Disc Golf, Ice and Philosophy

When I left on my mission to Houston I expected to leave snow and ice behind me in Utah and Ohio. No such luck. Although we've had alternating days with beautiful weather in the 60s, sometimes 70s, Friday we had an ice storm come through. It was just like the stuff we get in Ohio sometimes--where everything is just coated. Our car was a solid block that morning. There's a lot of roads that are built up in the air, like an overpass, but go on for miles and miles. I'm so glad we dont' drive on those because I'm sure they were suuuper icy. But I can't complain too much because I know Alaskan weather is trying to take over the rest of the country.

Last Monday we went and played disc golf with some of the other missionaries in our district. I have always been a fan of ultimate frisbee and I consider myself fairly decent at the sport. Disc golf on the other hand, I think I've tried once before and I got really frustrated because the discs don't throw the same way. After some coaching from one of the other missionaries (who has done tournament disc golf stuff), I improved a little more and didn't do too horribly. I might even do it again someday.

Tuesday was great. We had interviews with President and some other training. It was all exactly what I needed to hear. I know President Pingree is inspired in the things he does for this mission.

We went to dinner at a member's house and they had invited some friends too, which is great! I think that's the first time I've been to dinner with a nonmember there too. Inviting people over for dinner is something I would definitely encourage everyone to do; however, I would also encourage giving the missionaries more than a few minutes notice that there's going to be other people there... especially when one of those people happens to be an ordained minister of another faith with strong opinions. It was a good discussion regardless, and he has honest concern for our salvation. He's just gotten a lot of misinformation about the church without taking the time to figure out our foundational beliefs. I struck a deal with him that if he would read all of 3 Nephi, I would dedicate more of my time to reading the New Testament. Lest anyone get confused, yes Mormons belive in the Bible, and I have been studying the NT, I just have a lot of other things to read too. I've been keeping my end of the deal, so hopefully we get to talk to him again and see how he's doing with his reading.

Wednesday we had some other good lessons, and talked to this one guy on his doorstep for a while, and then continued our discussion inside. He grew up in a positive Catholic home, and thinks religion is a good thing, but doesn't really believe it. He had a lot of really interesting questions about learning truth, or how we can know truth. I tried to answer the best I could, and I was so grateful for my high school, and college philosophy classes. Mr. Raisch's classes helped me talk to people out here who pull from a lot of well-read sources. When people start quoting Voltaire, Thomas Aquinas, Dante and other things, I can at least know what they're talking about, even if I don't remember as much as I would like. One of the people who I was able to keep up with is getting baptized in a couple weeks. The other person is this guy we talked to on Wednesday. The Lord definitely knows who he sends where and has a reason for all of it.

Thursday and Friday were great. We taught both of our investigators with baptismal dates and had members come with us for those lessons which always makes them better. We endured some cold and then got another bout of warmer weather. Saturday and Sunday were not as productive as I would have hoped, but here's looking forward to doing better this next week! This week is temple week, so it's definitely going to be good. I love you all! Thanks for all you're doing to move the work along and continue coming closer to Christ.

All my love!

Sister Andreason

Vehicles and Growing Opportunities

So this Friday I was sitting in a police station contemplating the things that brought me there... there was the ride in the back of a police car (very uncomfortable things by the way) but wait, let me back up to the beginning.

Friday afternoon my companion and I were doing what we normally do, going to appointments and checking up on some people. We were driving down a road in the left lane. As we approached the light we were passing a plaza and a suburban had stopped to let a car into its lane, but the car kept pulling out into our lane without looking. My companion saw it a couple seconds before I did and screamed, I was driving so I slammed on the brakes and then BAM! THUMP. POOF! blink. blink. blink.

We were going fast enough that both the air bags deployed, but our seat belts did enough of the work that the airbags just produced a lot of smoke and dust (I guess that's what happens when the air bags deploy). I sat there a little stunned for a few seconds. I had the presence of mind to put the car in park and turn it off, but then the first thought to enter my mind was, "We need to call Elder Ohern" Not the police, Elder Ohern who is the vehicle coordinator for our mission and who you're supposed to call if you ever have an accident. So we found the phone, called Elder Ohern who immediately asked us if we had called the police. Nope. "Well hang up the phone and call the police and call me back after you call them." So we did, and by that time somebody else had already called it in and police cars showed up a minute later.

The cars were damaged enough that we couldn't drive them so they got towed off the street into the parking lot. Nobody was hurt, so we talked to the police, exchanged information, called Elder Ohern again who was coming to pick us up. The police were super nice and helpful with everything and since we were in kind of a sketch area and it was getting dark they offered to drive us back to the police station so we could wait there for our ride. The Oherns (A senior missionary couple) picked us up and took us to get something to eat.

As far as accidents go, this one wasn't bad. Our car is probably totaled, but it was one of the mission cars that was going to be retired soon, and nobody was hurt, and we were able to get a new car the next morning. The Lord definitely takes care of His missionaries.

As for the rest of this week. My beloved trainer left on Tuesday, so it's back to just 2 of us here. It's been a little bit of an adjustment to life without her, and I'm realizing things I still need to learn about the area that she helped a lot with. I didn't realize how good she was at planning things until I had to do it without her and realized how much I still struggle with that although I've definitely gotten better at it since coming out here. There's so much to keep track of. I was reflecting on my time at the MTC and you learn all the important basics of how to do missionary work, and teach people well, and increase your own spirituality, and then you get out in the field and they throw lots of other things at you. You've got to learn the area, and keep track of all the members and less actives and potential investigators, and do a whole lot of paperwork, and work with people who sometimes don't really want you there, or people who want you there but have a hard time doing anything you ask them to do.

So I've been trying to focus on the basics again. Qualify for the Spirit everyday. Be exactly obedient. Pray more, counsel with the Lord. Plan as best I can. Focus on the needs of others. Pray some more. I knew Sister Allred was leaving before we ever heard anything officially because I knew I would not continue to grow if she stayed. She'd taught me all she had to teach and I was going to learn more flying on my own with my companion who's even newer to the field than I am. I knew that this next little while was going to be a period of more intense growth, and it is! I'm learning a lot, and it's a little painful sometimes, but I know that as I keep working and doing the things I know how to do and rely on the Lord. I was reviewing some of our family's lists of New Testament scriptures today and I think 2 Cor 12:9 is very applicable, " And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." I was also studying about Limhi and Alma and their people in the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 24 which teaches similar principles in the story.

As we rely on the Lord and His strength especially in the areas where we are weak his strength is able to help us more in those areas than areas where we are stronger and aren't required to rely on Him as much. So I'm going to keep growing this next week in areas where I am weak and I'm going to keep growing closer to God. I'm excited to see the enabling power of the Atonement more fully in my life so I can help others see it in their lives. "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." "You cannot convert people beyond your own conversion." PMG.

I love you all!

Love, 

Sister Andreason

PS This is the truck we got to drive for a little while--felt like a real Texan in that thing.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The beginning of this letter goes over some fun things, but the last half is what I really want you to read if you're like me and don't have much time and just skim through a lot of things. Love you all! Merry Christmas!

Monday: made candy Holly wreaths with a part member family. They are the greatest. They're going through a lot right now, but they all still come to church pretty regularly and are some of the nicest, hardest working people I've ever met. It was so fun to be able to go over there and do that with them. We've been giving out the 12 or so wreaths we made to some of our investigators, less actives, and former investigators. It's helped open doors and has been an easy expression of how much we really do care for these people we've found.

Tues and Wed: helped sort toys for a toy drive run by the fire department which was busy and fun, visited some people and went caroling with another great family. The kids took us to their friends houses and we got to sing with them. People's faces light up when we start singing, and the kids loved it too. It was such an easy way to share our testimonies. Not everybody was interested in hearing more, but everyone appreciated our visit. Don't be afraid to share what you know. We also helped an older lady decorate her apartment. She has such a wonderful spirit about her too. I'm meeting such a variety of people here than I ever have before, and I'm gaining such a love for them. I have such respect for how much everyone here does, both for the ward and just in their day to day lives, it makes me want to be better.

Thurs: Thursday was exhausting. We helped out at a food bank taking orders and loading boxes of food into people's cars as well as making more boxes of food and making the boxes themselves. I am a boss at making boxes.These aren't just the ones where you tape them a couple times, they have to be folded and tucked the right way and it makes a sturdy little box with a lid. I can make them in about 15 seconds on average. Yes, we timed it. But it was so good to work with the people there who are doing so much good. There were some members helping us as well as many nonmembers that we got to talk to. Then right after that we went and helped one of our members who was moving that day. And then we also got to teach a couple lessons.

Fri: Went to the Christmas party with the elderly Korean people we teach Korean to. I have such respect for these wonderful people who are all probably at least 70 and are still willing to come and learn English twice a week. Fridaynight we had a lesson with our strongest investigator. He's been reading the Book of Mormon, praying about it, coming to church, and he's noticing how it's blessing his life. The Lord's promises are sure. The Book of Mormon really does provide so much light and direction and blessings do come as we strive to obey His commandments.

Sat: got a last minute call to go help with more service with the Spanish missionaries, which was kinda weird, but it was still rewarding. We visited a couple more people who we hadn't seen in a while. One of them was a member who's just had a lot to deal with this past year, she's taking care of her sick husband, her house flooded, in-laws died... just so many things and she's still truggin along. The members have been great about helping her too. When we are faithful in doing our duty, everything works our and everyone is taken care of. I'm so grateful for good home teachers and visiting teachers. Y'all don't know how much that helps everyone, and it sure gives the missionaries more time to focus more in other areas where they're needed.

Sun: We had a wonderful Christmas program, the organization struggled a little bit, but it all turned out okay. My companions and I were asked to sing What Child is This about 10 min before Sacrament started. We all kind of smiled nervously, but said "yes" and went to practice. 2 minutes before it started somebody came and said, "Oh wait, we actually need you to sing Away in the Manger" So we did. And we weren't awful. I even harmonized for the entire song. I'm so grateful we've been singing carols as a companionship the past month (not away in the manger though) and had some practice, and that I'd practiced the harmony to Away in a Manger at some point during the last week. That was definitely a miracle since I've never considered myself a singer and both of my companions sing less than I do. It was all of our first times singing in a Sacrament meeting, but it's given me confidence to do so in the future!

If you're going to read anything read what follows:

Christmas Zone conference was yesterday which is why this letter is going out on Tuesday instead of the usualMonday. Our mission has doubled in the number of missionaries here since the last year, we've got about half sisters of 280 missionaries. The main focus of the meeting was on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love getting to listen to our Mission President teach us. He is so kind and Christ-like himself and puts his all into missionary service. If you think what missionaries do is a sacrifice think about the hundreds of Mission Presidents all around the world. Anyways, our mission president is phenomenal and taught about understanding the Atonement better and applying it more personally. There's a quote from Preach My Gospel that says, "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase." I've been trying to increase my own understanding of the Atonement. I felt it more personally and comprehended it more fully during our time yesterday than I ever have before. We watched some of the Bible Videos produced by the Church during our missionary Christmas program yesterday. The last one we watched was this He is Risen: http://www.mormonchannel.org/bible-videos?v=1548356253001     and as I watched it all I could think was that's my Savior, that's my Savior. I would encourage each of you to think on the Atonement of Jesus Christ more this week than you have lately, especially because Christmas is tomorrow. I am so grateful for the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ that lifts us higher than we could ever go on our own. His grace is the power by which we can improve and His Atonement is how he has provided us access to that. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is the Lord's Church. His Gospel has been restored and I am so happy to be a part of His work in sharing it with others. There is so much happiness to be gained and blessings to be had from living the way He has asked us to live and from following His Gospel and His Prophet. I add my testimony to what our living Prophet and Apostles have said, "Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son." May we remember Him now and always. Merry Christmas!

Love, 

Sister Andreason

Holidays Houston Style

I sure love the holidays. We've been able to do so many more things during this season than we normally would be able to. We've gone caroling just as missionaries and with members to the houses of their friends; we've shared Christmas messages; we've had lots of activities to invite investigators and less active members to; we're planning on making treats tonight with some members of our ward to take to those we visit... There are so many opportunities and little ideas that the Lord gives us of how we can do more with this wonderful season and the phenomenal people we serve with.

We have a few progressing investigators now who are doing so well, they're reading, praying and coming to church, and continuing to learn and grow. One of these people came to chuch and stayed all 3 hours. He really enjoyed it and we're meeting with him frequently. He has such good desires to do God's will and to continue to become better. The Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses our lives no matter what our situation may be, and as these people listen to what we have to share and act on it, they come closer to Christ, their faith grows, and many more blessings. One of the most rewarding things about missionary work is seeing the positve changes that come to people's lives as they listen and act on what we have to teach. Besides those who haven't ever heard our message and are learning about it, seeing those who once knew it and have forgotten come back is so wonderful as well. The gospel is true. Repentance is real. This is the Lord's work.

The ward I'm currentlly in is unique in that we have about twice as many people who don't come to church as those who do. There are so many people in this ward who do so much. I am coming to appreciate all the constant work that the members do here. There are so many incredible examples of selflessness and sacrifice.

On a fun note because our car got backed into it's getting fixed this week so we get to drive a big ol truck. I get more and more Texan every week :) (for Aedan's sake it's a Nissan Frontier). We also had a Relief Society social this Friday that was so beneficial in getting to know more of the sisters better. We also got to go help out the sister who's house it was at. We helped her decorate (we've helped so many people decorate--so fun) and she fed us cinnamon rolls. She had an incredible amount of Christmas decorations. She and her husband have a room in their house specifically dedicated to Christmas all year round--they've got a collection of little lit up Christmas themed houses and a bunch of pictures of Christ hanging in there. So we helped her decorate and as part of that climed up a ladder to the 15 ft landing above her entry way and put a Christmas tree up there... it was a slightly precarious job as the landing was about 4ft wide and 8 ft long with a little more room in the cornerns, but we weren't about to let her climb up there (and she has in past years!) Hopefully I'll get some pictures of the adventure to you at some point.

There's also a winter wonderland set up a couple streets away from our church. There's probably a million dollars worth of lights and displays set up on this street, it's incredible.

Next week we have Christmas zone conference. Our mission has so many missionaries that they have to split it into 2 conferences, so ours is on Monday and I will write on Tuesday (Christmas Eve) next week. I love you all! I encourage you to look for ways the Christmas season provides greater opportunites for sharing the gospel and bringing people closer to Christ, and then act on those ideas. The Lord will bless your efforts.

Lots of Love,

Sister Andreason

Tractor-iling

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been great. As is every week really, I can't imagine a better time to be a missionary or any work that is more rewarding. So here's a list of exciting things:

The girl who got baptized last month is teaching us the new member lessons with her returning to activity husband. She's studying Preach My Gospel and learning lots. She's sharing the gospel with her friends at work, and eager to continue learning. She's "hungering and thirsting" after knowledge and she will find it. It's an example of me of how earnestly we should desire to continue learning and growing.

I know the streets so much better now and can find where I'm going without having to rely too much on the GPS. Because my companion is Sister Training Leader we go on a lot of exchanges, but its such good experience for me. She left for a day last week, so I was the one with the most experience in the area and had to step up and take the lead more in planning and going about our activities that day. It's nice to be able to take little steps toward that rather than suddenly having to do it all at once. I'm pretty sure my trainer is leaving next transfer, so I'll be the one with most experience in the area and still training. It definitely motivates me to keep learning fast.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with a single woman in our ward. We helped her prepare it, and then her non member kids and grandkids came over and we got to eat with them and teach them. We also got to make my family's traditional applesauce which was so nice (although I forgot how long it takes to cook) and I got to take lots of leftover applesauce home MMMmmm.

We went tra-orling. (A combination of tracting and caroling) It was so much more successful. We'd go knock on a door, and then when they were opening it we would sing a Christmas carol, after which we'd ask if we could share a message about Christ with them. We taught several lessons on doorsteps, had someone invite us back, and found a less active member that wasn't on our records. I'm so glad I've learned how to harmonize a little. Caroling is so nice to do with a trio, and I can carry a harmony for "Angels we have Heard on High" so it sounded great! I'm sure the acoustics of small doorways helped us out too, and I have got to practice some other songs today--I love that hymn too much to get sick of it.

Update on the lady I told you about last week: We visited her and she almost came to church this Sunday, she's progressing. I know God is going to work a miracle for her, and I think my new companion is the beginning of that. She has epilepsy (the same condition as this woman's son) and was able to relate to this investigator on a very personal level and encourage her, it was so powerful.

We also have a new investigator we're teaching. Al is great. He is so prepared. We met with him and had a good lesson Saturday night, he came to church on Sunday, and we're meeting with him again this week and he said yesterday he wants to come to church again next week. Huzzah! We've just got to keep following the Spirit as we're teaching him to know how to best meet his needs.

The Lord is involved in this work, and I know he will be involved in the work you're doing as you seek His help. I love this quote from Elder Ballard. "Brothers and sisters, fear will be replaced with faith and confidence when members and the full-time missionaries kneel in prayer and ask the Lord to bless them with missionary opportunities. Then, we must demonstrate our faith and watch for opportunities to introduce the gospel of Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father’s children, and surely those opportunities will come. These opportunities will never require a forced or a contrived response. They will flow as a natural result of our love for our brothers and sisters. Just be positive, and those whom you speak with will feel your love."  

Elder Ballard asked us to invited someone closer to Christ by Christmas. I'd love to hear of your efforts in doing that, I know the Lord will help you as you ask Him to.

One more thing. Go check out www.mormon.org/christmas . Its a wonderful website and there's a place where people of all faiths can comment and share their feelings about Christmas. I love you all. Thank you for all the wonderful things you're doing, thank you for your letters and prayers.

Love,

Sister Andreason

Power of Prayer

Hello All!

So I've only got half a P-day because we're going to do service this afternoon, so forgive me if this letter is brief. 

The big news of the week is that Sister Allred and I are training a new Sister. Her name is Sister Seivert, and she's great. It's been interesting as a trio, both similar and different from just a companionship. I'm still learning lots, and this opportunity to train in a trio is teaching me a lot. I'm understanding more of how to keep track of everything and everyone. I'm the designated driver for the car we have, so that's allowing me to learn the roads better. I keep thinking of ways we can be more effective in our work and for ways to better myself.

It has been cold this week. I know, I know, I'm in Houston. It's not supposed to get cold here, but it has. It's been the 40s the last few days with a constant drizzle and some wind. We were walking most of Saturday because we were short on our allotted miles for the week, so we walked quickly. Needless to say it made me thankful for my hat, gloves, coat, and good shoes.

Earlier this week we went and visited one of our investigators. She's had the discussions before, and has gone to church when she lived in the boundaries of another ward, but hasn't been since she's lived in this area. She believes what we teach, and she's got a picture of the temple hanging in her house. She's very sensitive to the Spirit, and recognizes it when we come. She's struggling with some fear of doing things right now. She found out over a year ago that one of her sons has epilepsy, which has made her scared to go anywhere. So she's been trying to be consistent with prayer and scripture study, and she's asked us not to give up on her, so we keep coming.

We met with her last Monday and shared a couple scriptures on prayer. We invited her at the beginning to pray at the end of the lesson, and then we were able to talk about the importance of prayer in building our relationship with our Father in Heaven, and in securing for ourselves the blessings God is already willing to give us if we just asked. We testified that Christ knows how to help us, and that if we pray for help, he can help us with anything and everything. During the lesson she realized that she could ask God to take away this fear she's struggling with, she'd never asked him to before. She gave the most amazing prayer at the end of that lesson. She sincerely thanked God for so many things, prayed for each individual member of her family, and then asked for that blessing for herself. I know the Lord is going to work a miracle for her. I know it. There was so much power in that prayer. I know the Lord can work miracles in our lives. I know that as we are striving to do the things he has asked us to do we will be blessed. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father and wants to hear from us. I have seen the power of prayer in my own life and in the lives of many others. I love you all. I am so thankful for all the good things you are doing. Be ye not weary in well doing.

Love,

Sister Andreason

I've been out one whole transfer-cycle!

Wow.

I can't believe I've been out in the field for a full transfer already. Time is flying! We got transfer calls last night and my companion and I are both staying in the area which I'm grateful for. I have much still to learn from what she has to teach me.

So with transfers comes the opportunity to reflect a lot on the past 6 weeks.

We've cleaned up the ward directory (65 on the list have moved).

We've gained more trust and support from the Bishop, and we're more on the same page with him now. Just to give you a visual, our Bishop does not have a right arm, and is a lawyer. So I was a little scared of him at first. When I first got to the area, we weren't in Ward Council, and the most interaction we had with the Bishop was a handshake (left-hand) and a few short words of greeting. We had some stake leaders put a word in for us, as well as our Ward Mission Leader and our new Relief Society President, so he invited us into the first part of Ward Council. Previous to that he had an idea of another meeting to discuss missionary work with many of the same people as Ward Council, and it just wasn't happening. So 2 Sundays ago we were in Ward Council, but still treading softly and our Ward Mission Leader did most of the talking. I'd been feeling for a while that we should schedule an interview with our Bishop. This is something my amazing MTC teacher told us he did when he got to an area in his mission where they didn't have a good relationship with the Bishop. In his story it worked miracles, so I thought we should give it a try. I had mentioned it to my companion, a couple weeks later called the executive secretary but never heard back, and finally after the Sunday we were in Ward Council texted our ex-sec and got an appointment for Tuesday night.

Our interview was enlightening. I'm so glad I followed through on that prompting. We were able to talk with our Bishop (although I was still a little scared going in) and talk about how we wanted to be of service to him, and how we were trying to do the things he'd already asked us to do, and then talk to him about some of our concerns and goals. We're on the same page now. We learned that he really did have a lot of confidence in us already, it was just hard to see. We came away from that understanding our Bishop better, and with a better understanding of what he needed, how he wanted it done, and why he wanted it done that way.

We've found more progressing investigators! We've gotten some referrals, we're teaching a part member family, we've found people in our own efforts, and the work is progressing. I'm excited to start working even more effectively this transfer than the last. It's nice that my companion and I have had 6 weeks already to grow together. This is only the 2nd time she's had a companion for longer than a transfer and she's been out 8 months and trained 4 times. I'm excited for where the work can go from here.

I've learned a lot since I came out. I know how things work more in the field, and how to do things better. I don't think I realize how much I've learned, but I'm comfortable taking over our area 1x a week with the transfers we do weekly because my companion is a Sister Training Leader. I'm so glad to be able to keep working here.

We're continuing to try to work more with the members to encourage them to reach out and invite people. We're asking them to do things, and they're more than willing, they just need to be invited. We're working on following up with all the people we're inviting. I'm so grateful for all the things I've learned before I got to the field, both in the MTC and before that.

Love you all!

Sister Andreason