Hello Everyone,
This week has been absolutely incredible! On Monday we got our transfer email, and my companion got transferred. Most of our P-Day consisted of him packing up and getting ready to go. In the evening we had dinner with a family, and then husband took us to the Viking's Training Facilities for a tour. It was super cool! It reminded me of when Brother Holmoe took us on a tour of the BYU football training facilities! We were allowed to take pictures, but I can't really send them home or put them on Facebook... but I will have to show you all some sweet pictures when I get home :) I got a shot of the outside to send home though haha!
On Tuesday we mostly went around saying goodbye to people. We had a lesson with a family where we shared the new video, "Because He Lives". Then we visited with an investigator and shared a Bible Video called "John The Beloved's Witness." In the evening we visited with a family and participated in their Holy Week Family Home Evening. They went through all of the things that Christ did this week concluding in his death and resurrection. It was a super fun lesson :) Then we shared with them the new "Because He Lives" video, and they loved it!
On Wednesday, April Fools Day, we had our transfer meeting. It it always fun to be able to get together as a big group of missionaries and see all of your friends all over the mission! I found my new companion and we headed back to our area. My new companion is from San Diego, California. He has been on his mission for about 7 1/2 months now, and has served in two areas. He is a good kid! I really like serving with him. He just killed his last companion, so apparently he is going on a killing spree haha ;) For those of you that are not familiar with this terminology, killing your companion means that you are their last companion before they go home. My companion unpacked his belongings and got settled in the apartment, and then we went to work! Miracles followed. We stopped by a few people and then went finding around the area. We call it 10x10ing. Basically it just means that you go knocking the street of the person you stopped by. As we did that, a sweet elderly woman answered the door and invited us in. Apparently they have visited with missionaries in the past, and love learning about the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have no intentions of joining our Church, but they love to learn. We talked to them a little bit about Easter and shared the video "Because He Lives." They are definitely talkers, but they loved discussing Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They asked a lot of really great questions as well! We also invited them to General Conference this weekend, so we shall see what happens. Later we did a little more finding. We found three new investigators! We have return appointments with them all. It was an AMAZING day, let me tell ya! I am so glad that I have a companion who wants to work hard with me and get things done. In the evening we had a lesson with a family to finish off the day. Their home teacher had just visited with them and discussed the topic of apostasy with them. They had a few questions for us, and so we were able to teach them about the restoration. At the end of our lesson we invited our investigator to be baptized on April 18th, and he accepted! Good things are in the works :)
On Thursday we did our weekly service at the library. My companion cut out some things, and I was at the dye cut machine cutting out Easter eggs and red barns. It was awesome! As we were working, I was able to talk with and get to know one of the employees at the library. Later, she started asking a few questions about our Church. "Do you celebrate Easter? Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" etc... Classic questions! We were able to talk about Easter, Jesus Christ, Prophets, the works! I shared a "Because He Lives" mormon.org card with her, and she said that she would look up the video. She said that she has seen our Church's commercials on TV before, and that she absolutely loved them! Later I had an accountability call with the Sisters that went really well. One Sister stayed in the area, and got a new companion. The new companion had a bone splint in her knee and so she has to walk on crutches for the time being. They are waiting to find out if she needs surgery. We talked a little bit about creative finding ideas for cripples haha ;) It was a really good call though! Afterward we did our Weekly Planning and got things done. It was awesome! Later we stopped by two people that the Bishop has identified that we should reach out to. One is in Mexico with his wife, but we were able to talk with his non-member daughter at the door for a while and share a "Because He Lives" mormon.org card with her. The other answered the door, but they were in the middle of dinner, and he did not appear to be very interested. We have been trying to get in contact with him for a while now, so it was good to at least be able to see him and assess his situation. Now we can return and report :) To finish off the day, we had a lesson with a family. We shared the "Because He Lives" video with them and talked about Easter and General Conference. The Sister is not a big fan of "TV Church" but as we talked about it more with them, they opened up and agreed to give it a try! One of their missionaries from when they were in New York is visiting with them right now. Hopefully she will continue to be a good influence on them! Good things are happening here in the Ward!
On Friday, Good Friday (Passover Begins at Sundown), we went to the library and researched some new videos on mormon.org. Then we had accountability with the Zone Leaders, and then gossip hour with the Sister Training Leaders. All good things, all good things :) Later in the afternoon we went over to the the Senior Center, and played Yahtzee with the residents there. Not my day for Yahtzee haha, but it was really fun. We definitely work with quite a few characters! Afterward we went to go get our oil changed, which took FOREVER! Plus, the Church uses national accounts for most things, and the Goodyear that we went to was not really sure how to process a national account so that added some extra time as well. In the evening we visited with a sister and shared the video "Legacy" with her and talked a little bit about some Church history and helped to prepare her for General Conference.
On Holy Saturday, we basically just had General Conference all day haha! Here are a few of the highlights :) In the Saturday morning session I really enjoyed Sister Linda K. Burton's talk on marriage, which is kind of ironic. I have always had a goal that I am not even going to think about marriage and children and families until I am graduated, employed, experienced, etc... This topic was addressed many times during General Conference. Oddly enough, one of my questions going into General Conference was concerning what my goals should be when I return home from my mission. Apparently I need to add dating and marriage to my list of goals. Weird. I am nowhere near old enough to get married haha! I also liked Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk on the Parable of the Sower. In the afternoon I really enjoyed Elder WIlford W. Anderson's talk on the gospel dance where we not only need to learn the dance steps (gospel), but hear the music (the Spirit) as well. It reminded me of when I was on a ballroom team in high school. We would often rehearse without the music. It was rather difficult at times, and kind of awkward. I much preferred dancing to the music! I also really liked Elder David A. Bednar's talk on Godly fear. I have always somewhat questioned the topic of Godly fear. I didn't know why a loving Heavenly Father would want you to fear Him. His talk provided great insight for me! In the evening we attended the Priesthood Session of General Conference. I really enjoyed Elder M. Russell Ballard's talk. He gave a "one-on-one" Priesthood interview and asked a series of questions. He also talked about RM's. He reminded us that RM does not stand for Retired Mormon ;) He also told us to date and get married. Good grief! I also enjoyed Elder Larry M. Gibson's talk about materialism. I think my favorite talk though was by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf about Potemkin's Village. I think I have always been one to put on a show for other people. I have always been a perfectionist. He reminded us that while it is not completely a bad thing, we must not mask reality.
On Easter Sunday, we watched more General Conference haha ;) In the morning session I really enjoyed Elder Brent H. Nielsen's talk on the Prodigal Son. I feel in many different ways that I can relate to several different characters in that parable. I also liked Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk on the Atonement and the Plan of Salvation. He always gives great talks! And then I liked Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on grace. It reminded me of Brad Wilcox's talk, "His Grace Is Sufficient." In the afternoon session I really liked Elder Kevin W. Pearson's talk on Lehi's dream. He had a lot of really great points in his talk. I also enjoyed Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk on keeping the Sabbath day holy. In the evening we had a lesson with a family. We discussed General Conference with them and some of their favorite talks, and shared a few mission stories with them. It was great!
All in all, it was a super great week :) Things are going really well. Thank you all for all of your love and support. I hope you had a great Easter weekend! Talk to you soon :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Showing posts with label Vikings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vikings. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
New Area!
Hello Everyone,
This week has been kind of crazy, as always I guess ;) On Monday, Presidents Day and Family Day in Canada, we had our P-Day and I found out that I was being transferred. Yep... totally crazy! I was kind of expecting it I guess, but it still always comes as kind of a shock. In the evening we had Family Home Evening with the families in the ward. Saying goodbye is not fun! I have some really great memories in the Princeton Ward.
On Tuesday I packed up all my belonging, which fit in my suitcases, so that was a plus! It was really strange thinking about the fact that this next area will more than likely be my last area. Everyone that I said goodbye to talked about how I was going home soon, and that I needed to find a good wife, etc... WEIRD! In the afternoon we visited with the four more families. I hate goodbye's, but it makes it easier that I know that I can come back after my mission. In that respect I am super grateful that I live relatively close to my mission. I don't know how people that serve in foreign countries do it! When you say goodbye, it is a pretty big deal. In the evening we first visited with our new member family. That was really difficult for me. We have become really close these past few months, they are like family to me! While we were over, I burned my suit with them. Usually you burn a suit at the end of your mission, but I decided to do it a little bit early with them :) Plus it freed up a little bit of space in my suitcase! (It was a thrift store suit that was getting pretty destroyed, so no worries!) They gave me a really nice picture of their family, and they all signed my testimony journal, so that was awesome. To finish off the evening we went over to our part member family to say goodbye. All in all, it was a crazy day, but I got everything done!
On Wednesday we had our transfer meeting in Bloomington. Apparently this transfer affected 75% of the mission, so it was a HUGE transfer meeting! My whole MTC district that came to the MMM was there, so that was super fun :) I loaded all of my stuff up in the car, and then we took off for the new area. My new companion is from Provo, Utah as well. He is definitely an interesting character. Kind of an awkward duck, but he is a good kid. He came out with my greenie. My new area is his second city. Before his mission he had his own animation business, so that is kind of cool. We know a few of the same people, but not a ton. #MormonProblems. After unpacking my things and getting settled in, we had a lesson with one of our investigators. They got married on Valentines day, and he is progressing towards baptism. She has been a member for a few years, but it just now returning to activity. She works on Sundays, so it makes it tough. They have been through a lot together, and do not have very much money at all. He has quit smoking for about two weeks now, and is preparing to get baptized in March! We had a lesson with them on charity and love. He doesn't know how to read, and has a harder time learning, so our lessons with them are very basic. We watched a Mormon Message with them, and explained it afterward. It was a pretty good lesson. Later we visited with a returning less-active member. He is a very interesting guy. He is super rock and roll, and he is part of a screamo band. He is the lead singer of course... I will have to find out the name of his band so you can look them up on iTunes. He played a song for us about bacon.... very different. We talked to him about the atonement, and shared the talk by Brad Wilcox, "His Grace Is Sufficient." The investigator is really bright, and has a very good understanding of the gospel! In the evening we met together as a Ward Council and went over the Ward Directory. It was good to start getting to know people and the area. My companion has been here forever, so we aren't really sure if he will be my companion for another transfer. Only time will tell!
On Thursday we had an accountability call with the Sisters. Their was just white washed (took the Elders out and replaced them with Sisters) so the Sisters are completely new to the area. They were a little overwhelmed, but we talked things through. The elders in that area were kind of apostate, so this is a fresh new start for the area! The only problem is that nothing is really going on in their area right now. Later in the afternoon we went finding for a little while. We met a cool guy and then I did something tragic. I have not tripped, fallen, or slipped the entire time that I have been here in the MMM! I almost made it my whole mission... and then it happened. His driveway was SUPER icy, and I totally slipped and fell on my butt. Not cool! I guess I somehow knew it would happen sometime! Rude. In the evening we went up to Watertown, and visited with a less active member. She has not been to Church in over 12 years, and the Senior Couple have been visiting with her for the past year. She was committed to come to Church this week, so that was super exciting! The only problem is that the senior couple are going home this week with no replacement. The Church definitely needs more Senior Missionaries! We had a nice lesson with her on the miracles of Christ's ministry. We watched a few Bible Videos and got to know her better. It was a really nice visit! To finish off the evening we met with a family in the ward. They are awesome! We watched a Bible Video with them of Jesus getting water from a well from a Samaratin. I really like the ward here, but lets be real... I have never disliked any of the wards I have served in. Some areas are better than others, but ward members in general are awesome!
On Friday we had a Zone Service Project. AHHH, I love serving in the cities! Because I am serving in the Minneapolis Zone now, the Assistants even come to our Zone events and things. Kind of cool! When you serve in the cities you get a lot closer to the people in your Zone, which is a definite plus. We volunteered at a nonprofit that sends food to over 70 countries. Super awesome organization! My greenie is in this Zone as well. Kind of fun :) Later, we went and did service at a senior center in our area. We play a game with them called sweep six. Kind of a brainless game, but it mixes things up for them so that is good! You have pieces of paper with the numbers 1-6 written on it, and you roll a dice. When you get a number, you cover it up with a poker chip. First person to cover up all their numbers wins! It was a little bit traumatizing in some ways, but it worked out. There was an old lady in one of the rooms behind us that kept yelling "Help! Somebody help me! I need help!" Apparently she does that all day. The nurses check on her occasionally, but the moment they leave she goes back to yelling. Kind of nuts. I feel bad for elderly people that no longer have control over their bodies! I certainly do not want to hang on for that long. The moment I start to have issues, PULL THE PLUG! To finish off the evening we met with the a part member family. The dad has been a member his whole life, but went less-active many many years ago. He married a non-member a few years ago, and together they have had a few encounters with missionaries. The missionaries were really pushy with her, and she was really turned off to the Church. It was the example of her husband’s family that continued to give her a desire to learn more about the Church. 4 weeks ago they started going to Church with his family in his family’s ward. 2 weeks ago they came to Sacrament meeting in the ward here and met with Bishop and told him that she would like to be baptized. Before this lesson, my companion and his last companion have met with them once. She has been interviewed and is set to get baptized. For our lesson we finalized baptism plans, filled out the baptism record, and watched a Bible Video called "John the Beloved's Witness." We talked a little bit about faith, and conversion. It was an awesome lesson!
On Saturday we Weekly Planned for a little bit, and then went over to the Church. We began filling the baptismal font, and then the Ward Mission Leader and his wife arrived. While the font was filling we printed off programs and got everything ready. While we had some down time, the Ward Mission Leader made a few business phone calls. He is some kind of an executive for AT&T and he was making calls for the Summit winners for this year. The Summit is an all expense paid trip to Naples, Florida for the top sellers in each region. He put the phone on speaker, so we got to hear everyones reactions. Super cool experience! At 3:30, the investigator was baptized by her husband, which was really cool. She is pregnant, so now they are both members and active, and they will be a happy Mormon family :) I think in a way that may have helped to spark this decision! To finish off the day we had a lesson with a family. We watched a Mormon Message about the hope of God's light, and talked about how God can help us through any of our trials! The wife had a super bad headache, and they didn't have any money for ibuprophen, so it was kind of tough, but last minute they found some money and ran over to the drug store. Kind of a scattered lesson, but it all worked out.
On Sunday, 1st Sunday of Lent and George Washington's Birthday, we had Ward Council in the morning, and then Church at 9:00. Yuck! Back to 9:00 AM Church... the less-active member who hadn’t been to church in 12 years came to Church which was AWESOME, and our new member was confirmed. Turns out a lot of people in this Ward are from Provo, but most of them went to Timpview. I'm pretty sure when I tell them I went to Provo High School they all think that I'm one of those poor Provo kids, but whatever. The more they get to know me the more they will love me :) After Church we had a meeting with Bishop, and then we went to an open house for the a couple at Bishops house. They are going to Vermont to serve another mission in a few weeks. They will be caretakers for Joseph Smiths home I believe, so that will be really fun for them! In the evening we had correlation over at the a member’s home. I love that family! Pretty sure we are going to be buddies :) I also found out that one of the coaches for the Minnesota Vikings are in our ward, so that will be super cool! He was at an NFL event this past week, but soon I will get to meet him and his family! All in all, it was a really good week and I really like this new area. Life is good :)
Thank you all for all of your love and support. You are the best! Have a great week :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
This week has been kind of crazy, as always I guess ;) On Monday, Presidents Day and Family Day in Canada, we had our P-Day and I found out that I was being transferred. Yep... totally crazy! I was kind of expecting it I guess, but it still always comes as kind of a shock. In the evening we had Family Home Evening with the families in the ward. Saying goodbye is not fun! I have some really great memories in the Princeton Ward.
On Tuesday I packed up all my belonging, which fit in my suitcases, so that was a plus! It was really strange thinking about the fact that this next area will more than likely be my last area. Everyone that I said goodbye to talked about how I was going home soon, and that I needed to find a good wife, etc... WEIRD! In the afternoon we visited with the four more families. I hate goodbye's, but it makes it easier that I know that I can come back after my mission. In that respect I am super grateful that I live relatively close to my mission. I don't know how people that serve in foreign countries do it! When you say goodbye, it is a pretty big deal. In the evening we first visited with our new member family. That was really difficult for me. We have become really close these past few months, they are like family to me! While we were over, I burned my suit with them. Usually you burn a suit at the end of your mission, but I decided to do it a little bit early with them :) Plus it freed up a little bit of space in my suitcase! (It was a thrift store suit that was getting pretty destroyed, so no worries!) They gave me a really nice picture of their family, and they all signed my testimony journal, so that was awesome. To finish off the evening we went over to our part member family to say goodbye. All in all, it was a crazy day, but I got everything done!
On Wednesday we had our transfer meeting in Bloomington. Apparently this transfer affected 75% of the mission, so it was a HUGE transfer meeting! My whole MTC district that came to the MMM was there, so that was super fun :) I loaded all of my stuff up in the car, and then we took off for the new area. My new companion is from Provo, Utah as well. He is definitely an interesting character. Kind of an awkward duck, but he is a good kid. He came out with my greenie. My new area is his second city. Before his mission he had his own animation business, so that is kind of cool. We know a few of the same people, but not a ton. #MormonProblems. After unpacking my things and getting settled in, we had a lesson with one of our investigators. They got married on Valentines day, and he is progressing towards baptism. She has been a member for a few years, but it just now returning to activity. She works on Sundays, so it makes it tough. They have been through a lot together, and do not have very much money at all. He has quit smoking for about two weeks now, and is preparing to get baptized in March! We had a lesson with them on charity and love. He doesn't know how to read, and has a harder time learning, so our lessons with them are very basic. We watched a Mormon Message with them, and explained it afterward. It was a pretty good lesson. Later we visited with a returning less-active member. He is a very interesting guy. He is super rock and roll, and he is part of a screamo band. He is the lead singer of course... I will have to find out the name of his band so you can look them up on iTunes. He played a song for us about bacon.... very different. We talked to him about the atonement, and shared the talk by Brad Wilcox, "His Grace Is Sufficient." The investigator is really bright, and has a very good understanding of the gospel! In the evening we met together as a Ward Council and went over the Ward Directory. It was good to start getting to know people and the area. My companion has been here forever, so we aren't really sure if he will be my companion for another transfer. Only time will tell!
On Thursday we had an accountability call with the Sisters. Their was just white washed (took the Elders out and replaced them with Sisters) so the Sisters are completely new to the area. They were a little overwhelmed, but we talked things through. The elders in that area were kind of apostate, so this is a fresh new start for the area! The only problem is that nothing is really going on in their area right now. Later in the afternoon we went finding for a little while. We met a cool guy and then I did something tragic. I have not tripped, fallen, or slipped the entire time that I have been here in the MMM! I almost made it my whole mission... and then it happened. His driveway was SUPER icy, and I totally slipped and fell on my butt. Not cool! I guess I somehow knew it would happen sometime! Rude. In the evening we went up to Watertown, and visited with a less active member. She has not been to Church in over 12 years, and the Senior Couple have been visiting with her for the past year. She was committed to come to Church this week, so that was super exciting! The only problem is that the senior couple are going home this week with no replacement. The Church definitely needs more Senior Missionaries! We had a nice lesson with her on the miracles of Christ's ministry. We watched a few Bible Videos and got to know her better. It was a really nice visit! To finish off the evening we met with a family in the ward. They are awesome! We watched a Bible Video with them of Jesus getting water from a well from a Samaratin. I really like the ward here, but lets be real... I have never disliked any of the wards I have served in. Some areas are better than others, but ward members in general are awesome!
On Friday we had a Zone Service Project. AHHH, I love serving in the cities! Because I am serving in the Minneapolis Zone now, the Assistants even come to our Zone events and things. Kind of cool! When you serve in the cities you get a lot closer to the people in your Zone, which is a definite plus. We volunteered at a nonprofit that sends food to over 70 countries. Super awesome organization! My greenie is in this Zone as well. Kind of fun :) Later, we went and did service at a senior center in our area. We play a game with them called sweep six. Kind of a brainless game, but it mixes things up for them so that is good! You have pieces of paper with the numbers 1-6 written on it, and you roll a dice. When you get a number, you cover it up with a poker chip. First person to cover up all their numbers wins! It was a little bit traumatizing in some ways, but it worked out. There was an old lady in one of the rooms behind us that kept yelling "Help! Somebody help me! I need help!" Apparently she does that all day. The nurses check on her occasionally, but the moment they leave she goes back to yelling. Kind of nuts. I feel bad for elderly people that no longer have control over their bodies! I certainly do not want to hang on for that long. The moment I start to have issues, PULL THE PLUG! To finish off the evening we met with the a part member family. The dad has been a member his whole life, but went less-active many many years ago. He married a non-member a few years ago, and together they have had a few encounters with missionaries. The missionaries were really pushy with her, and she was really turned off to the Church. It was the example of her husband’s family that continued to give her a desire to learn more about the Church. 4 weeks ago they started going to Church with his family in his family’s ward. 2 weeks ago they came to Sacrament meeting in the ward here and met with Bishop and told him that she would like to be baptized. Before this lesson, my companion and his last companion have met with them once. She has been interviewed and is set to get baptized. For our lesson we finalized baptism plans, filled out the baptism record, and watched a Bible Video called "John the Beloved's Witness." We talked a little bit about faith, and conversion. It was an awesome lesson!
On Saturday we Weekly Planned for a little bit, and then went over to the Church. We began filling the baptismal font, and then the Ward Mission Leader and his wife arrived. While the font was filling we printed off programs and got everything ready. While we had some down time, the Ward Mission Leader made a few business phone calls. He is some kind of an executive for AT&T and he was making calls for the Summit winners for this year. The Summit is an all expense paid trip to Naples, Florida for the top sellers in each region. He put the phone on speaker, so we got to hear everyones reactions. Super cool experience! At 3:30, the investigator was baptized by her husband, which was really cool. She is pregnant, so now they are both members and active, and they will be a happy Mormon family :) I think in a way that may have helped to spark this decision! To finish off the day we had a lesson with a family. We watched a Mormon Message about the hope of God's light, and talked about how God can help us through any of our trials! The wife had a super bad headache, and they didn't have any money for ibuprophen, so it was kind of tough, but last minute they found some money and ran over to the drug store. Kind of a scattered lesson, but it all worked out.
On Sunday, 1st Sunday of Lent and George Washington's Birthday, we had Ward Council in the morning, and then Church at 9:00. Yuck! Back to 9:00 AM Church... the less-active member who hadn’t been to church in 12 years came to Church which was AWESOME, and our new member was confirmed. Turns out a lot of people in this Ward are from Provo, but most of them went to Timpview. I'm pretty sure when I tell them I went to Provo High School they all think that I'm one of those poor Provo kids, but whatever. The more they get to know me the more they will love me :) After Church we had a meeting with Bishop, and then we went to an open house for the a couple at Bishops house. They are going to Vermont to serve another mission in a few weeks. They will be caretakers for Joseph Smiths home I believe, so that will be really fun for them! In the evening we had correlation over at the a member’s home. I love that family! Pretty sure we are going to be buddies :) I also found out that one of the coaches for the Minnesota Vikings are in our ward, so that will be super cool! He was at an NFL event this past week, but soon I will get to meet him and his family! All in all, it was a really good week and I really like this new area. Life is good :)
Thank you all for all of your love and support. You are the best! Have a great week :)
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
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