Monday, September 25, 2017

I Love Technology







Hey Everyone!!

So we had a really really crazy week! Involving zone conference, a car accident, exchanges a wedding, and a baptism!

So Tuesday we had zone conference, and something really really big happened...WE GOT SMARTPHONES!! It is really strange to have a smartphone again, it's basically the same as our tablets but just smaller. But most of zone conference was just talking about how to effectively use technology. Facebook, smartphones, etc. It was pretty nice, and now I feel more comfortable using technology!

So Wednesday also pretty crazy, we were biking down the road and I look up and I see another bicyclist flying, legit flying, through the air. He had just been hit by a car!! So Elder Fielding and I were first on scene and called 911 and stuff. The guy wasn't hurt too bad just had some cuts and bruises. But the lady who hit him was very distraught. I felt really bad, she was weeping and wailing. 

Ok, so the wedding. The sisters have been working with this family for a very very long time, and all the children have been baptized. But the parents were waiting to get married so they can have family and stuff in town for it. But as it turned out their family couldn't come, but they were committed to get married and baptized. So they are from Micronesia, so at their wedding was a feast! They had filled four entire long tables of food. Awesome.

So right at the end of the wedding we started our exchange. I went with Elder Ortmann, which was a hoot and a holler.  Then we went out and mostly tracted. So lots of knocking and talking to everyone on the street. Had some good times and met some good people, not in our area but people in their area need the gospel too.

Last but definitely not least baptism!!! The sisters had 3 baptisms and we had 1! It was pretty nerve-racking, it was supposed to start at 11 but people were late, including Chris (our recent convert). So we started like 20-30 minutes late, but it was such an amazing service! Many tears were shed. Then the next day, yesterday, was the confirmation. Which Chris was also late to haha. But it happened! Then after he just goes and talks to basically every member. The ward is super accepting of him, then after the High Priest group leader talks to Chris about going on teamups with us and he is super down.

Oh yeah today we went to the dojo with some MMA fighter members. Pretty tiring but super fun.

Anyway, I love all y'all

Have a great week!!

Elder Andrasko

Monday, September 18, 2017

A "Purrfect" Day






Hey y'all!

Not too much time to email today, but this week was really good!

Chris has a good possibility of getting baptized this week!

So we'll just keep praying that he can , but if not no big deal,
life goes on. Hopefully it will happen soon.

Man I've just been exhausted all week, but that's the life of a
missionary. Training is really fun, but stressful at the same time. I
guess you just get used to having missionaries with experience and
stuff, but it's fun with new missionaries cause you get a fresh look
at things.

We've really been working at finding new investigators, and for the
most part it's been good. But we just need to find a new place to
work, the areas we've been in have been worked over by previous
missionaries.

Sorry for the shorter email, but I love ya and hope you have a good week.

- Elder Andrasko

Monday, September 11, 2017

Sweet is the Work

Just some Elders and their Greenies!
Zone Picture


Hello once again!!

So as you all know, this week was transfer week. And I get the great opportunity to serve as a trainer! It's always so much be there when a missionary is first experiencing the mission and all the miracles, and hardships, that come with it.

I started training Elder Fielding from Lehi, Utah! And he is so excited to be here in Kansas, he has some serious greenie fire! Good thing there is a lot going on in the area right now!

So some highlights from the week, so on Thursday, I think, we were walking down the road and there was a guy in a pretty terrible wheelchair just going down the road, so we got off our bikes and offered to help him. Anyway we come to figure out that he was heading to the DMV to get an ID, well we look up the DMV and it's like 1.5 miles away, so we offered to push him. So we locked up our bikes and we started to push him, well we decide to call someone to help and give him a ride. So he shows up to give him a ride, but they guy refused cause there was dog hair in the car...then he decided it was too late to go to the DMV so we just pushed him back to where we found him. I feel bad, but there wasn't too much more we could have done.

Another thing that happened, we were walking down the road and we see this guy walking towards us, we offered him a pass-along card and he accepts. So we start sharing about the restoration and modern day prophets. He invited us to come back later that day. So a few hours later we come back and talk to him more about The Book of Mormon, he said we could come back any time! We did go back another time, but he had like a million kids at his house and it was pretty hectic.

I had been planning on tracting every day since Wednesday but we were so busy every single day that we never got the chance to knock doors til Sunday. That's pretty crazy. But when we did go tracting we knocked an entire block, the last door we met some really nice people! They gave us water, but that was about the extent of their interest haha.

Church this week was great! I wasn't expecting it, but Ashlynn brought her friend to church once more. And Chris Hays came to church. So in total we had 4 people at church!!! So the Sherwood ward does something cool, a few times a year they have the priesthood men fill in for all the women in Primary so they can all go to relief society, so we were volunteered to teach primary this week! We were in CTR 5. Our lesson was "We Can Pray to Heavenly Father" I think it went pretty good, the kids were only a little crazy.

Not much more to say about the week, but it was great and the work is going great! Love y'all tons and have a killer week!!

Love you all-

Elder Andrasko


Believer

Bird selfie

Zone Zoo Trip

The District


Hello everyone!!

So transfer week is here once again, wow only a few of these left. But we got exciting news! We got a phone call last night from the Assistants to the President and they told Elder Christensen that he would be DL in Hays, Kansas and as for myself I have been called to be a trainer, again!! I'm pretty excited for it. Training last year with Elder Stirling was really fun, so I hope it will be another positive experience.

So last week I mentioned how we got a phone call from our investigator, Chris, and he expressed a desire to be baptized. So we were able to see him this week and go over the things he needs to do to be baptized, and he is so excited!! The next day he called us to make sure the date for his baptism so he could start inviting his family! Wow, that man has been prepared. We just have to make sure we don't drop the ball, and have as much contact with him as possible. That should be a good way for a greenie to start his mission.

Ok, so during our lesson with Chris we get a phone call from our investigator Ashlynn, who came to church last week with her brother Will. Anyway we didn't answer and it went to voicemail, but we called right after the lesson and she had a question. The question was if she could bring a friend to church? So we were all like, "Of course you can bring a friend to church! In fact we prefer if you do!" So that was a sweet miracle.

We had an awesome lesson with Will this week, with Will we have to go over things a few times to make sure he retains the info. And this lesson was really good, he was able to understand about prophets and Joseph Smith and the Restoration. And at the end of the lesson we invited him to pray, and he did! It was pretty sweet.

Sunday rolls around and we had 3 for sure who would be coming to church, possibility of 4. But then we found out the 4th wouldn't be coming, so it was 3 for us. But right as church was starting a Part-member family that we've been teaching walk in and it was like, miracle! Four is the zone standard for church, so miracle helped us to achieve it!

After church one of the sister's recent converts asks if I play piano, then requests that I play a song at her parents wedding! So a lot of practice coming my way, the wedding is on the 21st, then afterwards they will be baptized on the 23rd. 

So lots of awesome things going on in the amazing ward of Sherwood! The Lord has been blessing us with miracles, and I am excited to see the miracles that come with new greenie fire!!

I love y'all and hope you have a fantastic week!!

-Elder Andrasko

Let the Holy Spirit Guide


Mission-wide Conference with Elder Oaks!

Just me and my posterity

Zone Hike

I shined my shoes!! (The one on the left is shined, I haven't done the one on the right yet)


Hello everyone!

So amazing thing happened this week...Elder Oaks!!! But I guess we'll
talk about that later.

So last week I talked about William and how he wanted to come to
church and get baptized and stuff. Anyway, his parents want him
involved in a church because he has been getting himself into a lot of
trouble. So this week he came to young men's, and they talked about
studying and he loved it! The young men in this ward are great and
will be awesome fellowship for him, and of course we played basketball
afterwards.

Then Saturday we go by so we can confirm church, and his sister is
coming too! And they enjoyed it! Williams sisters Ashlynn is going to
come to the YSA FHE tonight as well!! So this family has a ton of
potential. We have taught the parents, and they have a lot of
questions. They are "spiritual" so they have a lot of similar beliefs
but they believe in reincarnation. But we cleared up a few things and
I feel like they are accepting of what we teach them.

OK so a really cool miracle that happened today. We got a call from an
investigator and set up a time to see him, then afterwards he said
"I've been thinking a lot about getting baptized, so find out what you
can about that." So boo yeah, things in Sherwood are going awesome!!

OK now Elder Oaks, so we had to leave Topeka pretty early to get to
Wichita by 11:00. So we get there and the whole mission was there! So
that was really cool, got to see so many former companions, got lots
of pictures with them. And I finally got to see the missionary that
Elder Stirling is training! Yay mission posterity! So after we all eat
and talk and take pictures we head into the church and make sure
everyone is in the perfect place for our group picture with Elder
Oaks, so I'm just kneeling on he floor for like 30 minutes (probably
wasn't that long) waiting for Elder Oaks to come in. Then he finally
comes! We take 3-4 pictures then he heads to the chapel and we follow
and go row by row to shake his hand. So that was a pretty neat
experience. Elder Oaks is a very funny guy, he told quite a few jokes
in his talk. He said when he speaks to missionaries he never prepares
anything and just listens to the spirit. So it was a pretty amazing
experience.

Not much else happened this week, but it was a great week! Saw amazing miracles!

Missions are great, the transfer is coming to a quick end...

But I love y'all, have a great week.

Oh I forgot we get Facebook this week, or next, so don't freak out if
you see me post stuff! :)

- Elder Andrasko