Wednesday, April 29, 2009

"The Missionary"


OK, well this is just a little one this week....its been quite the crazy week.....recently we have been working with the missionaries of the branch and trainning them with the Preach My Gospel. It's kind of hard because it takes some time out of the week that we could be using for finding or teaching lessons, but we have the faith that this is what the Lord wants. These missionaries or members are ready to get to work. This last week we have been teaching finding and their purpose as missionaries. We focused on the gifts and promises that God gives us and how we have the power to promise on behalf of the Lord, and then the blessing to see these promises fulfilled. We know that "when ye do what I say I the Lord am bound, but when ye do not what I say ye have no promise" (I think it's like that in English). This is so true! As we testify and teach by the spirit we are prompted about what our brother our sister needs. AW man, this work is sweet... we were able to have 13 members lessons this week, which is pretty good for us. The Madame Gustav was a lady that we were teaching in Moule before with Elder Garota. During the greve (strike) she had been coming to church by hitch hiking...which is amazing. There are some things we need to work on with her as far as repentence. But we feel the Lord's love for her as she becomes closer to him. I love the relation between our love for the Savior and the love for others...they are one and the same! You serve one and you are just serving the other! Due to the greve and a buch of the things that are going on, it looks like I'll be having to learn to drive stick. mwhaha! Look out gwada...but it shouldn't be too hard. We have zone conference this week so it should be a splendid week.. haha "splendid"...for some reason that reminds me of Tom.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

"Brown-eyed Girl(s)"

THE BAPTISMS WENT THROUGH!!! I'll send some pics, but I was really worried about them, just because of last transfer and David bailing on his...I didn't wanna get my hopes up too much. but it was an amazing baptism. Well we did have a few problems with the baptismal suits. Elder Wright and I brought all our baptismal suits to the baptism to let them try them on and choose which they wanted, when we found we had no kid jumpers for Ashley. She ended up having to use a large adult one which was HUGE on her. It was hilarious, but after we solved that little problem it went off without a hitch and there was a great spirit during the testimonies. Patricia is from Haiti and has daughter is 8 (Ashley) and she has another boy 7, girl at 6 (Hillary), and a boy at 3.

Patricia and daughter Ashely were baptized! Also pictured is President Jeanremy, the branch president in Moule (looks young? he returned from his mission in 2008!)


Guadeloupe is getting ready to explode. The District had a big kickoff for the branch missionaries last Thursday. Me and Elder Wright taught what there roles would be as branch missionaries, and how the full time missionaries and them would work together. This should help in our finding efforts, and finding better referrals as well as retention. In the future we hope to train the branch missionaries well enough to teach on their own. There are about 20 branch missionaries on Gwada (Guadeloupe). Things are going great though. Elder Wright is a stud, and hilarious. He is from the mountains up in Arizona. He is on fire. This week was funny; he got a letter from one of his " friends" who expressed her undying love for him....they really need to make a television show like Laguna beach but for missionaries...we have one baptism coming up for this week and another the next week. Their names are Melia and madame Gustav, so if ya'll could pray for them that would be great. In the meantime I hope you are all taking care and kicking butt. Kicking butt is the key to happiness! ........and Jazz wins help too


Haha, Ashley is probably the only one that sounds the same to me. she has probably grown the most though.

Hillary is such an athlete, don't let her get any ideas about being too athletic though, next thing you know she will be trying out for middle linebacker on the football team. OH, by the way I got the package just this week from the ward.

Attta boy Tuck ...he looks like quite the pimp in that picture. Its crazy how cold it still looks! I'm gonna freeze when I get back. but yeah, "he don't suck" sounds like he is back he is a pimp, I'm gonna have to get that tie in the mail, cuz this tie is no chance....it's a cant miss!


Hahaha, I hope sawyer shows fancy up, that is awesome. So what are the chances of me getting my own dog when I get home....I think that's only fair as you kinda kishkumened me with the whole buying the dog when I'm gone.

POOP....that's a bummer, I cant believe they blew it like that...that probably means Boozer will bail...

Kembé Réd....Pomoli (a little bit of creole)

Andy

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

"Creola"

I'm living in Lamentin, right in the center of Guadeloupe. All the missionaries live on Basse Terre right now because its the only side of the island where we can get legal. Lamentin is split in two between my companionship and another, and then also Moule. But in Moule we are mostly just working with old investigators and referrals. We attend different branches, depending on which one we need to go to... which requires a lot of driving and planning.

Things are starting to settle down here in the Carib. Elder Wright and I for the last two weeks have a had a member from Martinique work with us. His name is Elder Lagin and he was doing a mini mission. That was pretty fun to have him though. It has really helped our creole a bit. But not much has happened. We should be having three baptisms this week. This lady named Patricia and her daughter this Saturday and then hopefully another lady named, actually I forget her name. Patricia was taught a little bit by Elder Garotta and I (if you remember in Moule?) But she was not ready then. Elder Wright and I went by with a member the first week back though, and we had a great lesson about the restoration and related it to baptism and we challenged her our first lesson (for this Saturday). She accepted and is looking pretty strong though. So that's cool. She has four kids: 2 girls named Hillary and Ashley! Crazy cakes huh? And then to top it off one of her kids is named Bradley. This other lady has come to church for a while but her problem is that she always falls in love with the missionaries haha. She knows the church is true though. and she needs to be baptized. To tell you the truth there are already enough members who like the missionaries. Its kind weird, but we are going to try to get the members to do a lot of the teaching but pray for them. Well not much this week. Tuck, keep doing better at sports and tear it up, and also you have to let me know if you want this pimp tie for prom or not! You can always take Mary Young; Clara sent me some pictures and she is lookin like a babe mwhaha. Hillary keep tearing up at soccer. Don't work too hard though; remember that basketball is THE coolest sport. And Ashley I really am sad I missed your play. But don't worry I'll be back when you play Jack in Newsies in 7th grade.

Avec amour,

Andy

Transfer by Air

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

"Back to the Island"

Heck ya! Conference was so kick butt this week! I loved it all, we were able to watch them in English, and normally I would feel that is weak sauce of me but it's just not the same with a translator; there is no fire, no power behind a translator's voice. I loved tons of the talks, Hollands was so great. My favorite speaker is always President Eyring though, as well as President Uchtdorf....oh and the prophet is good. But, yeah I loved it...This conference is so much more real for me this time, because I have been lucky enough to be engaged in the Lord's work for a while. I have been able to step outside of the world and glimpse for the first time the magnitude and importance of the Lord's work...and occasionally I feel I am blessed enough to get an idea or a picture of the state of the church. Especially here in Guadeloupe. For me the overall message of the conference was work...The prophet and apostles have have given each of us a call to give and share not only of our temporal blessings with those in need, but also of our spiritual blessings with those in need. To stand as testaments of Christ and his Cause. My testimony is stronger than ever. I want and feel I should fear at how wicked and difficult the world is and is becoming, but there is really no reason to fear when there is a prophet qnd the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. And we have the promise that we will never lose those again!

OK well back to more specific news...The Apartment was torn apart thanks to our quick exit from Guadeloupe 2 months ago. But, the first thing the missionaries did when we got here was to go to town on the apartments. We cleaned them up back to their normal selves in the time we waited for the new elders. No worries for boils here(boils have been spreading so bad! its disgusting! I got a good video of an elder that had one on his face, it was like he had a golf ball in the side of his mouth). Elder Snow did have one so hopefully that one doesn't spread.

This week has been a little unorganized for Elder Wright and I. There has been a lot of getting things in order, driving, and making sure elders have everything, but I still feel that we worked effectively as we are setting up the missionary program for the district. Elder Wright is the zone leader, and so we have worked with the district president of the Guadeloupe district, President Eclair to set up the branch missionary program. President Eclair is probably my favorite member. He is the best district president, and he has taught me a key to happiness. KICK BUTT! He says as long as your kickin' butt you will be happy. We have seen and taught all those who were investigating the church when we left and are still interested. We had 2 people from our branch in Moule and 2 from Lameltin who came, and we got member lessons with all those we could in between conference here. Other than that we have not had much time for teaching. Oh yeah, Elder Wright and I will be handling Moule also....its a long story and i don't want to explain..this email is already a textbook.

I loved hearing from you all. I'm definitely jealous of the dog walks...its so lame you bought a dog, i think I'm gonna need some pictures of sawyer pretty soon though

Love y'all

... and in the words of President Eclair I challenge all of you to KICK some butt this week!

.... and from some Q & A

What's happened with investigators as you've returned to the island?
We are all working that out...but I've got to tell you Rene and Luisante are doing great...Luisante was at both sessions of conference and although Rene could not make it this week, he has been called to teach Sunday School and has already given two great lessons! I was blown away by that.

Do you have a car?
Ya, im doomed, so much for not being fat.

How is the French?
French is actually doing a lot better. President Gamiette has challenged us to go French 24-7, so we have just started that. Its gone pretty well, although it's hard for the new elders though. Their "fathers" are having a hard time bonding with them with that barrier.

You said you missed some planes on your way to Guadeloupe. What happened? Oh nothin' much; we took care of it but I did want to tell you about the plane we took.. haha. Let's just say mom may have needed a new pair of pants if she took it. We took an 8 passenger plane from St. Martin to St. Barts. It was a legit plane...it sparked some old desires to become a pilot again.

Hopefully, Andy's plane did not look like this!