Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends

Happy Thanksgiving and beginning of the Christmas season everyone! I forgot it is the Christmas season because here it is still 81 degrees and 95% humidity haha. It's horrible. I miss the Utah winters so much.

Monday we had Zone P day and we went bowling which was really fun. Then we ate at a place called Raisin Canes, which is the best chicken I have ever had in my life. Then I went on exchanges for the night to
Crowley with our district leader.

Tuesday me and the district leader were in Crowley and we bike contacted for most of the day. It was awesome and a very successful day! We contacted 56 people, handed out 34 book of Mormons and gave 15 lessons! It was such an amazing day! Crowley is a total black city, it was interesting because they all treated me like I was black and loved me and invited us to share our message with them because I was black haha. It was interesting. That day was incredible though!

Wednesday I was back in Jennings with my companion. We went to Nae's house. The deaf member. We cooked him food and hung out with him because that was his Thanksgiving. We also did service for a member for 2 hours, helping them build a house! Then we went to see Brother Martin and Whalen who are awesome!

Thursday was so weird not being home for Thanksgiving. It was awesome though. 2 member families invited us over for huge meals and it was so good. Cajun style Thanksgiving is where it's at. Then we just came
back to our apartment because we couldn't proselyte which made it a pretty boring day.

Friday we went to an investigator named Rev. He is awesome. We taught him and committed him to be baptized which is awesome! We also went to Toby's with his brother and mom there and the Lord spoke through me and Elder Hobbs I felt like. It was amazing. We were all crying. Toby's brother, Cody, gave us a full pack of his cigarettes and me and Elder Hobbs stomped the entire pack on the ground right in front of him. It was so hard for him to watch but, it was big step for me. They all want to be baptized after they get cleaned up, hopefully that is soon!

Saturday was an uneventful day. We went to a members house for lunch and then went to Toby's and helped him out. I haven't really felt all to well all week so today I tried to go out and we did but, that's why we didn't really do anything but visit members.

Sunday was a good day. Sacrament meeting was good and we were able to reactivate a whole family which was awesome! They have came the last 5 weeks to church after not coming for over 2 years. So grateful for
that. Toby, his mom, and brother all came to church which was awesome! Then we went and bike contacted and found a few potential investigators.

This week was pretty good. I really appreciate all the personal emails and prayers. It means a lot. I love you all! Until next week!

Love Elder Sirrine

Dear Family and Friends

Elder Sirrine's Zone

Elder Hobbs and Elder Sirrine

Elders Sirrine and Hobbs

Elder Sirrine with Zone Leaders

Well everyone. Another week here has passed in the middle of no where and I am beginning to love it! On Monday we went "hill biking" because there are no mountains here haha. We went with a less active and that was way fun! We got covered in mud and we saw an alligator in the water with its eye poking out so that was pretty cool!

Tuesday we went to Toby's house and he is making progress. We showed up and his friend named Harmony was there. We had never met her but me and her clicked right away because she plays basketball too and is 18 years old. She was really interested about why we were out here so we gave her a Book of Mormon and taught her and she wants to be baptized! The Lord really does prepare people's hearts. Hopefully she can be baptized soon!

Wednesday was new missionary training. We had to drive 3 hours to get there because our area is in the middle of no where like I have stated before. It was awesome and President Drake gave us some great council! At the very end of the meeting he stood up and said " I would like Elder Sirrine to come bare his testimony to us". I was so nervous and scared. I wasn't expecting it at all. As I started to bare my testimony I started crying and said how grateful I am to be serving a mission. I talked about all of you and how much you have all helped me get to where I am right now! And I learned that you cannot serve a mission on your own. Unless you rely on the Lord, there is no way you will stay out here. That is so true.

Thursday we went to the Caples for dinner and did hour of power in their neighborhood. We found some great people and got a couple return appointments for next week! Hopefully they don't fall through.

Friday we had one of our zone leaders on exchanges with us. We taught one of our investigators who is James. He has a great spirit and a desire to learn. He wants to come to church but he drives everyone to church in a bus for the Baptist church he attends. We are praying he finds a way to get out of that. If he can find a way. He will be baptized!! He has already agreed so hopefully that happens. After that we went to Toby's house again and his mom and daughter were there with him. We had a very spiritual lesson and his mom and daughter want to be baptized and they came to church again last Sunday! It was awesome.

Saturday we helped Brother Caple move some things around almost all day and then we went to a deaf member named Nae. He is awesome and I can almost fully do sign language because he has taught me. It is awesome!

Sunday was good. Church was awesome and after we contacted people and I was successful. I love this work and this gospel. Thank you for all the personal emails and prayers. It means so much to me. I love you all and am praying for all of you. Have a great week!

Love
Elder Sirrine

Dear Mom

Hey mom! I had a pretty good week. It's getting a tiny but better day by day. Yeah I got the package and it's awesome! Thanks so much! I got it today. Not being home for Christmas and thanksgiving will be really hard. You need to join my ICloud photo share I invited you and dad too! On your phone. I'm glad you all had a great week. I love you so much mom. Thanks so much everything. Hope to hear from ya soon.

Love Elder Sirrine

Awesome Week With 8 at Church

Hey everyone!

I am doing a lot better now which is so awesome. I am growing to love this work more and more every day.

Veterans Memorial in Elton, LA

Pretty much this whole week we just tried to find new investigators and visit less actives. We met with one family and their 17 year old daughter is totally set on marrying me haha and is totally serious so thats pretty funny. We met a ton of people and we had 8 investigators come to Church!!!!! It was incredible and I was so happy. We are meeting with them all again this week and hopefully we can commit some of them to be baptized. Toby is doing a lot better and he has been sober for a week which is awesome!  Not much happened this week. Just a quick email to let you know I am doing much better and I love you all! 

Sorry this email was so short. Hopefully this week will provide more stories. Love you all. Thanks for everything! Until next week.

Elder Sirrine

Mom you are awesome. I miss you too. It is getting better day by day and I know this is what I need to be doing. I have been praying so all of you feel better. Anything you wanna send I will be more then happy with! Our investigators are good. We are making progress. We had 8 Investigators come to church this week!!!! It was awesome. Hows everything at home? love all of you and are praying for you all every prayer.

Love Elder Sirrine

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbledhimself, and became obedient unto death, even the deathof the cross.

 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, ofthings in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christis Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Miracle of Angels

Dear Family and Friends.

Week 2 here in Louisiana has been full of surprises. I am getting better day by day being out here and I can feel of all your love and support so thank you so much. 

Nothing interesting happened until Wednesday where we were thinking of where we should go to try and get new investigators. My companion got the thought of this little town called Hayes. It is in the middle of nowhere. When he said that I looked at him and said "no way, there is no point in going over there". We ended up going there and we were riding out bikes around and no one was outside. I was thinking we should just leave. Then we say a kid who is 17 years old named Dylan. We rode over to him and right when we sat down he said, " you know I have been sitting here the last couple days just thinking about life and if I have a purpose and I was praying for guidance. Then you guys showed up". That was such a testimony builder to me. We have taught him 2 times since and we have committed him to be baptized!! That was incredible.

Friday we went to a members house for dinner. We were eating and enjoying our time with this family when our phone rang. We saw it was a man named Toby. He had been really struggling and I had never even met him yet. My companion picked up the phone and Toby said " I am done, i am killing my self tonight, no one can stop me, I have made up my mind". We floored it over to his house to find him popping some pills. I ripped the bottle of pills out of this mans hand who i didn't even know yet and said "Toby what are you thinking?" I already cared and loved this man more then you could imagine. He said his family didn't care about him and his daughter and mom left him here when they said they were going to the store and came back. He was so mad. He said he had a pistol in the back and once we left he was going to end it. We talked with him for about 2 hours that night and I said things I didn't even know I knew that would help him. We got him to promise us to not kill himself that night and we would come back tomorrow and bring his mother and daughter with us. When we left we go a text that said, " Thank you so much for saving my life, literally. I was going to do it and then you guys saved me, no joke". I started crying as I read that and I was filled with the spirit. 

Rain outside their Apartment in Welsh

Elder Sirrine Selfie in Mirror with Hot Tie

Saturday we came back and found Toby alive which was a relief. About 20 minutes about we showed up his mom and daughter walked in. The first thing his mom said to us was, " were you 2 here last night?" we said "yes we were". She started crying as she told us that after they had that fight and he was going to kill him self that she prayed out loud almost screaming and said " God please send Toby some angels and people that will save his life". Then she said " wait, you 2 are the angels". Then she hugged us. I started crying and so did my companion. We talked for a while after that and they are all not members of our church. But, on Sunday all 3 OF THEM CAME TO CHURCH!! And they are going to be baptized! 

It was one of the craziest experiences of my life and its only my 2nd week out here. I am grateful for this gospel and how it works in so many ways. I love all of you and I can feel of your love, and the personal emails are really helping. 

Love you all. Until next week

Elder Sirrine

 

Week 2 at the mission home

Dear Family

Zander was traveling and visiting the mission president and meeting his new companion all day Monday, October 26, 2015. First photos from the Mission Home sent by President and Sister Drake.

All missionaries from the MTC

Elder Sirrine with President and Sister Drake

Elder Hobbs and Elder Sirrine

Week Thee

Dear Family and Friends

Well everyone i survived the first week in the field haha. i have been struggling a lot this first week and its been hard. I can feel all of the love and support from all of you and it is really helping. so thank you so much and also the personal emails have helped so much.

My first area is Jennings, Louisiana. It rains pretty much every day here and most people are poor and dont have a lot. 

Monday i got off the plane in Houston at about noon. We met the other missionaries and then we met our new companion and went straight to our new area. My companions name is Elder Hobbs. He is from Utah and a great guy. He has been out for 3 months and he is training me. We got to our apartment and went to bed and that was monday.

District Elders

Elder Hobbs Zander's Comp

Elder Sirrine with Halloween kids from their branch

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday was just spent learning how a mission works and knocking doors. on Thursday we went to a city in our area called Iowa. There we met the ward mission leader who is Brother Caple. He is a awesome man and loves talking about sports so that has helped a lot. We went and knocked doors in his neighborhood and we got a lot of doors slammed in our face which I think is funny. We also got 3 return appointments for tomorrow which I am really excited but nervous about. The members here are unbelievable. It was a shock to me on Sunday when we went to church that there was only about 20 people in sacrament meeting when I am used to about 200 in my home ward. 

Church was awesome and I cant wait to teach those investigators tomorrow. I love all of you and am so grateful for your support. Keep pushing forward is my motto for this week. until next week

Love Elder Sirrine