Red or Green?

Thats the big question down here in Las Cruces, and brownie points for whoever knows why.

Well we had pretty fun week. We started teaching a man named Todd Horton. He ordered a Book of Mormon and when the MTC called to confirm that he got it he requested missionaries to come over. When Elder Vermillion and Elder Peebly went over there (I was in a different area on an exchange) he told them that he was friends with some members and that he had read about half of the Book of Mormon already and was watching BYU TV! They set up a time for us to start teaching him.

We started talking to his member friends and apparently he is an assistant pastor at another church. We were kind of nervous to start teaching him but when we started talking to him he mentioned that he was searching for truth. He accepted all the commitments we left him (read, pray...) and the soft commit! We're excited to keep teaching him.

Thats really all thats going on down here. Love ya all

Elder Andrew Harris

PS i can't believe it's almost been 6 months. This is going way to fast.

A Crazy Sunday‏

So yesterday was quite the Sunday. Having three wards back to back to back is insane. The first one started at 8:00 in the morning and we didn't get home until about 3:30 in the afternoon. Plus we didn't really have a PEC's to go to so we'll probably end up getting to church around 7:00 or earlier. I love church but I like to sleep too. The maddness didn't end there either.

We've been teaching a woman named Valie this last week. She committed to baptism and she came to church on yesterday. She's older and in a wheelchair but luckily one of the members has a van that accomodates her wheelchair. The down side was she didn't tell any of her children where she was going so when they came over to visit her and she was gone, they called the cops to help look for her. Everything worked out and the children were more concerned than anything but it was still kind of crazy.

We've been trying to decide how accountable she really is. She seems to understand what we teach her and she comprehends the scriptures but how much she retains and whether or not she really understands is a different question.

We've also been teaching a man named Manny. He was in a car accident and is also in a wheelchair. He also suffered some brain damage. Manny is amazing and has also accepted a date to be baptized. We're kind of in the same boat with him as we are with Valie, not sure how much he is comprehending but we're still pressing forward with him. When we stopped by yesterday to see him we were talking to him about reading the scriptures, he turned to his son JR and asked him, "Hey JR, do you know where you came from?" He answered no and Manny began to teach him about how he lived with Heavenly Father. It was so awesome. Then after that his ex-wife (don't ask) came out and started cussing us out and told us to vacate the premises in more or less words.

To end the night we went to contact a potential investigator to find out she doesn't live there anymore. Jesse, a man that was currently living there, had gotten one of the pass-a-long cards we left and wanted a Book of Mormon. We were way excited and when he came out he preached to us, in a non-confrontational way, for about 40 min and we had to practically walk away from him to leave. We got home just in time to make the second curfew (9:30).

...I love the sabbath!

Hope you all are doing well.

Elder Andrew Harris

P.S. if you were wondering about Curt... so am I. I let you know when I know

Another week gone by

What a week it's been. When I came into this area we had maybe a handful of investigators, but the Lord has really been blessing us and this last week we've found 6 new investigators.

We also just had the two wards that we cover, split into three wards. It's been a lot of fun serving here the past 2 weeks and I'm loving it here in Las Cruces.

Attached is a picture of my bike. I've been trying to think of a name for it so i'm going to let you all decide. If you have any suggestions post them on the blog and then Mom and Dad will send them to me.

Well hope everyone is enjoying your summer. Happy Birthday to Mom, Xavier and Xander!

Love you all.

Elder Andrew Harris

The Land of Enchantment?

Well here I am e-mailing you from the city of Las Cruces.

It's pretty different here than it is in Tucson. It's still hot but the Rio Grande adds a little bit of humidity to the mix.

The area here is struggling a little bit and we're searching for people who are ready to accept the gospel. My new companion's name is Elder Vermillion. He's going home in October, so there is a good chance that he'll finish up his mission with me. Right now we're covering the Las Cruces 3rd and 4th wards but this Sunday they are re-aligning the boundries and creating another ward. They're also going to be giving the wards names.

Have they named our wards yet?

Well I gotta run but hope you all are enjoying you summer.

Elder Andrew Harris

Transfer

Bro Nicodemus sent us an email last night to let us know that Andy is heading for Las Cruces, NM and expressed how much Andy's testimony and love will be missed.

Good Luck Andy!!

The world out there is messed up‏

Elder Bliss and I had a really sad experience this week. Elder Bliss, myself, and our exchange, Brother Evans, went to go an try to contact a part-member family in hopes of inviting them back to church and to hear the missionary lessons. They weren't there but there were some people in the yard next to us. so Elder Bliss called over to them and we began to talk to a girl, in her 20's about the church. She had gone to church when she was younger and said she didn't agree with some of our doctrine. We inquired of her what specific points in hopes of clearing them up. We were talking for a while about various things, trying to explain our beliefs and practices when Elder Bliss began teaching about the apostasy and the restoration. This woman's husband come over while Elder Bliss was teaching about the events leading up to the First Vision and began listening. He then started to tear down our beliefs and testimonies using all sorts of arguments not uncommon in Anti-literature. After he finish he told us that he "didn't appreciate" us trying to lead his wife's soul to hell. He said he would have rather come out and seen us raping his wife, than what he saw us doing.

My heart hurt after that.

I was talking to my district leader Elder Lybbert that night and I asked him why the world was so messed up that he would rather us rape his wife than talk to her about the Church. He told me that the time of the Second Coming was close and that satan is working hard. That is why it's so important that we are doing what we are doing. I felt like Nephi crying to the Lord on top of a tower because of the wickedness of his people.

"Oh. that i could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that i could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord - "Yea, If my days could have been in those days then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren."But behold I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren." (Helaman 7:7-9)

The world really is in a mess.

I've grown to love the people here and I ask that you would pray with me for the people here in Tucson, across the mission, and around the world. Pray for their welfare and then go and do what you can to help bring the Atonement of the Savior to your friends and family. This world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the only way the world will ever know peace.

Elder Andrew Harris

Andy with Elder Bliss

Andy with his second companion, Elder Bliss. The picture was taken by Jim & Debbie Nicodemus. Jim is the ward mission leader in Andy's first area.