and brought it over for me to eat...but I still couldn't keep that down either. I really was not feeling so great.After a good 12 times of vomiting for the day, I was done attempting the whole ¨eating and drinking thing¨. I tried to sleep yet again...and yet again, I did not sleep due to this stomach ache from heck.We got up the next morning and Aldridge insisted that i call the Mission Presidents wife(she is in charge of our health as missionaries), and the Mission Doctor again. Well, the doctor told me to take small sips and try to keep it down. Then the Hermana(Mission presidents wife) called and wanted me to go to the clinic. Sister Zwanger came with us to the hospital(Actually she ended up coming three times during the day, bringing food and words of support every time, unfortunately for me, I just got to watch my comp eat the food because I was not allowed to eat for another day),and I got in and they took quite a few tests. Blood samples, blood sugar, pressure, temperature, etc. Needless to say a lot. I threw up the medicine that I had attempted to take on this lovely Friday morning...then things started to change. The Doctor at the hospital came in and talked with me for a minute. Well, they decided that I had something wrong with my stomach/digestive tract, and they needed to figure out what it was. So they did some more tests, having to take my temperature in most uncomfortable ways...(3 different times today)Well, they took x-rays, did the ¨baby finder test with jelly-thing¨(I don't know what its called), and then the strangest test in the world. If you have seen ¨the Princess Bride¨, I want you to remember when they hook Wesley up to ¨The Machine¨. Well, I was hooked up to A MACHINE, and they started shocking me to see how I would react to surgery. I was really confused why this crazy stuff was going on. Then the doctor came in and said, ¨Well, we don't have any tests that say for sure you do have it, but we don't have any that say you don't. But we are going to take your appendix out tomorrow morning.¨ I just started laughing to myself. Of all the things to expect to happen in the mission, this is not one of them. Anyways, The Mission Presidents Wife called the Hospital, and said she did not want me operated on in such a small city, and demanded that I be taken back to Santa Rosa. So I got to go in a lovely Ambulance ride-which was bumby and quite painful to my insides. We arrived at the hospital in Santa rosa about 10:30 Friday night, and the Doctor there said that they were not going to wait, and they were going to operate on meas soon as possible. Well, I was pushed into a room with two older lady nurses which stripped me down and started testing me all over again. Then one of them turned to Aldridge and the Zone Leaders which had just arrived, and asked them for a razor- or if they didn't have one, they had to go buy one down the street. My comp had been nice and packed my razor for me, and he gave them my face razor. This nurse then proceeded to shave me. Well, now that I was tested and on my IV, they laid a blanket over the top of me, and pushed me on in to the room for surgery. I arrived into the room with about 4 nurses with the age of about 24-25 years old, and my blanket was taken from me. I was strapped down to the table, legs and feet and everything. I was laying in the middle of this room with people just walking around and talking and making jokes about how the ¨Funny Yankee was about to have surgery in Argentina.¨Well, I had nothing better to do, so I started making dumb jokes with them in Spanish like, ¨Is this YOUR first operation on an appendix, because I know it is MINE.¨ Yes, dumb jokes, but what else are you going to do in this lovely situation. Well, then they knocked me out. Well, I was informed of the next part by my companion and my Zone leaders.I was wheeled out of the surgery room and taken upstairs, and the doctor came out to talk to my comp. Then they started hearing some crazy guy screaming. And the doctor explained that the surgery went well, and that because I had waited so long to go in, some of the bad liquid stuff from my bad appendix got into my stomach and intestines. But that I was good and my recovery should be smooth. Elder Steadman(One of the Zone Leaders) said sarcastically, ¨Well, he has got to be better than that crazy screaming guy right?¨ Then my comp added, ¨Wait guys, I think that is English.¨ Not even a few seconds later, a nurse came running down the stairs and said that she needed the other missionaries help. Apparently I had some kind of a reaction to the drugs and I thought I was blind, and I was in pain,but the nurses made the other three missionaries hold down the ¨Angry Yankee¨. WOW! They put another shot into me to put me out, because they were afraid I was going to tear my stitches or rip out my IV. Well, I woke up the next morning, and I was pretty tired. And I spent Saturday and half of Sunday in the hospital recovering, and I had my first things to eat and drink Saturday at about 2:00. It was some mashed up squash, and some warm water, and jello. But I was so hungry it didn't matter. So from Tuesday night, to Saturday middle of the day, I was not able to hold anything down. I was pretty starving. Well , what do we learn from this. In times of illness, we can bring ourselves closer to our Father in Heaven, because we can realize how much we really do rely on him, and how much our health really does matter to us. I am glad to report I am out of the hospital, though I am not allowed to walk around for another week, or do any real physical exercises for 20 more days. I am truly grateful to be past this phase in my mission. Once again, not exactly what I thought I would be going through, and is definitely something I will never forget. NOW, I WILL FOREVER HAVE A PART OF ME IN ARGENTINA! Literally!
What a week!
Elder Andersen

I have been transfered off to a little town called General Acha!

Left to right is My house in Punta Alta: Elder Judd(My Comp), Elder Simmons(Absolute Studd), Mini Martin(Mini Missionary), Me(I sure hope you know who I am)
Its tradition, and I hit six months in the mission. BURN A TIE

Who would´ve thunk it! I am a cowboy!

General Acha with Aldridge I have been transferred off to a little town called General Acha! It is out in the Pampa(the plains). So basically, I am headed out to the middle of nowhere in Argentina. I am going to a little town, and I will probably be eating some pretty weird food. Like Deep fried horse legs. And bone marrow soup...That's pretty cool no? I am way excited. My companion is half black, and this is his last six weeks in the Mission. So, there is a lot I can learn from the guy. I am way excited. His name is Elder Aldridge and he is from Alaska. Sweet stuff no? This heat is killing him. I slept all of about 2 hours last night, because i was traveling through the night to get here. Its so crazy. I was just in the one city, and that was what Argentina was to me. Its so cool to see a new side of things. It is only He and I living in this city. We have to travel 1.5 hours every Sunday Night to get to the City for P-day. Then we take it back. Its so crazy. I haven't seen it yet, but I hear its so tiny. I am way excited. Its a Rama, but I will give you more details next week, because I really don't know a whole lot.This last week was a little slow. P-day was fun. Interviews...I just knew I was leaving my first area, and it was way sad. I had to say goodbye to people. Like Eli and Toni. I am not going to lie it broke my heart. After helping people change their lifestyle and wanting to come to the gospel, and now preparing to go the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity, you just love them. They became like siblings to me. Like, really really. I hope I can come back someday, but I just don't know. Its pretty sad, But it is way happy to be moving as well. Its strange to be saying goodbye to the place I spent a quarter of my mission in. Not to mention the comp I have been with for the longest time. Its definitely strange. But I am stoked to start up here, and try to make some stuff happen out here. Really really...its going to be good. Sorry the email is a little short today.

Love you all

December 29, 2008 - January 5 2009

Hello everybody! Your dear Elder here in Argentina went a little crazy this week. We have been having a rough time finding people as of late, and we decided we needed to be a little bit more crazy! So we got together with the other elders and Put up BIG POSTERS! One of them said, ¨Did you know that Christ visited the Americas?¨ and the other ¨Families are Forever¨. We went out on Saturday afternoon in the plaza(the center of the city, or the ¨Central Park¨of Punta Alta) and talked to everybody we could about the gospel and the book of Mormon. We ended up in 3 hours finding 33 people and all of the accepting the invitations to go to church on Sunday. IT was wicked awesome. That means that this week...the last week of the transfer...is going to be crazy busy trying to go by all of these people and follow up on their reading and praying commitments. Its going to be absolutely crazy!My companion is sick again, throwing up and migraines. It is dehydration. Maybe my body is just used to it after running and never hydrating enough, but he drinks way more than I do, and still gets this. I have yet to get that(knock on wood!) Our English class we teach has gotten significantly more difficult, as we now have students who really want to learn grammar. The other Elder designated me to teach grammar and them to do vocabulary. YIKES! This last week we went over prepositions and prepositional phrases. Today is going to be a crazy P-day. We woke up and went and took pictures by the coast(it really is a shame we cant do anything but look at it, haha). Then we went to play a game called paddle. Its a mix of tennis and Racquetball. I really love it, but I am terrible. Now we are doing our Internet, and then we are going to McDonald's...Okay, let me explain. McDonald's there is like cheap fast food, but here it is delicacy. It costs 25 pesos to get a combo meal. The hamburgers alone are 16 pesos. Needless to say, we are eating some fine-dining McDonald's style. :) Then its off to the district and zone meetings!Oh, for the new year we spent with 3 families. One member, one less active member, and one investigating family. We made Tacos of course, but also ate half of a lamb...literally we threw half of a lamb onto the grill. Then some salads and fruit salads for desert. We played with the little kids for a while, which were absolutely crazy. Not to mention my comp doesn't have a whole lot of patience for these little kids. hahahahaha. Anyways. Things are going well here, and this could be my last week in this area! WOW! I have only been in one area and I am one quarter of the way done. Its actually kind of sad. I have been waiting my entire life to go on a mission, anticipating and trying to prepare(keyword there TRYING). And now a big chunk is already gone. :( Well, there is a lot to do today, sorry this is so short. Know that I love you all, and that you are in my prayers!ELDER ANDERSEN
Chase Andersen

Happy News!

Another couple in our ward finally can get married! Their divorce papers came through. So He can get baptized! He has been coming to church for over a year now, and I am so happy that he will finally be able to receive all of the blessings of baptism that he has been waiting for. He is so happy, you should see him. Oh, the whole family just looks so good. I kind of hope I can still be here for it... Also, I don't know if I told you or not, but I did divisions with another elder in his area one day, and we found a family of five people, and they are awesome. Well, it was sad because I didn't get to teach them more, but I got to go see their baptism, and it was so happy! To get to see things like this makes all of your hard times worth it. Really really. This transfer is winding down, and I don't know if I will still be in Punta Alta anymore as of Dads birthday on the twelfth. I actually want to stay here longer, but I am sure that is how every missionary is, wanting to stay in their area. I love the people here, members, investigators, even the people in the street. I just love it. We found another amazing family this week. Betty and Juan and their two kids. Betty has been going to her Evangelical church for 8 years but hasn't been baptized because she felt like she was missing something. She also had questions of what Jesus Christ did after his time in Jerusalem. After we taught her, she was so happy, she said, ¨Maybe Joseph Smith, and the real authority is what I felt was missing, and maybe the book or Mormon has the answers I have been looking for. Of course I will pray to see if it is true.¨ We are praying for her that she can receive her answer. Thank you all for all your support. I love you all, and you are in my prayers.

So, the first is the Cides Family. We spent some time them, her son has a burning testimony and he is going to get baptized where they just moved to.

We like tacos, and we ended up making and eating tacos just the two of us in our little house. Christmas eve Dinner

The Montaños give us lunch a lot, and the daughter(Florencia) Just received her mission call to Temple Square. She will be leaving in February! Oh...and I am not drinking wine in this picture...haha

This is me playing at the park one day...yeah I am still a little kid at heart

I found Christmas in Argentina! Woohoo!

These are some of my best friends in the mission. They are both from Chile, and they are cousins. Elder Veliz and Elder Veliz. Both have had time in my district, and I have done divisions with them both.

Play boy mansion is three blocks away from my house. And about 2 months ago, we put Chastity Pamphlets under the door. I didn´t think it would do anything, but worth a shot no....hahahaha.

December 8-15, 2008

Hola This week is just the week we are trying to brace for the week of Christmas. We are going to be pounded with different things for the next two weeks. Super P-day, zone conference...etc. Your Christmas present is on the way, and I want you to know that I chose out everything personally. I started getting you things that I thought you would love and could use(some for nursery...hehe), and I got carried away. I kind of new it was coming this month though, so I bought enough food to last until the 30th, when I have my allowance to be used again. This week had some ups, and some definite downs. We lost a few investigators, and found a few more. But we found some very good people this week, and we had some members really express their love for us. They are recent converts and were talking about how we truly are little angels that bring the true happiness in life. It was so freaking sweet I can´t even explain. It was a sweet joy to hear that somebody here does appreciate our existence. It gets kind of tough sometimes, people chasing you away from their house cursing at you and threatening to call the police. I am not complaining though. I love the people here, they are so relaxed, and kind of go with the flow people. I am really in love with the mission already. The people that I helped are now in the Young Women's and Young men's. Its so happy to hear that they are doing so well. Fortunately for me, I get to see it. They are so neat. A girl in my ward here just got her mission call to temple square. I was so stoked for her. She keeps doing these things called mini missions(they don't do them in the states, otherwise I would highly recommend them). You see, sometimes the mission faults a missionary, and they need someone to fill that spot. So instead of closing an area, they ask the different stakes in the area if they have anyone around that age that can fill in for a few weeks. They go and live with the missionaries and do missionary work. It is good for them, and definitely good for the mission. I am doing really well, Elder Simmons is another that lives in my house, and he is one of my best friends in the mission. He is so fun and funny. We are always playing pranks on each other and on the other missionaries. We found little fire crackers and we throw them into peoples rooms to wake them up. Or, we made one of the other elders cut his face shaving because we threw one into the bathroom while he was shaving. Not bad, but it was hilarious. I don't know, I really am enjoying myself, and having some fun. Honestly it really doesn't seem much like Christmas here. Its 100 degrees and everyone puts out their statues of Mary to celebrate. So funny, I got a booklet of prayers to the virgin, because the lady we were talking to thinks we are far lost, and need to find our way back. Catholics don't pray to God, I don't know if you knew this or not, but yeah, they pray to Mary, and curse us for not worshiping her.I have more pictures to send, but I will be sending them next week, or the next. Its crazy busy.Thanks everyone. I love you all.

December 1-8, 2008

Well, this has been a really rough, slow week. Everything seemed to fall through every day. It was kind of lame. This keyboard stinks, you have to push the keys pretty hard, especially for the T´s. So if I miss one, just fill it in. Anyways, we had some funny stuff happen, we were explaining what a prophet was, and the guy was just like, "yeah, he has to be like way good, almost perfect...like Flanders...have you guys seen the Simpsons, do you know who Flanders is?" We were laughing so hard. I thought you might get a kick out of that. Yeah, we have some people we are working with, but retention is terrible here. We have more inactive members, than less active and active members combined. And we don´t wan to baptize people to have them go inactive. Its so hard to see these people fall away. So, with Elder Judd and I, we were feeling like we haven´t been able to accomplish a whole lot, because we haven´t been able to help people make that last step. We have had like 10 people now right there, but they just can´t commit to the whole deal. But, we saw some definate other progress too. When Elder Judd and I started working together, the average assistance to the church was about 48 every week. But, well, the last 3 weeks there have been more than 80. Still a pretty small number for a ward, but it is growing, and the inactive members are starting to go more. We still are short a lot, and we are still pounding out some work with our investigators. Martin, the Kumbi star, is really loving what we have been able to help him with. He told us, that for about the past year he has been seeing different doctors to try to help him with his depression, and his addictions. He has seen pastors of different religions and what not, and he has not been able to improve anything. He had decided to jus give up on looking for help. Then we came, and he decided to give us a chance, though he was really doubting...Now he said that there is jus something very different about us, and he feels that hope, and his desire to drink and do drugs is practically non existent. I don´t really know what will happen with Martin, but he has said that the light we brought to his life, is something that he will never be able to forget.
Chase Andersen

Week of Novemeber 24-30, 2008

This week was pretty good, pretty crazy, but pretty good. Antonio Gomez is now pretty much ready for baptism. It will either be this weekend, or next. We will have to see. But he is good and ready, and understanding whats going on. We got the transfer calls on friday, and I am here for one more(and thats probably it). There was some pretty bad stuff that happened in part of the mission, and like 6 Elders are going to be sent home after Christmas so they don´t ruin their families christmas...Yikes, some people are so dumb. But Elder Hoyt who I have lived with for the last 5 months is going to Necochea. It is really wierd not having him here. He is like a comp really. But yeah, so Elder Judd and I are together for one more transfer. Six more weeks. Whew. We were doing lots of crazy stuff this week, trying to get some things done, basically working on some loose ends. But we found this lady named Nora, and her daughter Norita, and they wanted to come to church. But Sacrament meeting was really crazy this week, and they took off running right after. So, we will have to see if we can go and keep them interested. Also, we found a guy named Daníel Ragozza. I may have mentioned the Ragozza brothers before, but we are probably going to be working with him too. He is a stud. He is like 23 years old, and well, he has a hard time getting up for church is all. So we are going to be working with him too. Crazy NEWS. There is a girl in our ward here, that just got her mission call, and she is going to Temple Square. Two of her sisters have been taken back to the states by missionarires, and now she is going to be a missionary in the states. Crazy. We just traded places. Anyways, yeah. I am excited to have another transfer here. Spend Christmas and new years here. Its going to be a lot of fun this transfer. For a lot of reasons. But its going to be really good. Oh, and also I did divisions with another elder two and a half weeks ago, and we met this way awesome family, and challenged them to baptism in the first lesson with them. I went to their baptism yesterday. It was so awesome to see them. It was so happy. I loved it. Things are going pretty good here, I am enjoying myself, learning more spanish, and making some progress. Whew. You are all in my prayers, and I am grateful to be in yours.