Dear President Wall, Exactly Obedient

Sent Date: Monday, September 9, 2013

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

President,

I really enjoyed our interview on Sunday. This week has been slow, it seems like everyone has been canceling on us and that is hard. But it was a good week I working on becoming exactly obedient, and little by little I will reach that goal. I have been reading in the Book of Mormon almost everyday trying to finish by the tenth. Norma was the star of the show this week because of her baptism and all the little things that we had to do to get her ready for that day. And now we are going to start doing the member lessons with her. I don't really know how to go about that and Elder Mellor has made it clear that he would love to try but that he doesn't think it will work. But we are going to try anyway. We are really working well together and it is a shame that he is going home but someone else will take his place and they'll be great.

Week of Service

 

 My life is good.  This week was slower because our numbers [of people to teach] were down a lot from all the other weeks.  That doesn't matter per se but it sure makes the week go by slowly because you have nothing to do.  So we did a ton of service last week.  It was crazy.  My comp and I together had 28 hours of service.  Norma (my investigator) is getting baptized Saturday!  I'm excited. 

(Service Warriors pictured left.)

 

 

My comp goes home in two weeks and it is killing me all the talk of home that we do.  I don't think I will get transferred to a new area, but will get a new companion here.   I'm excited for this transfer.

Louisiana is not getting any cooler at all.

 

 

Love you,

Elder Andrews

 

 

Dear President Wall, Gaps in My Testimony

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

President,

Sorry that I have not written you the last little bit, it just slips my mind on my way to write my family. But I am going to try a different system and that will solve the problem.  Anyway this last week has been interesting. My Spanish is growing.....slowly and I am really starting to enjoy speaking it. The biggest problem I have with it is the constant switching that I have to do in one lesson half will be in English the other half in Spanish and that keeps me on my toes.

My testimony has become more defined as I have been out here. Let me explain: I have really started to see what parts are not as strong as they need to be. For the most part I have faith. I know it is true, I know that if I got the impression to turn the Mississippi around it would, that is the power of God. But I have seen that although that is true I struggle with having the faith to see someone struggling and not think, why in the world is that necessary? Why does that person not just accept this gospel? A better example is Katrina: why did God send Katrina if it would destroy the wards down here? But after all that, at the end of the day in my nightly prayers I have to say "Lord I believe. Help thou my unbelief." And trust that God has my back cause I know he does. Thank you and I look forward to our interview on Sunday  

Problematic Bike, Great People

This week we went on exchanges so I was with the other elder in our district, Elder Mastche.  It was fun.  We met this family that is so prepared.  We taught them the first lesson and they ate it up!  They wanted more.  It was fantastic. 

 

Then I came back to my area and back to my bike.  I have had so many bike problems; it is crazy.  Every week is a new problem.  I fix it and then we are off.  I have developed something that I find effective: I never complain.  I just crack jokes.  My companion thinks I am the funniest person in the world because I am always cracking jokes because something is always breaking.

 

We have two progressing investigators that I want to talk about: Lucia and Norma.

 

Lucia Falcons is one of my favorite people on the planet.  She is waiting for Armondo's divorce papers to go through so they can get married.  They have two kids together and she has one kid (Samuel, 17) from another man.  We go over to their house all the time and it is so fun. Samuel has become one of my best friends even though he constantly is laughing at my horrible Spanish

 

Norma is awesome too.   She is married to a less-active but now they both come to church all the time.  They are so cool.  Norma is going to be baptized on the 7th.  She will be my first investigator to be baptized. Elder Mellor will baptize her.  I am so excited!!!!!!!

 

Love you all,

 

Elder Andrews
 

Lots of Service

This week has been pretty fun.  I am getting better at Spanish.  I can respond to people, even if my response is wrong.  My comp and I are getting along really well.  We have picked up some new less-actives.  There are so many less-actives.  After Katrina hit lots of people went inactive and so now years later, we are still cleaning up after Katrina. One of the things that is really hard for us is that we can't visit people during the day because they are all at work so we do lots of service.  This is something the president (President and Sister Wall pictured with Zach) really pushes. We have one investigator that we committed to baptism; my comp has been working with her for a while.  We are excited for her.

 

There is only one seminary class and one of the new members wanted to go but he doesn't speak English.  So now on Monday, Wednesday and Friday we wake up at 5 and bike the four miles to the church so we can translate.   Worst thing is, he didn't go to seminary today. Ha ha it's not that bad.

I liked your family goals this year.  I only have one goal: Obey with Exactness.
 

Love

 

Elder Andrews

 

PS We met some Cajuns and they are super funny.  They say funny things and in a funny way. The Branch mission leader is Cajun and he is so funny. We went to his house yesterday to eat and it was the funniest thing.  The food that he served us was.........so good.  I am so happy that I am Spanish speaking because I would be gaining weight instead of losing.

Dear President Wall, Broken Bike

Sent Date: Monday, August 12, 2013

Author: Andrews, Zachary Jacob

Hey President! 

This is my first P-day and I am really excited to be here. This week is has been a challenge, just getting used to life here, the heat for one thing, but all that is easy enough. I have just been frustrated with my bike; it is broken and my dad will hopefully send me a real mountain bike. He sent me here with a hybrid and it is awesome because it is really fast with minimal effort on my part; but I have popped two tires in the last four days so it is completely useless. So I will get that fixed pretty soon and have an alternative in the meantime so i'll be fine. My Trainer Elder Mellor is awesome and I am excited to learn all that he has to teach me. Thank you for all your help and I am so thrilled to be here and to be serving and teaching the people here. I am working on Spanish and can understand almost everything people say, it is when I have to respond that my inability shows. I am working on it and to the great amusement to the people in the branch I like to try and speak to them often. They think I am funny.

He's There!

Can you spot the new Elder Andrews?

I'm here!  My address is 294 Wright Ave., Apt. 280, Gretna, LA 70056.  It is hotter than the sun here! Like melt your face off hot.  We did a service project and one elder wrung out the sweat from his shirt.  It sucks.

 

The bike we got is really sweet.  I can go really fast because of the 29" road tires.  Unfortunately, I need a different bike and fast.  I have popped both tires because the roads here are the roads of a third world country.  Pavement sure, but it is all broken.  So as fast as you can, send me a mountain bike.   I am borrowing my companion's (he has borrowed one from a member) until we get mine fixed again and then I'll ride it. 

 

My trainer is Elder Mellor; he is cool.  He is on his last transfer and is our district leader. We stay in an apartment with two other English elders.

 

I am in the Algeris Mission on the West bank of the Mississippi River in New Orleans; it is really cool here.  It is a different country.  We went to a flea market and it was scary, you could tell that everything they were selling was stolen.  I felt like I was in Africa.  Today we are going into the French Market, which is across the street from the French quarter (where we can't go).  It is going to be cool.   Anyway, I love it so far.  It is a crazy amount of biking we do.  I have met so many new people, whose names I am trying to learn.

 

We don't have a ward; we have two branches one English and one Spanish and the missionaries basically run the show.  Yesterday we taught gospel doctrine in Spanish which was funny because I can understand but I can't speak very well.

 

Love,

 

Elder Andrews

 

PS I like the people and I like the Mexican food.  I've lost like 5 pounds.

 

PPS And everyone drives a Camero here; it is crazy.