November 18, 2012

Dear Family and Friends

                My how the weeks fly by.  We trust all is well with you and yours and pray the Thanksgiving holiday is great for you.

 The Senior Couples are gathering at the Mission Home for Thanksgiving dinner with President and Sister Craven.  We look forward being together with these good people.  They are very much like family and we consider them our family as we serve together.  The couples are Elder and Sister Tarbot from West Valley City and Elder and Sister Bushman from American Fork.  The Tarbots serve in Albemarle, North Carolina  and the Bushmann’s serve in Rock Hill, South Carolina on the Catawba Indian reservation.  Elder and Sister Moulton who are church service missionaries from Charlotte and Elder and Sister Whiteley who are also church service missionaries are from Concord.  The Moulton’s children are going elsewhere as are the Whiteley’s so they are joining us.  We have two other Sr. Couples in our mission.  The Bayles who serve in Murphy, North Carolina and the Silkers who serve in Franklin, North Carolina.  Murphy and Franklin are over 200 miles from Charlotte and both couples have chosen not to make the drive.   I don’t blame them. 

This past week was filled mostly with supporting the training meetings being conducted by the missionary department in our mission.  Sister Andrus and I spent most of the day and night on Monday getting the books along with charts and graphs and agendas put together.  It was a good thing we have good computers and printers.  Tuesday and Wednesday we just supplied additional information and support as it was needed.  Thursday we gathered in a Stake Center with 70 missionaries to be taught by these wonderful men.  Sister Andrus and I were not able to sit in on most of the training as we were busy with getting the dinner prepared and ready and then serving and cleaning up.  I was able to sit in on one session.  Very powerful teaching and training efforts regarding how to present and teach the Doctrine of Christ and repentance to investigators was given.  The major focus of missionary efforts today center on real growth initiatives for the Church.  So much of our previous efforts have left tremendous trails of less active people who obviously felt and recognized the truth but lacked the sustaining power of the Holy Ghost to help them keep their covenants.  Not only investigators but we are losing about 50% of the returning missionaries to inactivity.  The term “Real Growth” seems to be the coin phrase used a lot in the mission efforts.  As I have mentioned previously, the major thrust of the youth training from the church is addressing these needs.  The new Duty to God and Young Women’s values programs along with the Sunday school materials reflect this effort.

Thanks so much for the Birthday packages and wishes received by many of you.  You are all so great to support us.  We continue to love being here.  We feel the pressure of office work and desire to be involved more in the proselyting efforts, however with the increase in missionaries coming and going, it looks more like that is what are mission is about.  We are happy we can serve and feel we are contributing to the overall efforts of bringing people to Christ.  Being in the back ground is good and Sister Andrus and I can do this well.  We are enjoying being together all the time.  Everything we do is together which is at time frustrating, however it is wonderful also.  We are learning a lot about what it means to be one.  It is definitely a process and not an event.  I suppose to the level we learn how to do this we can continue to be one.  If we can’t figure it out then we will spend the rest of eternity being single.  Wow what a process. 

Thanks again—have a wonder Thanksgiving with your families and know of our love and prayers for you.

Elder and Sister Andrus, Dad and Mom and Don and Ruth.

November 4,2012

November 4, 2012

Dear Family and friends,

                Another week has passed rather quickly for us in North Carolina.  The leaves are falling and cooler weather is definitely moving us into winter.  We fortunately were not affected by hurricane Sandy.  We are so concerned about our neighbors to the north.  Wow-what a storm.  Thanks for your prayers and concerns in our behalf.

                We had a busy as usual turn of the crank week.  We are preparing for 13 missionaries who will arrive tomorrow.  That is always a busy time for the office staff.  We are mostly background; however the paperwork and logistics are incredible.  We do all we can to support and help our dear President and his assistants accomplish what Heavenly Father desires for His children in North Carolina.  They spend hours on their knees seeking revelation to move the missionaries where they should be.  It is a marvelous experience to stand back and watch it all come together.  It is truly a testimony builder for Sister Andrus and I to be a part of this great process. 

                As I believe I mentioned in our last communication, President and Sister Craven returned from a mission Presidents Seminar last week-end.  Much of what they were told cannot be shared other than they told us to just fasten our seat belts.  Missionary work in the future will not be what it has been in the past.  The Lord’s work is hastening and final stages of preparation for the second coming are moving forward in a rapid way.  I don’t think that message is new—rather just a continuation of the urgency of the work in these the latter-days.  It is so important for us as individuals and as families to make sure our lamps are full of oil and that we have some put away for the bride groom is coming.  Personal and family prayer and scripture study continues to be so important.  Having regular Family Home Evenings and being active in the main stream of Church activity and service is vital to our preparation to be eternal families.  We are so blessed to have living Prophets and Apostles who see the enemy from a far and are counseling us daily on which course we should follow to avoid the cunning evils of Satan.  The thrust of the Duty to God and Personal Progress programs are to prepare our young people for missionary service and Eternal life.  Isn’t it amazing to look back just a few years to see the evolution of these inspired programs and see a portion of what Heavenly Father knew was coming.  We must embrace these programs in every way as they are the source of the oil mentioned above.  I believe it is not only for the young people but for the world.  It teaches correct principles in goal setting and personal behavior so necessary to feel and recognize the spirit.  One of the biggest challenges of missionaries is being able to stick to it.  We are struggling for answers on how to keep our missionaries from going home early.  They are giving up and throwing in the towel.  Fortunately most are obedient and are focused, however it seems we are always struggling with more than we should.  The rite of passage activities like the “rim to rim” and the “kings peak” and “pioneer trek” , the Willard peak APTC hike, and most high adventure and good scouting events are so vital in the preparatory activities of our young men and also our young women.  Whatever you can do to help these types of events happen and to be successful is so necessary in missionary preparation of our young people.

 We are proud of you Shelby to have made the swim team.  We know it is not easy to attend all of the practices, but look what it is helping you to become.  We are proud of all of our grandchildren who are being successful and working hard to develop their talents.  The real winners are those who are around for the last lap or the last inning or the last quarter or the last concert.  We have to learn to finish the race at all costs.  The score has little to do with who is the winner.  It is those who have paid the price to finish what they start and to do their very best that determines who wins.  Heavenly Father is the best coach anyone could have.  He has blessed us with the Holy Ghost to help us choose the right and to be where we are suppose to be at the right time.  What a privilege we all have to be on the Lord’s team.  Everyone on the Lord’s team can be the winners.  He gives us the rules we have to follow and if we keep them and do our very best we win!!  Wow what a dream team.  Please know that Grandma and Grandpa are striving to be the very best missionaries we can be.  We are not perfect; however we are working every day to be better.  We pray for each of you every day.  We are studying the scriptures and striving to be of service to everyone we can. We miss being with you but are so grateful for the computers that let us see and talk to you.  You are all so beautiful and we are so proud of you.

 As we enter into the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years—let us focus on the many blessings we all have—especially the blessing of belonging to the true Church of Jesus Christ that allows us the opportunity to be Eternal Families.  Let’s all commit as members of the Lord’s team to finish the race we have all began.  It is the greatest event for which we can participate. 

We love the mission field and appreciate the support we feel from you all.  Have a good week

Elder and Sister Andrus, Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, and Don and Ruth.