By Pam Ellis

One of the best missionaries I know has never worn a missionary name badge or learned a missionary discussion. She is a grandmother and adoptive “Grandma” to many children whom she has taken in, loved, taught, and with whom she has shared love, life lessons, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I had to find out the rest of her story.

Cynthia Andrews was born in 1950, in Statesboro, Georgia, the third of four children. Her father died when she was five years old and four years later the family made their first move—to Miami, Florida. Over the years, Sister Andrews has lived in Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, Illinois, Washington, Arkansas, Oregon, and Nevada, some places multiple times. Yet it was Las Vegas where she eventually chose to settle down.

While “home” may have changed from time to time, one thing has never changed: Sister Andrews’ open door policy to children who need a home. Through the years, she has had an influence in the lives of countless children. Currently living with her in a five-bedroom home are a total of 14 children, ages 16 months to nineteen years. Those are just the full-timers: on any given day, there could be another three or four or more kids who come to hang out and stay the night.

The natural mother of three children herself and grandma of twelve, today one son and eight grandchildren are living with her as well as five great nephews, and one without any blood relation at all, but nobody would ever know that. Sister Andrews has said many times, “Kids is one thing I’m never short of!” She tows a hard line with adults who do not honor their parental responsibilities, but when she does, it usually means she’ll have to set another place or two at the table.

 The children in her home learn the old-fashioned values of honor, respect, work, honesty, sharing and consequences. Her kids have heard her say more than once, “Don’t give me a reason not to trust you,” and she’s dead serious about that. Some parents may govern by the rod—Grandma governs by “the look.” It’s amazing to see teenage kids snap to when given “the look.” Their home is one of cooperation and obedience. It HAS to be! Are there occasional problems in her home? Yes, but not for long!
 
Cynthia Andrews joined the Church in December 2001, after searching other congregations for a number of years. Six of her grandchildren preceded her in membership, a fact that really got her hackles up! She had heard things about “Mormons” and “Blacks” and was pretty sure they had lost their minds, but her kids wanted to meet with the missionaries and she allowed them in her home but went to her room during the discussions. 

She mellowed about their every Sunday attendance and would send them off saying “Behave yourself, and say a prayer for Grandma.” One day, Thelma said, “Grandma, why don’t you just come to Church and say a prayer for yourself?” That ate at her conscience until she finally went. When she walked into the Rainbow Vista chapel at Tenaya and Smoke Ranch she said, “I felt as if I had at last come home.”

Since that time, she has had 17 members of her home baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—the most recent being the three Roker kids baptized on August 23, and nine year old Alajahnae Dorsett on September 10. It is a sight to behold on Sundays to see this little woman march down to the front of the chapel followed by a whole string of kids! But they sit reverently through the meeting.

 Cynthia Andrews is getting older now, and she struggles with diabetes and a back ailment which causes her to walk stooped and rely on daily pain medication. But she has a huge heart and a self-proclaimed need to “save the world,” one child at a time.

Do “her kids” recognize that great gift? Indeed, they do. Cynthia just received a treasure in the form of a homemade birthday card from Karin Roker, age 12. Karin came to live with Cynthia less than a year ago after her mother’s death. She wrote:
 
LOST
Lost in the world without wings to fly.

Why did she have to say goodbye?
And while I sit and wonder why,
You’ll be the one to show me how to fly.