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

Monday, January 27, 2014

Pumped to Work

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President!
I am excited about this! Oh man I'm pumped! Elder Hale is awesome and has an energy to him.  We are going to do Work. And can I just tell you thank you for this opportunity that you have given me to push myself in this new way. I am scared, and that is awesome! I am not going to lie when I woke up this morning I immediately was thinking who we were going to see. Then I was reminded that it was P-day and Elder Hale and I really need food. Tonight then. We inherited some very hard situations. Like Josue is completely addicted to cocaine. He is the only investigator that we have. I really want to help him and his wife but he is not a citizen so we can't get him into rehab. So that leaves one thing: El Libro de Mormon! I know it will work but does he? Or his wife? Maybe not but that is my job. We are going to work really hard that I can promise. I can't promise results, I can't promise success, but we will work!!!!

Thanks for everything, Love ya,
Elder Andrews

Weather Alert

Weather Alert...NO CAR DAY TOMORROW
Sent Date: Monday, January 27, 2014

The current forecast calls for the possibility of 2 to 3 inches of snow with probable road closures. Just to be safe, missionaries are not to drive tomorrow, unless otherwise authorized by me or the office elders. You can work in the area around your apartment, use your bikes (be very cautious), walk. You will need to move your district meetings in some cases to a different day of the week. The weather is supposed to improve on Wednesday. For districts that can get to the church buildings on bikes, you can have your district meetings as normal. The interviews I had scheduled for tomorrow will be moved to later in the month. Just like a hurricane warning, it is better to be safe and ask the Lord to bless us with other tender mercies and miracles that will come of a change in the way we go about finding on a winter day.

Still in the West Bank

So I did get transferred but not really to a different place. I got double transferred into the West Bank with Elder Hale!  He is one of my friends from the MTC!  So I am still in the same branch but now I  just have to relearn everything and spend a lot of time on the bike looking for former investigators. It is a huge task that I have in front of me!  I am in the biggest Spanish area in the mission.  I do have a car but we share it and don't have any miles so we can't really use it.  All of this is crazy, I am getting an adrenaline rush from it all!
 
The only problem I have is the old elders only had one investigator and he has some serious problems with crack...kind of a stubbling block and I am at a complete loss.  We will work on it.  This area is really in the slums so we are in a lot of scary areas, but don't worry the black people love us.  Many people here have some serious problems with drugs and other things.  They want me to help but I don't know how to exactly.  All I can see to do is keep being there for them and have faith, faith in them and faith in myself to be able do what is right!  Faith is power;  power is the ability to do the work!  Anyway the best news is the Falcons (beloved family I taught with my first companion) are in my area again
 
I have already seen the miracles that come from hard work. We do the best we can and our Heavenly Father lets that meager action work miracles. This is all so crazy!
 
Love y'all and I'll probably have some crazy stuff next week.
 
Elder Andrews

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Getting Transferred

Transfer calls came in yesterday and I am being transferred.  That's hard after six months in the same place!  I won't know where I am going until tomorrow so I can't tell you all until Monday.

This week we did a ton of service. We are helping a sister who had her name removed from the Church records.  We painted her porch and her neighbors house!  My comp and I worked almost everyday on that house. It was a lot, and I am going to miss them.  Man I am really going to miss this place!  It just started to feel like home!  But God has a plan.  Anyway we found out that the house is painted in lead paint so that sorta explains why it was so hard to come off!!  But we came up with a SAFE way to get it off and then yesterday started to paint.  Elder Smith and I taught this (former) member a lesson about the scriptures and she very politely, cause she loves Smith and I, said,  "I like being Catholic!"  :(  So we were really bummed but we still love her to death. The hardest thing about being a missionary is the ones that for reasons you can't explain, it is just not the right time for.  You are just a drop in the drink of water that they need. And that has to be enough. It is hard but it is enough. I love this area so much and am so sad to go.   But I will love my next area just as much.

Love y'all,

Elder Andrews

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Listening to Revelation

Weekly Letter - 21 Jan 2014
Sent Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob
President,
Yikes!!! I am not going to lie I am nervous about getting transferred, but I trust the Lord and I trust you so here we go!!! Anyway for my last report from Algiers, I want you to know what a pleasure it has been to serve these wonderful people and it is something that I will never forget. I think I have learned more in the last 6 months than ever before. And I am ecstatic to learn what I need to learn in my next area.

I have been struggling the last week or so. I really have been missing my aunt and really been worried about her kids. I don't know if I told you this or not but while I was in the MTC my aunt
took her own life. It is really the first experience I have had with death. I am surprised at how hard it has been on me, it has been so hard. But life moves on. The Book of Mormon has been a great help to me. I can read it and most of the time it is not what I am reading that hits me it is just the thoughts that I receive about my life or what I can do to help others.

I have noticed that when I am diligently working, the revelation that comes is so strong in the quiet moments like riding a bike or mowing a lawn or scraping paint of a non-members house. Like Thursday for example...we have been painting a non-member's house as a district and it has been wonderful. Anyway I was scraping paint off the house, prepping it for paint, and I get a prompting to leave. Go home.  Stupid Elder Andrews is standing there saying, why, the sun is out I am not going home...Go home...Why?...and this is the literal thought that I had.... The Cops are coming to arrest you, who cares go!!!...then the light clicked, oh crap this is revelation. So we pack up and go home.  And on the way we ran into this older man who was trying to change his tire. He was panicking; he was late for work and his jack didn't really work. He couldn't bend down because he had back problems...(i use ellipses a lot sorry) anyway after a big ordeal we got him to work on time. It was a good week. I will continue to work hard so that I can recognize the spirit faster.

Thanks,
Elder Andrews

Dear President Wall,

Sent Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob



President,


Yikes!!! I am not going to lie I am nervous about getting transferred, but I trust the Lord and I  I trust you so here we go!!! Anyway for my last report from Algiers. I want you to know what a pleasure it has been to serve these wonderful people and it is something that i will never forget. I think i have learned more in the last 6 months than ever before. And i am ecstatic to learn what i need to learn in my next area.

I have been struggling the last week or so. I really have been missing my aunt and really been worried about her kids. I don't know if i told you this or not but while i was in the MTC my aunt 
took her own life. It is really the first experience i have had with death. I am surprised at how  hard it has been on me, it has been so hard. But life moves on. The Book of Mormon has been a great help to me. I can read it and most of the time it is not what i am reading that hits me it is just the thoughts that I receive about my life or what i can do to help others.  I have noticed that when i am diligently working the revelation that comes so strong in the quiet moments like riding a bike or mowing a lawn or scraping paint of a non-members house.  Like Thursday for example... We have been painting a non-members house as a district and it  has been wonderful. Anyway i was scraping paint off the house, prepping it for paint, and i get a prompting to leave. to go home. and stupid Elder Andrews is standing there saying, why, the sun is out i am not going home..... Go home......why......and this is the literal thought that i had.... the Cops are coming to arrest you, who cares go!!!.
......then the light clicked, oh crap this is revelation. So we pack up and go home. and on the way we ran into this older man that was trying to change his tire. He was panicking, he was late for work his jack didn't really work and he couldn't bend down because he had back problems...(i use lipses a lot sorry) anyway after a big ordeal we got him to work on time. It was a good week. I will continue to work hard so that I can recognize the spirit faster.

Thanks,

Elder Andrews

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Dear President Wall, Lots of Service


Sent Date: Monday, January 13, 2014

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,


This week was great! I mean it was freezing, but still great! We worked hard this week! Lots of service, which is always the best. Time here is measured with two events in mind these two events are not only what they use to measure time with but what they focus their lives around, they are: 1. The birth of the Savior. Jesus is always on their tongue  unfortunately  not always in their actions but still we will take what we can get. and 2. Katrina, I have said a lot about Katrina in these emails but it is never enough it destroyed peoples lives. It destroyed their houses their cars their boats their roads, but all that is not half as important as what it did to their HOPE. 

I can not even tell you how many less-active brothers and sisters here that I have visited that will talk about Christ as a great man and how others need to follow him, but as for them, no they tried and God did this horrible thing to them. "Why? Why would he do that?" they ask accusingly.........uuhhh goes the missionary that constantly wonders why people assume he has all the answers... This is one of those scary questions because often times the answer is, of necessity, bold. Often times we ask God Why? Why me? Why do bad things happen to people? But lets change the question... What can i learn? How can I grow? What blessings have come since then?

Attitude right.

Love ya President!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

New Mission President

New Mission President
Sent Date: Sunday, January 12, 2014

Some of you may have already heard from friends or family that the Church News listed the newly called mission presidents and their wives over the weekend. For those of our missionaries that have not heard, Reed Hansen and his wife Mary Anne, from Boise, Idaho have been called to preside over the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission, beginning July 1st of this year. Sister Wall and I had the pleasure of talking with soon-to-be-President Hansen and sharing with him the great blessing he will have in serving with each of you. We could tell from our conversation that he has a wonderful spirit and desire to love and work along side you. We thought you might like to read a comment that was on the web site where the announcement was listed.

"Baton Rouge, Louisiana Mission: You are about to get outstanding leadership in Reed & Mary Anne Hansen. Reed was our Bishop in Boise a few years ago. He and his wife are such loving, kind, and wonderful leaders and friends. We were so excited when we heard about this call. Mary Anne is from the South and will feel right at home in their new setting. Lucky missionaries; lucky people in Louisiana mission!"

For now, we have lots of work to do, including a terrific and spirit-filled mission tour this week.  We are excited to see you all!

President and Sister Wall

From President Wall, Repentance


Sent Date: Sunday, January 12, 2014


Repentance has to be a lifetime process. You can think of repentance like a diet. (Or at least I do) Well any good dieter, or healthy individual doesn't call it a diet, they call it a "life style change". And in this life style change you make choices to change the things about yourself you don't like. Be that you are eating things that are making you sick, or unhealthy and you want to feel better about yourself. So you make the necessary changes to your Diet. You may also decide to exercise more. Now if it is a real "life style change" It cannot be for just a few days, or for any set amount of time. It has to be for forever. Because if you start eating unhealthy foods again, and stop exercising, you will gain all your weight back, plus some. SO, you can compare that EXACTLY to repentance. Repentance has to be a life-style change. (I have also realized that with the 40-day fast). What good is it repenting and becoming a better person while you are on your mission, only to go right back to where you were before you left? So you have to sit down and decide, "This is who I want to be". And decide what you need to stop, what you need to start, etc. And then you must fix your determination on that. You cannot begin the process of repentance with the idea that it will be easy, or temporary. Or it's not repentance. You must completely surrender yourself over to who you want to become. Which is, like Christ. And then you must work on that and keep that for the rest of your life. Does that mean you are going to be perfect? No. You are going to mess up. Just like on a diet there are days when you end up eating a ton of ice cream and you are ashamed and start over. 

Repentance is the same. It is a life-long goal of working to become like our Savior. We are going to have days, or maybe weeks or years where we have done something dumb, and we need to intensify our repentance process to make up for it. BUT through the help of the Savior, and by his grace and his mercy, and by our agency, we can repent. We can change and become different people. A quote I really like by Jeffrey R. Holland is, "The Past is to be learned from not lived in." If we are dwelling on that day when we ate a ton of ice cream and now we hate ourselves for it, we cannot change or become better, because we will not have the ability to see what we can be. And because it is a sign that we are not trusting in the Atonement of our Heavenly Father. This goes along with a scripture that I read today. In Helaman 5:10-11, it talks about the redeeming power of the atonement. It says "he did not come to redeem them IN their sins, but to redeem them FROM their sins." What an essential, powerful scripture. He cannot save us or help us if we are not trying. This daily, hourly, minutely task of repenting cannot stop. But as we endure it well, and give it our all, we can be saved and forgiven.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Elder Perkins Visit Preparation

Elder Perkins Visit Preparation
Sent Date: Monday, January 6, 2014


As per Elder Perkin's request:


All missionaries are to come prepared with a 3-4 minute talk. The assigned topic is "How do commitments relate to conversion by the power of the Holy Ghost?" (Preach my Gospel, Chapter 11). Each companionship will come prepared to teach a 10 minute lesson on the importance of  ordinances, including a commitment invitation. They will teach a role-play investigator in English. The companionship will be invited as the spirit directs. (Note: D&C 84:20-21; Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness (meaning the atonement) is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness (again meaning the atonement) is not manifest unto men in the flesh;)

Also, please be spiritually prepared by fasting one day in the week of the mission tour/zone conferences held on January 16th for Alexandria, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Denham Springs Zones and January 17th for New Orleans and New Orleans Spanish Zones. You can choose any day in the week before your conference session. Please complete your fast in advance and do not come fasting.

Thank you for your preparation. Your diligence in studying repentance and forgiveness along with the "40 day fast" will help you be prepared to receive revelation for yourself, your companionship, your area, your district and your zone.

First Christmas Away

So awesome to see the family this week.  It really made Christmas feel like Christmas. The lack of snow is really weird for me.  Anyway life is good. This week was slow with the holidays, but also awesome. Church is true and Mom is right I really suck at writing these emails.  Missions are weird. Questions? Comment? Gossip? (That is what the Hispanics ask us all the time when we are about to leave) Let me know how you all are.  I am just the same, but this week I was sick. Random. Check.

 
 

Lousiana Is a Strange Place

Louisiana is a strange place. In what way you might ask?  Well in every way. Like today for example, I look outside and it looks like a nice, wonderful day so I put on a short sleeve shirt because it looks so nice. The second I  walk outside though I realize that it is like 30 degrees outside and it cuts me straight to the core.
 
But other than the cold and the fact that I am still sick (functioning but sick) life is pretty awesome. The holiday rush is starting to die down so life is starting to go back to business as usual, and that means that people will have a little bit more time that they want to share with us.
 
Big News! The branch that I am in split! Now we have our own Spanish Branch!! It is so awesome because the last time that we had more that one branch on the West Bank was before Katrina. Before Katrina we had and entire STAKE here with a Spanish Ward and a Spanish Branch, as well as some English folk but they are not my people.
 
Not all good news though our Branch Mission Leader got released.  It was sad; he really liked coming out with us.
 
We are working hard and doing our best.  Life is awesome.  I better stop being sick soon.
 
Adios,
 
Elder Andrews


Monday, January 6, 2014

From President Wall, Apples or Oats


Sent Date: Sunday, January 5, 2014


If you were invited to sit down with the prophet and talk for a few minutes, would you want to hurry the time, or enjoy the moment? If you were to go on visits with him, do you think he would hurry so that he could see as many people in need as possible, or would he take the time with each person needed to comfort and help them? One of my favorite quotes is "life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away"...Live in the moment, get all out of each moment that you can. You can stop and paint a landscape masterpiece that is full of revelation and expresses wonderful emotion and thought, or you can stop and take a picture. And, remember, the good photographers will capture the moment, but they may wait for hours for that right moment to occur. Slow down. I once told sister Olden the story of the happy horse. Every day, the horses would go out to pasture and at the end of the day, they would race to get back to the barn. The farmer put out oats (which they loved) and hay (which was okay). The fastest horses would get the oats. There was one horse that never got the oats, but seemed to be the happiest of all the horses. This horse was always last to get back, so even got the worst of the hay. One day the farmer followed the horse home from the pasture to see why it was so happy. He noticed that when all the other horses had gone ahead, the happy horse took a little known path through an opening in the fence that led into a small apple orchard where this horse would eat apples every day (and apples are the favorite treat for horses). All the horses were so intent on getting back, that they missed the small opening in the fence. So, would you rather have apples or oats?

Elder Perkin Is Coming

Monday, January 6, 2014

As per Elder Perkin's request:
All missionaries are to come prepared with a 3-4 minute talk. The assigned topic is "How do commitments relate to conversion by the power of the Holy Ghost?" (Preach my Gospel,
Chapter 11).  Each companionship will come prepared to teach a 10 minute lesson on the importance of ordinances, including a commitment invitation. They will teach a role-play investigator in English. The companionship will be invited as the spirit directs. (Note: D&C 84:20-21; Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness (meaning the atonement) is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness (again meaning the atonement) is not manifest unto men in the flesh;) 

Also, please be spiritually prepared by fasting one day in the week of the mission tour/zone conferences held on January 16th for Alexandria, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Denham Springs Zones and January 17th for New Orleans and New Orleans Spanish Zones. You can choose any day in the week before your conference session. Please complete your fast in advance and do not come fasting.

Thank you for your preparation. Your diligence in studying repentance and forgiveness along with the "40 day fast" will help you be prepared to receive revelation for yourself, your companionship, your area, your district and your zone.