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, April 28, 2014

Angels Ministering

Sent Date: Monday, April 28, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob
President,
This week I learned a lot. I put a lot of things into practice and I saw the fruits: Saturday, we biked around all day had so many people cancel on us. We could have easily turned around and said "Well we tried, and it's hot, so peace out" but I wasn't going to let that happen. We biked through this huge neighborhood where most of our Spanish work is. Nothing. So I see this street that is across the street from where we are. I realize that I have never been down this street. I turn to Elder O'Donnell and say never tried that one lets go. We end up in an area that never really recovered from Katrina. it is all over grown, the houses are all destroyed. We bike around and I am just expecting to look at a house with like a halo over it with angels around singing "Elder Andrews this is the house with a family that needs your help!" Maybe I am just like a Character in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific as they sing:
I have heard people rant and rave and bellow
That we’re done and we might as well be dead,
But I’m only a cockeyed optimist
And I can’t get it into my head

Anyway so nothing like that happens but we bike to the end of the street and it ends up really close to Armondo's house so we decide that we are going to try to see a less active that, well he is very much anti. But on the way the Assistants call us so we have to stop and talk to them for a while. By the time we where done with that it was like 845 so we had to start heading home. But we decide to take sorta a weird path home. We are biking down this street and all of the sudden this car, that was heading towards us, slams on his brakes then this guy jumps out and run towards my comp. Turns out he is a member that has been searching for the church for 5 months. He just got here from Honduras and has been looking for members. If that day had gone any differently we would have missed him. If we would have had one appointment work out. If we would not have gotten lost. Everything that happened that day was God guiding us to get into contact with our dear friend Raephele. Nothing is wasted when you are serving the Lord. Nothing. Everything we do is completely managed by the Lord. We are not his tool but his instrument. We have the power to help him in so many different ways it is amazing.

We can be just like angels as it says in 1 Nephi 11:30: And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels  descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.

Sometimes it amazes me, how much I am ministered unto. I try my best to do more than I get but it isn't possible. The trick is you have to have the faith. The faith that something is going to happen all that day i was sitting on my bike waiting for God to show me what was up but he is a 4th watch God and waited till the last minute. Just to teach me a lesson. It all has to happen in the Fourth Watch. Right before you are about to give up and go home. You push on and finish strong.

Love ya President. Thanks for your love and Support.
Elder Andrews

Expectation: Nothing Wasted

This week I learned a lot.  I put a lot of things into practice and I saw the fruits.  Saturday, we biked around all day and had so many people cancel on us.  We could have easily turned around and said "Well we tried, and it's hot.  So, peace out."  But I wasn't going to let that happen.  We biked through this huge nieghborhood where most of our Spanish work is. Nothing.  So I see this street that is across the street from where we are.  I realize that I have never been down this street.  I turn to Elder O'Donnell and say,  "Never tried that one.  Let's go."  We end up in an area that never really recovered from Katrina. It is all over grown; the houses are all destroyed.  We bike around and I am just expecting to look at a house with like a halo over it with angels around singing "Elder Andrews this is the house with a family that needs your help!"  Maybe I am just like a character in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific as they sing:
I have heard people rant and rave and bellow
That we’re done and we might as well be dead,
But I’m only a cockeyed optimist
And I can’t get it into my head
 
(I can't figure out how to make this stupid thing to stop with this stupid indent) Anyway so nothing like that happens but we bike to the end of the street and it ends up really close to Armondo's house so we decide that we are going to try to see a less active who is very much anti. But on the way the assistants call us so we have to stop and talk to them for a while. By the time we where done with that it was like 8:45 so we had to start heading home. But we decide to take sort of a wierd path home.  We are biking down this street and all of the sudden this car, that was heading towards us, slams on his brakes then this guy jumps out and runs towards my comp.  Turns out he is a member that has been searching for the church for 5 months. He just got here from Honduras and has been looking for members.  If that day had gone any differently we would have missed him. If we would have had one appointment work out. If we would not have gotten lost. Everything that happened that day was God guiding us to get into contact with our dear friend Raephele.  Nothing is wasted when you are serving the Lord. Nothing. Everything you do is completely managed by the Lord. You are not his tool but his instrument. You have the power to help him in so many different ways it is amazing.
 
Anyway love y'all, Let me know it there is anything I can do for you.
 
Elder Andrews

New Companion! Some Fruit

This week I got a new companion! His name is Elder O'Donnell.  He is a really cool guy.  He is from Logan, UT.  He has been out on his mission for 22 months.  He is really smart.  I am super excited to see what he can teach me!! 
 
Anyway this week was  weird just because of transfer week and those weeks are always hard. Something else about this transfer that is new is that we have to do English and Spanish which is interesting.  It is really hard. It feels weird to pray in Spanish but to do a lesson in English was really hard.  But that is how the mission is, the second you start to feel comfortable, you have to do something new that is extremely difficult and out of your comfort zone. I am super excited about it.
 
This week I had a very rare opportunity to see some of the fruits of my labors.  When I say rare I mean really, really rare, like that was my second time in almost ten months.  We have been working with this less active family for about 4 months now. This family consists of  Grandma, her daughter that has down syndrome, and her grandson.  Her grandson is about 16 and has been getting into some serious trouble with the law. Now we have been working with him but mostly Grandma, giving her hope that things will get better and that the Savior is looking out for Grandson. We went there close to once a week.  She wasn't ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  She just wasn't getting it at all. Then we start seeing that she is getting happier each time we visit, slowly and slowly. Till we went ther on easter and she bore her testimony to us and talked about how whe knew that God was looking out for her grandson. It was a little, right?  But it was such an amazing testimony of how people can change through this gospel and they can have hope in a better life for themselves and the people that they love. And all of this is possible through Our Savior. Awesome!
 
Anyway love y'all hope you have a wonderful day and week!!
 
Elder Andrews

Add English to the List

That trip [to Mesa Verde]  seems so awesome! I know you have been talking about doing it for some time now. That is awesome that you finally did it. So we got transfer calls last night and they said that Elder Hale and I would be splitting up and getting new companions but we will still be in the area because Prez. wants two sets of elders in the West Bank area. The reason he is doing it is because the English Elders that are in the West Bank haven't had very much success in the last six months and we are busting our butts trying to find enough people.  So now we will be able to talk to whom ever we see. I will not get a new comp until tomorrow when we go to transfer meeting. As well we don't even know if we are getting split up for sure but it is really likely. I will be living in the same apartment and Elder Hale will live just south of me in the English elders apartment.

Our investigators are busy; really busy, we didn't really see very many of them this past week. Especially because we have been on splits trying to figure out where English people live so we can teach them. Edwin is good, couldn't come to church cause he had work, I hope that he comes to English class tonight. Lucia is awesome and will always be awesome, still just waiting on that stupid divorce. Victor is a new guy that just came to church and we are going to see him today actually, he is a member but his wife is not neither are his kids. There are others like Josue, Maria, and Claudio but it is all the same story.. sorry I am busy. We are working really hard.

Monday, April 21, 2014

To PW: Cockeyed Optimist

Sent Date: Monday, April 21, 2014
Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,
There is a quote that I read this week that like a lot. It is in the book South Pacific quoted by Dallin H. Oaks in his most recent talk to students at UVU.

I have heard people rant and rave and bellow.  
That we’re done and we might as well be dead,
But I’m only a cockeyed optimist
And I can’t get it into my head
-South Pacific

I like being a cockeyed optimist. It makes life better. And it is only made possible through our Hope in the Atonement. That and in my knowledge of the Book of Mormon.

Life is awesome President. There is a man on the radio that my dad always listens too I think his name is Dave Ramsey, smart guy, my favorite part about his show is that whenever he answers a call, people ask him how he is, and every time without fail he says, "Better than I deserve". Isn't that the truth! So I am better than I deserve. Blessed beyond bounds. His Grace is sufficient for all of us. Thanks for all that you do and that your Wife does for us missionaries. It is a shame that you are leaving us. I would have really enjoyed getting to know you a little better. Well I guess we still have some time.

Monday, April 7, 2014

If you love me, keep my commandments, moonshine and street swimming.

What to do when it rains a mighty rain?  Swim.
The rain is warm so don't feel too bad.
Playing basketball with an investigator.
 
With his district

 

The sign they see all over town.

The dead bird they saw in the middle of the road.
What's for dinner?
I hope it's not moonshine.  "It smells really bad."

This week was SLOW! but conference was really amazing!!  I love Conference. It is such an amazing experience to hear from our prophets and apostles. One thing that I was thinking about is how much they do for us, and how much they have blessed my life. I was thinking how ungrateful I am to them. How can I show my appreciation to them? How can I help the prophet? What can I do to make his life easier, cause that is what I am in the buisness of for about 15 more months?  Then I had a wonderful 'Oh Duh' moment. If I were to ask the Prophet what can i do i think they would give the same answer that the Savior said in John14:15 "If you love me, KEEP MY COMANDMENTS".  So if you want to help our dear prophet and the apostles, listen to them, read their talks again cause I can promise that you didn't get everything you could have. Last, but for sure not least, FOLLOW their words cause they are for you! They are for me! It is so cool to have a prophet I just realized how cool it is and how I have wasted so much time.
 
I promise that if you do this then when your time comes the Spirit will sing the same song that he did for Nephi in 1Nephi 11:6 "Hosanna al Senor,....Y bendito eres tu ________(your name), porque crees in el Hijo del Dios...." Sorry only know it in Spanish.

The Church is so true and if you ever have a doubt and say "Well this doesn't make sense" or "The church doesn't answer this".  Well you're right, but it answers everything else. Sure there are things that we don't know, but look at we do know! God loves us! Jesus is The Christ! Joseph Smith started the Restoration! And we are lead by a prophet of God that talks to God about us! Words cannot describe my feeling for this Gospel. Now let's get off the bench because it is our turn to take the field! Vaya Pues

Con todo de mi Amor
 
Elder Andrews
 
PS The guy in front of me is watching Big Bang Theory, he thinks it is the funniest thing ever.
 
PPS If you want pictures, hit me up.  I am making Elder Hale hook me up!!