THE VISION OF THE SOUTH

"Make no small plans: This is the vision I have for the South. I believe that one day the South will baptize more people into the church than all other English speaking missions in the world together....We will see the time when we will baptize hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...In your day you will see a million members of the church in the South. There will be temples plural in the Southern States. What a great call you have to serve with these marvelous people." President Spencer W. Kimball

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Dear President Wall, Good to Talk to Mom

Sent Date: Monday, December 30, 2013

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,

How are you? Good I hope. I am doing really well. I have my challenges but that is why I can appreciate the good. Christmas was awesome it was very therapeutical (it says I spelled that wrong but I don't think I did) to be able to talk to my Mother. Lots of very difficult things have happened since I left. I have never experienced such difficult things before, and the worst part is that I can only read, read what they have to say; And in return I can write them an poorly worded, poorly punctuated E-MAIL back. Anyway I know that the Lord is doing more for my family than I ever could, and for that I am eternally grateful...as is the way it always has been and always will be.

Life in Algiers is great. People are awesome, busy but awesome. The Elders that I am around are great, they all have their talents and area all good at what they do (Oh the sisters too) I believe that I can learn something from everyone. District unity is good, sometime I can tell that Elder Mastache feels like he is herding cats, but he does it remarkable well. Elder Vaughn and I are good. I think that the "trunkiness"(that one definitely is spelled wrong) has become a problem. I have faith in him and believe that we can change. I just continually try to get him out of the apartment, one because that is way more fun and two too keep working, always working.


I am really curious what is going to happen this transfer?


Thanks for all you do. Love y'all,

Elder Andrews

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dear President Wall, How Great Is Our Call?

Sent Date: Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

This transfer i will make things work. I can not change my companion but i can change my attitude. So that is what is going to change. I LOVE MY COMPANION!!!!! AND I AM SO EXCITED TO SERVE WITH HIM ONE MORE!!!!!!


This week was kind of weird because it was basically dedicated to one man in that we say him almost everyday. His name is Guerrmo. He is Honduran and is like 76 years old. His sister is a member and is here from Honduras. He is a really cool guy and has asked for so many blessing and we are so happy to give them to him. I gave lots of blessing this week almost everyday and most not to him. The members here really have a strong testimony of the power of the priesthood. The people here are just all round awesome. Even the non-members, sure they don't really want to listen to our message but they always want us over to eat to talk. I can't even tell you how many times in one day i hear "mi casa es su casa" (my house is your house). It warms my heart.



Something that I found interesting in of the Book of Mormon this week is Lehi and Nephi's visions of the tree of life.  It is an immensely powerful experience but more than this week, I am interested in how the spirit taught these Prophets. Both accounts are very different. Lehi's is all about the dream and telling him what he needed to know about his family because in his life his family is what he needed to be aware of. Nephi on the other had is the future leader of the Nephites(spiritually and physically) He has to have a testimony of Jesus Christ. He had to have a knowledge of his Savor so that he could convert his people. And instill in his people a faith that would last as long as it could for hundreds of years. Luckly he wasn't alone. Luckly none of us are alone, because we all have an awesome duty to these people. ooouhhhh 

HOW GREAT IS OUR CALL!!!!!!!! WWWWAAAAHHHOOO (i have no idea how to spell those things)


Love, Elder Andrews

Thursday, December 5, 2013

FROM PH: Purification


Sent Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013


Elder Perkin of the Seventy will tour our mission January 16th and 17th. Perhaps you can consider accepting the challenge to purify yourselves in preparation for a visit from a Special Witness of the Name of Christ.

Purification
I would like to talk about the importance of doing everything in our power to be worthy of having the Spirit with us as we strive to find our brothers and sisters who are ready to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have come to realize just how much we value the great gift of the Spirit in our lives as full time missionaries. We all stand for something we value more than rubies or gold for we know that we are sons and daughters of God who wants nothing more than to have us return to Him and dwell with Him forever.

I want to tell you about a division of soldiers in Napoleon’s army many years ago. At the end of battle this division was totally surrounded by the enemy. Less than 100 men remained alive with their French flag atop the hill. All the rest of the division had been killed. Four cannons, loaded with shrapnel faced these last embattled soldiers. The soldiers were told to lay down their flag or be killed by the point blank blasts of the cannons. The Frenchmen decided they would rather die than lay down their flag and surrender. They were all killed. 

Do you think these men laid down their life for a piece of fabric that was their flag? Of course not. It was the principles and values which their flag stood for that were so meaningful. Today let’s talk about what our principles and values are as we strive to draw closer to our Heavenly Father as His missionaries. We are trying to allow Him to mold us into the missionaries He needs here at this time. I believe that each one of us wants to be an instrument in His hands to be led by the Spirit in doing His work. I’m sure there is not one of us that would not like to be a more effective missionary. 

I would like to read about a missionary’s experience from a talk given by Elder Gene R. Cook written while he was serving as mission president in Uruguay. I feel that it has a very important message that
will teach all of us. The following story is written in the missionary’s own words: I was transferred to a new area and was working hard. In terms of spiritual things, I was starting to understand more deeply, yet there was still something missing. I began to read the scriptures more thoughtfully. More accurately, I began to search the scriptures. As I did, I became aware there was still something missing.

One day a member informed us that he had an investigator that was ready to be taught and he volunteered to attend the first discussion. The discussion went along as usual. At the conclusion, my companion and I bore witness of Joseph Smith and then turned to our friend. He paused for a moment, looked at the young lady and said, “I know that Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of God.” The room filled with an extraterrestrial force. The investigator started to cry.

As we walked home, I was baffled. The man said the exact same words that we had said but the result was dramatically different. When he spoke he had an influence that we did not have. There was no question that the influence was the Holy Ghost, but this man seemed to have it in a different way. There was still something to be learned. I had to find out what the secret was so I returned to the scriptures. It seems like we were so close to being effective and yet we just could not make it happen. After several weeks of searching and praying, we attended a meeting and heard a well-known church leader. He spoke about the scriptures as a source of strength, and about the process of spiritual influence. His words caused a burning in my soul. When he finished his address, I intentionally lingered behind. When I was finally alone with this man I asked him for a few moments of his time. I explained my desire to be a more effective missionary. I told him about the lessons I had learned. I told him that something was still mission. Finally he spoke. He said, “Elder, when these pretty ladies pass you on the street, what do you think about.”

Before I could answer, he asked,“do you ever speak sarcastically to your junior companion?” 
“Do you get up at 6:30 a.m. every morning?”
“Do you keep every mission rule?”

His list of questions grew longer. Finally he said, “These are things that keep you from hearing the promptings of the Holy Ghost and from being his companion. If you want the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, then you must purify yourself. I will tell you how to do it. Go home and fast for a day in the attitude of fasting and prayer. Make a list of every behavior that separates you from the spirit. (The Spirit will tell you what to put on the list) Once you have made your list, go to the Lord. Covenant with the Lord that you fast from the things on your list
for 40 days. In other words, for 40 days you will do nothing that appears on that list. 

“You cannot just stop the old behavior and start the new ones. You need the help of the Lord. So each morning go to the Lord and specifically promise Him that you will avoid each item on your list. Ask for His help so you can have extra strength, and at night go over the list with the Lord. If you failed on some items, figure out why. Tell the Lord. Ask for more strength the next day.

“Go through the process for 40 days. If you do, you will find that your most basic desires have changed. Your spirit will flourish and the Holy Ghost will become your constant companion.  You will become an effective tool in the hands of the Lord.”


We went home determined to make the concept work. We began to fast and we began to make a list. It proved to be much harder than we assumed it would be. I would pray and then I would feel impressed to write down some item. Then arguing that there was nothing wrong with the particular thing I would fight the impression. For example, I felt impressed to put golf on the list. (Who told me to put that on my list? The Holy Ghost prompted me to do the things I needed to do to hear him better). My response was, “There’s nothing wrong with golf. We only play on preparation day.” I ignored the fact that on the other six days my mind continually dwelled on how to play better. I wrestled with the Spirit and then finally wrote golf on the list. It is interesting that from the moment I wrote it on the list; I experienced the most intense desire to play golf. Everywhere I turned there was some reminder, some temptations to break the commitment. So it was with each item on the list. Each day I had to fight all my natural inclinations and turn to the Lord for the help necessary to overcome myself. Sometime between the 30th and 40th day, I suddenly realized that my desire for the things on the list had disappeared. It was as if a great anchor had been cut from me.

The last morning my companion and I knelt in prayer and then started out the door. I was impressed to back again and pray. With unusual confidence I addressed the Lord, “Father, these are thy children. We are now doing everything within our power to live the gospel. We turn the burden over to thee. Please carry us the rest of the way.”

We went to our first appointment. Halfway through the discussion, our investigator began to make an excuse that he could not be baptized because he did not know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. “Your real fear is that your mother will disapprove if you join the Church. In the name of Jesus Christ, I promise you that your entire family will embrace the gospel because of your courageous example. The Lord wants you to be baptized now and it is necessary that you comply.”

I had never before done anything like that. In fact, I knew nothing about his mother. He hardly  mentioned her. While I could hardly believe what I had said, a familiar spirit entered the room. This brother began to weep. He committed to be baptized that following Saturday. The experience repeated itself. At our very next meeting with each investigator there was a celestial manifestation and every one of them was committed to baptism. In an 8 week period, 16 people were baptized. It was an unusual number for our mission! While the number of baptisms was large, the truly impressive thing was the change in my companion and me. We were different people. Our most basic desires and motives had been altered. Credit and recognition were no longer of any consequence. From the first time in our live the things of God were more important than the things of this world and the honors of men. Our sensitivity deepened. We noticed how often we would cry. Several times a day we would be brought to teach by a prayer, a talk, a discussion, a scripture, or almost anything would deeply touch us. Our concern was continually focused upon others. For the first time we could understand Nephi’s claim, “For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night because of them.” We could understand the statement because for the first time we could understand Nephi’s motives.

We became constant companions with the the Holy Ghost. Because our motives had changed because we had an eye single to the Glory of God, the Lord could trust us and we experienced the Power of the Priesthood and became effective tools in His hands. I believe that purity is one of the main keys to being an effective missionary by allowing us to have the active influence of the Spirit. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “The pure in heart are those who are free from moral defilement or guilt, who have bridled their passions, put off the natural man and become saints through the Atonement.” Most of us cannot be classified as pure in heart yet, but we are commanded to be working on this.

Helaman 3:35 “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.


I CHALLENGE each of you to fast from food and water for 24 hours, and in the spirit of the fast write a list of at least ten things that “keep you from hearing the spirit” (or 10 of your natural man inclinations that you want to change). REMEMBER, IT WILL BE THE HOLY GHOST INSPIRING YOU OF THE THINGS YOU NEED TO LIST. Then fast from the 10 items on your list for 40 days in order to be purified so that the Holy Ghost will be your constant companion while you are doing this missionary work. This fast is not a fast from food and water, but it is a fast from your natural man tendencies. It is a period when you deny yourself of all those natural man things on your list that you want to change. You might include eliminating things that prevent you from hearing the spirit, such as: 
1. Eliminate all distractions that prevent you from having a meaningful personal study hour every morning.
2. Avoid any unwholesome thoughts.
3. Stop sleeping in-even 5 minutes.
4. Avoid expressing any irritation you may be inclined to experience with a companion.
5. Think of other’s needs fist-do away with the “I” pronoun.
6. Avoid any music that does not conform to mission standards.
7. Put pride out of your mind and heart.

You may wish to include some positive things you wish to do such as:
1. Maintain a positive attitude about all aspects of missionary work.
2. Set yourself a definite goal in memorizing the scriptures.
3. Being rigorously honest in your accounting- don’t give yourself the “benefit of the doubt”.
Commit yourself to overcoming a fear that you still have of some aspect of missionary work. How many of you will be willing to commit with me to do this for 40 days of fasting from our natural man tendencies? I know it will make a difference. I know it will make our mission better. It will make each one of us better.

Moroni 7:48 “Pray unto Father that we may be purified even as he is pure.

D&C 50:29 “And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be

 
 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Christmas Wish from President and Sister Wall

Christmas gift
Sent Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013


When we think of Christmas and the extraordinary gift of the Savior, we also remember that because of His great love for us, He gave us another gift that is also very precious. It is a gift that helps us to always remember Him and helps us to be close to Him. And, like the real meaning of Christmas, it is a gift that is sometimes forgotten. When the Savior spoke to the surviving Nephites and Lamanites following the great destruction following His crucifixion, He first invited them to “return unto me…that I may heal you,” and invited them to “come unto me, and ye shall have eternal life,” and extended His arm of mercy towards them. He then told them the conditions of receiving some of these great gifts. “And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost.” And then He tells them something that I have often wondered about. He tells them of the Lamanites that “were baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” As we have been teaching our missionaries the importance of being guided by the spirit, they struggle with how they can feel the spirit, and question whether they are living by the spirit. As she was worrying over this, one of our sister missionaries got a wonderful answer from her mother. “My mom wrote me today and said this when I told her that I was worried if I was living by the spirit and could recognize being guided by the Spirit. One thought on being led by the spirit: it is a different experience for one who was born in the covenant (or has been baptized and received the Holy Ghost). It is like living in a room your whole life with light- you don't really notice it being there because you are so used to its presence. But, for one who has lived in the dark and a light is turned on, it is a dramatic arrival. You have lived with the spirit in your home and in you, guiding your decisions for your whole life. Don't be so hard on yourself...it likely still is there the whole time; and working hard and asking for direction, as long as you are doing nothing to withdraw from it, is living by the spirit". 

Because the voice of the spirit “occupies our minds and feelings, comes as a still small voice, carries into our hearts, enlightens our minds and puts thought into our hearts,” we can be like our young sister missionary and know not that we are guided by it. But, it’s always there, prompting us to do good, impressing on our minds things we should be doing in our daily lives, warning us of danger, callings us back to the Father if we stray, and so much more. There are times when we can be like a little child playing in the street whose fathers or mothers keep warning us to get out of the street. We may ignore the warnings and even move further away so that we can continue to play in the dangerous street. But we can never get so far away, that, if while playing on unsafe streets and a car approaches, our father or mother will not run to us with a voice of warning. “You deserve it ” is not in their vocabulary. The spirit is like that, it is always warning us and calling us to come back out of danger. It may be like a radio signal that we have in our lives allowed static or poor tuning to block the signal that is always broadcasting messages of peace and love and guidance and warning.


Perhaps this Christmas, we can express our gratitude to the Savior for the gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives by removing the static, and getting in tune with the spirit. The Father gave us the gift of His Son. Other than eternal life, the Savior said He had given no greater gift than the Holy Ghost. 

May the light of Christ and the light of the Spirit brighten your path daily and safely guide you back to our Heavenly Father.

With much love,
President and Sister Wall

Monday, December 2, 2013

Dear President Wall, Unity Strained

Sent Date: Monday, December 2, 2013

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,

This week has been great, despite the fact that I think our companionship unity is becoming strained. Just with the assumption that he has, that I am never right, or that I never have a good idea on what to do in the day to day stuff. It is not something that started this week, matter of fact it has been going on for a while, and I am now starting to lose my patience with it. I know I am new and still have a lot to learn, but I don't want to except that everything that I say is completely ludicrous and deserves to be gawked at. I am really struggling keeping myself positive, I am almost depressed about it because I have tried many different things to no avail. That said I still slap a smile on my face and muscle through. 

District Unity is good like always, I am really impressed with the growth that has happen to Elder Mastache and Elder Cisneros. I have been studying from the Book of Mormon everyday but really what struck me this week was what one of our investigators said, "I like this Church because it is so easy to find out if it is true or not. Just read this Book and pray about it and you will get your answer." Isn't that amazing!!! First off, can I get a PREPARED, and second how true that statement is. That is all it takes. Nothing more Nothing less. Just read pray and be willing to change. It was a good lesson. 

Okay well it is killing me... I really don't want to say anything about this but it has been bugging me for a while now. I would like to be transferred. I am sorry that I am saying this, it feels juvenile to say this but it has been something I have wanted to say for a while. My sentiments from last email still stand.(1 Nephi 3:7) Now you know my stance and I will say nothing more about it.


Thank you so much for all you do. I really appreciate it. My prayers are with you.

Elder Andrews

FROM PH: Right Place, Right Time

It's time to be in the right place at the right time!

Sent Date: Sunday, December 1, 2013
Author: President Wall

If you were paid a generous fee for every minute that you worked as a missionary, would you ever take too much time for lunch or dinner breaks? Would you find reasons to "hang out" with other missionaries at times other than district meeting or service projects? Would you find it easier to "have fun" with members rather than teach them or serve them? A spirit led missionary uses time wisely. If this little nudge has made you wonder if you are making wise use of your time, then you could probably do better. For example, when should you be spending time with other missionaries?

District Meeting
At Church
Missionary Correlation Meeting
Preparation Day
Service Projects
Exchanges


Are you "hanging around" after your meetings? You are constantly being evaluated (judged) as others see how you are spending your time. When you account to the Lord for how you are using your minutes, hours and days, what will you be able to tell him? Do you miss miracles because you were not in the right place at the right time? Is it time for a change on how you use your time?

Sharing the Gospel is Easy

So, funny story.  We got a call from Edson, a guy that we have been trying to teach for a while now and he wanted us to come over to teach him and his friends.  That night we went over, thinking it is funny that he lives on the same street as the Gariffina (black people who live in HONDURAS-sorry not Brazil in last week's email.)  It turns out he lives in the same house as the Gariffina we contacted and not only that, Edson has three friends that are all so awesome.  They have all been searching for the true church!  In our lesson Edson said something really cool.  He said that what he likes about this church is that it is so easy; all you have to do is read this book and pray if it is true! They are Golden except they, like everyone else here, don't have a car so they can't drive to church.  The problem is that everyone needs a ride and lots of the people in the branch already have to give people rides.  So that is going to be a struggle but come on, still too easy!
 
Anyway have I told you about our neighbors?  No?  Oh man I have been holding out on you.  So we have one neighbor, super nice lady, and her lady "Friend".  They love to argue at three in the morning and wake up the Mormons in the next apartment up.  They aren't even the Gold Medalist.  We've got colorful people around here.  Probably read the first paragragh again just to get the spirit back, whoops.
 
Love y'all.  Hope you realize how easy it is to share the Gospel; it is just talking to people.  You don't have to be a missionary.  Actually we just have the keys to teaching not to finding.  The members have to do almost everything for it to work. Trust me, in my 6 months here I have already seen so many people slip through the cracks because no one was there to say, "We love you.  Sit and stay a while."  It is that easy.
 
Love,
Elder Andrews

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Dear President Wall, Transfers?

President,
Hey President, this week was really good. We have been working really hard and  really  enjoying the work. Elder Vaughn and I are doing really well and doing lots of work. Our District Unity is at an all time high! It is really making life enjoyable. 

So at our interviews you said that this might be my last transfer or that I could stay here and train(so I don't really have any more information than i started out with but you probably did that on purpose) I was a little shocked when you told me that I would train. Please do not take that as a sign of resistance. President I am here and I will do whatever the Lord and yourself would like so please don't ever feel like you don't want to do something that will make me uncomfortable. I would love to do whatever you have in mind, I am here to serve in whatever capacity you and The Lord have in mind.



Love you, Praying for you,

Elder Andrews
 

God Has Turned Me into an Optimist

God has turned me into an optimist. We had 29 lessons scheduled this week and in total we taught six lessons, despite that it was a good week!  Numbers don't matter yada yada ya (people here  always say that.) We have been searching through the 29 page immense BRANCH roster.  It gives us a huge job and it is fun because most times the address that a family is supposed to be living at is some field or in the Mississippi!!! It is pretty funny.
 
We were trying to find this lady on Saturday and came to a door with three different numbers on it.  We didn't know if we were in the right place. So we knock on the door and this black guy answers.  I looked at him and could tell that he was not Dominican so I spoke to him in English.....Blank stare....I tried again in Spanish assuring him that we are missionaries not cops (because now that we've had a car for two weeks everyone thinks we are cops).  He was a really nice guy and turns out we wasn't Dominican but from some tribe of Africans.  He came here on a slave ship, but the ship got marooned in Brazil and they all speak Spanish now. Anyway we contacted him and are going to go over there this week. 
 
We are working hard.  Nothing really new and exciting.
 
Love y'all,
 
Elder Andrews

Thursday, November 21, 2013

November 18, 2013

This week was great! We had interviews with President Wall.  He scared me to death by telling me that I will be training soon! He also asked me how my Spanish is.  I have had lots of people ask me the same question and this is my answer: MY Spanish is bad, but the Spanish that the LORD lets me borrow from Him everyday is actually really good. I say it like that not to prove to you that I am humble or anything like that.  I say that because God has made it painfully apparent that my Spanish is bad and that by myself I am in trouble but with Him, it is a breeze.
 
Anyway we have been teaching Jendric and he is progressing really well. Good guy, really good guy. Missions are crazy and Louisiana is crazy so my life is absolutely insane!!
 
So we (Algiers) have had a car for two weeks because one of the sisters in the area had to go home.  She was sick.  So we have a car and it is so nice but I miss biking.  It has really been nice this last little bit because the weather has been so bad.
 
So I am sorry these emails are just everywhere but I don't have a lot of time so this is what you get.
 
Love,
Elder Andrews
 
P.S. If you have question that I am not answering in my very well-thought out emails just ask....Love y'all.  :)

Love, Serve, Teach


November 4, 2013

So something that I am just going to tell all, while it is on my mind, is that we have a theme for this mission and it is going to be the theme for the rest of my life in everything I do:

                                    LOVE, SERVE, TEACH
I really like it. It's simple but profound because that is all you ever need to do to share the gospel.

OK this week. This week was slow. It was transfer week I am still in Algiers with Elder Vaughn so that is good. there was a lot of changes in the district but we will adapt. I have come to realize that I don't like it when people leave it sucks.

We did a ton of service this week. we spent like six hours building a fence for a widowed sister in the branch it was actually really fun. And surprisingly the fence is still up!! Three days later!!! Man the Church is true. We got two visa waiters in the West Bank now and they are Green as can be.  They do not know what is a good use of time and what is a bad use of time. Jake actually gave me the best advise about your trainer he said, "Be nice to your trainer.  All he is trying to do is fill a day and he has this yippee little kid that thinks he is the laziest person on the planet."

It is hard to fill a day especially because people love to cancel. Oh my, do they love to cancel. We will have a packed day where we have to hurry everywhere all day, we are planning on seeing 9 people in one day and at the end of the day we will have seen one.  Maddening yes, but we deal with it.

Anyway this email is pretty random but life is good.  Mission is Good. Mission is fun. People are funny. Church is still true in spite of what all the people at Wal-Mart say (starting to really think that is funny) Questions? Good.

Love,
Elder Andrews

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Dear President Wall, B of M in Spanish

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,


This week was great. We have been really busy. I wish that we had more time in the day!!! We could probably be smarter with our time; but then again we can always improve. Anyway companionship unity is good we work well together. I can't say that we are the best of friends and that he is my favorite person all the time but Elder Vaughn has some very good qualities. And he is a good guy. I am very blessed because of that. Our district unity is fantastic!! We all love each other.(including those in the English District) We are heart broken to see Sister Salorzano go, but I guess that God has a different path for her. We wish her the best. 


Okay so I started to read the Book of Mormon in Spanish and as daunting as I thought it would be it is actually not too bad!! Tender Mercy!! Anyway it has been interesting to start it over and sorta focus on the small things like what a word means or what a sentence means or a verse. One thing that I have noticed is that the beginning is really good,(not to down-play the value of the rest of it). The beginning is like the introduction of a paper. It has to be the best and have some serious power to it so that people will want to continue to read.(Sorry that i did not learn lesson very well) Cause lets face it if they started the Book of Mormon off with the Isaiah chapters that would be ruff. No, instead of that we start out with a bunch of people running into the wilderness because an entire city wants to KILL THEM!!!! Exciting! Anyway to what I learned......I get distracted in these emails and then end up writing a big old paragraph, sorry; but it is okay because you are teaching me stuff without even talking! So one of the most famous scriptures is 1Nephi 3:7 "I will go and do......." really famous and really powerful. I know that we all feel like this when we are asked to do something, like go on a mission for example. We start singing the primary song....and off we go with a smile on our face. Then difficulties and failure catch up to our enthusiasm, and we become discouraged and say 'we I went and i did.....but now i am returning and rethinking this' but Nephi covers his bases. In 1Nephi 3:15(my personal favorite) he basically says:(allowing me the right to some personal interpretation) 


I am still alive and we all know that God is still alive so what gives us the right to stop, what gives us the to say that what he asked us to do is too hard, we will not stop. We will not give up. Ever. Because we know that God is there. Because we know that He loves us. We will do His will. I will do his will. Always.



Love ya President Wall, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Elder Andrews

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Dear President Wall, Joseph Smith

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President, 


I don't have much to say this week. I have been studying about charity and love. I have really been looking at the "worldly"(aka I have been looking in the dictionary) definitions of those word. Now I don't have my notebook, so I can't be as exact as I would like, but I can share with you the concept. In all the definitions I found there was two different themes. Love has the theme of Feelings, and Charity has the theme of Action. Now it makes sense why every other Character of Christ only has one topic or title, and Charity and Love has two. Because along with "faith without works is dead"(James 2:20), Love without Charity or Charity without Love is dead. I don't know maybe that is too much of a stretch. 


I am really glad to be here President. I really love these people. I love them to death.(don't understand that phase probably shouldn't use it) Everyday I thank my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to struggle in His vineyard. I love this, I am having so much fun trying everyday to Love, Serve and Teach someone. So much fun. Sometimes I think I am doing something wrong cause I am having so much fun. Then I am reminded of disappointment, and that lands me straight back into the real world. Which is still really nice. 


These letters I have been writing to you seem all dark and gloomy. But I can promise you the opposite is true life is good. Thanks for all you do. I keep you and Sister Wall in my prayers.  And this letter is not short by any means. Sorry!



Love,


Elder Andrews


P.S. Can you text me and let me know when would be a good time to call you so we can talk about the Free-mason/Joseph Smith. Thanks!



Sent Date: Saturday, November 2, 2013
Author: President Wall


In the early history of the church. several church leaders were Freemasons. Joseph learned from them, that the masons were very loyal as a "brotherhood" and that they were very good at protecting their masonic codes and oaths. He felt that the saints needed more protection from the hostility of the people around them, remember that governor Boggs had issued the extermination order. He also knew that with the the revelation he was receiving on temple covenants and oaths, that the saints needed to know how to keep them sacred. Joining with the masons would help with both issues. Unfortunately, things didn't work out. Although he progressed to high levels in the masonic order (their oaths and covenants were very different from the ones he was receiving for the temple), members of the masonic order turned on him and broke their oaths of brotherhood and even joined with the mob that martyred him.

October 14


Oct 14
Things are really starting to pick up in our area. We have gotten in contact with a lot of the less actives in the area and have found 5 new investigators this week.  It is so awesome!! Not a whole lot happened beside that though.  Mostly just working and working everyday all day. My comp hurt his back so we have had the car all week and that is good because my bike is broken like a chicken.  But honestly I don't really like having the car. I like biking.  The only down side to biking has been the actual bike itself, they are not made to have so many miles put on them everyday and to be ridden everyday all day.
 
Sorry I am not really feeling talkative today.
 
Let me know if there is someone that I should be sending this too that I am not or if you want me to stop sending this too you. Whatever. No es importante para nada.
 
Love ya'll,
 
Elder Andrews

I Serve My Mission in the Bayous of Southern Louisiana

October 29
We are busy. Really busy. I love it. We have just been running his last week. We got two new investigator families this week. The Ortega family (Mexicans, super cool and fun) and Otzon and his family (Dominican and also really fun people). We have been running like crazy people. Ok so you want to hear something crazy about serving in Louisiana? One: it is the belt buckle of the bible belt. If we have to go to Wal-Mart to get a bike tube, we plan for a least an hour because it is so likely that someone will want to Bible bash with us. We try our best to not Bible bash, because we are not supposed to but sometimes, mostly when they talk about us not believing in Christ, we don't feel good letting those false things being said about our church.
 
So you name it, all that anti stuff, and I know the answer to them now.
 
I have a challenge for all of you. When people ask you what religion you belong to say: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are not Mormons. We are disciples of Christ. Christ is central to this church.
 
Satan knows this and he is working hard to keep the people in confusion and darkness. Because it is hard to bring someone out of that. But God is way smarter than Satan. We are working with one of our investigators, Jendric, great kid. Awesome, love him to death, but  he has no knowledge of the Bible, has no knowledge of Christ. So he is hard to teach right?  Wrong, and this is why. He recognizes things. He doesn't say anything about it, but we will teach him things and he will sorta perk-up and listen really intently. He recognizes things.  He is a good guy.
 
Anyway love you all. I didn't get transferred. Algiers is mine, baby. Be good. And remember that all you have to do to share the gospel is be friends with everyone and live a good happy life, cause there is always something to be happy about.
 
Love,
Elder Andrews

Best Text Ever

Text the Mom received October 20

Hello, I am brother Villalobos, the branch mission leader for Elder Andrews. I wanted to send you a picture and thank you for the opportunity to work with Elder Andrews. It is such a blessing. He wanted to say, love you and miss you.

Louisiana. Paperwork. Good People

 
Oct 21
This week was great. I almost feel like I am doing something wrong because I am having so much fun.
 
Crazy thing that really sucks. Is there is one branch here on the West Bank. Now it covers a large area but still only one branch, because there are not a lot of members. Well, we decided to look through the branch roster last week to see if there are any people in the area that we do not know. OH MY are there people we don't know. On our branch roster there are over 1,000 people and 500 households. We get somewhere between 100-125 people both English and Spanish combined at church (and that is when the weather is nice, completely other subject). The other people none of us have ever heard of so we have to find all of them. I know what I am doing for the rest of my life. That means that we are missing 900 people. So naturally being OCD I sat down the two district leaders here in the West Bank and said this is something we should do. Because of the vast amounts of "extra" work this is going to put on us they promptly agreed and so that explains the "Paperwork."
 
People. I love the people here. It is amazing how much I love them. All the Hispanics are such happy people. If you want to party go to a Hispanic b-day. All the people here need help from little things like one of the recent converts here needed a couch.  So we found a couch, loaded it in the van and brought it over. All of these people need our help. It is my divine pleasure to help them in however they need help. Temporal, Spiritual, Emotional.  You name it, we are there for them. Our Mission President has a motto for us. LOVE SERVE TEACH.  I am trying everyday to radiate these characteristics.
 
This is long but I want to tell you about one of our investigator who just got baptized. His name is Samuel. I absolutely love him and his family. His mom and (hopefully) soon to be Dad live in our area. I have seen the gospel change their lives, no ifs, ands of buts. They are my family in Louisiana. They are awesome. Samuel is really strong in the gospel and is helping his family to stay strong while he waits for his mom and his step-dad to get married (his step dad is waiting for divorce papers in Mexico).  He strengthens that family. And in turn his family strengthens him. He has built my faith that we cannot do it  alone. Period. We need support whether it be from family or friends or heck, me. We are here together to help each other. because we can't do it Alone.
 
Love you all,
 
Elder Andrews