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Sis. Loli (AUS), E. Russell (UT), Sis. Hale (TX), Elder Knotts (UT), Sis. Burchette (TX), E. Gaskill (CO), E. Haag (UT), E. Andrew, E. Seaman (TN), Sis. Solomon (UT), E. Ashdown (UT), E. Parrish (ID) and kneeling E. Finnerty (UT), E. Morley (UT) and Sis. Breuer (GER).

What a big week. I start off by telling you about our P-day last Monday. The sisters organized a trip for our zone to Ice House Lake in the mountains. The Gomms and another member took  for all of us to fit in and we had lunch and hung out at the lake and hiked around. There was still a little snow but the weather was perfect. Only one companionship from the zone couldn't come with us. We thought about taking this picture and putting on it, "El Dorado Zone -- South Lake Tahoe" and sending it to President (Lake Tahoe is out of our mission). Haha!

On Wednesday President Lewis came to our place and joined us for companion study and then went out teaching with us. The last time I went out with President Lewis was when I was being trained and it was an awesome experience. Thursday was the same. We had a study about faith and I learned something interesting. He said, "The Lord is intent on our growth." Maybe if we broke the "highwater mark" (which is 12 baptisms in a month in this zone) we wouldn't learn what God wants us to learn. I try to learn everything I can from both good and bad experiences.

On Saturday we attended a regional YSA fireside with Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Before the fireside started Elder Finnerty and I saw Elder Oaks in the hall before he went into a bishops office. We waited there until he came out 20 minutes later and said to a group of priesthood holders (who were his security), "I want to shake some hands. I'll start with the elders here." He asked us where we were from and after we told him he smiled and make a comment about "good Utah boys." As I met him it struck me how humble he is. Elder Oaks is a Apostle! But he doesn't seem to have an ounce of pride in him. In his address he also talked about faith. "Trust is a synonym for faith. Trust in the time of the Lord. Don't ask yourself 'What am I doing wrong?' Ask yourself, 'What more can I do that is right?' We must ask the Lord for help to do what He wants us to do." At the end of Elder Oaks talk, he bore the simplest, most powerful testimony of the Savior. I know that the prophet and apostles that lead this church are true.

Next weekend four people in the Placerville ward are committed to be baptized! Jon and Michelle Bius, Cassandra Durante, and Cortney Lindeque. I am so happy! This will be such a special day for them and for us and the ward. I know that the Lord sends His prepared people to His prepared servants. Elder Finnerty and I asked President Lewis to attend and he is planning on it. This will be the most memorable Easter of my life.

And now we have General Conference in two weeks! YAY!!!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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This week was pretty awesome. On Saturday we went with the Bius family and Cassandra and Matthew to the Sacramento Temple for a temple tour. Bro. and Sis. Boyce from the Folsom Stake put it on every Saturday. We started in the Mormon Center and watched Elder Holland and President Eyring talk about temples and the short video "The Restoration." After that we walked around the temple as the Boyce's talked about some of the rooms that we were standing outside of and the ordinances performed there. Sis. Boyce bore powerful testimony of temple sealings and I think the Bius family paid close attention then.

The day before the temple tour Elder Finnerty and I taught and invited the Bius's to pray about baptism on the 30th of March. They have been prepared by the hand of God! Both John and Michelle have Catholic backgrounds but have been questioning with all of the recent changes in the church. The first time I met the Bius family it seemed like they were already Mormons! They have the best family values, John is a hard worker, Michelle cans and does food storage... they just seem to do everything in the "mormon culture." Anyways, they are so awesome. In church yesterday they told us that they have decided that they want to be baptized Easter weekend!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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This week was awesome!!! It was so great. I'll just tell you a couple of the highlights:

We added four new investigators. Two of our investigators have baptism dates for March 30th, Cortney and Cassandra. They are so SOLID. Cortney was the one that just walked into church last Sunday with her little daughter. She had been to church and taught by the missionaries three years ago but her husband wasn't so keen about it so she left it for a while. They moved to Florida and now she just recently divorced him and came back to the church because of the Spirit she felt the first time. We found Cassandra when one of our members had us come over and give her a blessing. She has such an appetite for learning the gospel. This week when we have come to teach her she has had a new friend over to hear the lesson with us every time! One of them, Tonya, sat in for the first time while we taught the Word of Wisdom to Cassandra and her other friend Matthew. We weren't sure how well Tonya would take the Word of Wisdom for a first lesson, but since then she told us that she has been searching for something more in her life and she really wants to learn more. Wow.

Ok, so those were just a few of the miracles this week. A few more: we had EIGHT investigators to church! In our Placerville ward Elder Finnerty and I blew our weekly goals for lessons out of the water. As a mission we hit new highs for many key indicators. This is big. I feel like Elder Finnerty and I are seeing a confirmation of our faith. The last couple weeks have been the trials of our faith, but the Lord has seen fit to bless us with much success. (Ether 12:6)

And of course the best part of our week was the baptism of Heston Schmucker. He has turned his life a complete 180 and has waited for a long time for this day. It was such a good baptism. Before he stepped down into the font, he said, "Cannonball!" Everyone laughed. Can't say I've ever heard that one from an investigator :) After his baptism he bore his testimony and I wish I had the time and the finger strength to type it all down but it was the sweetest purest testimony ever. I just love Heston.

This is the greatest time of my mission! I love the work, I love my companion, I love the scriptures, I love the Spirit, and I love the Lord.

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

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This week was great. I don't have a whole lot to report on, so I'll tell you about how Elder Finnerty and I have been trying to live the gospel of Jesus Christ daily by exercising our faith. We feel a need to increase our faith and so we do everything in our power to show the Lord that He can trust us with His work. Yesterday we fasted to increase our faith and that we could know God's will. An answer came yesterday in the Single's ward CES fireside broadcast by Elder David A. Bednar. He spoke about priesthood blessings and what faith's role is. Elder Bednar told a story of a new husband that went through cancer treatments and asked for a blessing. Him and his new wife had the faith to be healed, but before Elder Bednar gave the blessing, he felt inspired to ask them, "Do you have the faith not to be healed?" The Lord's power will not work if it is not in accordance to His will. We have to have complete trust in Him, and know that whatever happens it's all His plan.

Anyways, here's a cool picture outside our window from last week's snowstorm. Love you all!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.