Loving Odessa!

Hello everyone! Sorry again, but I missed last week so this email is covering 2 weeks now. This is my second transfer in Odessa, and I've been with Elder Beesley for two weeks now. We've been loving it! 

   I'll give an update on our friend Jaylon. So she hasn't been answering us as of late. She was so prepared and so many miracles happened to have us find her. She was on date for baptism, and then she would randomly not speak to us for weeks at a time. We stopped by her door 3 times a day for the last 3 weeks to try and get her ready for her baptism. She's answered sometimes and told us she still wants to be baptized, but she just dropped us this morning! So sad. She needs the gospel so bad. Everyone pray for her!

   Another update on our friend Patrick, he's planning on getting baptized June 10th. He's been talking to us but he hasn't been able to meet and he goes out of town every weekend so he hasn't come to church in 4 weeks. We haven't met with him in awhile, and he's still working to overcome a lot of his addictions. Please pray for him that he can meet with us and overcome his stuff.

   Our friend Cornelious is doing super good. We've had a couple of incredible lessons with him, and lately we taught him about The Restoration. The spirit was so strong, and it testifies to me everytime of how true this gospel is. He's been reading The Book of Mormon daily. The main issue is he's only 28, but he is always on an oxygen machine because of some lung issues he has. So it is really hard to get him to come to church, but we're working through it and we'll figure it out. 

   One of the members here, Brother Williams, invited his good friend Jessie to church. Jessie is really struggling with an alcohol addiction. It's been going for 12 years and he can't stop by himself. He's lost his job, and his wife and 5 kids over it. We gave him an addiction recovery pamphlet and had an awesome talk about how through repenting and the gospel and the addiction recovery class, he can rely on Jesus Christ's willpower instead of his own. It was such a powerful conversation with him.

   It's overall been a great two weeks, Elder Beesley is super willing to work as hard as he can, so we've been walking everywhere and going at it. We've been able to talk to a ton of people, and we have lots of potentials to teach right now.

   We meet weekly with a member named Barney Barnes haha, he's 65 years old and we're working on getting him to the temple. We read 3 Nephi 17 with him, and we learned that our friend Barney needs a personal relationship with Jesus. It became super clear that he only saw Jesus as an unpersonable Savior, someone he didn't connect with, even though he knew he saved Him.

   It made me realize that we can know Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, but not have a personal relationship with him. Jesus invites us all the time to "learn of Him" because as we learn how Jesus is kind, loving, forgiving, compassionate, etc. we grow to truly love him and trust him and rely on him. So do what you can this week to develop a relationship with Jesus! Love yall!

Love, Elder Ryan

Lots of Miracles!

Sorry I didn't write last week!! Not that anyone noticed but my parents haha. But I'll cover both these last weeks here. Quick update, Elder Macdonald is getting transferred and I'm getting Elder Beesley for my last transfer! It'll be a dang good time.

    So an update on our friend Jaylon. We've had to move her baptism date twice now. It's been a nightmare. She like barely answers the phone ever. She doesn't answer back. She doesn't answer the door. It's been so hard. But God is still helping us. One time we showed up at her house right when her husband was giving her a new puppy, so we tagged along with him and got inside haha. We had a great talk with her and she seemed totally normal and on board. Then she went Ghost mode again.

    Then, just this last week, Elder Mac and I ran out of water. So we went to Walmart real quick and we ran into her there! She again seemed totally normal, and seemed to be all in about baptism, and even started answering the phone! Then she didn't show up to church and wasn't home for our lesson and isn't answering again. So please pray for Jaylon!

    We found a new guy named Cornelious. He's in his 20s and he already has severe asthma and needs an oxygen machine. His mom just passed away this last year, and he's got no other family besides his grandma. We had an amazing lesson about how we can help him connect with his mom, but more importantly with Jesus. He loved the idea and wants it bad. He wants more peace and comfort. We gave him a Book of Mormon, and then we scheduled another appointment.

    When we went back, his girlfriend Shaey was there. Cornelious said he had read The Book of Mormon chapter we gave him twice, and Shaey said he's been so much happier and nicer since then. So cool! Shaey wants us to start teaching her too, and she wants them both to come to church!

    We had an amazing experience with this lady named Melanie. We taught Melanie the Restorarion about a month ago. She seemed sad and in a little pain when we first taught her and we haven't found her since then. We stopped by this week, and she answered, and seemed SO HAPPY. She had surgery in the time we hadn't seen her, and she seemed like a different person. We asked if she had her copy of the Book of Mormon, and her eyes LIT UP and she goes "I've been studying it!" It was so cool. She said it's the same as the Bible to her. Even though she read the awful war chapters in Mormon haha. So we gave her 3 Nephi 11 and she is stoked to study it.

    Another cool one here haha. We got a referral from a guy named Pedro. We went to his home and its this awful, run down tiny shack. I sadly instantly judged. He opened the door and there was a nasty stench, and he invited us in and it was a mess. I sadly kept judging! I thought okay let's just get in and out, but then he started talking. He said his brother had just died, and that he feels guilt for his death. Along with that his last conversation with him was an argument. He saw our ad and that, "I need to be happy like that." So we sat there, and testified to him of the Savior. That He lives and He loves him. We talked to him and he said he had the chills and felt so "warm inside." He wants to come closer to Christ! It was awesome and a great lesson for me. Christ is EVERYONE'S Savior. It doesn't matter who they are, what they look (or smell) like or what they've done. He died for us all!

    One thing to throw in is please pray for our friend Patrick. He has overcome so many issues, and he's had some other things come up. We don't know exactly what's going, but he's struggling. He was planning to get baptized on the 28th, but please pray for him! Love yall! Talk to ya next week!

Love, Elder Ryan

Happy Jesus Friends

Hey yall! This was another super good week. I love it here in Odessa. I wish I had more time left here but I'll make the most of what I've got.

    It was a hard week with our friend Jaylon. She's been super flaky as of late and she missed church again so she can't be baptized this coming Saturday. Super big bummer. We're hoping we can meet with her this week and figure our what's going on. Everyone please please say a prayer for Jaylon.

    We had a very very frustrating experience this week haha. We finally got to start teaching this lady named Haidee. She calls us her "Happy Jesus Friends". he's been in and out of a prison and has a hard life. She doesn't believe in God or Christ. She has so many questions and we sat down with her and we were helping answer them and then right as we started to get into a coherent message, someone called her and she had to take off. Satan pulled a quick one but we'll get her back.

    We had a cool lesson with a member Barney Barnes, and he wants to start preparing to go to the temple. It was an awesome talk about starting to prepare to get a temple recommend and he wants to. So pray for Barney as he strives to do that.

    A cool part of this week was our friend Patrick. He has had an unreal past. If you can think of a sin, he has done it. We read Alma 36 and he called himself "Alma Jr." HAHA. He has turned his life around so much and now he just has to beat smoking. He wants to be baptized on May 28th. He said the coolest thing that I want everyone to take to heart....he said "If God can sacrifice his only son, I can sacrifice this for him." Such a cool mentality to live by. There's nothing we can't do or give up for him.

    We also have this 13 year old kid named Jaden who lives with a member who wants to be baptized. He is super spiritually mature and stud. Please pray for Patrick and Jaden as well!

    Love yall! A cool thought I had this week comes from Mormon 5. Moroni compares the between the Nephites when they were righteous vs when they were wicked. When they were righteous they were "in the arms of Jesus" and they "had Christ for their Shepherd." When they turned from God, they were like a ship in the sea with no anchor, no sail or nothing to steer with. When we choose Christ, we can be in his loving and comforting arms. When we don't, we are left to the Stormy sea with no guidance or protection. Choose Jesus! Love yall!

Love, Elder Ryan