Monday, December 30, 2013
Hello Everyone,
This week has definitely been one to remember! I cannot believe that Christmas is already here, but it was amazing :) We spent Christmas Eve with a wonderful family. They are so awesome! We had an amazing dinner, talked about traditions that our families have for Christmas, they acted out Luke 2 and gave us crowns to be three wise men, and then we had cake. They had a birthday cake for Jesus! Such a fun idea :) To finish off the night, they gave us our first Christmas presents, AND I was allowed to open it before Christmas! We both got a fun pair of Argyle socks, and my favorite Burts Bees Original Chapstick. This sister knows me so well haha ;) She made it to Sonic before 4:00 PM closing on Christmas Eve, so she was able to have her celebratory Diet Coke for Christmas. We on the other hand arrived at 4:15 PM, so no Christmas Diet Coke from Sonic for me. But we all know that I had a can later in the day ;) In other words... "I had some anyways!"
Christmas was great as well! We had breakfast with the family we live with and opened up presents with them. I knew the mom would be getting us presents, so I secretly had stashed one for her as well! She absolutely loved it, even though it was just a simple gift that I found at target with a fun little note that I included. It made my day for sure to see how happy it made her, and she later shared it with all of her grandkids when they came over! At 2:00 PM we got to make our Skype calls home! It was fun to be able to see my family and my grandparents briefly on Christmas and to be able to talk to them for a short little while :) Of course the internet went down in the middle of our Skype call, so I got to use my computer knowledge to fix the internet and get back on Skype! Christmas isn't the same without a little bit of drama ;) I was a "good boy" and didn't open my presents from my family until Christmas, so I got some extra props from them as well! For dinner we ate with a family from the ward. After dinner they put on a talent show for us, and we were able to hear the Christmas orange story, SO great :) It all worked out in the end, and was a really great Christmas!
On Thursday we went up to Big Lake, Minnesota and met with a Sister and her grandson. The grandson has a muscular disorder, and his heart is failing, so they are not able to do much when it is FREEZING cold outside. We talked with them, and gave them some church videos to watch because they are not able to attend sacrament meeting currently. As we were about to leave, I felt prompted to ask the Sister if she wanted a blessing. She said that while she didn't want one, she would really appreciate it if we gave her grandson a blessing. It was a really great experience for us all, and the spirit was really strong as we departed!
While still in Big Lake we met with a sister and her non-member boyfriend. The sister shared with us that she has been going some really tough times lately, and that she is soon going to be going to jail. She was involved in a check fraud scam, and got off easy apparently with 10 days in jail. Some of the people involved got 5-10 years, so she is counting her blessings! Her boyfriend committed to baptism as we taught the restoration though, and this sister shared with us that wants church to be a more active part of her life. It was a really great meeting.
On Friday we were able to see a sister, and her 3 year old daughter. Her daughter is always very shy around us, and hides behind her mom, but this time she warmed up to me a little bit! (Probably because I told her that I would make pink cupcakes and bring them to her the next time we see them, but minor details!) Christmas was difficult for them this year, but this sister is really excited for a brand new year, and a fresh new start!
On Saturday before a meeting with a less-active family, we met a couple while we were out tracting. They are catholic, but are very aware of Mormons. They met each other while working for the Boy Scouts of America, so they have met LOTS of Mormons ;) I was able to talk with them about the BSA program, and the fact that I was an Eagle Scout, and that I went to BYU which used to have a BSA major. (It is now the recreational management major I believe.) Who knew that my Mom was inspired by making me do scouting, even though I didn't like it very much. Especially the camping part. They have a very unique family! They have a deaf daughter who has had surgeries to make it so that she can talk and hear now, and two big dogs. It was really fun being able to meet with them and talk with them briefly! Hopefully we will be able to meet with them again in the near future.
I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year :) Thank you all for your love and warm wishes!
Love,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Mom,
Today, right before we left the house to go email, I got an unexpected package! The Bancrofts who spent their Christmas in the warm and beautiful Hawaii, sent me a postcard and some fun macadamia nut treats from Hawaii :) It made my day! Maybe we can swap for a couple weeks though, these past two days have been quite cold! Yesterday was -15 degrees, and the wind chill brought it down to about -35/40 degrees. Not fun!!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Christmas Is In The Air
Monday, December 23, 2013
Hello Everyone,
It has been a very interesting week to say the least. To start, my companion is now home in Finland. Because he left on Tuesday, I went on exchange with an Elder in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, because his companion was going home as well. We had a very unique experience while we were on exchange. Not many of their plans worked out during the day, so we ended up shoveling snow for people in their area. First we began with a member, and then their neighbors. We were able to talk briefly with one of their neighbors - who just got out of jail for drug dealing and was going to get involved with something called "teen challenge". Not really sure what that is, but I think its good :) He said that his daughter was looking for a new church, and that he might be interested as well. He was in a hurry, but we set up a return appointment to visit with them. He was SO grateful for the service we provided him, it was great to see that our service was actually helping someone. Then out of the blue this cute old lady came over and gave us some cookies that she had just baked. We thanked her, and then shoveled her driveway as well :) She was so kind to go out of her way to give strangers in her neighborhood cookies that she had baked. Then after a great day, we were getting ready for bed. The Elder handed me a package of ear plugs, and said "you are going to need these!" I didn't quite know what to say, but I came to figure out that he snores SO loud. His companions have all worn ear plugs because they cannot sleep because of his snoring. Interesting ending to our exchange!
Transfers were on Wednesday! My new companion, is from West Valley, Utah. To start of the Christmas season right, we got a new 2014 Ford Fusion!!! Our old car was at like 54,000 miles, and the church usually rotates cars at 50,000 miles, so I wasn't sure when it was going to happen. MERRY CHRISTMAS :) Also at transfers, I saw my favorite companion in the whole entire world! It was great :) It seriously made my day! Friends for life :) Okay, I am rambling, but you get the point!
After transfers, we went up to Big Lake, Minnesota to visit with three part-member families. While we were visiting with the first family, we taught the Word of Wisdom. The mom shared with us that she had tried to stop smoking before, but that she gets really angry and hard to live with, and that she doesn't want to put her family through all of that again. She did, however, share with us that she had been praying that she would be able to overcome her smoking addiction. Hopefully we will be able to be the answer to her prayers! The Addiction Recovery Program that the church has put together, modeled after the AA program, is really great :) I have read through it a few times on my mission, and I highly recommend that EVERYONE reads it at some time in their life! It has such a great overall theme relating to the atonement of Jesus Christ, and it really is an incredible handbook. Hopefully this mom will be able to get some great usage out of it :)
On Saturday, I had either food poisoning or the stomach flu. Whatever it was, it was NOT fun. On Friday night my stomach hurt really bad, but I thought I would just sleep it off. Saturday morning it hurt even worse, and before I could even get in the shower and get ready for the day, I began to throw up. NASTY! Sister Bremner, the MMM medical director told me that I had to stay in and rest all day, and then she said was one of the most prophetic things in the world, "drink lots of Coke!" That was the ONLY good thing that came out of this illness, and excuse to drink Diet Coke :) We had to buy a couple of things that she sent us out for, and on the way back I got a Route 44 Diet Coke w/ Easy Ice at Sonic just to make sure that I wasn't skipping any steps that she gave me ;) While I was sick, I was able to watch a lot of the church movies that we have in the apartment. One of them was "The Prodigal Son." It's a really great movie, although it is rather dated. I realized as I was watching it though, that at times I am like the prodigal son's brother. I haven't made any huge mistakes in my life, but I have been judgmental of others, and jealous, and even bitter at times. Whatever it is, it is not good. I hope to be able to improve those aspects of myself, and become a more kind and forgiving person. I was kind of all over the place on Saturday, but one time when I was feeling down, the doorbell rang! My Christmas packages arrived early :) I haven't opened them yet, as I promised, but it made my day!
Sunday was great! I wasn't actually supposed to go to Church or do anything on Sunday, but I kind of had a case of cabin fever. I was sick of being sick, and wanted to do something else haha :) Plus I was feeling WAY better! The Christmas Sunday was great, and I was able to sing with the ward choir. The member that we live with, is the choir director, so it all worked out wonderfully! We were even able to visit with a part-member family in the evening and share a Christmas message from the December Ensign. It ended up being a really great day :)
Thank you all for your love and support! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas :) Thank you for all of your emails, letters, and packages, you are all truly the best! I am so grateful for so many loving friends and family members this Holiday season. Talk to you next week!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Hello Everyone,
It has been a very interesting week to say the least. To start, my companion is now home in Finland. Because he left on Tuesday, I went on exchange with an Elder in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, because his companion was going home as well. We had a very unique experience while we were on exchange. Not many of their plans worked out during the day, so we ended up shoveling snow for people in their area. First we began with a member, and then their neighbors. We were able to talk briefly with one of their neighbors - who just got out of jail for drug dealing and was going to get involved with something called "teen challenge". Not really sure what that is, but I think its good :) He said that his daughter was looking for a new church, and that he might be interested as well. He was in a hurry, but we set up a return appointment to visit with them. He was SO grateful for the service we provided him, it was great to see that our service was actually helping someone. Then out of the blue this cute old lady came over and gave us some cookies that she had just baked. We thanked her, and then shoveled her driveway as well :) She was so kind to go out of her way to give strangers in her neighborhood cookies that she had baked. Then after a great day, we were getting ready for bed. The Elder handed me a package of ear plugs, and said "you are going to need these!" I didn't quite know what to say, but I came to figure out that he snores SO loud. His companions have all worn ear plugs because they cannot sleep because of his snoring. Interesting ending to our exchange!
Transfers were on Wednesday! My new companion, is from West Valley, Utah. To start of the Christmas season right, we got a new 2014 Ford Fusion!!! Our old car was at like 54,000 miles, and the church usually rotates cars at 50,000 miles, so I wasn't sure when it was going to happen. MERRY CHRISTMAS :) Also at transfers, I saw my favorite companion in the whole entire world! It was great :) It seriously made my day! Friends for life :) Okay, I am rambling, but you get the point!
After transfers, we went up to Big Lake, Minnesota to visit with three part-member families. While we were visiting with the first family, we taught the Word of Wisdom. The mom shared with us that she had tried to stop smoking before, but that she gets really angry and hard to live with, and that she doesn't want to put her family through all of that again. She did, however, share with us that she had been praying that she would be able to overcome her smoking addiction. Hopefully we will be able to be the answer to her prayers! The Addiction Recovery Program that the church has put together, modeled after the AA program, is really great :) I have read through it a few times on my mission, and I highly recommend that EVERYONE reads it at some time in their life! It has such a great overall theme relating to the atonement of Jesus Christ, and it really is an incredible handbook. Hopefully this mom will be able to get some great usage out of it :)
On Saturday, I had either food poisoning or the stomach flu. Whatever it was, it was NOT fun. On Friday night my stomach hurt really bad, but I thought I would just sleep it off. Saturday morning it hurt even worse, and before I could even get in the shower and get ready for the day, I began to throw up. NASTY! Sister Bremner, the MMM medical director told me that I had to stay in and rest all day, and then she said was one of the most prophetic things in the world, "drink lots of Coke!" That was the ONLY good thing that came out of this illness, and excuse to drink Diet Coke :) We had to buy a couple of things that she sent us out for, and on the way back I got a Route 44 Diet Coke w/ Easy Ice at Sonic just to make sure that I wasn't skipping any steps that she gave me ;) While I was sick, I was able to watch a lot of the church movies that we have in the apartment. One of them was "The Prodigal Son." It's a really great movie, although it is rather dated. I realized as I was watching it though, that at times I am like the prodigal son's brother. I haven't made any huge mistakes in my life, but I have been judgmental of others, and jealous, and even bitter at times. Whatever it is, it is not good. I hope to be able to improve those aspects of myself, and become a more kind and forgiving person. I was kind of all over the place on Saturday, but one time when I was feeling down, the doorbell rang! My Christmas packages arrived early :) I haven't opened them yet, as I promised, but it made my day!
Sunday was great! I wasn't actually supposed to go to Church or do anything on Sunday, but I kind of had a case of cabin fever. I was sick of being sick, and wanted to do something else haha :) Plus I was feeling WAY better! The Christmas Sunday was great, and I was able to sing with the ward choir. The member that we live with, is the choir director, so it all worked out wonderfully! We were even able to visit with a part-member family in the evening and share a Christmas message from the December Ensign. It ended up being a really great day :)
Thank you all for your love and support! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas :) Thank you for all of your emails, letters, and packages, you are all truly the best! I am so grateful for so many loving friends and family members this Holiday season. Talk to you next week!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, December 16, 2013
Journey To Bethlehem
Monday, December 16, 2013
Hello Everyone,
This week has been kind of crazy! To start we had a district P-Day on Monday at the Hogan's pole barn. They had go-carts, rope climbing courses, tricycles, rock climbing walls, the works! It was fun to be able to party it up on our P-Day with our district, and we had an unplanned service project as well. The Sister missionaries slid off into a ditch on the way over, so we had to push them out! Luckily we have not slid into a ditch just yet... but I am not the designated driver. Rumor has it that I might be the designated driver next transfer, yikes!
On Monday evening we met with a less-active family. They are so kind and welcoming, and their son even added me on Facebook while we were there! (I think.. if he did Mom you should accept him for me.) It was fun to be able to visit with them, and to see them before my companion goes home!
The week previous to this we received a text from an investigator that she was not interested in converting, and that she was done taking the missionary discussions. I was devastated! I felt like I had been prepared for her and her family, and that I had failed miserably. I kept it all inside, and got really down about it all. Nothing could fix it. Later that day while my companion was making his missionary goals for when he returns home, I went in the other room and just let it all out. I decided to pray, and the moment I kneeled down I felt something come over me. It felt like someone was hugging me and comforting me, and I knew that somehow everything was going to be okay. We were able to go joint teaching with a brother in the ward on Tuesday, and I decided to stop by this investigator’s home to see her and her daughter while we were in the area. She invited us in, and we were able to have a really great visit with her about Christmas, AND she invited us to come back :) We are no longer dropped!
On Wednesday we got a mission wide text informing us that we were not to bike or tract because of the wind chill warning. We had an exchange planned, so we knew it was going to be interesting! I went on exchange with an Elder from Ozark, Alabama. We did a lot of stop by's and less-active visits. Some Jehovah's Witnesses even invited us in and made us hot chocolate in their Keurig Coffee Maker. SO good! They were really kind and we had a really great discussion with them during our visit. The moment they started bashing though, we decided it would be best if we headed out. I hate church bashing. I think it is the biggest waste of time in the world, and it doesn't accomplish anything whatsoever! Many people seek bashing opportunities to "win" the bash, but nothing good comes from bashing. Okay, here comes the rant haha! I have many friends and family members who are of different faiths. None of them bash my religion, and I don't bash theirs either. For one, it is not very Christlike, but secondary, it's pointless! Most of the time the information people bash with is incorrect anyways. *Bugged* But back to the day. We had a really interesting visit with a Part-Member family in the evening. The kids are from Alabama, and the Elder I was on exchange with discovered that they were in the same stake! Small world :) The mom was able to identify and feel the spirit during our lesson, so all in all, it was a great day! Cold, but good :)
On Friday we had weekly planning. Weekly planning is hard when your companion goes home, because they realize that they will not be there for any of the planned events. My companion decided to not really participate in weekly planning, so I was on my own. Luckily everything was accomplished, and it will be a great week! In the evening we were able to attend the Minnesota Mormon Chorale & Orchestra's performance "Journey To Bethlehem" in New Brighton, Minnesota. Our ward mission leader works for the city of Elk River, and invited the Mayor! Because he is not a member, we were able to attend :) It was a very spirit filled evening, and the Mayor said that it really brought up a lot of good questions, and that he had a lot to think about this Christmas season. SO cool :) The Apollo Male Chorus also was there to perform, they will be performing in Carnegie Hall in New York in a couple weeks, so it was really great to be able to here them perform!
These past few days we have mostly been visiting members. The other day we visited with a member family. They gave us hot chocolate with a candy cane, sprinkles, and whipped cream, SO fun :) They also invited me and my new companion over for Christmas Eve! On the way out, the sister even gave me a Diet Coke. She knows me so well! We both are Diet Coke, and especially Sonic obsessed, it's great :) I absolutely love their family, and can't wait for Christmas Eve!
We were scheduled to have dinner with a family yesterday, but we got a text informing us that the brothers daughter from his former marriage had passed away, and that he was not going to be able to make it. He flew out Sunday morning, and will be understandably busy for the next little while. I felt like we needed to stop by their home a visit with the sister and the rest of the family though, so we went over to see them Sunday afternoon! We had the most amazing visit with their family, and were able to provide a lot of comfort to them while we were there. I shared a little bit about my uncle Wayne, and the experience that our family had with his passing. This brothers’ daughter is in her 20's so very close to Wayne's age. Hopefully we were of some help! The sister kept thanking us profusely for coming over, so I think it was well received :)
Today we received our transfer calls, and I will be staying here in Elk River with my new companion. I am excited to see what the future has to hold this next transfer :). I hit my 7 month mark on Sunday, kind of crazy! Things are going well though, and I am SUPER excited for Christmas :) Thank you all so much for all of your love and support! I love hearing from you all, and all of the fun and exciting things going on back home :) I love and miss you all and hope you have an amazing holiday season! Talk to you soon :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Hello Everyone,
This week has been kind of crazy! To start we had a district P-Day on Monday at the Hogan's pole barn. They had go-carts, rope climbing courses, tricycles, rock climbing walls, the works! It was fun to be able to party it up on our P-Day with our district, and we had an unplanned service project as well. The Sister missionaries slid off into a ditch on the way over, so we had to push them out! Luckily we have not slid into a ditch just yet... but I am not the designated driver. Rumor has it that I might be the designated driver next transfer, yikes!
On Monday evening we met with a less-active family. They are so kind and welcoming, and their son even added me on Facebook while we were there! (I think.. if he did Mom you should accept him for me.) It was fun to be able to visit with them, and to see them before my companion goes home!
The week previous to this we received a text from an investigator that she was not interested in converting, and that she was done taking the missionary discussions. I was devastated! I felt like I had been prepared for her and her family, and that I had failed miserably. I kept it all inside, and got really down about it all. Nothing could fix it. Later that day while my companion was making his missionary goals for when he returns home, I went in the other room and just let it all out. I decided to pray, and the moment I kneeled down I felt something come over me. It felt like someone was hugging me and comforting me, and I knew that somehow everything was going to be okay. We were able to go joint teaching with a brother in the ward on Tuesday, and I decided to stop by this investigator’s home to see her and her daughter while we were in the area. She invited us in, and we were able to have a really great visit with her about Christmas, AND she invited us to come back :) We are no longer dropped!
On Wednesday we got a mission wide text informing us that we were not to bike or tract because of the wind chill warning. We had an exchange planned, so we knew it was going to be interesting! I went on exchange with an Elder from Ozark, Alabama. We did a lot of stop by's and less-active visits. Some Jehovah's Witnesses even invited us in and made us hot chocolate in their Keurig Coffee Maker. SO good! They were really kind and we had a really great discussion with them during our visit. The moment they started bashing though, we decided it would be best if we headed out. I hate church bashing. I think it is the biggest waste of time in the world, and it doesn't accomplish anything whatsoever! Many people seek bashing opportunities to "win" the bash, but nothing good comes from bashing. Okay, here comes the rant haha! I have many friends and family members who are of different faiths. None of them bash my religion, and I don't bash theirs either. For one, it is not very Christlike, but secondary, it's pointless! Most of the time the information people bash with is incorrect anyways. *Bugged* But back to the day. We had a really interesting visit with a Part-Member family in the evening. The kids are from Alabama, and the Elder I was on exchange with discovered that they were in the same stake! Small world :) The mom was able to identify and feel the spirit during our lesson, so all in all, it was a great day! Cold, but good :)
On Friday we had weekly planning. Weekly planning is hard when your companion goes home, because they realize that they will not be there for any of the planned events. My companion decided to not really participate in weekly planning, so I was on my own. Luckily everything was accomplished, and it will be a great week! In the evening we were able to attend the Minnesota Mormon Chorale & Orchestra's performance "Journey To Bethlehem" in New Brighton, Minnesota. Our ward mission leader works for the city of Elk River, and invited the Mayor! Because he is not a member, we were able to attend :) It was a very spirit filled evening, and the Mayor said that it really brought up a lot of good questions, and that he had a lot to think about this Christmas season. SO cool :) The Apollo Male Chorus also was there to perform, they will be performing in Carnegie Hall in New York in a couple weeks, so it was really great to be able to here them perform!
These past few days we have mostly been visiting members. The other day we visited with a member family. They gave us hot chocolate with a candy cane, sprinkles, and whipped cream, SO fun :) They also invited me and my new companion over for Christmas Eve! On the way out, the sister even gave me a Diet Coke. She knows me so well! We both are Diet Coke, and especially Sonic obsessed, it's great :) I absolutely love their family, and can't wait for Christmas Eve!
We were scheduled to have dinner with a family yesterday, but we got a text informing us that the brothers daughter from his former marriage had passed away, and that he was not going to be able to make it. He flew out Sunday morning, and will be understandably busy for the next little while. I felt like we needed to stop by their home a visit with the sister and the rest of the family though, so we went over to see them Sunday afternoon! We had the most amazing visit with their family, and were able to provide a lot of comfort to them while we were there. I shared a little bit about my uncle Wayne, and the experience that our family had with his passing. This brothers’ daughter is in her 20's so very close to Wayne's age. Hopefully we were of some help! The sister kept thanking us profusely for coming over, so I think it was well received :)
Today we received our transfer calls, and I will be staying here in Elk River with my new companion. I am excited to see what the future has to hold this next transfer :). I hit my 7 month mark on Sunday, kind of crazy! Things are going well though, and I am SUPER excited for Christmas :) Thank you all so much for all of your love and support! I love hearing from you all, and all of the fun and exciting things going on back home :) I love and miss you all and hope you have an amazing holiday season! Talk to you soon :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, December 9, 2013
I Am Yet Alive
Monday, December 9, 2013
Hello Everyone,
This week has been interesting, but it has worked out really well! On Monday we had lunch with two sisters from the ward. As I was talking with one sister, she mentioned that she had served a mission in Thailand, so I decided to shoot the breeze, and ask her if she knew an Elder Bancroft. She excitedly confirmed that they had served together in the same mission. Kind of crazy all the little connections that our family has here!
This week has been FREEZING cold. On Wednesday our cars were grounded. We were not able to drive them because of the snow. Our busy meal calendar is a blessing and a curse at times. We had a meal appointment in St. Michael at 5:00 PM, which is about 4 miles away from our apartment. My companion was too proud to call for a ride, and refused to let me call for rides, so we walked. I was wearing my white shirt, a sweater, a Tommy Hilfiger down vest that I bought on P-Day, my black Mountain Hardware jacket, my heated Columbia jacket, and my big Mountain Hardware jacket. On top of that I had a scarf wrapped around my face and neck, and two hats on. Luckily I had my bog boots on as well! It was an adventure, and despite everything I was wearing, it was still kind of cold. I wasn't feeling too well, but I kept walking along. All of the sudden I was reminded of a training that Sister Clements had given us many many months ago. We all face hard times in our lives, but we need to face the future and press forward. In the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni anticipated his death, but when he hadn't yet died, he continued to write in the Book of Mormon, and said "I Am Yet Alive." Instantly I was filled with gratitude that I was yet alive. I then started to sing to myself and danced a little bit to warm up. With all those jackets on, nobody could even see that I was moving, so it was great! The sun drop girl song and dance was TOTALLY stuck in my head the whole time, you should definitely look that up on YouTube. But the fact of the matter was that we are all going to face hard times. It's not always going to be warm, and sometimes you are going to have to walk 4 miles in the snow, but we are alive and living and changing everyday! With that said, I do not EVER want to do that again :)
We had our Christmas Conference this week in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It started off with a bang, seeing that we were all told to go to the Crystal, Minnesota building and President and Sister Clements and all the food was at the Brooklyn Park building. We quickly drove back over, and began with our Christmas Conference a little delayed. For Christmas because of the mix up, President Clements gave us all 10 extra miles to cover the extra distance we traveled. We were able to watch the Disney movie "Miracle", which was filmed here in Minnesota. It was cool to see everything that I already know about this area, I felt almost like a resident here haha! Hockey is huge here, so it was fun to be able to watch a hockey movie :) During our training Sister Clements used me as a model for everyone to demonstrate effective layering. I have become a layering expert! I was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, with a sweater underneath my suit. Why some missionaries aren't wearing sweaters yet, I do not know! I love sweaters, plus they are warm, so bonus points :) I also had an interview with President Clements during the conference. As we talked, he said to me "You are here for a purpose", and we began to talk about what I was sent to Elk River, Minnesota for. It is crazy sometimes how everything works out!
On Saturday we had the Ward Christmas Social. It was cool to be able to spend time with all the members here, and the amount of non-member friends that attended was incredible! The gym was packed with people, and it was a really fun event. Santa Clause even came to visit, SO great :)
A couple days this week we have not been able to go outside, because it has been too cold. President Clements has said that we are not to leave our apartments until noon, because of the wind chill. The wind chill here is deathly! Today it is predicted to be -25 degrees. SO gross. Luckily on one of the days that we were restricted to leave, we were able to attend a member baptism, and they invited us over for lunch afterwards!
We met with a family yesterday for lunch. They served us fufu and peanut butter soup. My companion loved it for some reason. We had to eat it with our hands, and it was just all kinds of nasty. Nobody knew how much I disliked it though, so that was a plus!
Just a tip of advice for you all -- based off of a "fun" event that I had today :) Eat before you exercise, and don't run when you are half asleep! Today I was running on the treadmill, and all of the sudden my heart started racing, and I kept feeling like I was going to black out. I was determined to run before I showered this morning though, and I did. Then when I went to shower, bam! I was out in the middle of the hallway. No bruises though :) Learn from my mistake though!
I hope you all have an amazing week, and survive this freezing cold weather! I have heard that Utah is getting pretty bad as well, so layer up :) Talk to you soon!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Hello Everyone,
This week has been interesting, but it has worked out really well! On Monday we had lunch with two sisters from the ward. As I was talking with one sister, she mentioned that she had served a mission in Thailand, so I decided to shoot the breeze, and ask her if she knew an Elder Bancroft. She excitedly confirmed that they had served together in the same mission. Kind of crazy all the little connections that our family has here!
This week has been FREEZING cold. On Wednesday our cars were grounded. We were not able to drive them because of the snow. Our busy meal calendar is a blessing and a curse at times. We had a meal appointment in St. Michael at 5:00 PM, which is about 4 miles away from our apartment. My companion was too proud to call for a ride, and refused to let me call for rides, so we walked. I was wearing my white shirt, a sweater, a Tommy Hilfiger down vest that I bought on P-Day, my black Mountain Hardware jacket, my heated Columbia jacket, and my big Mountain Hardware jacket. On top of that I had a scarf wrapped around my face and neck, and two hats on. Luckily I had my bog boots on as well! It was an adventure, and despite everything I was wearing, it was still kind of cold. I wasn't feeling too well, but I kept walking along. All of the sudden I was reminded of a training that Sister Clements had given us many many months ago. We all face hard times in our lives, but we need to face the future and press forward. In the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni anticipated his death, but when he hadn't yet died, he continued to write in the Book of Mormon, and said "I Am Yet Alive." Instantly I was filled with gratitude that I was yet alive. I then started to sing to myself and danced a little bit to warm up. With all those jackets on, nobody could even see that I was moving, so it was great! The sun drop girl song and dance was TOTALLY stuck in my head the whole time, you should definitely look that up on YouTube. But the fact of the matter was that we are all going to face hard times. It's not always going to be warm, and sometimes you are going to have to walk 4 miles in the snow, but we are alive and living and changing everyday! With that said, I do not EVER want to do that again :)
We had our Christmas Conference this week in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It started off with a bang, seeing that we were all told to go to the Crystal, Minnesota building and President and Sister Clements and all the food was at the Brooklyn Park building. We quickly drove back over, and began with our Christmas Conference a little delayed. For Christmas because of the mix up, President Clements gave us all 10 extra miles to cover the extra distance we traveled. We were able to watch the Disney movie "Miracle", which was filmed here in Minnesota. It was cool to see everything that I already know about this area, I felt almost like a resident here haha! Hockey is huge here, so it was fun to be able to watch a hockey movie :) During our training Sister Clements used me as a model for everyone to demonstrate effective layering. I have become a layering expert! I was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, with a sweater underneath my suit. Why some missionaries aren't wearing sweaters yet, I do not know! I love sweaters, plus they are warm, so bonus points :) I also had an interview with President Clements during the conference. As we talked, he said to me "You are here for a purpose", and we began to talk about what I was sent to Elk River, Minnesota for. It is crazy sometimes how everything works out!
On Saturday we had the Ward Christmas Social. It was cool to be able to spend time with all the members here, and the amount of non-member friends that attended was incredible! The gym was packed with people, and it was a really fun event. Santa Clause even came to visit, SO great :)
A couple days this week we have not been able to go outside, because it has been too cold. President Clements has said that we are not to leave our apartments until noon, because of the wind chill. The wind chill here is deathly! Today it is predicted to be -25 degrees. SO gross. Luckily on one of the days that we were restricted to leave, we were able to attend a member baptism, and they invited us over for lunch afterwards!
We met with a family yesterday for lunch. They served us fufu and peanut butter soup. My companion loved it for some reason. We had to eat it with our hands, and it was just all kinds of nasty. Nobody knew how much I disliked it though, so that was a plus!
Just a tip of advice for you all -- based off of a "fun" event that I had today :) Eat before you exercise, and don't run when you are half asleep! Today I was running on the treadmill, and all of the sudden my heart started racing, and I kept feeling like I was going to black out. I was determined to run before I showered this morning though, and I did. Then when I went to shower, bam! I was out in the middle of the hallway. No bruises though :) Learn from my mistake though!
I hope you all have an amazing week, and survive this freezing cold weather! I have heard that Utah is getting pretty bad as well, so layer up :) Talk to you soon!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, December 2, 2013
Thanksgiving a la Black Friday and the first sign of snow
Monday, December 2, 2013
Hello Everyone,
This week has been different with Thanksgiving, but has definitely been great! To start off the week, we had an exchange with the Buffalo, Minnesota Elders. I was on exchange with an Elder from Logan, Utah. Originally both sets of Elders were going to be in our area, so we arranged two meal appointments for the evening. They had an important appointment arise in their area, so they had to cancel the blitz. We received really sweet voicemails from the families feeding us, so I didn't have the heart to cancel last minute. So... we had two dinners. Absolute madness! One dinner at 4, and another at 5. We were stuffed, but it all worked out in the end. In the evening, we were working in Ramsey, Minnesota with a brother from the ward. I kept feeling like we needing to go somewhere else though, and then I thought of a mother and daughter who live in Otsego, Minnesota. We usually don't like to drive all over the place when we are with members, but I kept feeling like we HAD to go see them. Finally we went over to their home. The mom answered the door, and was absolutely stunned! She said "this is crazy, I was literally just thinking about you two seconds ago, and then you knocked on my door!" It was really cool to see how everything worked out, and then we were able to talk with her for a while, and teach her about the restoration of the church. (The difficulties her family is currently facing are worsening, and her daughter a day earlier was admitted into the hospital for mental health problems) I feel like we are going to have the opportunity to really help their family, it just hasn't completely taken off yet. But it will!
On Wednesday we taught a sister, and her kids again. Their mom is really gravitating towards our church's teachings. As we taught the Plan of Salvation, she said that it really resonated well with her, and it felt like she already knew everything. Each teaching we have shared, has been something that she already believed, but her church has not ever had it as a doctrine. They again didn't make it to church on Sunday though, so we still have a lot of work to do.
Thursday, Thanksgiving, was our P-Day last week. In the morning we had a mission wide conference call at 7:00 AM, and then we went along with our normal P-Day activities. At 1:00 PM we had dinner with a family, and they gave us seriously like hundreds of take-out boxes of food. At 4:00 PM we had dinner with another family. Luckily this time we had some time between the two meal appointments, but still kind of crazy! At 5:00 PM we had to do our shopping for the week, bad. Very bad! Walmart had their first Black Friday event at 6:00, so the store was absolutely crazy! We were just getting regular groceries, but the Black Friday shoppers were EVERYWHERE! Walmart was SUPER disorganized. When you walked into the store, they were handing out maps. They reorganized the entire store, and had video games and iPads in the grocery and produce areas, so it was insane. The Black Friday shopper in me kicked in though, and it was great! The only problem though was that people began to follow suit, even though we were just dashing for things like eggs and chicken. I only had to throw elbows a few times haha ;) I really wish we could have been regular Black Friday shopping, but with sacrifices come blessings.... I had an adrenaline rush for the rest of the evening though, it was great :) With this time of the year, also comes my one year anniversary! One year ago, I broke my collar bone on Black Friday and had to go through surgeries and craziness. I can't believe it has already been a year! Unfortunately I do not have any crazy stories to report, and luckily no broken bones, but it was still a good year. For the rest of the evening, we were with the family we live with doing service. We set up Christmas decorations, and talked, and had a great time! It was fun :) Thanksgiving was definitely a blast! And... in two more Thanksgivings I will be back to Black Friday Shopping haha!
On Saturday we met with a mom and daughter again. The daughter is back home from the hospital now, and is doing well! A family came with us to joint teach, and the sister (Young Womens teacher or president.. not sure) was able to really offer some great advice! We talked about For The Strength of Youth, the Broken Vessel talk from Elder Holland, and this sister gave the mom contact information for a great counselor in St. Cloud. It was a really great lesson, AND I made Lehi Roller Mills blueberry muffins to share, so it was even better :) Don't ask me how that muffin mix made it here to Minnesota, but it worked out perfectly! A member must have given it to the missionaries forever ago, and I am the only one apparently that knows how to make muffins.
Yesterday after church, we had dinner with a family. They just recently moved here from Provo, Utah, crazy! I saw this brother in church a couple weeks ago, and he looked SUPER familiar, but I dismissed it, because he lives here in Minnesota. I mentioned that he looked familiar when we were over having dinner, and he said that he had the same thought. Turns out, he used to work at Nordstrom in Fashion Place Mall in the Men's Shoe Department, my second home. Small world! But it gets even better. His wife grew up in Provo, Utah. She went to Timpview High School. We were talking about our families and everything when this brother and I were trying to figure out how we knew each other, and Sister Wilkinson said that my grandpa, William Bancroft, was her stake president back home. Apparently her dad and grandpa are good friends. She also told me that she went to school with Wayne. Small world! It is cool to have a family here with so many connections to my life back home :) We were also able to talk shoes for a while, which was AWESOME!
It has been a pretty amazing week overall, even though it snowed for like two seconds today for the first time. Luckily it did not stick though! I am SUPER paranoid about the winter here... hopefully I won't kill anyone with my little to no winter driving experience. (No sarcastic remarks Mom!) I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that this week will be excellent as well :) Thank you all for your love and support, I couldn't do this without you.
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Hello Everyone,
This week has been different with Thanksgiving, but has definitely been great! To start off the week, we had an exchange with the Buffalo, Minnesota Elders. I was on exchange with an Elder from Logan, Utah. Originally both sets of Elders were going to be in our area, so we arranged two meal appointments for the evening. They had an important appointment arise in their area, so they had to cancel the blitz. We received really sweet voicemails from the families feeding us, so I didn't have the heart to cancel last minute. So... we had two dinners. Absolute madness! One dinner at 4, and another at 5. We were stuffed, but it all worked out in the end. In the evening, we were working in Ramsey, Minnesota with a brother from the ward. I kept feeling like we needing to go somewhere else though, and then I thought of a mother and daughter who live in Otsego, Minnesota. We usually don't like to drive all over the place when we are with members, but I kept feeling like we HAD to go see them. Finally we went over to their home. The mom answered the door, and was absolutely stunned! She said "this is crazy, I was literally just thinking about you two seconds ago, and then you knocked on my door!" It was really cool to see how everything worked out, and then we were able to talk with her for a while, and teach her about the restoration of the church. (The difficulties her family is currently facing are worsening, and her daughter a day earlier was admitted into the hospital for mental health problems) I feel like we are going to have the opportunity to really help their family, it just hasn't completely taken off yet. But it will!
On Wednesday we taught a sister, and her kids again. Their mom is really gravitating towards our church's teachings. As we taught the Plan of Salvation, she said that it really resonated well with her, and it felt like she already knew everything. Each teaching we have shared, has been something that she already believed, but her church has not ever had it as a doctrine. They again didn't make it to church on Sunday though, so we still have a lot of work to do.
Thursday, Thanksgiving, was our P-Day last week. In the morning we had a mission wide conference call at 7:00 AM, and then we went along with our normal P-Day activities. At 1:00 PM we had dinner with a family, and they gave us seriously like hundreds of take-out boxes of food. At 4:00 PM we had dinner with another family. Luckily this time we had some time between the two meal appointments, but still kind of crazy! At 5:00 PM we had to do our shopping for the week, bad. Very bad! Walmart had their first Black Friday event at 6:00, so the store was absolutely crazy! We were just getting regular groceries, but the Black Friday shoppers were EVERYWHERE! Walmart was SUPER disorganized. When you walked into the store, they were handing out maps. They reorganized the entire store, and had video games and iPads in the grocery and produce areas, so it was insane. The Black Friday shopper in me kicked in though, and it was great! The only problem though was that people began to follow suit, even though we were just dashing for things like eggs and chicken. I only had to throw elbows a few times haha ;) I really wish we could have been regular Black Friday shopping, but with sacrifices come blessings.... I had an adrenaline rush for the rest of the evening though, it was great :) With this time of the year, also comes my one year anniversary! One year ago, I broke my collar bone on Black Friday and had to go through surgeries and craziness. I can't believe it has already been a year! Unfortunately I do not have any crazy stories to report, and luckily no broken bones, but it was still a good year. For the rest of the evening, we were with the family we live with doing service. We set up Christmas decorations, and talked, and had a great time! It was fun :) Thanksgiving was definitely a blast! And... in two more Thanksgivings I will be back to Black Friday Shopping haha!
On Saturday we met with a mom and daughter again. The daughter is back home from the hospital now, and is doing well! A family came with us to joint teach, and the sister (Young Womens teacher or president.. not sure) was able to really offer some great advice! We talked about For The Strength of Youth, the Broken Vessel talk from Elder Holland, and this sister gave the mom contact information for a great counselor in St. Cloud. It was a really great lesson, AND I made Lehi Roller Mills blueberry muffins to share, so it was even better :) Don't ask me how that muffin mix made it here to Minnesota, but it worked out perfectly! A member must have given it to the missionaries forever ago, and I am the only one apparently that knows how to make muffins.
Yesterday after church, we had dinner with a family. They just recently moved here from Provo, Utah, crazy! I saw this brother in church a couple weeks ago, and he looked SUPER familiar, but I dismissed it, because he lives here in Minnesota. I mentioned that he looked familiar when we were over having dinner, and he said that he had the same thought. Turns out, he used to work at Nordstrom in Fashion Place Mall in the Men's Shoe Department, my second home. Small world! But it gets even better. His wife grew up in Provo, Utah. She went to Timpview High School. We were talking about our families and everything when this brother and I were trying to figure out how we knew each other, and Sister Wilkinson said that my grandpa, William Bancroft, was her stake president back home. Apparently her dad and grandpa are good friends. She also told me that she went to school with Wayne. Small world! It is cool to have a family here with so many connections to my life back home :) We were also able to talk shoes for a while, which was AWESOME!
It has been a pretty amazing week overall, even though it snowed for like two seconds today for the first time. Luckily it did not stick though! I am SUPER paranoid about the winter here... hopefully I won't kill anyone with my little to no winter driving experience. (No sarcastic remarks Mom!) I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that this week will be excellent as well :) Thank you all for your love and support, I couldn't do this without you.
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)