Horns Down, Guns Up

 First off, HORNS DOWN GUNS UP! Texas Tech played Texas, and it's a huge rivalry. We were able to watch the fourth quarter and overtime with a member who was feeding us. Tech won! Guns up baby! 

   Okay so this email will cover 2 weeks! Sorry I forgot to write one last week. Anyway, its been a busy 2 weeks!

   We had a lesson with a man named Isaac, who's very faithful Catholic. I love meeting with people of other beliefs and learning about their religion, because it does nothing but strengthen my testimony of Christ's restored church. He told us out beliefs about the Great Apostasy was wrong, because in 300 A.D. there was a council in Rome that decided what should stay in the Bible and what they should take out. We told him that it was literal proof of the Apostasy, but he disagreed. It was an interesting conversation and he kept trying to bash but we kept it clean. If anyone has any doubts about the church, just know that it is true! There's no other explanation. 

   I'll give an update on our friend Caden. We've had some awesome experiences with him. As we've taught the gospel of Christ, he's been working on the repentance step. I love teaching people about repentance. It's such a good thing. He has told us he feels like he is just so imperfect that he can't be forgiven. We had some powerful discussions about the unchanging love of God and Christ, and their ability to forgive us! He's come to church for a straight month now!

   I also want to update on our friend Olivia! We meet with her twice a week and she's preparing to be baptized. She's been reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning. Every time we meet she's read at least 3 chapters. She talks about "Nephi and the boys" and she learns a lot from Laman and Lemuel. She stresses that she is more like them, so we've had some awesome discussions about that.

   Anyway, last week we had the most incredible experience. Before the lesson we felt impressed to ask her friend, Whitney, to invite Olivia to be baptized. We had a powerful lesson on faith, repentance and baptism. When Whitney invited her to be baptized, she read Alma 36:24 which talks of the exceedingly joy of repentance and baptism. She then read in Christ's baptism in Matthew, the verse where God says "in whom I am well pleased." The spirit was dense in the room, and we all were just crying. Whitney tells Olivia how proud God is of her, and how God will say the same thing about her. She invited her to be baptized, and after about 10 seconds of silence she looked up in tears and said yes! Olivia told us about countless miracles in her life that have been preparing her to recieve the gospel. The only issue is, her parents are Baptist and she doesn't know how to tell them. I was able to give her a priesthood blessing to help comfort her. So pray for Olivia please!!

   I did 3 Zone conferences the past two weeks in Roswell, Lubbock and Amarillo. After the one in Roswell I went on exchanges with Elder Regen. We went to teach their friend is who on date. We were teaching their friend about baptism and his mom walked in the room. His mom walked and she joined us and heard the last half of it. She then asked "well every church baptizes people so why can't I go wherever?" We explained The Restoration to her and the spirit was so strong. After I asked her what she thinks she should do, and she said "be baptized!" I was so surprised I asked, "well where?" And she goes "in your church of course!" We put her on date. It was such a miracle!

   We found a new friend Christopher. He used to be a member of some cult. He was kicked out of his home at 16, and found the only place that gave him shelter. He was able to escape and he found us! He told us he is searching for "pure truth" and that he believes that all the churches are a little true but not all the way. He is insanely prepared. We had a great lesson with him and he's currently reading and praying about The Book of Mormon.

   Those are the main highlights of the week! The work is going so good. I had the impression to start studying my patriarchal blessing, and it led me to do some things. The main ones are study and learn how to magnify my priesthood, and to rely on the spirit. I'm not great at it yet, but as I've been doing it there have been so many miracles. God guides us to new people everyday, and he helps us teach so that we can help his children. I know the church is true! Love yall!

Epic Week

  Hey yall! This last week was insane. We seriously experience so many miracles, and felt so prompted and guided this last week that I can't even explain it. This email won't do the experiences justice at all, but it was an incredible week!

   So we had transfers this week. On Monday all the new missionaries flew into the mission! We picked them up and took them to Texas Tech to give them street contacting experience. Then Monday night was unreal. We sent three missionaries out to Amarillo in a Uhaul truck and trailer and in a 12 passenger van. Then they called us at 10:30. They told us their radiator had blown, and that a mechanic was on his way. We waited until 11:40 PM and they called and said that the mechanic said it was busted, and then he left. 

   Soooo we had to call our President, and then we drove out to pick up the truck driver at 12:30 AM. When we got there, we were able to "fix" the radiator enough to slowly get it back to Lubbock. Once we got it back, we needed another truck which was with some sisters. So at 2 AM, we go to their apartment complex and we don't have the code for the gate. So an Elder I and jumped the fence and knocked on their door around 2:30 AM haha. We got the truck and got back to our apartment around 3:30 so we only had about 3 ish hours of sleep. Fun times!

   On Tuesday night I drove out to Abilene, which is around 6 hours round trip. We got back and got special permission to sleep in and nap the next day which was a wonderful blessing haha.

   We had a great lesson with our friend Caden. We planned to teach him The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and during the lesson we felt that he was currently at the repentance phase. He has faith, he just needs faith unto repentance. He said he knows what repentance is, but no one has explained how to repent. So we explained the what, why and how of repentance. He loved it and he was so excited to try it out. He told us later in the week that he tried it and felt super happy and peaceful. Please keep praying for Caden!! He's come to church the past few weeks and wants to get baptized!

   This was a cool miracle. One night we only had 40 minutes until 9 o'clock. We said a prayer, asking God to help us make effective use of the time. The second I stepped out of the car I saw a guy walking down the road so I called out to him. His name is Josh, and we had the most incredible talk with him. He's a sincere seeker of truth, and we naturally taught him the whole Restoration. He knows the Bible is true because he's tried what it says and felt the spirit. So he was more than willing to try the same with The Book of Mormon. He loved it all and was excited to learn more.

   We had some more lessons and one with our friend Olivia. She is so great. She told us she wants to be baptized, she just wants to know and learn more first. Her boyfriend is currently serving a mission in Seattle. We had a powerful lesson about The Restoration and The Atonement of Jesus Christ. She kept telling us how strongly she felt the spirit during the lesson, and how she used to feel that around her boyfriend and his family. 

   One night, we were praying for a miracle and the second we finished our prayer we got a text from a member who is friends with Olivia, saying that Olivia went to Institute and loved it! She attends every institute class throughout the week now.

    A few weeks ago we met a guy named Omar. We had some incredible lessons with him and he was praying about getting baptized, and then he just dropped off. We could not get in contact with him. Well he called us out of the blue this week and told us he has been so busy and had to go out of town for the last month because of his work. He's back in town now and he told us he wants to get baptized! He says he has some "habits" he needs to fix first, but he's on the right track!

   We had a lot of other miracles and blessings this week. I saw so many answered prayers and my testimony was confirmed throughout the whole week. For example, we were at Texas Tech university and we only had 30 minutes. We prayed for a chance to find someone in the short time, and a random lady walked up to us telling us that her friend wants to meet with the "Latter-Day Saints". We had countless experiences just like this throughout the whole week! I know that God is aware of us and just waiting to bless us!

I love yall! Talk to ya next week!

Love, Elder Ryan

New Comp!

 Hey everyone! This was a great week. A super busy week as well, we were working out the upcoming transfers. I also got a new comp! His name is Elder MacDougall and he's great!

   On Monday we had a transfer meeting and worked out transfers with President. After we went to Texas Tech and started filming a video for our Facebook page. We're interviewing people and asking who is Jesus christ to them. It went really well and we ended up finding 5 people from it!! We had a lesson the very next day with one of them, his name is Kelton. It was a super spiritually led lesson, and we talked about what it entails to be a believer in Christ. We talked about repenting daily, and having true intent always. We explained the role of prophets to him and we asked if there was a prophet like Moses or Noah on the earth today, what would he do? And he answered he would go pray about it, because only God can confirm the truth. He's a very faithful Baptist, so he is a little skeptical. But it was a super cool lesson and he's had some struggle feeling the spirit lately, but he felt it during our talk. He's currently reading the book of mormon and praying about it.

   We had to drive down to Odessa this week to pick up my new comp Elder MacDougall. He's from California and he's such a good Elder, I'm really excited to work with him!

   We taught a guy named Caden who we also found at Texas Tech. This was one of the best lessons of my mission. The spirit was so strong. We taught the Restoration by relating it to a teacher in a classroom. No ordinary student is authorized to stand up and teach or grade a test, and it's the same way with God and his church. I've never had someone understand so well and ask such good questions. As we testified of the Atonement of Christ he told us that there's no where he can be where Jesus can't reach him. And then as we explained The Great Apostasy, he asked "well how do we get the true gospel back?" The spirit was seriously dense in the room as we talked and testified about Joseph Smith and The First Vision. After, we asked him what he felt he should do now moving forward and he said he needs to go to church. And he did! He came to church this Sunday and told us he read The Book of Mormon and knows its true! 

   We had a lot of new members move in with the school year, and it is fantastic. One brought their friend named Olivia, who has a boyfriend on a mission but she's not a member. Her family is also very against the church, but Olivia said she's never felt more comfortable and happy then with her boyfriends family and she believes it is because of this gospel. She wants to be taught more, and I'm super stoked for it! 

   Anyway those are the main highlights of this week. We spent a lot of time stuck in an office doing the upcoming transfers sadly, but we asked God to help us do the missionary work even with such a busy week and he blessed us with it! 

D&C 6:36-37 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

37 Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet."

I know we can doubt not, Fear not, and BELIEVE because of the wounds which peirce his side, his hands and feet. Because of His love and His Atonement! I love yall! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Ryan