Elder Zachary Andrews: Dear President Wall, Gaps in My Testimony

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

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Dear President Wall, Gaps in My Testimony

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

President,

Sorry that I have not written you the last little bit, it just slips my mind on my way to write my family. But I am going to try a different system and that will solve the problem. Anyway this last week has been interesting. My Spanish is growing.....slowly and I am really starting to enjoy speaking it. The biggest problem I have with it is the constant switching that I have to do in one lesson half will be in English the other half in Spanish and that keeps me on my toes.

My testimony has become more defined as I have been out here. Let me explain: I have really started to see what parts are not as strong as they need to be. For the most part I have faith. I know it is true, I know that if I got the impression to turn the Mississippi around it would, that is the power of God. But I have seen that although that is true I struggle with having the faith to see someone struggling and not think, why in the world is that necessary? Why does that person not just accept this gospel? A better example is Katrina: why did God send Katrina if it would destroy the wards down here? But after all that, at the end of the day in my nightly prayers I have to say "Lord I believe. Help thou my unbelief." And trust that God has my back cause I know he does. Thank you and I look forward to our interview on Sunday

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Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission

The first branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in New Orleans with 334 members in 1841. The prophet Joseph Smith sent the first missionary to New Orleans in March of that year. After reaching 169 members in 1849, the New Orleans branch disbanded because of the threat of serious disease in the area. The Southern States Mission, which included Louisiana opened in 1878, but the first missionaries were not sent to the state until nearly 20 years later. Missionary work spread throughout the state during the early twentieth century and by 1930, there were 1500 members. The first ward was established in Shreveport in 1953 and the first stake in New Orleans in 1955.In 1975, the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission was created and by 1980, there were over 12,500 members in the state of Louisiana. By 1989, Louisiana had 22,000 members in seven stakes. In 1998, the First Presidency announced the building of a temple in Baton Rouge. That temple was dedicated on 16 July, 2000.The Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission extends from Natchitoches South to the East and West borders through the state including the Gulf of New Orleans. The mission also includes the South West corner of Mississippi including Natchez, Liberty, and Macomb.