August 25, 2014

Dear Family,

    

This week has been crazy! Saying goodbye to everyone was so hard, but wonderful at the same time because I was able to see how much Billings effected me as a person and how much I grew and learned there. I will miss it dearly.  The Rimrock Ward holds a special place in my heart :)

Bozeman is wonderful!!!! I arrived on Wednesday morning and I was on exchange till sister Harwood got here. Oh my goodness she is the cutest thing ever! We are always just laughing and having fun, but even better than that she is so focused and loves the work. I am so so so excited for this companionship. We both have talked a lot about how much we are so excited to be here and how we both just felt a confirmation of coming to this area right away. We both know it is the right place for us and the right companionship. There is a lot of work to be done. We could not get our area book downloaded till Thursday evening.  The area book was not working and even then I was the only one to get it on my Ipad until the next day when Sister Harwood finally got it also. We had no idea where we were driving, luckily some other sisters let us use their GPS. We did not get left the best notes...but luckily we found out the notes were sent to our emails, so I finally got them today hahaha. The ward is so different then what I was used to in Billings haha. It is a big family ward and there are wonderful people, but Bozeman is a college town, so I keep seeing all the YSA and I automatically just try to talk to them it's really funny. Today is the first Sunny day since I got here, it is so so pretty, I think it is the pretties place I have served. It is beautiful. There are mountains! :) yea!

      

So we have been trying to track down all of the investigators and less actives, however our area is the out skirts of town, so it is huge and takes forever to find people, it's an adventure. Most of our investigators we are starting to learn are not really investigators...there is a lot of work to do here. The sisters were wonderful that were here though and the ward loves them and is always talking about them. We have not really found anyone yet, we met a recent convert and an investigator, but no one else seems to be home haha, so we are knocking on lots of less active and investigators doors. Our Bishop is wonderful I am very excited to work with him, as well as our ward mission leader! Brother Mathson, he is on top of it! It is really cool  there are so many converts here, we will be talking and find out that they joined the church a couple years ago! It is super awesome!

     

We cover the Big Sky Branch also. Big Sky is a huge ski resort town and so many visitors all the time because it is a vacation spot. The Branch president told us he and his wife are the only active members, there are 25 or 24 on the list, but they all have p.o. boxes so we can't find them. The branch always has people there because of the visitors, but none of the people who/s records  are there actually come. So we have .....a lot...of work to do! But I am super excited! We want to find some investigators out there. Big sky is so so so pretty, I wish I took pics but it was poring while we were there. It is in the middle of the mountains and there are trees everywhere, 'amazing.

        

Well I really do not have time to write, But I love you so much :) have a wonderful week :) oh my new address is: 2307 West Main Street Apt 201, Bozeman, Mt, 59718-3986 (I'm not sure about the zip code.) if you need  to you can send the letters to the Rimrock address still and they will forward it to me since that is the mission home address.Love ya and take care.

              
  -Sister Draudt

August 18, 2014

Dear Family!

     

Well this week has been...interesting and long haha. Yesterday we got our transfer calls. For over a week I have felt like I was leaving, like my brain was telling me that logically I was leaving, but yet I did not really feel either way if that makes sense. Well my brain was right. I am being transferred to Bozeman 1st ward. That was really hard news to hear, I absolutely love the ward I'm serving in right now. It seems like it just gets harder and harder to leave areas. When I heard this we were driving and I screamed, because well 1st off they told us we are being doubled out....yes I am seriously we are being doubled out! This absolutely sucks. Sister DeBry will be going just a few wards over in the Billings East Zone. So not too far, but I am going to Bozeman. When they told me I was going to Bozeman is really when I screamed, because the first thing that came into my head was Austin. Austin is the man that we were teaching over the phone and he was going to church all over the states because he was traveling for business. He will not return our calls any more and will not answer our texts, it has been about 2 weeks and I have been heart broken about it, well low and behold he lives in Bozeman, and guess what I am going to find him! We have his address and we gave it to Elders in Bozeman and they said it was an apartment complex and so they did not try to find him since we did not have the apartment number, so that is my job. I will tract that whole place! I have to find him. Oh also last night I was thinking about it and I realized that Dawn Schmidt from Riverton is originally from Bozeman, and visits there a lot. She honestly had a testimony on a lot, but she just never wanted to fully accept there was only one true church. Anyways I want to find her and  her son who lives in Bozeman haha. I received a confirmation that I am supposed to be there.

      

Last night we had to teach the assistants how to do call in numbers, since we do that and they are taking it over. Well the Monad Sisters were at the office for a second and I was talking to Sister Taylor about who my new companion would be, her name is Sister Harwood. Sister Taylor Told me what an amazing Sister she is and that we will have a great companionship :) so that's good to hear. She also told me that she has been serving in Helena, so when we were teaching the assistants about numbers I decided to look at the mission directory and sure enough she is in Helena...so I am pretty sure I am being doubled in also. Crazy stuff. I really do hope that we are doubled in because I like being doubled it..it's hard, but it's a fresh start and me and my companion are on the same level. I feel like this is going to be a huge adventure haha, I am very excited for it though. Doubled out and Doubled in...I don't even know what to think. I used to think being double out only happened to bad missionaries, but I have met some that are amazing, so I know that is not true, and I know it is the same for me. I can honestly say that I put my heart and soul into this area. I have done my best and worked my hardest. I love Billings Montana.

        

On our drive out to Lockwood to see Jared and Luke a thought poped into my head and it was "could you have ever imagined being here, so happy in Billings Montana, when about a year and a half ago I opened my call and cried thinking Billings Montana, that does not even sound nice" Wow...how dumb was I. I can truly say I know God has a plan that is so much greater and will bring us so much more joy than the best plan we could come up with on our own. Billings Montana, as well as my other areas have become home. I have learned to rely on the one constant I have which is the Gospel. I have gained a love for my Savior that I never knew I could have. The gospel is my life, with out it I could not do anything. The Book of Mormon makes me happy, it helps my day, and is just joyful to study. The Montana Billings Mission is the plan God has for me and it is so much better than anything I could have imagined. I was thinking about happiness I feel here, I never want it to end. I don't want to leave this mission. I am going to work my hardest and enjoy every minute I have.

        

So of course when we got to Luke and Jared's we told them and it was just hard. We shared our favorite scriptures with them. I shared Alma 38:3-5 cause well its my favorite. I then related it to them. We talked specifically to Jared about how he followed God's will by coming home, that his mission never ended, he just had to serve here and reactivate his best friend, and now he can go back out.  I have never seen Jared cry. Luke his best friend has never seen him cry, and  the are like me and Alexa, known each other forever! Jared broke down, and just bore his testimony and told us how excited he is to go back out. I think he has felt ashamed for coming home, and it was a wonderful opportunity to tell him that he is not shameful, that he listened to God. He is so excited. Luke and Jared are a modern day Alma and Amulek. Alma was told to go back, he had to have amulek with him, then they together went out and served the Lord. Though Luke and Jared may not serve in the same mission, they bother will be serving missions and sharing the Gospel together...though far apart haha. Luke and Jared are the best!

      

We had a fireside last night with the ward about trek because they just came back from it, and about an hour before the fireside Josh the elders quorum president asked us to bear our testimonies. That was such a tender mercy I am so thankful that i was able to bear my testimony to the ward :) I have noticed in all my areas I always get asked to bear my testimony before I am transferred. That is usually how I know I am being transferred, but this time it came right after, even though no one knew I was leaving yet haha. I bawled the whole time bearing my testimony, because the spirit was so strong in the chapel after watching the little video of their trek experience. The trek is so powerful. Oh that reminds me :) At church we saw Natasha come in and she just looked different, it was a good different though. We asked how trek was and told us her testimony was strengthened so much. She loved every moment of it. She has great ways to describe things and so she described it in her own words "For most people the trek is a spiritual experience, but for me I see it as a door opening, and goodness just came through that door, so much goodness that my soul could not contain all of it, so I had to shed a layer of my soul so that it could grow and fit all the goodness" yes this is her description and I love it! I just love Natasha so much! She is wonderful! Yesterday at the fireside we were talking to her, and we had not yet told her we were leaving, we wanted to save it for a better time with not as many people around, but Brother Jones in our bishopric came up and said "I hear you both are leaving" and we talked for a minute, she just slumped in her seat. We explained we were waiting to tell her and told her how much we love her and that we will stay in contact and everything, and the only words that came out of her mouth were "everyone leaves me" Poor girl she has had such a hard life and has finally found where she fits in and has found that Heavenly Father loves her, and now we are leaving, and not only that earlier she found out that all of the people she has gotten close to in the ward..literally everyone, they are all leaving to go back to school this week. She feels so alone and I am so worried about her. Luckily we have technology and I will be able to Facebook, and I will be able to talk to her in a couple months and really stay in contact with her even more.

        

Well, ok what has happened besides transfers? Ummm well Ben dropped us..that sucked. I love Ben so much and I know people have been getting to him. He loves coming to church and he loves the activities, but he told us he wanted to swim and not meet with us or go to church until he could not swim anymore. So he does want to meet again eventually. I know people are talking to him cause he has been just so happy lately until this. The amazing this is he has a straight shot to the celestial kingdom, he innocent and pure. He does not need baptism cause he is so pure, but he does need it to be watched over so he is never lost. He feels loved in this ward, he has never felt that before, we have had so many lessons about that with him, and he finally feels loved here, and now people are getting to him, gah!!!! its ok though, he is fine :)

      
This week we had this huge steak dinner at brother Zabawas house, who is in  our bishopric. We were suppose to get as many Less actives and non members there as we could. We alone got over 12 people there, which is a ton, and the other missionaries, cause they were all invited to come and bring someone with them, so we got like 15 more people there that way, and  then our ward was there, there was over 150 people there! It was such a tremendous success. It was so cool! Well I love all of you and have a fantastic week :) I will send more pictures next week, after I get all my good bye photos..but I will send some in another email today also :)
           
 -Love Andrea

Getting my tooth filled.

With Courtnie Brodus who is going on a mission!

Me and Ben

With Luke and Jared

Dallas one of our investigators.

August 11, 2014

Dear Family,

This week has been good :) Not to much has happened so this might be short...sorry haha. Randy went through the temple on Friday! That was super good. The presentation really was amazing I had not seen that one yet. I learned so so so much. It really made me think a lot about Korrin. She has some questions that I just wish she could go to an endowment session where all her questions would be answered. I have tried answering her questions and I think she is beginning to understand, but I just know the temple would totally help her to understand.  I have told her that when she goes to the temple things will make more sense haha. Going to Randy's endowment was the first persons I have ever gone to, so it was cool. The best part was just watching his family while they waited for him to enter the celestial room it was just so sweet. His dad and step mom were so happy and teary eyed. Randy is his dad's first child to go to the temple.

      

Yesterday was so great! Elder Russel M Nelson came and spoke at a special stake conference that happened! We got to the church at 7:30. It did not start till 9 and we still ended up on the metal chairs haha. There were so many people there. It was really cool though. It was so cool to see him on the stand, because he literally glows, he has a brightness about him, that no one else had. When he was speaking it was just great..it was not a rehearsed talk, but rather he just talked to us. There were some things that really stood out. 1st he had all the primary children stand and sing I am a child of God. Dallas and Ben were there, and they both commented on how cool that was. The spirit was so strong when those kids were singing. A little cute side note. Ben saw all the kids standing and really wanted to stand, he leaned over to me and said "What does primary mean?" I explained it was kids 12 and under and he looked so sad and just said "oh...ok" hahahaha he is just too cute! During the song, he just kept turning around so that he could see all the kids around him :) and afterward he said "well, that was cute!" haha. Dallas listened and really felt the spirit. Which was awesome cause he doesn't pay attention a lot haha. Elder Nelson talked a lot about how we need to raise our kids...I totally took notes..cause one day it will help me haha. He told everyone to read the book of mormon to your kids. That one day you will not be here and so we need to read to out kids because  it is a way for them to remember our voice and to bond with them. I thought that was really cool. He also really talked about making sure they know they are created in the image of God, that they are sons and daughters of God, they must understand this.

Ok so the 2nd thing that was really cool was he then started talking about Joseph Smith and he had all the 14 year old boys stand up. It really hit me then, how young Joseph was. I have thought about it before, and I knew how young he was, but when those kids stood up I just really felt the spirit. My testimony was strengthened. I was thinking about how honestly a 14 year old boy, no matter how brave, or cool, or sweet he was, would naturally give into peer pressure and adults telling him he did not see God. Any 14 year old boy would deny or not be able to handle all the persecution and peer pressure, unless it was true and he saw God. Which was a testimony to me that Joseph SAW God and just like he says in Joseph Smith History and in his testimony, He saw God and he could not Deny it. He was preordained for that, he was prepared for this in the preexistence also. Joseph Smith is a prophet of God!

     

3rd thing Elder Nelson talked about how the translators they have at the church, that have had every training, and have several degrees and are some of the best in the world, translate about on average only a page a day. But Joseph translated 8-10 a day. Which is another testimony that God was helping him. :)

      4th he talked about dispensations and how ours is different, it will not end in apostasy, but rather the Savior will return. Our dispensation will not be limited to location like past dispensations, but rather the gospel will be spread throughout the world! We have technology to share, and we have over 80,000 missionaries. But he made sure to tell us, that we need more. That there are members in every country of the world now, and so we need more missionaries. Some of the biggest countries are not open to missionaries yet and so we must now prepare and learn languages, to prepare us for missions.

Ok the last really cool thing is that he left a blessing on the congregation. He blessed them with health and healing because he sensed there was illness among us. He also blessed us with a couple other things..but I can't remember what they are..I took notes though.

     

After the meeting ended we waited a while so everyone could shake his hand, and at the end we shook his hand. Dallas was talking to me when I was able to shake his hand, and my mind was going 5 places at once, and so I really did not get to say anything..I asked how he was haha. He is good, if ya'll are wondering...bahahahaha. One day I will shake his hand again haha. He was so sweet and just glowing, I did not want to let go haha. Dallas shook his hand he did not really understand how big of a deal this was. Elder Nelson told him "I think you will be a hundred percent" referring to his injured arm. So Dallas just got told by an apostle he would be ok...that was so cool! Then Natasha shook his hand and she told him she just got baptized. He was so cute! He turned around and told President Zaugg the stake president saying" She just got baptized!" and he was all excited. It was so sweet :) I heard Ben shook his hand also, but he went ahead of all of us with Randy. Randy said that Elder Nelson told Ben how much he loved him. It meant so much to Ben. He wanted to get in line again haha. Ben is so sweet. I am so thankful that Elder Nelson was able to tell him he loved him, as well as to shake everyone's hand, that was very cool :) I can't even explain how happy I am that we were able to see Elder Nelson.  :) It was just amazing!

       

Last night we met a less active, totally not even who we were trying to find, but it was perfect. We went to meet another Less active and found his roommate instead. It was awesome we just sat and read Ether 12 with him and he loved it. We got an appointment for next week also. He was telling us about him and it was really awesome! He wants to come to church but he works every Sunday. We asked him if he read out of the Book of Mormon ever. He said every night. Then he went off about how he reads from Moroni every night because that is his favorite. Which showed me he really does read! Which was super cool :) It was definitely from God that we met him :) last week was really good :) Hopefully this week will be also :) I am starting to get worried about transfers. But I am trying to accept I will go where the Lord needs me, or maybe I will even stay cause he needs me here haha. Either way I want to be where he wants and needs me :)

    
I love you all have a great week! Ps Happy birthday jessica!!!! Love, Andrea / Sister Draudt

August 4, 2014

Dear Family,

      I have so many miracles to tell you all about. I absolutely know that God loves us, that we are his children, and that he still is preforming miracles because he loves us. That is what I have learned this week well more like Thursday night till yesterday so many wonderful things have happened. 

 I don't know how much I have told you all about Randy, but he is the assistant ward misison leader. He was re activated about a year ago. He lived a pretty crazy life, that is all I know and he really wanted to go on a mission. So he was working towards that and when he met with the stake president a while ago he was told that the could not serve a mission. He has taken months to accept this because he just felt so strongly that he needed to serve, but yet he was told no. He now has the Melchizedek priesthood now, he received that a couple months ago. He has been preparing to enter the temple also.  Anyways we are around him a ton, because he comes to lessons with us all the time and we have meetings and stuff. We also are teaching him with preach my gospel, because even though he was told he could not serve a mission, he wanted o learn everything he could so that he could be the best missionary he could just a member. On Thursday night he texted us and told us he had big news! So of course we called him up and he told us that he was going to be receiving his endowment, that he had just got out of the interview with the stake president. I was freaking out on the phone becuase I know how hard he has been working. Then he paused and said "Wait, there is even more" He began to explain that president Zaugg started talking about missions and that he felt it was time Randy met with President Mecham, to talk about serving! There are no promises that he will serve but it is something that they should talk about. Randy was so elated and so was Sister DeBry and I. I seriously almost cried. He was was so happy. He has been down lately cause he just felt like something was missing, he wasn't progressing, but now he was and he is so excited. The story gets even better, On Saturday night we were on exchanges and Sister DeBry calls and tells me, Randy has something to tell you. So he gets on the phone and tells me he is receiving his endowment on Friday, and he wants us to come :) So we are working everything out so we can go...so i might now have preparation day next Monday...i think i will and it will be normal.. but i am not sure..i just know we have got to be at the endowment. He also told me on the phone that he set up an appointment with president Mecham for Sunday right after church!!! Now to Sunday yesterday at Bishops Dessert night, they do this fun little thing every Sunday, and it a wonderful activity to bring people to , so we had some less actives there :) Anyways while there We went over to randy and he told us he has some more news. He told me "Well, you can't scream in the house" So we went outside and he told us that he is going on a mission! That when meeting with President Mecham he told him that he thought he should serve, but that a mission was a lot harder than people usually expect so He will have Randy serve in our mission for a transfer to try it out, and then they will proceed from there to either have him say in our mission and serve 2 years, or have him get a call and go to the MTC. MIRACLES HAPPEN! I KNOW THEY DO, BECAUSE I WITNESSED THIS EXPERIENCE! Randy will be leaving August 16th and will be set apart and be part of the Montana Billings Mission. Elder Gordy...that will be different haha. I am so happy for him. Yesterday he was telling us about how he was feeling and everything. We were the first people he has told. He said "I know now that It was the Holy Ghost telling me to serve a mission, even though I was told no so many times." He explained how God does answer prayers, usally not how we expect, but always in the best way. This was the best way :)

     Yesterday was so special. because not only did we hear about Randys amazing news but fast an testimony meeting was so powerful, honestly they best one of my mission, my life. During fast an testimony meeting I had Korrin sitting next to me, who was baptized not to long ago and whos testimony is growing so much everyday. Then I had Mellisa on the left of me, I willtell you all about her, she is getting baptized on September 6th :) She is amazing! Then next t Mellisa was Natasha, who was baptized recently and just diving into the gospel as well :) That was so cool to have them all sitting next to me. I love them so much I can;t even express it! Then during testimony meeting there were wonderful testimonies. Eliza Cannell and her fiance Eric both bore their testimonies.  Eliza was reactivated in this ward .I have been working with her since I got here. She has gone to do baptism for the dead, and now she is preparing to be married in the temple at the end of this month :) That just gave me the chills to listen to her bear testimony of the gospel and how it has blessed her life. She is a miracles. She has changed her life completely, she is going to the temple! Miracles happen :) God loves his children so so very much :)

     Luke Walker and Jared Hibbert are preparing for there missions also. Luke is almost done with his papers. He was just recently reactivated as well :) What an amazing blessing. I als recognized in Sacrament how amazing it is that I have been him this wad for almost 6 months, that I have been able to see all these changes happen, to see the hand of God working in all of these peoples lives. I have been given the blessing of being able to be here to see all of this play out. Heavenly Father is so kind and amazing. I am so thankful to him for letting me be here for this. My mission is a miracles. I have met so many wonderful people, that have been placed in my path, and I have been placed in theirs. They are my family also now.

    Ok now to Mellisa. She is full of miracles. She is 19 and graduated last year. Her mom and grandparents are members. She now lives with her grandparents and goes to church. She has gone off and on for years and was praying that to know if she should be baptized .That is when the elders found out she was not a member, because everyone thought she was. Well they set up an appointment and had us come, since she is YSA age. She is ready and wanted to be baptized, so we set a date to work towards. She is so cute and awesome! She was not supposed to talk she was supposed to be in a wheel chair all of her life. But she walks, she has gone through multiple surgeries, but she is walking and is a miracles. :) Miracles are all around us! I love it! I love Mellisa she is just adorable :)

     One thing I have done on my mission is every night I share three miracles that have happened that day with my companion. I have noticed how much it has blessed my day. Like yesterday a miracles was that we were able to talk to our bishops neighbor who is not interested in the gospel, we did not know  this, we just talked about family history and it grabbed him, he loved it and wants to do it. When we told sister Williams (bishops wife) she told us she has bee trying for years, we  may have just found the way to help him. That is a miracle to me. And there are so many more  that I have shared in this email.

      This week my testimony of miracles has been strengthens and built so much more. I have had 2 Nephi 27:23 on my mind a lot, which says "For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith." I just want to tell you all how much I know that this is true. That mircles happen, just like they did in the book of Mormon and in the Bible. That God is the same. He loves his children more that we can even imagine. I know that just like anything though, we must o something to obtain it. Which is faith. We must act in faith and miracles will come. That is a promise from him. I have seen it this week, in my own life and in the lives of others. That faith is the key. Rand, Eliza, Mellisa, Natasha, Korin and many more have all acted on their faith and miracles have come.

      Recognizing the small miracles that are given to me everyday from my Heavenly Father as well as the big ones have really impacted the last year of my life. I would love to invite all of you who read this to try it out. I promise it will brighten your day and even more than that you will see how much Gods hand really is influencing and blessing your life. I know he is influencing and helping and blessing my life.

      I love all of you so much :) Have a wonderful week :)

                -Love

July 28, 2014

Dear Family!

        This has been a fun week, different but fun. We have been contacting referrals like non other, but nothing has really come out of it, well not true, some has come and it has been awesome! We have investigators right now who are learning mainly for a educational pursuits, which happens a lot in University and YSA wards. So we are trying to find some new investigators. So while contacting referrals one night in this apartment complex I felt like we should knock on this one door. I have had that feeling so many times and I have knocked on so many doors, and nothing ever happens. So I ignored it, but about 20 feet later I still had this feeling, I wanted to ignore the feeling thinking...really nothing will happen, cause nothing ever has. But finally I told Sister De Bry and we turned around and knocked on the door. I felt like family history was the right way to go as a tracking approach, I thought it was just cause that is what we talked about at zone conference earlier that day. So we knocked on the door and this guy answers the door. We introduced  our selves and started talking about family history. He invited us in, he had 2 adorable little boys who he was trying to get to bed haha. We just started talking and found out he was super interested in family history, his brother has done a lot already. We totally thought he was a member, but as we were talking he told us about all his LDS friends. His best friend was LDS but he died when they were teenagers. He was a history major, like Sister De Bry.  He has been to Logan and loved it. He told us we could come back, and we totally are. It was so cool to have some one answer who really was interested! I have yet to have that and I loved it! I will keep following those promptings even if they say no, cause my whole mission they have, until this man we met, all those "No's" were worth it :)

       So Zone Conference was awesome! It was all about family history and how we can apply it in our teaching, which was super cool! I realize I need to learn how to use Family search more haha.

       Oh So last Monday I wrote a short email about how we found Dallas. This week we have visited him a little bit. He was in the hospital for a little while so we could see him there. But then he left and he does not have a phone, or address really so we had no way of finding him. So yesterday at church we were walking towards the chapel and there he is! We both were  surprised to see him there haha. He has metal bars coming out of his arm and they are connected to a metal rod so he can't move it..it is crazy! He did pretty well during church, but the longer he was there the paler and paler he got. He was in so much pain. (He got hit by a drunk driver while riding his long board) He wanted to also come to the dessert night at bishops that happens every Sunday. So we got him a ride. I really was worried..cause he needed to rest. So that night we went to see him when his ride was going to pick him up. He is now living with the people who were letting him stay in their garage. We got to the apartment right in time to see his bandages changed.....yea.....not really haha. It was nasty..the stitches were just a massive maze all over his arm. How ever that really was not too bad..the bad part was the metal rods you could see...and how they stretched the skin and you could see the open wound to his bone...gross!!!  He loved dessert night last night though ,we made sure he had a pillow to rest his arm on and that he sat down a ton. 

       Ok now to the Dirty Dash. So in Billings all the missionaries help out at like every event possible, and the community is very welcome to it. So our Zone volunteered. We were doing bag checks and stuff, and everyone had a different job. But after we volunteered they let us run it! Which last year the missionaries did it also. So we all ran the dirty dash. It is based in Utah and so I totally want to take Josh next summer. It is a 5k and the first mile we just ran through tons of barns and occasionally jumped over hay...We thought that was lame, but then it got intense, with tubes we had to army crawl through with mud everywhere. Tons of those like rope things to climb. We ran through mud that was up to our waist. There were walls we had to climb. Slides we had to go on. It was so freaking fun! when we ran the elders had shirts and ties, and we had shirts that said mormon.org and familysearch.org it was pretty cool! It was defiantly a once in a mission experience. 

     So I have started to read the Doctrine and Covenants straight though, and like I have read it before but not like straight though and I have found it is one of the coolest and most spiritual experiences I have had.  I love it. I read it all the time whenever I have time ...which is rare...but I still try haha.

       Anyways. So I read your email about Holly Burr and Brittany Harris...oh my goodness it is crazy to think that they are home haha. time flies! I wish i could have heard both of their homecoming talks! I bet they were amazing! Well I love all of you and have a great week! and I will send pics :) 

 

Love always, Sister Draudt (Andrea :)

July 21, 2014

Dear Family!

   1st off HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I hope it is a wonderful awesome day! You're the best :)

     So everyone this week has been great! It has been long..but great! Natasha was baptized on Saturday and Confirmed yesterday :) I will have to tell you all more about that later.

      On Wednesday Sister DeBry and I were about to go to Helena for Mission Leadership council (which is a meeting with all the STL'S and Zone leaders) We only went on be half of the office sisters, so we could talk about online proselyting and the tools we now have access to, to keep missionaries on task while online. It was a really good meeting! It was interesting because almost all of the Zone leaders and Sister Training leaders are awesome and I really love them, however there were a few there who think they are better then others. I learned a lot, but it was the longest drive there and the longest meeting and longest drive back...I am happy I won't have to go again haha. We woke up at 3:45 and left at 4:20 in a van with all the sister training leaders from the east and south sides of the mission to Helena. it was a 4 hour drive...then the meeting, and then 4 hours back..we did not get home till 9:30....I was exhausted. The sisters were all wanting to sing in the van..Sister Debry and I and 2 others...were not to happy with that..it felt like girls camp all over again....bleh....hahaha But the meeting was good..so it was ok. It was just long.

      This whole week we have been really focused on Natasha and getting her ready for baptism, so we have had that daily contact and have been helping her. She is awesome! She just grasps on to a lesson, and applies it immediately. She is working on the cussing though haha. So on Wednesday we had a lesson with her...and we were at some tables at this park..little did we know it was the most sketchy part of Billings. About 7 drunk Natives came up to us and tried talking to us..they were so high...and so drunk I almost wouldn't breath it was so strong. We were  very polite but calmly left that area...they tried to follow us for a minute..they were crazy! Later we found out that there have been several shootings and stabbings in that area this week....good thing I did not know that before hand or I would have freaked out haha.

     So Natasha's baptism! It was so great! So many people from our ward came out to support her. She had Elder Thomas baptize her. President and Sister Mecham even came to the baptism! That was cool! Sister Be Bry and I could tell Natasha was happy, but a little down, cause everyone she invited including her mom and best friend would not come. Her best friend who happens to be mormon, told her she had a nail appointment and so she could not go to her baptism. That made me so sad. When we first met Natasha, I told her that the ward was now her family, and that they love her. Well that was so prominent at the baptism, because when she got up to walk to the font she looked up and saw so many ward members there to support her and we could just see she was happy. After she was baptized and was sitting next to us again during the bishops welcome to the ward I saw that glow about her! Which just shows how much she was glowing, cause I was not looking for it, but i just noticed it! She is one amazing daughter of God. I will send pics so you can see us with her. After the baptism we had refreshments, (we made cupcakes) The ward just surrounded her and they all were taking pictures and it was so cute! Then yesterday she was confirmed! Randy, who with in the last year has returned to the church and received the Melchizedek priesthood, he confirmed her and it was so cool! Natasha had great comments in Sunday school and Relief society, she has just jumped all in.

       I want to tell you a little bit about Natasha. She has had a rough life, but still is a very determined person. She grew up with her mom until she was about 12 when her mom went to prison. She then lived with her grandma for 3years. This is where you think it gets better, how ever it's not. Her grandma would not let her leave the house for those three years, she did not even go to school she missed all of middle school/ junior high. Some other stuff happened and Natasha was finally taken out of that home..then about a year and a half ago she started living with her mom again who is now out of jail... Natasha graduated high school on time! Doesn't that just show how great she is! with all those trials she caught up and graduated on time. She is working fast food as much as she can so she can move out, cause her mom's house is not a good environment. Natahsa totally supports her self. She is great! That is a little bit about Natasha.

       Well I am kinda of out of things to say....not much has happened this week..besides Natashas baptism haha, which is a lot. I have a ton of stuff I will need to send home..I am accumulating more haha.I finished my 3rd journal last week..so i am now working on my 4th..which is awesome! I love journals...even though they can be a pain haha. Well I love all of you have a great week...especially you dad, for your birthday and all haha...oh! A convert that Sister Debry worked with in Ten Sleep, Desiree and her husband, who was less active, but they are both active now. Anyways, they took us out to dinner while they were visiting and it was so fun! They were adorable and so silly. They took us to this Hibachi grill, oh my goodness it was so good!....anyways that's it for now.... haha I love you all :)

                      -Love Andrea