Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone! Sorry I forgot to email last week, so this one is for both weeks. We had a great last 2 weeks. This will be a little long so I apologize in advance! For Christmas we've done lots of caroling as missionaries and we were super spoiled by members haha. 

   Our friend Melvyn is so awesome. He's a true cowboy Texan who's had a lot of difficulties and is ready for a better life. He's preparing to be baptized on January 7th and he could not be more excited. He reads The Book of Mormon everyday and listens to Conference talks. It's been so cool to see how much it's changed him and his countenance. We've had a few awesome experiences with him.

   He is really struggling with money right now, so we were stressed to teach about Tithing. But he smiled and said "If God asks, I know it's for my own good." And he gladly said he will pay what little tithing money he can once he is baptized. He said he doesn't know how he will, but he will do it. It was such an awesome expression of Faith!

   We also had an awesome lesson about The Plan of Salvation with Mel. He told us about his first wife who has passed away. We talked about how she is learning exactly what he is learning, and making the same decisions to accept the gospel. The spirit was SO STRONG and I know she was there with us. He was crying and he said that he wants to get her work done in the temple. I'm so stoked for Mel!

   We have another friend Viviana who also has a real hard life. She lives in a tiny rundown trailer and has a hard relationship with her husband and family. We had a lesson about baptism and she explained she had already been baptized. We talked about priesthood but she was fairly set on her previous baptism. Then something happened that has grown my testimony of the power of The Book of Mormon!

   We get a call one day and she explains that she was reading 3 Nephi 11, she sat down and prayed, and she just knew with a surety that she needed to get baptized again. We were so excited, so we start talking and she talks to about her vaping habits. We talked about she can slowly stop and she said it'll be too difficult and she couldn't do it. We left a little discouraged, but the next day she was reading in 3 Nephi again and got the strongest feeling and the strength to throw away every vape in her house! So she did and she wants to be baptized! I can't wait for her!!

   We found a girl named Mary, her daughter who is a single mother and her nephew, J. It was a miracle because we were praying that day to find a family. They've had a real difficult life, lots of death in the family and difficult experiences. We introduced The Book of Mormon to them and they've been reading it as a family! They're really promising and I'm super excited for them. Pray for them please!

   

   Sorry for the longer email. Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Love yall!

Love, Elder Ryan

Mel is on date!

 Hey yall! Hope everyone had a good week. This week was great! This Pday we went to Palo Duro canyon which was a blast. We also had Zone Conference this week so seeing President and Sister Child again was super good.

  So we made huge huge improvements with our friend Melvyn. He's super awesome. We had a lesson where he almost dropped us, because he felt that he "wouldn't make a very good mormon" because he sometimes has coffee and some alcohol. We testified of the blessings and happiness and healing that he would have from the restored gospel. We also read the verse in 2 Nephi that talks about how ALL are welcome in Christ. It's so amazing how Christ denies no one who comes to him. We then were really bold and asked him if he was going to give all that up for some cups of coffee and some alcohol. He thought about it, then said he would pray and we could come back the next day. 

   We went back the next day, and he tells us that he knows he needs to be baptized! So we he's on date for January 7th, and he is SO EXCITED. His whole countenance has changed. He is so much happier, he came to church and he goes to members houses, and it seems like his whole life is turning around. He also read 21 chapters of The Book of Mormon in one night. Keep praying for Mel!

   We're also working with a man named Joe and a woman named Viviana. They're both great people, but we're hoping we can get them to turn a corner here soon. Other than that we're working hard to find some new people here. It's difficult but nothings impossible. Love yall! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Ryan

New Area!

Hey yall! This new week was pretty wild. I left the YSA ward in Lubbock this week. That was really hard. I love that area and I absolutely love the members there. I had to say goodbye to Olivia, our recent convert, which was sad but she is so faithful and I could not be more happy for her.

    I'm now in Amarillo with Elder Nordquist and a new missionary Elder Draper, and I'm super stoked for it! This area has been known for being a little slow in the past, but us three are ready to work and grind it out in this area!
    We have a friend named Melvyn who is so incredible. He's been taught for just about two weeks. He's had a really difficult life. His first marriage ended in a divorce, and his second one his wife just randomly left him. He really struggles with self worth, and different depression struggles. We had an experience with him where he really opened up and talked to us about his issues. It was powerful as we cried with him and talked to him about how perfectly God loves him, what Christ has done for him and how he deserves happiness. He needs healing and he now knows where to find it. Please pray that he'll choose the right way!
    We had a cool experience walking in the street, and we saw an older couple decorating for Christmas. Their names are Ken and Linda. After talking for a few seconds they told us about their 40 year old son who passed away leaving his young family just this last summer. They're really struggling, and in the short time we had we were able to say a prayer with them and they asked us to come back. God truly guides us to his children in need!
    This new ward is amazing and the members already love us and are so excited to get the work going. I can't wait to see what can happen here! I love a verse in Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible." If we do what is necessary to have God with us, then all things are possible! Love yall!

Love, Elder Ryan

It Actually Happened!

 Hey yall! (This email is from a week ago) You're not gonna believe it, but Tanner (Elder Nordquist) and I are comps! We are also training a new missionary together, his name is Elder Draper. He's such a hype Elder, I could not be more excited for this transfer!

    So I'm leaving the YSA ward in Lubbock. I'm super sad about it, there's so many members and people we're teaching that I just love. But some of them are coming to Utah for school so I'll see them again haha. I'm now going to be in Amarillo with Elder Nordquist and Elder Draper!

    I had a couple experiences teaching about Jesus Christ and His Atonement this week. One of our recent converts was going home for Thanksgiving and her family is very against the church. We read the scripture in the beatitudes in Matthew, that says "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven." It was a super powerful lesson about standing out and standing alone for the sake of Christ.

    We had a great experience with some inactive members who are really struggling right now. One is struggling with a few addictions and they're going through some heavy stuff. It was just so incredible to feel the spirit and the love that God had for them as they were being so vulnerable. God truly loves EVERYONE no matter their circumstances and mistakes.

    Other than that it was just a bunch of working on transfers and driving for hours around the mission. I love yall! 

Love, Elder Ryan