Elder Zachary Andrews: Lousiana Is a Strange Place

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, January 7, 2014

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

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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.