Hello Everyone,
It has been a pretty crazy week. Not really the best week in the world, but it is in the past now so that is all that matters :) On the plus side, the weather has been AWESOME this week! All the snow is melting, and it has been a lot warmer. Super weird for January in Minnesota, but I will take it! Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I remember attending the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Dedication in Washington D.C. a few years back. SUCH a cool experience! We had our P-Day as usual, and then we had Family Home Evening with the a family in the ward. We talked about Enos and prayer.
On Tuesday we had mormon.org time to look up some of the cool new videos that the Church has produced. We watched one older video, however, titled "The Mailbox." Probably the most depressing video I think I have ever seen in my life. It was a BYU production about an old woman who walks to her mailbox every day to see if any of her children have written her a letter. She comes day after day, and never receives a letter. One day she goes out to the mailbox and retrieves a letter from one of her children. She walks back to her home, sits down to open the letter, and then has a heart attack and dies before reading the letter she waited so long to receive. Not really sure what the video was supposed to teach, but it sure was depressing. I drowned my sorrows with some Diet Coke and then things were good again! We had some accountability calls in the afternoon, and then we went and did some service at a thrift store. We took apart some cardboard boxes for recycling and a couple other odds and ends. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had Family Home Evening with an investigator family. There was some contention in their home when we arrived, and a few arguments were going on. It took a while for the situation to calm down, but afterwards things were good again. We played Boggle and had a message on the 10 Commandments and prayer. We invited their son to attend the Pinewood Derby the following day, and he agreed!
On Wednesday we went on exchange. It was kind of a cool experience actually! I was pretty sure that I was going to stay in our area and that my companion was going to go to the other one. I prayed about it in the morning, and pretty distinctly felt like I needed to go to to the other area and that my companion needed to stay here. So I went with an elder from Grapevine, Texas. We had a super great day! We went out finding for a while and then had a lesson with an investigator. In the evening we had a lesson with one of their new progressing investigators. He is a really unique kid! He has a million questions, and really has a desire to learn. He met with the Jehovah's Witnesses for a while, but knew deep down that what they were teaching him was false. Since he started meeting with the missionaries he has believed everything that they have been teaching him. He has come to Church, and has a TON of potential. We had a really great lesson with him. We discussed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he really related each step (faith, repentance, baptism, holy ghost, endure to the end) to himself and how it can benefit him as he applies it in his life.
On Thursday we exchanged back and had Zone Interviews in the morning. We had a training from our Zone Leaders on effective planning, and then we were all interview by President Forbes. My interview seemed very short, but it was a good interview nonetheless. He asked me about my family, my mission, my area, my favorite hymn, etc... After Zone Interviews we went back to our area and had a lesson with a member. I shared President Uchtdorf's talk, "The Hope Of God's Light." We talked about how God's light influences us, and how it is a great blessing to have in our lives. In the evening we had a lesson with a referral that we received from a member of the ward. She works at Target, and is a very nice lady. She is open to meeting with missionaries, but isn't really interested in our Church. She grew up in a home where religion was seldom discussed, and so it is kind of different for her to discuss her beliefs with other people. She has potential though! In the evening we went out joint teaching. We had a lesson with the an investigator family on the Word of Wisdom. It went really well! Their daughter remembered the acronym CATTS (Coffee, Alcohol, Tobacco, Tea, and Substances) from when the missionaries taught her before. Overall it was a pretty great day!
On Friday we had Weekly Planning, and then we did some service at a thrift store. We helped move some things around, and tag some clothes. In the evening we went out joint teaching. We visited with a member and talked about following the Prophet. We watched the movie, "On The Lord's Errand" that goes through the life and ministry of President Thomas S. Monson. Super good video! Afterwards we stopped by the a family. The dad is a less-active member, and his daughters are eligible to be baptized. We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and taught them a fun way using your hands to remember repentance. It was a pretty great lesson! We committed them to come to Church on Sunday, and that we would set up a lesson with them for the next week.
On Saturday I interviewed an investigator for baptism, and then we attended another investigator’s baptism afterwards. It was a super great way to start off the day! In the afternoon we went out finding for a little while, and found a cool kid. He is 20 years old, and is not really religious. He builds E-Cigs for a living, and is very much so an entrepreneur. He invited us right in to his home, and we were able to teach him about the restoration. He is skeptical about prayer, because he doesn't feel like he has ever received an answer to any of his prayers, but he is open to meeting with us again. Afterwards we stopped by a part-member family. Holy cow! They had 5 foster kids, but in the past few weeks she has obtained 5 other kids. Their house was a disaster, and it was super chaotic, but she was at peace. Kind of crazy how that can happen. To make room for the 5 extra kids they are having to completely rearrange their home. We helped them move a few things, and then we had a lesson on service. She is a very service oriented woman. I had the biggest headache of my life after visiting with them, but it was a good visit. In the evening we went out joint teaching, and we had a lesson with a new member family on the restoration. We put together a restoration puzzle, but there were a few pieces missing like when Jesus Christ and his apostles were taken from the earth. But then the priesthood was restored, and the puzzle pieces were brought back. It was a pretty fun lesson! They were so frustrated when the put the whole puzzle together, but there were pieces missing. I imagine the early saints had a similar experience! To finish off the evening we had a lesson with an investigator family. This time just their son was home. We asked him about the Pinewood Derby, and he had a really great time! We talked about the importance of prayer, and watched the mormon.org profile video for Elaine, the drummer for Neon Trees. At the end of the lesson, their son said the prayer. He has never prayed in public before, so this was a HUGE step! We also committed him to come to Church the next day.
On Sunday we had a super good morning. The the less-active family came to Church, as did the son who went to the pinewood derby! Church was really good, and then we had a lesson with an investigator in the afternoon. We talked with him about following the Prophet, and shared a message from the January 2015 Ensign on following the Prophet. In the evening things fell apart. We had some lessons scheduled up in a different part of the area, but they all canceled. We decided to have a Family Home Evening with a new member family, but it was kind of a disaster. Kind of the theme in a way for the week. There were a few arguments and hurt feelings, and so only three of them were there for the lesson. We talked about coming unto Christ, and the importance of prayer. To be totally honest, it was super awkward and I had a pit in my stomach the entire time. I just wanted to fix the problem right then and there, but that isn't always practical. I sent the wife a text later in the evening, so hopefully that helped some. I don't know... it was pretty bad though. #MissionaryProblems #AwkwardMoments
It was still a pretty good week though. Things are going well :) We just had a few rough patches this week. Today is a new day though! We have District P-Day today, so that will be super fun. We are going over to the Hogan's Pole Barn, and we got permission to watch the movie Frozen! I have never seen it, so this should be super fun :) I hope everything is going well back home. Have a great week!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Showing posts with label Exchange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exchange. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2015
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
Monday, July 15, 2013
Another AWESOME Week! (Kyle has been serving two months today!)
July 15th, 2013
Hello Everyone,
This week has been great! On Tuesday, I bid adieu to my first companion who finished serving his two year mission. For the rest of the day, and for part of Wednesday I was on exchange with our zone leaders. In the mission there is something called the "rule of three". You must have either three women, or three men to teach someone of the opposite gender. So for teaching someone of the opposite gender this often creates a problem! We are encouraged to involve members in the ward, but coordinating with their schedules can often be a challenge. While I was on exchange though, we were already a group of three! It was awesome, we could teach whoever, whenever :)
On Wednesday afternoon, I picked up my new companion. He is from a city near Tokyo, Japan and has got quite an accent. He is very quiet, but very kind. He is also very little, which is quite the contrast for my height. Because my companion is foreign, and speaks Japanese as his first language, we now have added language study to our schedule. We wake up at 6:30 AM, have personal study at 8:00 AM, companionship study at 9:00 AM, new missionary training at 10:00 AM, lunch at 11:00 AM, and language study at 12:00 PM. We don't get out of our apartment until about 1:00 PM. I have not had to sit for that long since high school! I know I only graduated a little over a year ago, but it is quite the adjustment for me. I get a little bit antsy, and probably a little annoying as well, but hopefully I will adjust to it soon!
My companion is no longer the district leader, which will also be a HUGE adjustment for me. As a district leader, you have to go on exchange with each elder in your district. I absolutely loved being able to visit every companionships area, and getting to know the elders on a really personal basis! It is going to be a very stark contrast now that I will pretty much always be serving in our area in North La Crosse with my companion, except for our exchange with our new district leader, and the zone leaders.
This week we had an amazing lesson with an investigator. We taught her about the law of chastity, and had three members from the ward present. The spirit was SO strong during the lesson, and she completely understood and agreed with everything we shared with her. She understands why this commandment is so important. She is moving right now, so we have had many opportunities to help her move and to give our service, but unfortunately she is moving out of our area. Luckily she is only moving to South La Crosse though, so the south side missionaries will be able to teach her. Sadly, that means we will no longer be teaching her. We have one last lesson with her though, on July 17th, my birthday!
This week we also had a really great lesson with another investigator. We taught her about the plan of salvation. At the beginning of the lesson, she shared a lot of her frustrations, and about the anger that she had towards God. She has had a very difficult life. As we taught her more and more about this great plan of happiness, her face lit up. Her countenance changed, and you could see on her face and through her actions that she felt and recognized the spirit during the lesson. Afterwards, she said "I wish I would have known this sooner!" She is truly being prepared by the Lord.
On my birthday at 6:00 PM we will be going on exchange with the zone leaders! I know it is going to be a super weird birthday, but with our zone leaders here to celebrate, it is going to be awesome :) I will just have to find a way to make it an extra special day for myself haha, I can be fairly creative that way!
Glad to hear that everything is going well, and that Aimee has not been in any car accidents her first week driving! My new companion does not have driving privileges, so I am the designated driver. AWESOME! Don't think that I didn't notice your "sarcastic" comment about me not being home to use your Nordstrom Visa though. Haha!
Thank you all for your support and love! I know that God answers prayers, because he has slowly but surely been answering mine :)
Love,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Hello Everyone,
This week has been great! On Tuesday, I bid adieu to my first companion who finished serving his two year mission. For the rest of the day, and for part of Wednesday I was on exchange with our zone leaders. In the mission there is something called the "rule of three". You must have either three women, or three men to teach someone of the opposite gender. So for teaching someone of the opposite gender this often creates a problem! We are encouraged to involve members in the ward, but coordinating with their schedules can often be a challenge. While I was on exchange though, we were already a group of three! It was awesome, we could teach whoever, whenever :)
On Wednesday afternoon, I picked up my new companion. He is from a city near Tokyo, Japan and has got quite an accent. He is very quiet, but very kind. He is also very little, which is quite the contrast for my height. Because my companion is foreign, and speaks Japanese as his first language, we now have added language study to our schedule. We wake up at 6:30 AM, have personal study at 8:00 AM, companionship study at 9:00 AM, new missionary training at 10:00 AM, lunch at 11:00 AM, and language study at 12:00 PM. We don't get out of our apartment until about 1:00 PM. I have not had to sit for that long since high school! I know I only graduated a little over a year ago, but it is quite the adjustment for me. I get a little bit antsy, and probably a little annoying as well, but hopefully I will adjust to it soon!
My companion is no longer the district leader, which will also be a HUGE adjustment for me. As a district leader, you have to go on exchange with each elder in your district. I absolutely loved being able to visit every companionships area, and getting to know the elders on a really personal basis! It is going to be a very stark contrast now that I will pretty much always be serving in our area in North La Crosse with my companion, except for our exchange with our new district leader, and the zone leaders.
This week we had an amazing lesson with an investigator. We taught her about the law of chastity, and had three members from the ward present. The spirit was SO strong during the lesson, and she completely understood and agreed with everything we shared with her. She understands why this commandment is so important. She is moving right now, so we have had many opportunities to help her move and to give our service, but unfortunately she is moving out of our area. Luckily she is only moving to South La Crosse though, so the south side missionaries will be able to teach her. Sadly, that means we will no longer be teaching her. We have one last lesson with her though, on July 17th, my birthday!
This week we also had a really great lesson with another investigator. We taught her about the plan of salvation. At the beginning of the lesson, she shared a lot of her frustrations, and about the anger that she had towards God. She has had a very difficult life. As we taught her more and more about this great plan of happiness, her face lit up. Her countenance changed, and you could see on her face and through her actions that she felt and recognized the spirit during the lesson. Afterwards, she said "I wish I would have known this sooner!" She is truly being prepared by the Lord.
On my birthday at 6:00 PM we will be going on exchange with the zone leaders! I know it is going to be a super weird birthday, but with our zone leaders here to celebrate, it is going to be awesome :) I will just have to find a way to make it an extra special day for myself haha, I can be fairly creative that way!
Glad to hear that everything is going well, and that Aimee has not been in any car accidents her first week driving! My new companion does not have driving privileges, so I am the designated driver. AWESOME! Don't think that I didn't notice your "sarcastic" comment about me not being home to use your Nordstrom Visa though. Haha!
Thank you all for your support and love! I know that God answers prayers, because he has slowly but surely been answering mine :)
Love,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
Monday, June 17, 2013
Another Incredible Week
This week has been both challenging, and rewarding. I am constantly reminded about how difficult missionary work is, but the rewards we receive from this devotion. The more you learn and improve as a missionary, and as a child of God, the more you realize you have more to work on. It's kind of a frustrating process if you think about it, we can never be truly perfect like Jesus.
This week I only went on one exchange, with an elder. He was really nice and encouraging, and I really enjoyed working with him! I love going on exchanges and meeting other missionaries in our area. I learn so many incredible lessons from them, I just wish we could do it more often!
We found out this week that President Monson and President Packer are speaking to us on Sunday, June 23rd, and that they will be making some big missionary announcements. I wish I could have been in the MTC to see President Monson, but a broadcast will be cool too! I will have to update you all on what happens :)
Our Mission Conference with Elder Holland, Elder Callister, Elder Dube, and Bishop Stevenson was amazing! Elder Holland was my favorite. He talked about the importance of missionary work, and never going inactive when you return home from your mission. His words were so inspired, and I learned SO much from him! At the end of his speech, he said to "always be true". That really stuck with me! Afterwards, he announced that he was changing the closing song to Hymn #165 "Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide". We were all kind of stunned, but proceeded to sing. While we were singing, I felt the spirit surround me, and I felt not only God's love for me, but also Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Prior's love for me. This feeling was overwhelming, and reminded me that we sang this song during Great Grandpa Prior's funeral service. Elder Holland was inspired to change the closing hymn, and I swear he did it just for me. This experience was truly incredible.
Currently we are working with about three different investigators. An african-american woman who has a child, but split up with his father. She still lives with his father, but is moving towards finding a new place. She is very accepting of our teachings, but hasn't felt inclined to go to church or to be baptized. We are also teaching an african-american man. His wife is a member of the church, but he is staying true to his beliefs. He recently quit chewing tobacco, and we have been working with him on the Word of Wisdom. He is waiting for the answers to his prayers, but I think he knows that he wants to be baptized. We are also teaching a Hmong gentleman, but he speaks English. His wife is a member of the church, and he has been attending church for a while. They are waiting for him to get his green card so they can get a marriage certificate and be baptized. They had a Hmong wedding ceremony, but never got a marriage license, so he cannot be baptized yet. He lost his green card at a gas station, so we are just waiting for him to get a replacement. Money is tight in their family, so it is taking a little longer than expected.
We are also working with a new member of the church. He was baptized about a week before I came into the mission. We are teaching him and his children about the gospel and how it strengthens families. I know that my purpose in serving a mission was for family. In fact, the second FCCLA purpose is "to strengthen the function of the family as a basic unit of society." What better way to do this, than through the gospel.
We are still tracting all the time, but I have been working on planning lessons with members of the church to break up our tracting time ever so slightly.
My companion is finished his missionary service in about three weeks, and then I will have a new companion.
Thank you all for your love and support. I love and miss you all, and can't wait to see you again in two years!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
This week I only went on one exchange, with an elder. He was really nice and encouraging, and I really enjoyed working with him! I love going on exchanges and meeting other missionaries in our area. I learn so many incredible lessons from them, I just wish we could do it more often!
We found out this week that President Monson and President Packer are speaking to us on Sunday, June 23rd, and that they will be making some big missionary announcements. I wish I could have been in the MTC to see President Monson, but a broadcast will be cool too! I will have to update you all on what happens :)
Our Mission Conference with Elder Holland, Elder Callister, Elder Dube, and Bishop Stevenson was amazing! Elder Holland was my favorite. He talked about the importance of missionary work, and never going inactive when you return home from your mission. His words were so inspired, and I learned SO much from him! At the end of his speech, he said to "always be true". That really stuck with me! Afterwards, he announced that he was changing the closing song to Hymn #165 "Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide". We were all kind of stunned, but proceeded to sing. While we were singing, I felt the spirit surround me, and I felt not only God's love for me, but also Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Prior's love for me. This feeling was overwhelming, and reminded me that we sang this song during Great Grandpa Prior's funeral service. Elder Holland was inspired to change the closing hymn, and I swear he did it just for me. This experience was truly incredible.
Currently we are working with about three different investigators. An african-american woman who has a child, but split up with his father. She still lives with his father, but is moving towards finding a new place. She is very accepting of our teachings, but hasn't felt inclined to go to church or to be baptized. We are also teaching an african-american man. His wife is a member of the church, but he is staying true to his beliefs. He recently quit chewing tobacco, and we have been working with him on the Word of Wisdom. He is waiting for the answers to his prayers, but I think he knows that he wants to be baptized. We are also teaching a Hmong gentleman, but he speaks English. His wife is a member of the church, and he has been attending church for a while. They are waiting for him to get his green card so they can get a marriage certificate and be baptized. They had a Hmong wedding ceremony, but never got a marriage license, so he cannot be baptized yet. He lost his green card at a gas station, so we are just waiting for him to get a replacement. Money is tight in their family, so it is taking a little longer than expected.
We are also working with a new member of the church. He was baptized about a week before I came into the mission. We are teaching him and his children about the gospel and how it strengthens families. I know that my purpose in serving a mission was for family. In fact, the second FCCLA purpose is "to strengthen the function of the family as a basic unit of society." What better way to do this, than through the gospel.
We are still tracting all the time, but I have been working on planning lessons with members of the church to break up our tracting time ever so slightly.
My companion is finished his missionary service in about three weeks, and then I will have a new companion.
Thank you all for your love and support. I love and miss you all, and can't wait to see you again in two years!
Best Wishes,
Elder Kyle William Andrews
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