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This week was great! On Tuesday we had Zone Conference with the southern half of the mission. The main theme was "Becoming." For zone conferences all missionaries have to prepare 5 minute talks on a subject from our mission president, which he reads and chooses two or three missionaries to give theirs. This time it was on the talk by Dallin H. Oaks "The Challenge to Become." We received training from President Lewis, the APs (assistants to the president) and our zone leaders, Elders Turner and Nicholls. It was great.

 

The Mezeys are doing great. We meet with them two or three times a week and this week we helped them on Saturday trim some trees in their front yard and neighbor's front yards. The have moved their baptism date to October 13th. Br. Mezey will baptize his family. We're so excited! Edgar and Cynthia came to church this week too. They are doing alright. Their grandma's in the hospital and it's not looking good. Edgar got sick and random bad things are happening to them. In our last lesson with them we told them that Satan knows the righteous desires and efforts they have and he is throwing everything he can in their path to stop them. Edgar and Cynthia are troopers though. They're doing great. We really love both of these families. They've become good friends.

 

This week I got a package from the Roylances!!! Thanks guys! I sure love you (and my companion does too--we played connect 3 with those smarties and the kisses were gone in a few days). I hear about you guys from Grandpa and Grandma, I'm amazed at how much you've all grown! Mark, Nate, I hope you guys are enjoying priesthood. Keep up the great work, all of you. Love you!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

53

Wow, I hit my year mark this week! It's been great so far. I hope that I can continue to learn at the rate that I have this past year. The lessons that I have learned have been invaluable. I am on the life-long path toward true conversion. Lately I have learned the importance of setting goals. I am going to try to use that skill to make the most of the time that I have left.

Another tool that I have learned the importance of is using a study journal. I use it to write down what I've learned in personal and companion study in the mornings, jotting down notes from church or conferences, lessons learned/to teach, setting goals and actions, and recording spiritual impressions. Totally awesome!

This week has been great. On Wednesday we taught the Mezey family. The husband has been less-active for a while and his wife and six kids are not members. They have begun meeting with us so that they can be baptized and eventually go to the temple where they want to be sealed as a family. They recognize this as something that will help them increase love and unity in the home and family. We have met with them twice this week and we have invited them all to a baptismal date on September 15th! They accepted and are excited. Their oldest is 14, and she loved girls camp this summer. Their youngest is under a year, and he and one other sister are under the age of eight. They are an awesome family.

Another miracle this week was the Zuniga/Alvarado family. The wife is a less-active member and she has five children. She wants her oldest, Lupi (who is eight), to take the lessons and be baptized. We have also begun teaching the father, Edgar. They both want to be baptized in September! They have set their baptismal date for the 22nd. We are so excited!

We are hoping and praying for seven convert baptisms next month. That is incredible! The Lord has blessed us immensely. Elder Brook and I are doing our best to keep up with the people we are teaching. Life is good. Love ya!

(random picture: CFA. That's right, this side of Stockton is my turf)

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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In photo, left to right: Elder Forster, Elder Andrew, Elder Brook. Keepin' the posterity alive!

 

Early Wednesday morning me and a two other missionaries in Stockton headed up to the mission office in Sacramento. We joined a group of eight other missionaries and received training from the APs (assistants to the president) and President Lewis. We learned about how to train new missionaries and how much more obedient we need to be and how much our new companions will do everything we do. I thought about Elder Forster and everything I learned from him. Around 10am all the departing missionaries (Elder Forster included) came into the chapel and we stood and sang "Called to Serve" as the group of new missionaries marched into the room. We sat down and President Lewis called out our names and put us with our new companions. My companion is Elder Brook! He's from Lakewood, WA. He has one older sister. He loves video games and movies. He worked at Gamestop before his mission. He's pretty cool. It's fun to train, but boy it's hard work. I remember how clue-less I was and maybe how much my trainer felt overwhelmed. But it's great, Elder Brook catches on fast.

 

On Sunday in church our new bishop was announced. Bishop Ganoe has been the Valley Oaks bishop for six years and in the bishopric for 13. He has been the best bishop I've known on my mission. Besides his service as leader of our ward, he has been always willing to give the missionaries rides, has us over for dinner at least once a week, and has been extremely generous to us. Almost all of the other missionaries in the stake know him by name! We are sad to let him go. Our new bishop is Bishop Micheal! I don't know him very well, but I'm sure he will fulfill his calling well.

 

Our Sunday was a miracle. We had nine investigators to church. It was crazy! With us having no ward missionaries and it being Elder Brook's first Sunday in the ward, we felt a little "spread thin" trying to make sure everyone felt welcome and comfortable. But I think everyone was happy. The best part of church was Gospel Principles class. Because there were so many new faces in class, our ward mission leader, Br Anderson, went around the room and asked everyone to introduce themselves before he began the lesson. The Spirit was felt as everyone (who were almost all non-members) shared spiritual experiences and bore their testimonies. It was amazing! Many of them said that they will come again. We hope and pray that the spirit they felt at church will remain with them as continue to study and pray and progress. Back at the apartment after church Elder Brook and I knelt together and thanked the Lord for the blessings that He has given us. The purposes of God are being accomplished! We have our work cut out for us to help our investigators become truly converted.

 

Love you all!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

correction...

In June and July we exceeded our baptism goals of 55 and 67. Sorry 'bout dat. Our goal for August is 64.

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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Well, President Lewis called last night and... I'M TRAINING!!! I will go to the mission office tomorrow morning and pick up my new missionary. I am so excited and nervous and humbled to have this opportunity. I think back to my first couple transfers and remember what an influence my trainer, Elder Forster, had on me. I hope that I can be the best trainer I can and keep the work in this ward moving. With the Lord's help everything is possible and we definitely have the Lord's help.

 

So, about transfers. A lot of change is happening. First, my companion, E. Gurr is going to Jackson/Ione!!! He will be E. Crager's last companion before he goes home. Two of my favorite companions are serving together -- miracles are going to be happening there. Elder Forster, my trainer, (who is a zone leader here in Stockton and I see all the time) is going home this week and will be going up with me to the mission office as he leaves the mission and I pick up my boy, to keep his posterity alive. He's a grand-dad! AND, Elder Amos is going to be a zone leader here in Stockton! He only has about 5 more months on his mission. Well, I think that's about it. Fun stuff, huh?

 

This week was great. We found a new investigator; her name is Julia. She's black, about 80 or so. Her husband has Alzheimer's and is hard of hearing and Julia has been overwhelmed with caring for their house and yard, so we came over and helped her move furniture around and weed-wack and clean up her yard. Julia is Pentecostal and is very involved with her church, but she loves talking with us "about the Lord." In middle of lessons she'll raise her voice and say, "AMEN! PRAISE JESUS! HALLELU--JAH!" and sometimes she just suddenly begins praying. She's the kind of Christian that mumbles "um-huh. amen. thank you Jesus" as you pray. At one point she started speaking in tongues, which is what happens when the Holy Spirit comes down upon you so powerful that you can't stop from saying "habajubadamomikakamossamussudentihaba." Yep, sign of the Spirit right there. Julia is so funny, we love her. Anyways, we invited her to church at our ward at 12:30pm this Sunday and she said that she'll try to make it after her service in the morning. Well, she walked into fast and testimony meeting a little after sacrament and sat down right up front. Elder Gurr and I were pretty excited to see her! After a few minutes, Julia stood up and started walking up to the podium. E. Gurr and I looked at each other and thought, "Oh boy. Are you ready for this?" She stood there and said how much she appreciated us helping her out with her house and she said that we are servants of the Lord. She said that she feels the Spirit here and will be coming back to church. She spoke about Jesus and His Atonement, and then sat down. Wow! After that, the whole meeting and testimonies were focused on Jesus Christ. It was such an uplifting testimony meeting. And another one of our investigators, Jacob Lemon, got up and bore his testimony. We were so proud of him! He is 12 and his mom is a returning less-active in our ward. Church was amazing. After that E. Gurr and I had the Gospel Principles lesson and that went well too.

 

A side note about how the mission is doing -- in June and August we exceeded our baptism goals of 55 and 67. We are on fire! Elder Holland's promise to us is being fulfilled, that "the next few months will be the greatest in the history of this mission." We are working hard and sacrificing more, and the Lord is blessing us immensely. What a great gift it is to serve at this time.

 

Well, life is good here in Stockton. The Church is true!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628