89

My mom in her email today told me that I need to put more pictures on here. I love Manteca, but there really is nothing to take pictures of. Just houses, fields, and roads. I'll try to be creative this week :)

This week was good. We added many people to our teaching pool! And we found a miracle investigator that showed up to the YSA ward yesterday! Her name is Rebecca and she is dating Robert, a member. She said that she was raised Catholic, but she has found that her beliefs are more aligned with what we believe. Rebecca is willing to exercise her faith and interested in being baptized. We are teaching her the first lesson tomorrow. We are so excited for Rebecca.

On Thursday I went on exchanges with Elder McLaws, one of our district leaders. It's been really cool to serve around more and more of the members of my MTC district. Elder Dahl is one of our assistants, and in my last zone Elder Mangum was a district leader. Eight of the original ten of us are in leadership. We have such an awesome group. And my companion actually entered the MTC the same date that we did, but he's a Spanish missionary so he stayed another 6 weeks after we left.

On Friday our zone had interviews with President and Sister Lewis. I love them. President Lewis is an amazing scriptorian and every time I study with him I learn something new. I told him today in my letter that I wish I could just do companion study with him every morning! He understands the principles and doctrines of the gospel more than I can ever hope to.

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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88

This week was good. Not much to report on, so this will be short. Elder Grow and I have been biking a lot this week. It feels good to be back in the saddle again. Biking is so much more effective because we're able to talk with everybody we see. Plus, it helps us save miles on our car. Elder Grow is a fast rider! On Tuesday it was really really really windy.

In sacrament meeting in our family ward our high counselor over missionary work spoke. He is awesome! One of his quotes that I liked was, "If it's true, what does it mean to you, and what are you going to do?"  It reminded me of something that President Lewis told me in a companionship study with him was the three keys to conversion: know, feel, and do. We must know and understand a true principle, feel the Spirit witness to us of it's truthfulness, and act accordingly. Most of the times we have to act on that principle before we gain a testimony of it, such as reading the Book of Mormon to know if it's true, praying to know if God exists, and not drinking coffee to know if the Word of Wisdom is a commandment from God.

I love you all! Make it a great week. 

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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87

This week was good. My new companion's name is Elder Grow. He grew up in Prescott, AZ, but now his family lives in Utah. He's great. Our zone has 20 missionaries! Almost half of those are sisters. They call us the Relief Society of the mission. We have five new missionaries in our zone. Elder Grow and I serve in the Lathrop family ward and the Yosemite YSA ward.

Yesterday we had a baptism! Her name is Hillary Pine. She is dating a member of the YSA ward and she asked to come to church with him. She took the lessons and accepted the invitation to be baptized. The baptism went well, but it was a little stressful at first. Apparently a ward in that building took all the baptism clothing for a youth temple trip, so WE COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING THAT WOULD FIT Hillary. Luckily she brought her own backup white clothing, so we were safe. Besides that there were a few things we could've improved on, but it went well.

Here's another miracle from this week: Yesterday in church Sis. Dees and Smith called us and asked us to come and interview one of their investigators RIGHT NOW. We came and I interviewed Nathan McGuire for baptism. He has attended church for 12 years with his wife and three children. On Saturday his 8-year old daughter was baptized, and he felt the Spirit powerfully there. He realized that he has been ignoring answers to his prayers all these years and that he needs to act now. He woke up Sunday morning and asked his wife how she would feel if he got baptized. Sis. McGuire was surprised but overwhelmed with happiness! Nathan told her that he wanted to be baptized that night. They told the sister missionaries in church and almost the entire ward came to witness his baptism last night. Elder Grow and I came to drop off the baptism record during the service. There wasn't enough room in the font room for everyone so they held it in the chapel.

I felt the Spirit so strongly there. This is eternal family. This is true happiness. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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86

Sorry but this is going to be a short one. Transfer calls came and I'm outa here. I was really praying and fasting that Elder Finnerty and I would stay for a third transfer together and we even talked it up with the assistants, but it didn't happen. I guess that I need another place to learn. I'm going to the bottom of the mission, in Manteca zone to serve with Elder Grow. I'm excited because he's a spanish missionary so I will be able to practice my spanish with him. But I'm afraid that it won't get any better than this -- this has been the greatest time of my mission. Elder Finnerty is my best friend.

General Conference was this week! I loved it. It was just so great. My favorite talk was Elder Holland's about faith. Elder Holland's brother lives in our ward and we had dinner with him and his wife last week. We asked if they knew what Elder Holland was going to speak about, but they just told us that the only thing they could know was that he was speaking in the Sunday afternoon session. But anyways, I LOVED Elder Holland's address! "Fan the flame of faith!" He told us a similar message when he came to our mission over a year ago. "Keep the flame of faith alive!"

I'm exceedingly sorrowful to be leaving El Dorado. This feels like home! But that's just the way life goes. Love you all!

--

Elder Chris Andrew

California Sacramento Mission

8267 Deseret Ave

Fair Oaks, CA 95628

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85

Four precious souls entered the waters of baptism this Saturday! From left, Cortney Lindeque and her daughter Riley, Michelle and Jon Bius with their daughters Alyiva and Emily, and Cassandra Durante and her daughter Willow. These are such special people. I can only express what I feel from the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants, section nineteen:

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;... And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me! Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation.... And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved."

These are the beginnings of eternal families. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and what happiness it brings! This is the Lord's work, and I am so happy to be a part of it. I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ. I bear testimony that He lives and that He loves us.

--

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.