Hello Everyone,
This week has been pretty fantastic! So much to talk about... On Monday we had our P-Day. There is a really sweet woman that does our laundry for us. AWESOME! We played some games at their house and wrote some letters and then went on with our regular P-Day craziness. In the evening we had a very interesting experience tracting. We knocked on a man's door, and he yelled, "Who is it?" I answered, "It's the missionaries!" To which he responded, "Come in!" I pushed the door open, and he quickly yelled, "Don't let the cat out!!!" as it ran out the door. He was not very happy. He was disabled and was sitting in his big chair with his crutches because he cannot walk very well. He frantically was yelling, "You have to go find Thunder! Thunder has never been outside before! Thunder come back!" So we started chasing his cat. I HATE CATS! Hate is a very strong word, but it is definitely appropriate in this situation. I do not just strongly dislike cats, I HATE them! So we went around trying to catch his cat, and it was not cooperating. Finally we cornered the cat in a flower bed, and it started to hiss at us, and was not a very happy cat. My companion reached over and tried to grab it, and it scratched one of his hands, and bit the other. The man kept yelling, "Just grab it and bring it inside!" Then the cat got away again. We cornered the cat again, and the man came outside and tried to comfort his cat. He kept telling us that his cat didn't bite, and that we just need to grab it and bring it inside. My companion reached over again, and it scratched his hand even more. At this point, the man was super ticked off! He was yelling, and swearing, and was not a happy camper. Then after about 45 minutes of chasing his cat, he realized that upstairs he had a kennel for his cat. Good gosh! So my companion grabbed the cat carrier while I kept watch over the cat making sure it didn't escape. He came back and we tried to get the cat in the cage, and it ran away again. By this time, the man went and sat down. He was exhausted from yelling and getting up from his chair! We kept chasing it, and finally it was on his back porch. My companion was standing at the door with some of the cat's treats, but it would not go inside. I finally cornered the cat between two trash cans, and told my companion to bring me the cat carrier. He walked around the house, grabbed the cat carrier, handed it to me, and stomped behind the trash cans to scare the cat into the carrier. The cat ran into the kennel, and I scooped it up and shut the door. It was hissing and was super not happy with us, but we caught it! We walked inside, shut all the doors, and released the cat. It casually walked out of the kennel, and nuzzled up to me. Yuck! Then the man asked my companion to put the cat carrier back, and the cat followed him and meowed. It nuzzled up to him as well, and he started petting Thunder. What a snot! This cat must have been super scared outside or something. Regardless, I was not super impressed. Now the the cat conundrum was solved, we were able to talk to the man for a little while. We found out that his name and that he has lived here for 5 years, and his family rarely comes to see him. He just spends all day with his cat, Thunder. Thunder we found out is actually terrified of Thunder, so his name was kind of a fluke. We were late to an appointment, but we asked if we could come stop by and talk with him some time later. After that, we went over to a member’s house and watched Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration. I love that movie! Totally made the day better. My companion washed his bloody hands, and things got a lot better! Pretty eventful day.
On Tuesday we went to a thrift store called Family Pathways, and did some service for an hour. They are preparing for Christmas, so we were in the back setting up Christmas trees. It felt super wrong to be setting up Christmas trees in October, but I guess you have to start early to set up an entire thrift store. They will be redecorating the store in November though, so they will be violating the rule that you don't put up your Christmas tree until after Thanksgiving. Oh well! Afterwards we had our weekly accountability call, and then went over to a member’s house to arrange doing some service for them later in the week. In the evening we went out joint teaching, and we had a lesson with a less-active member. We talked to her about the Plan of Salvation, and she and her daughter really enjoyed it! My job was mainly to entertain the daughter, who I believe is about 2 years old. It was pretty fun. We played with her Weebleville toys, which reminded me of the Weebleville toys that we used to have. Fun times! I think I was having more fun than she was, but whatever.
On Wednesday morning, I realized that I had not started writing my consecrated missionary speech. President Forbes informed us that Elder Carlson would be picking 2-3 people in each conference to give a speech on becoming a fully consecrated missionary, so I decided I had better start writing it. It actually came together rather nicely, and I realized that because I was prepared, I probably wouldn't be called on. So that was a relief! I used a couple quotes from a letter that my Mom sent me earlier on in my mission, when I was having a rather difficult time adjusting to missionary life. It worked out super well! I used a quote that she sent me from President Eyring that says, “Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail.” It tied in perfectly to what I was trying to say about changing and becoming better. Gotta love it when that happens! Later in the day, we had District Meeting. It was kind of weird being back in the first Ward building I served in, but being in a different ward in the District! District Meeting went really well though, and I really like all the Elders and Sisters in our District. In the afternoon we went out and tracted for a little while. We met a really nice older lady. We talked with her a little while about the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She has talked to missionaries before, but she wasn't very interested in learning more. Maybe she will sometime later though! In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a really great lesson with an investigator couple on the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom. They are still going strong on living the Word of Wisdom, and things are going great! They just need to be married. Baby steps!
On Thursday we went and did some service with a family from the ward. We raked and bagged some leaves, helped out with some winter preparations, and talked for a little while with them. The sister is a member, and her husband is not. It was good to start developing a relationship with them! After doing service, we went and visited with a less-active member. We shared a scripture with him, and he asked us for a blessing. He has been trying to give up drugs, but is having a really hard time with it. He also has a really tough time with anxiety. We gave him a blessing, and he really appreciated it. Hopefully things go better for him! In the evening we went out joint teaching, a priest preparing to go on a mission. We had a lesson with an investigator and her daughter on the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom. She is 12, so she felt a little bit awkward when we taught the Law of Chastity, but the Word of Wisdom part of the lesson went great! We finished off the evening with a teaching evaluation, but the roles were reversed! Our joint teacher and my companion taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I pretended to be an investigator. Kind of fun!
On Friday we deep cleaned our apartment. I felt like I was kind of in a funk, but I realized that it was partially because our apartment was super nasty! I don't know how people live in places like this! I was going insane. So we did a lot of cleaning, and things got a lot better for me :) Peace of mind. After cleaning our apartment for a while, we started weekly planning. I felt like I was able to focus so much better now that our apartment wasn't a complete disaster! Plus, I bought an air freshener because it smelled super nasty. Now our apartment smells like apples! In the evening we had an Elder's Quorum Activity called "Burgers and Brothers". We had invited quite a few people to come play basketball, and hang out. Unfortunately no one came, but a few guys from the ward were there. The Elder's Quorum President was outside grilling, and it was a pretty great event! Friday was also United Nations Day and Muharram began at sundown, so that is always fun :)
On Saturday morning my companion noticed that someone new was moving into our apartment complex, so we offered to help them move in. It was fun to get to know some of our neighbors, but of course they lived on the third floor of our apartment building! We never help people move into lower floors, just the highest floors ;) Later, we went out tracting for a little while and met some really interesting people. We talked to a rabbi for a little while. He is a Messianic Jew, so he believes that Jesus is the Christ. We had an interesting conversation about the world, and how it is important to stick to our standards. We also talked about the Bible, and transitioned into talking about the Book of Mormon. He wasn't super interested, but we did have a nice conversation with him! We then saw an older lady mowing her lawn, so we offered to help. My companion started mowing her lawn, and I stood and talked to her for a little while. Her husband died about 2 years ago, and she has a couple kids that live around the area. We got talking for a little while, and she asked a few questions about our Church. While my companion mowed the lawn, I taught her the restoration. She accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon, but was a little hesitant to set a return appointment. We will just have to stop by another time in the future. Later we helped a new family move into the ward. It was a day full of LOTS of service!
On Sunday it was FREEZING cold. Everyone at Church was talking about how cold my hands were every time they shook my hands. Time to start adding more layers. Three investigators came to Church though! In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with the our investigators on the Law of Tithing. Oh, I forget to tell you, I got my halloween package! So I used some candy to demonstrate paying 1/10th. They are still going strong on the Word of Wisdom, AND they are starting to arrange everything so that they can get married! Later we had a lesson with our investigator and her 12yr old daughter on the Law of Tithing, Fasting, Fast Offerings, and obeying the laws of the land. It was a power house lesson, and it worked out really well! As a fun side note, on Sunday we had dinner with a family from the ward. The sister lived in Utah, and I know her brother. He was on PHS's Varsity Ballroom Team. I think he graduated in 2011 though, but that was kind of cool!
On Monday we went to a different city for Elder Bruce A. Carlson's mission tour. We were able to hear from Elder Carlson, Sister Carlson, President Forbes, and Sister Forbes. It was a really great conference! We learned a lot about how we can become more fully consecrated missionaries. As I predicted, I was not asked to give a speech on becoming a more fully consecrated missionary. In the evening we had a lesson with a part-member family on missionary work, and then later had a quick lesson with the 12yr old and her family on missionary work as well. It was a fun day! Super weird not having P-Day on Monday though.
Thank you all for all of your love and support! Talk to you soon :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
New Area in the Country!
Hello Everyone,
This week has been kind of all over the place, but things are good :) Last Monday we got our transfer calls, and I was transferred. I kind of assumed I would be transferred, but I still was kind of shocked. I was in that area for about 9 months, and so it was incredibly hard for me to leave. I made a bunch of phone calls and texts, and set up our next couple days before I left, and then the insanity began! On Monday evening we said goodbye to five families. 3 hours, and 4 big visits, I was pretty impressed! Saying goodbye didn't even feel real, kind of like leaving on my mission. You say goodbye to people, but it feels like you are going to see them again the next week. It's weird!
On Tuesday we had a packed day ahead of us! I needed to pack. That was an event, let me just tell you! I had not packed for 9 months, so I had no clue how much stuff I even had. Luckily, I have been trying to manage my things and downsize a little bit while I was in my last area. I packed it all together, and sure enough it fit into 2 suitcases, 1 carry-on bag, and an extra box of course ;) A lot less than when I left my first area! I was pretty proud of myself :) I did, however, have to dust off my suitcases. Kind of crazy! They were SUPER dusty. Then we went around doing our rounds for the remainder of the day. We visited with Bishop and his family, and seven other families. It was a crazy day! It all worked out though :) In the evening, I got a phone call from an unknown number. It was a family calling, who live in Indiana now, but they were in the Crystal ward for the bulk of my stay here! Yep, not supposed to make out of mission calls, but they called us and I didn't know it was going to happen, so it all works out.
On Wednesday we had our transfer meeting in the morning, and then we loaded up my things and drove to my new area. Completely different than serving in the cities for the last 9 months. My first area was more in the country, but my new area is way out there in the country. I unpacked my things for a little while, and then we went around meeting some of the ward members, part-member families, and investigators. First, I met a part-member family. The father is a member, and his wife and 5 kids are not members. We had a lesson with them on the Plan of Salvation. They loved it! One of their kids referred to the Celestial Kingdom as "1st Class" and that she wants to go to 1st class. Kind of a cool idea! Afterwards we went to the Church and met with members, who have a foster son that they just got a little while ago that they wanted us to meet. He comes from a very rough background, and knows all about drugs, swear words, etc... even though he is only 5 years old. He is a super fun kid with lots of energy! The family will be a super great family for him. Plus, now he is able to learn more about the gospel!
On Thursday we started off the day doing some service raking pine needles for someone. He has a bunch of big pine tree's in his yard, and had quite a few pine needles in his grass. After we did some raking, we were able to have a lesson with him about the Book of Mormon. When we started the lesson, he pulled out a binder marked "Mormon Beliefs vs. Christian Beliefs." It was very evident that he had been reading some anti-Mormon literature. We discussed some of his hold ups, and talked about how they were not completely true and that they were taken out of context. Kind of interesting! He agreed to read the Book of Mormon though, so that was good. Afterwards we went and did service for a member of the ward. We loaded and unloaded some wood that he had chopped. He lives WAY out in the country, it was kind of an interesting car ride over there. I am SUPER glad that I will be in a car area again for the winter though. Having a car is the best! Kind of random, but I have been biking forever, so a car is definitely a blessing :) In the evening we went out joint teaching with a member who leaves on his mission this week. We visited with a blind member of the Church. She is a super sweet woman, but she cannot see anything. We shared a message with her, and agreed to come over sometime next week and take her around for a walk while the weather is still good. That should be a cool service opportunity :) After that we went and visited with an older member To finish off the evening, we visited with a recent-convert, and her granddaughter. We taught them the first part of the Plan of Salvation, and had a really great lesson with them :)
On Friday morning we went over and did some service for an investigator. We helped clean up her basement and moved some boxes downstairs for her. She had surgery on her knee a few weeks ago, so mobility is definitely an issue for her! She has a big brace on her leg, and is having a really "fun" time adjusting to not being able to do everything herself. We also made a baptism calendar and discussed it with her. She really wants to get baptized, but her Mom and her Dad are not a super big fan of the Church. We made a program, and discussed November 22nd as a possible baptismal date. They agreed to discuss it with the parents, but it was going to be a stretch. Her older sister once asked to be baptized and was declined. After our short lesson, we went back to our apartment and did some weekly planning. It was good to get our next week in order, and to find out a lot more about the area! In the evening we went out finding, and then did a teaching evaluation with our Ward Mission Leader.
On Saturday we did some finding and taught a 17 year-old girl. Her parents were not home, but she wanted to know what we were coming around teaching everyone. Maybe it will go somewhere! In the afternoon, a member picked us up to come do some service on his hobby farm. Yep, I went and worked on a farm. Oh my gosh, I am definitely a city boy. It was good to be able to help out though. We shoveled "dirt" out of their barn... that was an experience. We also put up a snow fence, chopped up a tree stump, and did a couple of other things. I of course, had to take a picture with one of their miniature cows. His name is Patrick. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with an investigator family about repentance. They also have a lot of animals. They have chickens, pheasants, rabbits, and pigs. I will have to take a picture with their pigs sometime, but it was super dark when we went over this time so the picture wouldn't have turned out very good.
On Sunday we had Church, which was awesome! Five investigators came to Church. It was great! We taught the gospel principles lesson, which was kind of nightmare. The lesson was on Eternal Marriage. The lesson would have been fine if people didn't keep asking questions. Members started bringing up plural marriage and doing temple work for the dead, and some investigators got super confused, and it was just kind of crazy. Sure, have the two single guys teach the lesson on eternal marriage! It all worked out though. After Church we went out and did some finding, and taught a guy the restoration. He was super nice, and just got back from a recovery program. In the evening we had a lesson with an investigator family and found out that the wife has not smoked for 4 days, and he hadn't smoked for 2 days! AWESOME :) We also had a big fire, where we burned a tie for our 6 month mark, and a shirt for our 1 year mark. I really like my shirts, so I just used an old nasty one from the apartment. It still counts though ;) We had a lesson with them on repentance as well, which went pretty great! To finish off the evening we went and had a lesson some investigators. We finished teaching the Plan of Salvation, and She told us that her parents gave her permission to get baptized on November 22nd if that is what she wants to do! Super great ending to a great week :)
Next Monday, Elder Carlson from the Seventy is coming to our mission, so we will be having P-Day on Tuesday instead of Monday. Just so you are all aware, I will be sending out emails on Tuesday haha ;) Have a great week!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
This week has been kind of all over the place, but things are good :) Last Monday we got our transfer calls, and I was transferred. I kind of assumed I would be transferred, but I still was kind of shocked. I was in that area for about 9 months, and so it was incredibly hard for me to leave. I made a bunch of phone calls and texts, and set up our next couple days before I left, and then the insanity began! On Monday evening we said goodbye to five families. 3 hours, and 4 big visits, I was pretty impressed! Saying goodbye didn't even feel real, kind of like leaving on my mission. You say goodbye to people, but it feels like you are going to see them again the next week. It's weird!
On Tuesday we had a packed day ahead of us! I needed to pack. That was an event, let me just tell you! I had not packed for 9 months, so I had no clue how much stuff I even had. Luckily, I have been trying to manage my things and downsize a little bit while I was in my last area. I packed it all together, and sure enough it fit into 2 suitcases, 1 carry-on bag, and an extra box of course ;) A lot less than when I left my first area! I was pretty proud of myself :) I did, however, have to dust off my suitcases. Kind of crazy! They were SUPER dusty. Then we went around doing our rounds for the remainder of the day. We visited with Bishop and his family, and seven other families. It was a crazy day! It all worked out though :) In the evening, I got a phone call from an unknown number. It was a family calling, who live in Indiana now, but they were in the Crystal ward for the bulk of my stay here! Yep, not supposed to make out of mission calls, but they called us and I didn't know it was going to happen, so it all works out.
On Wednesday we had our transfer meeting in the morning, and then we loaded up my things and drove to my new area. Completely different than serving in the cities for the last 9 months. My first area was more in the country, but my new area is way out there in the country. I unpacked my things for a little while, and then we went around meeting some of the ward members, part-member families, and investigators. First, I met a part-member family. The father is a member, and his wife and 5 kids are not members. We had a lesson with them on the Plan of Salvation. They loved it! One of their kids referred to the Celestial Kingdom as "1st Class" and that she wants to go to 1st class. Kind of a cool idea! Afterwards we went to the Church and met with members, who have a foster son that they just got a little while ago that they wanted us to meet. He comes from a very rough background, and knows all about drugs, swear words, etc... even though he is only 5 years old. He is a super fun kid with lots of energy! The family will be a super great family for him. Plus, now he is able to learn more about the gospel!
On Thursday we started off the day doing some service raking pine needles for someone. He has a bunch of big pine tree's in his yard, and had quite a few pine needles in his grass. After we did some raking, we were able to have a lesson with him about the Book of Mormon. When we started the lesson, he pulled out a binder marked "Mormon Beliefs vs. Christian Beliefs." It was very evident that he had been reading some anti-Mormon literature. We discussed some of his hold ups, and talked about how they were not completely true and that they were taken out of context. Kind of interesting! He agreed to read the Book of Mormon though, so that was good. Afterwards we went and did service for a member of the ward. We loaded and unloaded some wood that he had chopped. He lives WAY out in the country, it was kind of an interesting car ride over there. I am SUPER glad that I will be in a car area again for the winter though. Having a car is the best! Kind of random, but I have been biking forever, so a car is definitely a blessing :) In the evening we went out joint teaching with a member who leaves on his mission this week. We visited with a blind member of the Church. She is a super sweet woman, but she cannot see anything. We shared a message with her, and agreed to come over sometime next week and take her around for a walk while the weather is still good. That should be a cool service opportunity :) After that we went and visited with an older member To finish off the evening, we visited with a recent-convert, and her granddaughter. We taught them the first part of the Plan of Salvation, and had a really great lesson with them :)
On Friday morning we went over and did some service for an investigator. We helped clean up her basement and moved some boxes downstairs for her. She had surgery on her knee a few weeks ago, so mobility is definitely an issue for her! She has a big brace on her leg, and is having a really "fun" time adjusting to not being able to do everything herself. We also made a baptism calendar and discussed it with her. She really wants to get baptized, but her Mom and her Dad are not a super big fan of the Church. We made a program, and discussed November 22nd as a possible baptismal date. They agreed to discuss it with the parents, but it was going to be a stretch. Her older sister once asked to be baptized and was declined. After our short lesson, we went back to our apartment and did some weekly planning. It was good to get our next week in order, and to find out a lot more about the area! In the evening we went out finding, and then did a teaching evaluation with our Ward Mission Leader.
On Saturday we did some finding and taught a 17 year-old girl. Her parents were not home, but she wanted to know what we were coming around teaching everyone. Maybe it will go somewhere! In the afternoon, a member picked us up to come do some service on his hobby farm. Yep, I went and worked on a farm. Oh my gosh, I am definitely a city boy. It was good to be able to help out though. We shoveled "dirt" out of their barn... that was an experience. We also put up a snow fence, chopped up a tree stump, and did a couple of other things. I of course, had to take a picture with one of their miniature cows. His name is Patrick. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with an investigator family about repentance. They also have a lot of animals. They have chickens, pheasants, rabbits, and pigs. I will have to take a picture with their pigs sometime, but it was super dark when we went over this time so the picture wouldn't have turned out very good.
On Sunday we had Church, which was awesome! Five investigators came to Church. It was great! We taught the gospel principles lesson, which was kind of nightmare. The lesson was on Eternal Marriage. The lesson would have been fine if people didn't keep asking questions. Members started bringing up plural marriage and doing temple work for the dead, and some investigators got super confused, and it was just kind of crazy. Sure, have the two single guys teach the lesson on eternal marriage! It all worked out though. After Church we went out and did some finding, and taught a guy the restoration. He was super nice, and just got back from a recovery program. In the evening we had a lesson with an investigator family and found out that the wife has not smoked for 4 days, and he hadn't smoked for 2 days! AWESOME :) We also had a big fire, where we burned a tie for our 6 month mark, and a shirt for our 1 year mark. I really like my shirts, so I just used an old nasty one from the apartment. It still counts though ;) We had a lesson with them on repentance as well, which went pretty great! To finish off the evening we went and had a lesson some investigators. We finished teaching the Plan of Salvation, and She told us that her parents gave her permission to get baptized on November 22nd if that is what she wants to do! Super great ending to a great week :)
Next Monday, Elder Carlson from the Seventy is coming to our mission, so we will be having P-Day on Tuesday instead of Monday. Just so you are all aware, I will be sending out emails on Tuesday haha ;) Have a great week!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, October 13, 2014
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day!
Hello Everyone,
First of all, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day! This week has been kind of different. For starters... today is transfers. But, do we know what is going on with transfers? No. They tried to change up the system, and so sometime today they will be sending a fax with all the transfer information to the Zone Leaders, and then they will be calling us sometime today. AHHHH! I feel like I very well could be transferred, but as of right now, I know nothing. Bugged! So eventually I will let you know whats up. Not super happy about this new system though.
Last P-Day, however, was pretty great! We had a Zone P-Day at Andrews Park. We had some relay races, some craziness, and had a lot of fun :) It was kind of cold, but we realized that this was probably one of our last P-Day activities outside. It is starting to get a little bit nippy. Not good! After our Zone P-Day, we went out joint teaching. We had an awesome lesson with an investigator family. We watched a Mormon Message that I watched this past week called "You Never Know." It seriously is one of my favorite Mormon Messages. You should all definitely watch it! The missionaries in our ward get the monthly newsletter emailed to us, and I found out that one of the writers for that Mormon Message is actually coming to our ward for a Relief Society activity or something like that. Sounds like fun!
On Tuesday we had a bit of a slower day. We were able to visit with a less-active member. We just talked outside for a little while about Church, and how his daughters like to pray. We talked about the power of prayer, and the influence it has in our lives. Afterwards we did a little bit of finding, and then we stopped by another less-active member. He was having a tough time. He has taken up drinking again, and his life quality has gone downhill. He was drunk when we stopped by, and at first turned us away. We talked to him for a little bit, and then he asked us to come inside. I shared a message with him about service, and the influence that serving others has in our life. Since he started drinking, he has been very focused on himself and all the things other people have done to him to make him the way that he is. He agreed that service would be a good outlet to help him to change. He is not ready to give up drinking again, but realizes that in the future that is definitely one of his goals. Kind of sad to see the negative changes that have occurred recently in his life.
On Wednesday we had District Meeting. Our last District Meeting this transfer. Kind of crazy! After District Meeting, we went on a quick blitz exchange with our Zone Leaders in our area. I was with an elder from Mountain Green, Utah. We had some pretty good times together! We did some finding and then stopped by an investigator. her son answered the door and then she came in a little bit later. We taught them the restoration, and then afterwards some family drama came up. Her son feels like she hates him because she is always focused on his other brother who is in prison. She feels like he is jealous of his brother. There was a pretty big explosion and a LOT of yelling. So we had a fun teaching opportunity about healthy family relationships and the family proclamation. It calmed the situation down a little bit, but clearly they are going to need to have a heart to heart. In the evening we went out joint teaching. He wanted to go visit a less-active member. She is going to Idaho this week, and wanted to go to the temple there and take out her endowments. She also wanted a blessing. We were able to give her a blessing, but were not much help with the temple. We talked about how after she gets back from her trip and starts coming to Church she can go to the temple. She wasn't super thrilled to hear that though. Usually you don't wait for two days before a big trip to make a decision like that though! It was pretty interesting.
On Thursday we had our weekly service at PRISM. After our service, we went over to the library and did some mormon.org time. I love all the Mormon Messages on mormonchannel.org! In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had an awesome lesson with the a family about having a Christ centered home. We read the talk "The Home: The School of Life" and they really enjoyed that. I have learned a lot on my mission from observing different families and recognizing different things that work, and things that don't work. It has been kind of nice! Luckily I won't have to make any big family decisions for a while! Afterwards we went and had a lesson with another family. The wife just recently had surgery, so she is recovering from that, but otherwise they are doing great! We talked to them about missionary work, and they discussed some missionary actions that they are already doing. It was pretty cool!
On Friday we had Weekly Planning. I did not feel super great on Friday, but it all worked out! After Weekly Planning we raked a family’s leaves. First leaf raking this season, but I am sure many more are yet to come. In the evening we went out finding and talked to a guy in our apartment parking lot. He was named after Saint John the Baptist. We taught him the restoration, and had a really great discussion with him. He was a very interesting person, but maybe he will have interest in the Church!
On Saturday we biked over to Minneapolis and helped rake more leaves. Leaf raking job number two. We also took a bunch of pictures around West Broadway. I of course took a picture at St. Andrews Episcopal Church :) St. Andrews day is actually coming up! I believe it is November 30th. Later we had a lesson a member. We watched a movie called "How Rare A Possession: The Book of Mormon." It was super good! Kind of old school though. I think as a whole we definitely take the Book of Mormon for granted though. I can definitely do better at not doing that. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with an investigator on the 10 Commandments, Obeying and Honoring the Laws of the Land, and Studying the Scriptures. He slipped up this week on the Word of Wisdom, so we also talked to him about how he can overcome those hard times with the gospel and prayer. It was a super good day though!
Sunday was Fast Sunday because of our crazy schedule these past few weeks. We had Ward Conference, then General Conference, and in a few weeks we have Stake Conference. Fun stuff! Testimony meeting was super good though :) For the rest of the day we did some finding. Not a super successful day though. We just need to find some new people to teach! Hopefully this next week will be better, wherever I end up serving haha. We shall see if I have another transfer here!
Thank you all for all of your love and support! You are the best :) I hope you have an amazing week, and that all is well back home. Talk to you soon!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
First of all, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and Columbus Day! This week has been kind of different. For starters... today is transfers. But, do we know what is going on with transfers? No. They tried to change up the system, and so sometime today they will be sending a fax with all the transfer information to the Zone Leaders, and then they will be calling us sometime today. AHHHH! I feel like I very well could be transferred, but as of right now, I know nothing. Bugged! So eventually I will let you know whats up. Not super happy about this new system though.
Last P-Day, however, was pretty great! We had a Zone P-Day at Andrews Park. We had some relay races, some craziness, and had a lot of fun :) It was kind of cold, but we realized that this was probably one of our last P-Day activities outside. It is starting to get a little bit nippy. Not good! After our Zone P-Day, we went out joint teaching. We had an awesome lesson with an investigator family. We watched a Mormon Message that I watched this past week called "You Never Know." It seriously is one of my favorite Mormon Messages. You should all definitely watch it! The missionaries in our ward get the monthly newsletter emailed to us, and I found out that one of the writers for that Mormon Message is actually coming to our ward for a Relief Society activity or something like that. Sounds like fun!
On Tuesday we had a bit of a slower day. We were able to visit with a less-active member. We just talked outside for a little while about Church, and how his daughters like to pray. We talked about the power of prayer, and the influence it has in our lives. Afterwards we did a little bit of finding, and then we stopped by another less-active member. He was having a tough time. He has taken up drinking again, and his life quality has gone downhill. He was drunk when we stopped by, and at first turned us away. We talked to him for a little bit, and then he asked us to come inside. I shared a message with him about service, and the influence that serving others has in our life. Since he started drinking, he has been very focused on himself and all the things other people have done to him to make him the way that he is. He agreed that service would be a good outlet to help him to change. He is not ready to give up drinking again, but realizes that in the future that is definitely one of his goals. Kind of sad to see the negative changes that have occurred recently in his life.
On Wednesday we had District Meeting. Our last District Meeting this transfer. Kind of crazy! After District Meeting, we went on a quick blitz exchange with our Zone Leaders in our area. I was with an elder from Mountain Green, Utah. We had some pretty good times together! We did some finding and then stopped by an investigator. her son answered the door and then she came in a little bit later. We taught them the restoration, and then afterwards some family drama came up. Her son feels like she hates him because she is always focused on his other brother who is in prison. She feels like he is jealous of his brother. There was a pretty big explosion and a LOT of yelling. So we had a fun teaching opportunity about healthy family relationships and the family proclamation. It calmed the situation down a little bit, but clearly they are going to need to have a heart to heart. In the evening we went out joint teaching. He wanted to go visit a less-active member. She is going to Idaho this week, and wanted to go to the temple there and take out her endowments. She also wanted a blessing. We were able to give her a blessing, but were not much help with the temple. We talked about how after she gets back from her trip and starts coming to Church she can go to the temple. She wasn't super thrilled to hear that though. Usually you don't wait for two days before a big trip to make a decision like that though! It was pretty interesting.
On Thursday we had our weekly service at PRISM. After our service, we went over to the library and did some mormon.org time. I love all the Mormon Messages on mormonchannel.org! In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had an awesome lesson with the a family about having a Christ centered home. We read the talk "The Home: The School of Life" and they really enjoyed that. I have learned a lot on my mission from observing different families and recognizing different things that work, and things that don't work. It has been kind of nice! Luckily I won't have to make any big family decisions for a while! Afterwards we went and had a lesson with another family. The wife just recently had surgery, so she is recovering from that, but otherwise they are doing great! We talked to them about missionary work, and they discussed some missionary actions that they are already doing. It was pretty cool!
On Friday we had Weekly Planning. I did not feel super great on Friday, but it all worked out! After Weekly Planning we raked a family’s leaves. First leaf raking this season, but I am sure many more are yet to come. In the evening we went out finding and talked to a guy in our apartment parking lot. He was named after Saint John the Baptist. We taught him the restoration, and had a really great discussion with him. He was a very interesting person, but maybe he will have interest in the Church!
On Saturday we biked over to Minneapolis and helped rake more leaves. Leaf raking job number two. We also took a bunch of pictures around West Broadway. I of course took a picture at St. Andrews Episcopal Church :) St. Andrews day is actually coming up! I believe it is November 30th. Later we had a lesson a member. We watched a movie called "How Rare A Possession: The Book of Mormon." It was super good! Kind of old school though. I think as a whole we definitely take the Book of Mormon for granted though. I can definitely do better at not doing that. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with an investigator on the 10 Commandments, Obeying and Honoring the Laws of the Land, and Studying the Scriptures. He slipped up this week on the Word of Wisdom, so we also talked to him about how he can overcome those hard times with the gospel and prayer. It was a super good day though!
Sunday was Fast Sunday because of our crazy schedule these past few weeks. We had Ward Conference, then General Conference, and in a few weeks we have Stake Conference. Fun stuff! Testimony meeting was super good though :) For the rest of the day we did some finding. Not a super successful day though. We just need to find some new people to teach! Hopefully this next week will be better, wherever I end up serving haha. We shall see if I have another transfer here!
Thank you all for all of your love and support! You are the best :) I hope you have an amazing week, and that all is well back home. Talk to you soon!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, October 6, 2014
General Conference
Hello Everyone,
It has been another crazy week here in Minnesota, but things are going great! On Monday we had our P-Day, and we went to Cabellas with the other Elders. Two of them have not been through a Minnesota winter yet, and so they were starting to get all of their winter supplies. The other elder and I both served in the area, so it was fun to go back there to go shopping at Cabellas. I didn't realize how relatively close it is in relation to our ward! We are only like 20-30 minutes away. Kind of fun! In the evening we went and visited with a less active member and invited him to watch General Conference. It was a pretty good meeting! Then Dancing With The Stars came on, so it was time for us to leave. I think it is funny that he is so into Dancing With The Stars, I love that show as well, but I would have never guessed that he would be a fan! Afterwards we visited with a member, and watched a movie with him called "Easter Dream". It is a story about a boy that lost his father, and he develops a greater testimony in the atonement. It is a really touching movie!
On Tuesday we had District Meeting. We talked a lot about working with Stake and Ward Leaders. After District Meeting, I went on exchange with an elder from Three Forks, Montana. He and I have been serving in the same District for a while now, probably about 6 months or so, but it wasn't until these last couple of months that we really have developed a great relationship! It was an awesome exchange though. We stayed in my area, and our greenies went to their area. We had a lesson with new member on the Book of Mormon and Prayer. He mentioned that he has had a hard time getting back into the swing of things since his trip to England. We talked to him about the importance of reading and praying, and that that is how he is going to get the answers to his questions. I think we made a lot of progress in that lesson! Afterwards we went over to go see an investigator. At first when we saw him he was kind of angry, and told us to go away. We went and knocked on probably 1 or 2 doors, and then he gave us a call. He apologized for being rude, and asked us if we could come back. We went on a walk with him and he vented to us. He has been having a really tough week! He is living in his daughters home with her husband and children. Her husband is not a big fan of him living there, and so he is making life rather difficult for him. He wants to move out, but he needs to have a stable job first. We talked to him about prayer and Church attendance and that if he will ask God, He will answer his prayers. We also talked to him about the upcoming General Conference, and he said that he would really like to attend that. It was cool to see the change that took place in him as we walked and talked with him! In the evening we went and visited with a member. He is still in a rehabilitation center. My heart really goes out to those people. He is in a hospital bed, and is not allowed to put weight on his legs yet. He reads and watches TV all day, and rarely does anyone come and visit him. He does, however, receive phone calls from his family members, so that is good! We talked to him about General Conference, and he said that he would like us to bring him some talks to read after General Conference. To finish off the evening we had a lesson with an investigator. We taught him the Law of Chastity, and he committed to live it! It was a jam packed day :)
On Wednesday we exchanged back, and my companion and I filled up the baptismal font for a baptism in a different ward. Afterwards we went and did some mormon.org time at the library. For the rest of the day we went out finding and preparing for General Conference. Unfortunately, nothing much happened.
On Thursday our District went to the 10:00 session at the St. Paul Minnesota Temple! It was awesome. I have not been to the temple in a few months, so it was really great to be able to go again! Unfortunately they did not play the newest video that I have not seen. Maybe next time! We went to the temple with a member. He is awesome! After going to the temple he took us to a really cool pizza place called Punch Pizza. I think it is original to Minnesota, but it was SUPER good :) I will have to open up a franchise in Utah when I get home, and then I will have to open up a Cafe Rio here in Minnesota! Pretty sure they both will be a huge hit :) In the evening we went joint teaching, but we kind of had a rough evening. We stopped by a bunch of mormon.org referrals that we received, but we found out that we had a lot of fake addresses. Not good! At least we made some headway on our list though ;) I have no clue why someone would waste their time creating a fake mormon.org referral though. Silly people!
On Friday we had Weekly Planning, which is always great! After Weekly Planning we went out and did some finding. While we were out, a member of the ward gave us a call and invited us to a Memorial Service that evening. I guess a member’s Mom passed away two weeks ago, and they were having a Memorial Service here in Minnesota. It was kind of a last minute ordeal, but it came together! It has been a while since I have been to a funeral, and I forgot about the overwhelming smell of flowers. Instantly I was reminded about past funerals and other things, not fun. We did have a really good experience though! Last minute they asked me to say the closing prayer, so that was interesting. We met a woman afterwards eho was fascinated by our Church. We were able to teach her a little bit about the restoration and the Plan of Salvation, but she did not want to take and pamphlets or anything from us. Gotta love when that happens! It was a good teaching opportunity though.
On Saturday we began the big General Conference weekend. I had a lot of talks on Saturday that I really enjoyed. I really liked D. Todd Christofferson's talk. It reminded me of a talk of his that I read a while ago called "Justification and Sanctification." I also really enjoyed Jorg Klebingat's talk on spiritual self-confidence. It was cool to put everything in perspective and to see what I can improve! I liked Quentin L. Cook's talk, it actually really reminded me of President Clements. He talked a lot about the importance of all of our decisions. I need to be a little bit better at prioritizing my decisions! And then in Priesthood Session I really liked President Uchtdorf's talk about introspection and asking ourselves the question, "Lord, Is It I?".
Sunday General Conference was really good as well. There were three talks in particular that stood out to me. The first was Russell M. Nelson's talk on sustaining Church Officers. I have never really thought about what a big deal it is to sustain someone! I also really enjoyed Carlos A. Godoy's talk on making decisions based on our Patriarchal Blessings! It was funny to hear him speaking in Portuguese. When he came to our mission I thought his English was really good! At least his translator was pretty good during General Conference. The guy who spoke in Cantonese had an AWFUL translator. His voice was super boring and just about put me to sleep. Elder Godoy's translator at least had some inflection! And then the last talk that I really liked was David A. Bednar's talk. It really put into perspective why missionary work is so important to our Church. He so eloquently broke everything down, and I think it will be a great resource to share with non-members and members alike! It was a great weekend of General Conference though :) In the evening we went out joint teaching. We were able to have a really good lesson with an investigator on the Law of Tithing, the Law of the Fast, and Donating Fast Offerings. He was really interested in all of those different elements, and committed to live them after his baptism. We switched up his baptismal date to October 25th, because he he just needs a little bit more time to soak everything in and to get a little bit more fellow-shipping from the ward members. It was a super good day though!
Thank you all for all of your love and support :) You are the best! Today we have a Zone P-Day at Andrews Park, so that should be super fun :) That is also why I am super rushed with emailing today, but it will all work out! Don't know why I added that on my email. BLAH!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
It has been another crazy week here in Minnesota, but things are going great! On Monday we had our P-Day, and we went to Cabellas with the other Elders. Two of them have not been through a Minnesota winter yet, and so they were starting to get all of their winter supplies. The other elder and I both served in the area, so it was fun to go back there to go shopping at Cabellas. I didn't realize how relatively close it is in relation to our ward! We are only like 20-30 minutes away. Kind of fun! In the evening we went and visited with a less active member and invited him to watch General Conference. It was a pretty good meeting! Then Dancing With The Stars came on, so it was time for us to leave. I think it is funny that he is so into Dancing With The Stars, I love that show as well, but I would have never guessed that he would be a fan! Afterwards we visited with a member, and watched a movie with him called "Easter Dream". It is a story about a boy that lost his father, and he develops a greater testimony in the atonement. It is a really touching movie!
On Tuesday we had District Meeting. We talked a lot about working with Stake and Ward Leaders. After District Meeting, I went on exchange with an elder from Three Forks, Montana. He and I have been serving in the same District for a while now, probably about 6 months or so, but it wasn't until these last couple of months that we really have developed a great relationship! It was an awesome exchange though. We stayed in my area, and our greenies went to their area. We had a lesson with new member on the Book of Mormon and Prayer. He mentioned that he has had a hard time getting back into the swing of things since his trip to England. We talked to him about the importance of reading and praying, and that that is how he is going to get the answers to his questions. I think we made a lot of progress in that lesson! Afterwards we went over to go see an investigator. At first when we saw him he was kind of angry, and told us to go away. We went and knocked on probably 1 or 2 doors, and then he gave us a call. He apologized for being rude, and asked us if we could come back. We went on a walk with him and he vented to us. He has been having a really tough week! He is living in his daughters home with her husband and children. Her husband is not a big fan of him living there, and so he is making life rather difficult for him. He wants to move out, but he needs to have a stable job first. We talked to him about prayer and Church attendance and that if he will ask God, He will answer his prayers. We also talked to him about the upcoming General Conference, and he said that he would really like to attend that. It was cool to see the change that took place in him as we walked and talked with him! In the evening we went and visited with a member. He is still in a rehabilitation center. My heart really goes out to those people. He is in a hospital bed, and is not allowed to put weight on his legs yet. He reads and watches TV all day, and rarely does anyone come and visit him. He does, however, receive phone calls from his family members, so that is good! We talked to him about General Conference, and he said that he would like us to bring him some talks to read after General Conference. To finish off the evening we had a lesson with an investigator. We taught him the Law of Chastity, and he committed to live it! It was a jam packed day :)
On Wednesday we exchanged back, and my companion and I filled up the baptismal font for a baptism in a different ward. Afterwards we went and did some mormon.org time at the library. For the rest of the day we went out finding and preparing for General Conference. Unfortunately, nothing much happened.
On Thursday our District went to the 10:00 session at the St. Paul Minnesota Temple! It was awesome. I have not been to the temple in a few months, so it was really great to be able to go again! Unfortunately they did not play the newest video that I have not seen. Maybe next time! We went to the temple with a member. He is awesome! After going to the temple he took us to a really cool pizza place called Punch Pizza. I think it is original to Minnesota, but it was SUPER good :) I will have to open up a franchise in Utah when I get home, and then I will have to open up a Cafe Rio here in Minnesota! Pretty sure they both will be a huge hit :) In the evening we went joint teaching, but we kind of had a rough evening. We stopped by a bunch of mormon.org referrals that we received, but we found out that we had a lot of fake addresses. Not good! At least we made some headway on our list though ;) I have no clue why someone would waste their time creating a fake mormon.org referral though. Silly people!
On Friday we had Weekly Planning, which is always great! After Weekly Planning we went out and did some finding. While we were out, a member of the ward gave us a call and invited us to a Memorial Service that evening. I guess a member’s Mom passed away two weeks ago, and they were having a Memorial Service here in Minnesota. It was kind of a last minute ordeal, but it came together! It has been a while since I have been to a funeral, and I forgot about the overwhelming smell of flowers. Instantly I was reminded about past funerals and other things, not fun. We did have a really good experience though! Last minute they asked me to say the closing prayer, so that was interesting. We met a woman afterwards eho was fascinated by our Church. We were able to teach her a little bit about the restoration and the Plan of Salvation, but she did not want to take and pamphlets or anything from us. Gotta love when that happens! It was a good teaching opportunity though.
On Saturday we began the big General Conference weekend. I had a lot of talks on Saturday that I really enjoyed. I really liked D. Todd Christofferson's talk. It reminded me of a talk of his that I read a while ago called "Justification and Sanctification." I also really enjoyed Jorg Klebingat's talk on spiritual self-confidence. It was cool to put everything in perspective and to see what I can improve! I liked Quentin L. Cook's talk, it actually really reminded me of President Clements. He talked a lot about the importance of all of our decisions. I need to be a little bit better at prioritizing my decisions! And then in Priesthood Session I really liked President Uchtdorf's talk about introspection and asking ourselves the question, "Lord, Is It I?".
Sunday General Conference was really good as well. There were three talks in particular that stood out to me. The first was Russell M. Nelson's talk on sustaining Church Officers. I have never really thought about what a big deal it is to sustain someone! I also really enjoyed Carlos A. Godoy's talk on making decisions based on our Patriarchal Blessings! It was funny to hear him speaking in Portuguese. When he came to our mission I thought his English was really good! At least his translator was pretty good during General Conference. The guy who spoke in Cantonese had an AWFUL translator. His voice was super boring and just about put me to sleep. Elder Godoy's translator at least had some inflection! And then the last talk that I really liked was David A. Bednar's talk. It really put into perspective why missionary work is so important to our Church. He so eloquently broke everything down, and I think it will be a great resource to share with non-members and members alike! It was a great weekend of General Conference though :) In the evening we went out joint teaching. We were able to have a really good lesson with an investigator on the Law of Tithing, the Law of the Fast, and Donating Fast Offerings. He was really interested in all of those different elements, and committed to live them after his baptism. We switched up his baptismal date to October 25th, because he he just needs a little bit more time to soak everything in and to get a little bit more fellow-shipping from the ward members. It was a super good day though!
Thank you all for all of your love and support :) You are the best! Today we have a Zone P-Day at Andrews Park, so that should be super fun :) That is also why I am super rushed with emailing today, but it will all work out! Don't know why I added that on my email. BLAH!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)