Nov 25, 2013

This week has been very fun.

Monday was a long day. Elder Arend was playing basketball at the stake center after lunch. During this nice friendly game, Elder Arend messed up his foot. So the zone Leaders told us that we would need to go to the Urgent care. So we spent 3 hours there waiting for an x-ray and the doctor to tell him that it was not broken but sprained.  That was a long night.

 

Elder Allen and Elder Arend

Tuesday we had zoo service. Rick had us bagging leaves and also cleaning out the hay barn. This was a nice fun project because it took us not long and we got to drive the golf cart. Then we worked at the Red Cross blood drive till dinner. The four LDS wards signed up with the First Congregational Christian church and had a blood drive. This was held at the Fist CC church building.  This was nice to help the churches in the community and also see and talk to other members of other churches. Then with Brother Scerbo, we went down south to try different less actives and a referral. This was a long day.

Wednesday the district leaders had a training meeting in Manhattan. This put me with all of the other companions. I was with two new missionaries for the day. We had lots of lessons with members of the Cooley creak ward. This was a wonderful day. Then we ate with brother Homewood and his son. We also had weekly planning at 7 pm. 

Thursday we had a special training from the AP’s and also President Bell. This training was about using the Book of Mormon with our members and investigators and less active families in our ward. This was one of the longest meetings I have been in with President Bell. This meeting was 5 hours long but we were able to learn a lot and also have good time with the missionaries in the zone. Then brother Homewood took us Elders out to lunch. He tried to have the sisters also but they went with other sisters to an expensive lunch place. Then we were able then to have a wonderful dinner with the Kubie family. The Kubie family is one of the largest family in our ward. They have ten children and the oldest is 38 and the youngest is 11. Their son Brad came home from his mission on Tuesday. They also have a daughter leaving for her mission. This was wonderful to talk to Brad Kubie and see the different things they did in his mission. They are a wonderful family because of all the work they do for the ward. 

Friday we help the Paz family fix their outside siding of their house. Then we went with Brother Paz and help the Reinsch family move all Sister Reinsch sister’s stuff. Sister Reinsch’s sister passed away this last Friday so they need help cleaning out the apartment. This was a sad time for the family. Then we had dinner at the Paz house. All of the Reinsch family also came to the Paz house for dinner. This was a large dinner.

Saturday was the funeral for Sister Deason. This was a nice funeral. There was lots of family and ward members. Then Brother Kubie had us clean the church building.  Then we went out with Brother Kubie to try some family in the ward. Then we had dinner with the Washburns family and the Matt Davis family and also the sisters missionaries. This was big dinner, there was 15 people out in the middle of our ward. These families we had dinner with live about 30 min from the church building. They were a nice family to eat with then talk about missionary work and how they can help. Then we had ward correlation meeting with Brother Scerbo. 

Sunday was church. Only the Elders came to church. Sister Smart was sick and so the sisters stayed home all day. We had 3 investigators come to church and also 5 less actives also came to church.  After church we help the Bishop give a blessing to Sister Smart. Then we had dinner with the Bishop’s family. Dinner with the Lambs was very nice. 

This week has been very cold out here in Topeka, Kansas. I am doing great and loving my new companion Elder Arend. Hope you all are doing good and staying warm. Thanks for the letters. It was 15 when we got up to day.

Love Elder Andrew J Allen

Nov 18, 2013

This week has been fun and very long.

Monday was P-day.  It was cold and sunny. Played basketball and volleyball.

Tuesday was a lot more cold then Monday. It was in the low 30 all day. We still had zoo service.  Rick had us raking leafs around the fence and also around the buildings.  After zoo service we went to the library to email. Then we spent the rest of the day packing and also doing all the last things for Elder Corvalan

Wednesday started at 5 AM. Elder Corvalan got up and still had to pack. Then at 7 AM we left for the Spanish Elder house. We then picked up the Spanish Elders and their stuff. Because we share the car with them we had to take them and their stuff to the bus station. Elder Budge and I went back to the Spanish Elder’s home and got more of the stuff. We were all told that the bus would be at the station at 9 Am but it did not get there until 11:30. It was very late. At 1:30 Elder Arend arrived in Topeka. Elder Arend and I then went to our place and got to know each other and the ward.  The sister missionaries in our ward did not get to Topeka until 10:00 PM. A long day.

Thursday we had Weekly planning. After weekly planning we meet up with the Sisters at the church building. We now have Sister Call and Sister Smart in our ward. We talked about the ward, gave the sister some supplies and also told them about the dinners they have in the next week. It ended up that the sisters have a car but no phone. They did not know when they were going to get it from the mission office. Then we went shopping. Then we went out and meet several member of our ward. This was a good Day. After Dinner we had a question for the sisters but they do not have a phone. It ended up that we were able to call them through the member they live with.

Friday was zone training. This started at 9:00 AM and did not ended until 1:00 PM. This was very long because there are lots of new missionary in our Zone. Then we all went out together for lunch.  There were 32 of us at Chick-Fil-A.  This was nice to get to know more of the missionary in the Topeka Zone. Then after that we had a wonderful time talking with member of our ward.  Then our dinner appointment canceled on us but told us they bring food over for us. This was Travis.   We were looking to have a lesson with them but we could not because he was going out of town. 

Saturday and Sunday was stake conference. Saturday we had a 4 PM and 7 PM meeting. The 4 PM I did not have to go because I am not a district leader. I went on splits with the other district leader’s companions. I was with 2 brand new missionaries for 3 hours. This was fun to work with 2 new missionaries. Then at the 7 PM meeting President Bell and his wife came. They both talked about them being called to be the Mission President and how it changed their life. Then all of the missionaries in the Topeka zone sang our mission song. This was very powerful because of the amount of missionaries that are in the Topeka area. This meeting did not get out until about 9:30 then we took pictures with all the Elders and Sisters. We got home late this night.

Sunday it started at 8:00 AM with The new member meeting, then the regular meeting at 9:00 AM.  This stake conference was all about missionary work and how the members can help the full time Elders and Sisters. President Bell and Sister Bell spoke also the Temple President of the Kansas City Temple came. Then we had dinner and then tried lost of less active members in our ward.

This week has been very good and lots of training and thing to apply to our ward. 

Elder Arend is from New-town, Connecticut.  He has been out on his mission for about 7 months and is also 18. He is glade to be in Topeka.

Sister Smart is from Mesa Arizona. Her brother was in the same Class at Mountain View. Her Parents just moved to Gilbert, around the new Gilbert Temple.

Sister Call is from Utah. She is related to Dennis and Diane Call in Mesa Arizona.

Thanks for every thing.

Love Elder Andrew Allen

Nov 12, 2013

Sorry for this day-late email, we were told the library would be closed yesterday, so here we are doing our emails today.

Monday we had a fun time getting the house clean and also having a good time playing basketball and also volleyball. Then we had dinner at the Landrum house. Brother Landrum is the seminary teacher in our ward and his wife is the Relief Society President.  After dinner for the message we had a big discussion on the book of Jacob and different thing that happen in the scriptures.

Tuesday! Got everyone out of bed in the morning and met the rest of the zone at the church bright and early.  We had to be at the church building at 6:00 am. This was an early day.  The mission chartered a bus to get us over to Salina for a zone conference with Elder Nash of the Seventy. We stopped in Manhattan before Salina to pick up the rest of the missionaries in the area. Elder Nash talked a lot about the Missionary Mantle, what it is, and what it allows us to do. This was a wonderful time because Elder Nash came up to me and talked to me about missionary work and how I was doing. Then after Zone conference we had to drop off the missionary in Saline and Manhattan. We did not get back until about 7:30 pm. That was a long day and no Zoo service, but nice to travel the mission a little.

Wednesday we had a fun time working in Montara.  Montara is the small city out side of Topeka were we live with Brother Homewood. We worked with the less active families and also the Paz family. The Paz family is a really nice family that likes us to come over because we bring the spirit into their home. This was a good day because of the amount of less actives we were able to talk to. Then we ate with Bill Rensch and his family. Then he took us down south to work. It was very cold.  It was -1 degrees Celsius. Very cold.  We also help him unload a organ into his bank. That was a good day.

Thursday, we had service at the retirement home.  The elderly people and us missionaries played games that involved telling life stories. This was fun to get to know some of the different things that happen to them and different things they did not have. Then we ate at the Craft house. They are a fun family because they like Elder Missionaries more than Sister Missionaries. They are fun and have great stories to tell us.

Friday was a slow day because of all the reports and paper work we need to do because Elder Corvalan is getting transferred. We got the area book up to date. We also made lesson plans for the less actives and the investigators. Brother Kubie had us come over for lunch because his wife was out of town and need someone to talk to. His wife left him with their two children for 5 days. The children had a fun time because they got to stay up from naps and have a good time. Then For dinner we ate with the Jackson family. Brother Jackson is learning a lot and has started to read the Book of Mormon. They are a nice family.

Saturday we had a conference call for the missionary and district leaders. Then we went out to lunch with other missionaries in our zone. There are two sister that got there visa and are going to Brazil.  This was their last American food for about year. They were both sad because they got to know lots of the missionaries and loved President Bell. There was good food but sad to see them leave for Brazil.

Sunday was church. We had the Jackson family at church. This was a fast day because the meeting with the ward and also Brother Scerbo our ward missionary leader. Then we went to the hospital and gave a blessing to a member of our ward. 

This week has been very fun because of all the different things that happened. Hope you all are doing good and staying warm. Right now it is 25 degrees out side. Thank you Brother Phelps For the Jacket. Thanks for all the letters and mail.

Love 

Elder Andrew J Allen.

Nov 4, 2013

This last week has been very fun and lots of fun stuff happened.

Monday was P-Day. Lots of fun. We played volleyball and also basketball.

Tuesday we went to the Zoo. Because of the cold weather Rick had us clean the Rain forest. This was lots of fun planting different plants and also cutting down trees and cleaning out the garbage. Lots of Fun.  We also helped with the food truck. The Bishop store House is cutting down on large orders of food for families. There have been families that get two carts of food for two weeks. Then Brother Scerbo took us out and worked down south.

Wednesday President Bell Came to Brother Homewood’s House and had weekly Planning with us. This took up most of our day because President was late and we also talked a lot with him. He was very nice and also had lots to say about the area and how the ward needs a set of sister also and how we have a lots of potential in this ward. This was a fun time to get to know President and know more about the mission. Then we had a ward party. This ward party was fun and also lots of candy. We had 2 of our investigators at the party. Lots of fun.

Thursday we had a fun time working until 6 pm. Because of Halloween we were told that we could not be out after 6 pm. We had a service at the retirement home. There was a party with lots of candy and food. There were lots of elderly people that came to this party. They all liked the party that we helped with.

Halloween was a lot of fun because of candy we got and the members that we were able to see.

Friday we had district meeting. This was our last district meeting for this transfer because of zone conference this next Tuesday, November 5th.  We took photos and had a good time at lunch. Then Elder Owens and I went together to work The Lake Shawnee Ward. Lots of less active people we visited.

Saturday Elder Corvalan and I went to a family in our ward and helped paint their house. We painted for 6 hours. Lots of fun helping paint and also learning more about the Paz family. This was a big service for this family. Then we had dinner with the Matt Davis Family. We saw the new pigs and also their new car they got. Then we had correlation meeting with Brother Scerbo.

Sunday we had several families at church that are less active and a new family that moved into this ward. Lots of new people at church. Then we ate at a less active family house. The Reeves are a nice family, they come to all Church events but they work on Sunday so they can not come to church. Sunday was a long day because the amount of people we saw after church.

This week has had fun and lots of work.  I have heard a rumor that I will be staying in the Lake Shawnee ward for another 6 weeks on November 13th. The sisters will be coming on November 13th. This ward is working lots with us to prepare for the sisters with investigators and less active members to work with.

I miss all of you and hope you all had fun this Halloween. I love you

Elder Andrew Allen