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, March 31, 2014

To PW: Testimony of Joseph Smith

Sent Date: Monday, March 31, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob
President,
We are working hard, really hard. Elder Hale is awesome. The District is fun. I am using the atonement. I will get there someday, but today I need to just push through. I hate P-days they make me so home sick, still after all this time. This week for the first time I actually realized my testimony in Joseph Smith. Just talking about the first vision brings and amazing spirit into a room. Someday I will be the man I need to be until then I will just chase after him.
Thanks
Elder Andrews


Sent Date: Monday, April 7, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob
President,
Thanks, really thank you. Thanks for listening to the Spirit, thanks for being a wonderful leader. I needed that simple line, and I didn't even know it. I have several wonderful people that I need to stay close to. Thanks for your example.
Elder Andrews

Monday, March 24, 2014

To PW: Power of Prayer

Sent Date: Monday, March 24, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob
Saturday was, interesting, we had our open house. In the weeks leading up to it, we passed out hundreds of fliers. We had 1 person show up because of the fliers. ONE. We did have one more family of investigators show up but it was because a member invited them. It wasn't the missionaries. It is crazy what members can do. So that night was really fun but we didn't get the turnout that we would have liked. The thing about missionary work is that it is never wasted. Like we spent hours and hours passing out those fliers. We have 4 new investigators this week because of it. If you realize how important and limited your time as a missionary is, God will bless you with blessing in everything that you do. Urgency is starting to be important to me mostly because Heavenly Father has made it apparent that it needs to be.

This week I have been reading in 3 Nephi and something really stood out to me in chapter 17. The whole chapter is amazing, the part that I love especially is about prayer.  Verse 16 and 17 describe the prayer that Our Savior gave for the people. Not only had no one ever heard anything like that they had not seen anything, they had not felt anything like that. The Spirit touches us at different intensities, just imagine how intense that prayer must have been. And it was not only because of the Savior but as He says in verse 20 it was because of The People's faith along with the awesome Power of Our Lord. Crazy. If I had one wish...

We decided that we are not going on the camping trip. There is too much that we have too do and lots of Member are having us over this week so we are not going to have tons of time. We are all really sorry about playing cards last night.  Honestly we didn't think we were breaking a rule. It won't happen again. Also I moved the garbage can that I tripped over when I answered to phone yesterday, I felt dumb.

I am really loving this area. I am also having lots of fun with Elder Hale.  He is an awesome guy. We are working really hard, and have started to see some fruits, well some growth. It is super exciting.

I am sorry that I don't write you consistently, but honestly I have just been having so much going on back home that I feel like I need to write to my siblings about that I don't have time or energy to write you. Also you have so many other letters to read and I don't exactly write little emails. I don't know.

Thanks,
Elder Andrews
Westbank Spanish

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Contacting Monsters

This week we were contacting monsters.  We hit the biggest ghetto in our area and walked, mostly because Elder Hale has a concussion and can't bike.  We talked to so many people.  I think we did it wrong though because we went through the scariest part of town this side of the Mississippi and we didn't get so much as 1 door slammed in our face.  No one was rude to us.  Elder Hale and I were really confused, why is this so easy? The hardest part was figuring out which language to speak. One time we knocked on a door that had a grate on it and someone answered but it was dark inside so we couldn't see the person.  So we don't know what race this person is or what language to speak.  After kind of an awkward pause my comp says,  "Sorry but we can't see you."   She opens the door a little more and we see that she was an African American woman.  It was probably the most fun I have ever had contacting.  FOR THE INFORMATION OF FUTURE SPANISH MISSIONARIES SATURDAY IS NOT A GOOD DAY TO CONTACT.  Especially in the ghettos.  Everyone is drunk and has gang fights. Fun!  Josue is really making progress. Nephtalli is out of jail so we are going to be working with him closely.  Armando gave me a book that is named something like "La Ingles que nessesita para vivir y trabajar en los estados unidos" I freaking love that guy, so funny. But a we are running and running.

This week I have been fascinated with The Stripling Warriors, and the idea that we are all Soldiers in this Royal army. An Army unlike any other. With a mission unlike any other. Often times I have thought as the missionaries as the warriors that we are out here fighting Satan and all of you back in "Mecca" (did i mention we live in mini-mecca, sorry that is bad) are support.  Oh how ignorant was I, no you are the warriors; you have to fight him everyday, you have to chose everyday to Endure till the End. I am a messenger.  My job is to say, "Hey there is an easier way.  A way through Jesus Christ that isn't impossible."  Me and my badge of invisibility. I am lucky to share something with the Stripling Warriors, I learned a lot from my awesome mother.

Love y'all.  So much.

Elder Zach Andrews

Monday, March 10, 2014

TO PW: Teancum

Weekly Letter - 10 Mar 2014
Sent Date: Monday, March 10, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

So this week I have been thinking a lot about Teancum and his two assassinations.  How on the first time he had his had an idea about what he could do to help his men and to help all those around him. But the second time he just wanted the man dead. Sure the benefits are still there but it was for his pride, for him, not for his men. Missionaries are like that sometimes. Sure we always are working to make people’s lives better but if we do it out of love and out of a true desire to make people’s lives better then we have some killer power. I also notice that when Teancum went for the second time he when in anger. Ruled by his emotions, ruled by the Natural Man. He wasn’t hearkening to the spirit. Sometimes as people we just REACT and REACT and react. We don’t pause and pray and seek the Lord's input. We don't use our faith. So we are going to have to push Josue’s Baptism back a little bit but it is what needs to happen. It was another exciting weekend with the Guevara’s this Saturday. Love him to death and like on so many other people God lets me see a little bit of his potential and I know why Satan is working so hard on him. There are so many people with amazing potential. So incredible!!

Love ya thanks for everything,
Soy Elder Andrews
Y soy un discipulo de Cristo

The Ts and Is and Teancum

This week was fun! It was also hard. It required for me to jump out of my comfort zone yet again. I am sorry if these email sound repetitive, they are, and sorry that is just what my life is. So my comp and I are still together but they took part of my area away. We still have the car but not actually enough miles to do anything with it except pick people up for Church.

Sorry you guys don't care about the t's and the i's

So this week I have been thinking a lot about Teancum and his two assassinations; how the first time he had this an idea about what he could do to help his men and to help all those around him. But the second time he just wanted the man dead. Sure the benefits are still there but it was for his pride, for him, not for his men. Missionaries are like that sometimes. Sure we always are working to make people’s lives better but if we do it out of love and out of a true desire to make people’s lives better then we have some killer power. I also notice that when Teancum went for the second time he went in anger. Ruled by his emotions, ruled by the Natural Man. He wasn’t harkening to the spirit. Sometimes as people we just REACT and REACT and react. We don’t pause and pray and seek the Lords input.

So we are going to have to push Josue’s Baptism back a little bit but it is what needs to happen. It was another exciting weekend with the Guevaras this Saturday. Love him to death and like so many other people God lets me see a little bit of his potential and I know why Satan is working so hard on him. There are so many people with amazing potential. So incredible!!

Love Y’all Si tienen preguntas, pregunte me!

Soy Elder Andrews

Y soy un discipulo de Cristo  

The Church Is True! (And Mardi Gras Was Fun)

March 4

We just got back from a Mardi Gras Parade, it was fun but so cold. My comp got a coconut, which I guess is a big deal. It was so cold. So I guess I am not getting transferred, I am staying with Elder Hale, which is cool. Actually we have no idea what is going to happen. But we are still working really hard. Our people are doing great. Sorry I don't have a lot to say this week. Josue is still killing it and it was his first week not drinking in the last 15 years. It was the best call of my life. Javier started looking at anti-Mormon stuff. I have heard it all, and so none of it is hard to logically answer but all of it is hard to regain that faith that you loose when you first read it. It is all so stupid: Mormons have horns, Joseph Smith admitted that the church wasn't true on his death bed... Even though he fell out a window and never had a death bed... so Stupid.

The Church is so true. It is so crazy. It is amazing to me that people don't get it. The Book of Mormon is awesome. It teaches us so many cool things but the two things that it teaches so clearly is, Our omnipotent Heavenly Father Loves us. He loves you. He loves me. He loves the druggies and the drunks ALWAYS!!! Second, Jesus is the Christ. He died for us. He knows us. He knows what we are going though. People always try to shame us Missionaries by saying: "How dare you say that we have to work to qualify for the atonement." And my answer is always this "you don't have to qualify, but why do you think that we should not work to be more like our perfect Older Brother, Who selflessly gave his life up for us. Sorry we look up to him as and example along with a Hero"

Love you all,

Elder Andrews

Non Inferior Secutus

Exciting Week

Feb 24, 2013
 
This was an exciting week. We committed Jouse and Javier to be baptized!!! They both have more work to do, but I have confidence that they will be ready so that next month they will join the Church and become what our Father in Heaven wants them to be. This week was hard, probably the hardest week of my entire life, but it was worth it. This week we spent a lot of time in the slums. That is where a good amount of Hispanics live. Anyway life is good church is true, that much I know without an doubt. Gods loves us so much that it makes my head spin.
 
love,
 
Elder Andrews

PS  Yes I got the package thanks. And nothing much happened.  Just when people are drunk they are make bad choices, and it is so annoying.

PPS Yep I am great.   Just like always!  I am happy!  I am healthy!  I am broke because I bought some shirts on my mission card so now I am out of money for a few days.  So that just means that I have to eat rice.

No Time to Write

February 20

Sorry I didn't have time to email this week and I don't have time today so I will talk to you on Monday.  Love you.  Tell everyone that I love them.