Elder Zachary Andrews: Contacting Monsters

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

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

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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.