October 17, 2011

Hello Family,

This week has been the hardest yet. The first of the week was so disappointing! We had 11 people in a row bail on us in like 15 different appointments. OH MAN I PRAYED SO HARD. Haha, I have learned a lot this week though, that's why we have challenges right? In the time between Friday and Sunday we found and taught 5 new investigators and this one lady, we'll call her Marie, actually came to church! My first! I'll tell you all about it.

Last week, probably Thursday, we get a call from Marie, whom we had never met, saying that she was in a really tough bind with money and was about to become homeless. She said she was calling to see if the Mormons could help and had gotten our number from a friend. I had to be kind of a jerk because she just kept telling me that we had a lot of money to give away and that she would really apreciate some of it. I told her we had a lot of people struggling inside of our church and I was sorry that as a missionary I couldn't give her money because I didn't have any either. She basically talked my ear off for 20 min and said "oh boy, ok. So what you're telling me is the Mormons can't help. Got it" haha i was a little torqued but I asked if we could come over and visit anyway and she accepted. Marie is the funniest lady I have ever met. She invited a friend over and bought like 6 packs of cookies for the lesson and some Hawaiian punch that wasn't name brand (she made sure to apologize about that) Her friend's name is Jai Philippe and she calls him John Philippe the Frenchman. We didn't even know he was a member until halfway through the lesson it was the funnest time I've ever had in someone's home. So there I was, in the small living room of her apartment which had one chair, almost like a throne. She was sitting in it eating cookies, in her own words, "like a truck driver". Elder Tramell and I were on the floor on pillows on either side of Marie and we had a member with us sitting across from her and she kept telling him to eat more cookies because he wasn't eating anything. Jai was sitting next to me and he is a whole story by himself. He has Gold fangs that he wears in the hood because he doesn't want to get jumped. SO FUNNY. Anyway, her dog, Snoopy, is in the middle of all of us trying to get our cookies while we talk and she just keeps eating and eating. For every two cookies she ate she gives one to snoopy, and then tells Brother Deju to eat some more. She said it was a celebration of her new friends. It was awesome. She said she would read the Book of Mormon and then Jai was just making jokes during the whole lesson. Oh and we were eating our cookies and drinking our punch out of the fine china from her great grandma. There was a moment where all of these things came together and I just started laughing. Jai was tickling my side (weird) and I was holding a little teacup with off brand Hawaiian punch and a stack of like 10 cookies that I couldn't eat as fast as she kept loading them on my really nice china plate, she gave snoop a cookie and told Brother Deju to eat some more, and I look at Elder Tramell and we just started laughing so hard. It was as crazy as it sounds. We left her with a book of Mormon and she read from it, she came to church yesterday and loved it. She learned all about work for the dead in gospel principles and asked if it was ok for her to baptize all of her dead catholic relatives. I told her yes. haha, and then the spirit told me to do something funky, and I extended the invitation to be baptized in between sunday school and relief society. She accepted. She said she believes all of this and really had a great time in Relief society. It sounds like they are going to be able to help her find a job after all. :) The Lord will provide!

I am doing so well. In district training I was asked to do a training on Substance over Flash, or being a good missionary at heart as opposed to just acting like a good missionary. It was scary, but it went well. I then recieved the most influential talk that I have ever read. I encourage all who have a missionary, are a missionary, or want to be the best missionary they can be, to read this talk. It has changed me already. It's called "The Fourth Missionary" by Lawrence E. Corbridge. I have learned so much from it and I wish EVERY SINGLE missionary EVER could read it. Please try to find it it's amazing. Mom and Dad, if you want to know what my goals are and figure out what I'm gunning for, it's in there.

I love this gospel! I have become so much happier, I have seen people realize their divine potential, I feel the spirit when I read, ponder, and pray, and I testify that this Church is the true church. There's no way around it. :) It blesses families and individuals and brings us closer to Jesus Christ. I love you all and pray for you every day! Mom, get well soon ok? I love you. Dad, you are the man. It sounds like you are still bald because your words are wise. Just kidding i'm sorry. Tanner, good job:) from what I hear you are really maturing. Keep it up. to anyone else that is reading this, I love you and I want you to know that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, and that your Father in heaven loves you. He is the most powerful being in the universe and numbers every hair on your head. PRAYER WORKS, and the Book of Mormon is legit.

Elder Andreasen.