The Cult

Hello Family and Friends:) So this week was really really exciting in terms of events but really boring in terms of the work. We are still trying to find more people to teach and that has led us to some interesting places and ideas. We have been working with the less active members mostly and that has been good except for everyone getting sick :( But we are doing our best and the ward is happy so that equals a success in my book! :) 

One of the days we went out to a little town about 30 miles out of Minot to try and meet a couple people. The town is called Max, and the houses don't have numbers....so that was like really awesome in the whole tracking people down department, but the town was really cute:) then we punched in some addresses in the GPS and it took us 9 miles away from Max to a place that had one street of maybe like 10 houses and other buildings up on the hill. So we go to where the GPS said the address was and it looked really abandoned and there was a german shepard following our car and a random man walking up and down the street so we decided to leave. On our way out I went up the little hill to see what the other buildings were and as we approached it I saw a chain linked fence with barbed wire surrounding it on top and a gate to drive through. So once Sister Jarvies looked up and saw it too she was like "Turn Around!"  But  I had to find somewhere to turn around or she would have to get out and back me and she wasn't about to get out so we go through the fence and the spirit was gone instantly... It was the eeriest feeling ever and so we left very rapidly. But the best was as we drove down the hill Sister Jarvies was like "Hurry Get out of here before that man down there  calls the leader of this cult!!!" I just could not hold it together. I was laughing so hard that I was worried we wouldn't make it out alive:) Later we found out that it was the old place that they kept the minute men for the air force base and they didn't need it anymore so now people can live there. But I am pretty sure that we will just let them live there in peace. :)

Our week was a lot of tracting and finding so hopefully we can have some great stories for next week:) I love you all and hope you are all doing well:)

Sister Taylor Andrus

Its Good to Be Back! :)

Well We are back in Minot! Transfers were great and I got to See my friends from the MTC while we were all being sent to new areas! Sister Clegg is home and and I got to see her and say bye! That was weird because it seems like she was my trainer last week! but now shes gone! Its crazy! 

Sister Jarvies and I are trying our best to find some new investigators and we are doing our best to get the ward excited for missionary work! They are a great ward and we are so excited to work with them! 

This last week we got to carve pumpkins for Pday, It was super fun! We all were so excited to have them out on our back porches and then we all got transferred so I hope that the new sisters in Mandan enjoyed the decoration:) 

I remember the day before I came back up to Minot we were at the Trunk or Treat down in Bismarck I decided that this whole being cold thing isn't really working out..haha It was so cold! Some of the ward members were asking Bishop about if we were doing it out in the parking lot and he got on the microphone and said " Welcome to North Dakota, the trunk or treat is outside" haha It was so cold! But it was fun! We also have learned that we need jackets that block the wind because the cold isnt actually that cold but...then the wind blows and brrrr.... 

The other night while waiting for our passes to get onto base we got to chat with a few different people and just get to know them, they were really nice and we got to tell them a little bit about what we do and about what we believe. It was great! It is crazy how somethings are blessings in disguise. the only reason we got to meet those people is because we were stuck waiting for our passes for 2 hours.  I am grateful for how God works in small ways. He protects us even when we don't know it:) 

Yesterday we were out tracting and the wind was blowing so hard that we could stand at a slant and it would hold us up:) This is going to be a great winter!:) Well I hope all is well at home and that you are all getting ready for the winter and the christmas season, because it will be here before we know it:) I love you all! I would love to hear about any missionary experiences you have!:) 

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Sister Taylor Andrus

Transfers Back To Minot

Well, I get to go back to Minot this week:):) I am so happy! I miss my greenie area:) Sister Jarvies and I will be going back this week and we have so many great ideas and plans for the area!  We can't wait to start implementing them up there! 

The weather has been dropping a lot and we are down to the 30's at night now, but from what I have heard- that is pretty warm so I will be mentally preparing myself for winter seems how I already feel like an ice cube. :P  

This week Sister Jarvies treated usto so many fun moments. First she was changing the toilet paper roll and accidentally shot the roll bar that hold the toilet paper, down the toilet and clogged it.. Apparently all of our plunging pushed the bar through the neck of the pipe and jammed it in real good. Haha sister missionaries are so great. But anyways we have brand new toilet. the best part was hearing Sister Jarvies in the Bathroom when it happened. 

"OH!"

"oh no....ahhh!!!!" 

"....oh no...."  hahah and then it was gone. 

This week we had lots of good experiences with our investigators and our Less actives. We taught Cy the word of wisdom and he didn't understand why he cant have coffee. He was quite bothered by it and I got the chance to share one of my own personal experiences about how justifying even the smallest commandments like coffee leads us to justifying them all eventually. I shared how the reason that we don't need to have a reason to follow every commandment is because they all are important whether we know it or not. I know now that I can trust my Heavenly Father and when he says that I shouldn't drink coffee then I wont. After I talked about it, He said 

"That's right! You don't have to have a reason to follow what God says" 

Then he stopped and said " I guess I will ask God about coffee and find out for myself..." It was so good to see him understand that and start to realize that this is all about actually changing ourselves. We as Christs followers actually do the changing, we don't just talk about it all the time. 

We Got to meet with the Turpin's this week. It was so good. we were able to help Brother Dennis Turpin understand the times that he had felt the spirit before. Once we got him to realize that he started to open up a little and a littler more. I know that that lesson and moment was key for him. that He needs to know that he was baptized for more than just peer pressure so many years ago. He says that he has no testimony, but I think that He does, Its just buried under a whole bunch of stuff that he has held onto for so long. I really wish I could see what happens next but I trust that God will watch over them.

I have loved working in Mandan! I am Excited to learn more!:) Thank you all for support and Keep up the work of the Lord:) 

Love Tay

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Sister Taylor Andrus