Last Ride!

Hey yall! Here is my last email. I'll see everyone in 2 days! I would just end there, but these last 10 days have been super incredible and I got to write about them. This week was also HOT. The lowest temperate day this week was 105 degrees.

   First I want to write about our friend Aniston. She is taking care of her 40 year old brother, Don, who is handicapped. Her mother also passed away and because of that she is super angry at God. We have had a couple of really tender lessons with them this last week. We talked with her a lot about the compassion, mercy and kindness of God and Jesus Christ. We read Matthew 11:28-30 about coming unto Christ and finding rest. What's hard is she wants rest and peace, but doesn't really believe she will ever find it. It's a heartbreaking situation, but what is really special is God has helped me to see them as he sees them. I just love them and wish so badly that she would choose to come closer to Jesus. God has a special plan for her though.

   We had a cool experience with Cornelious. We've been really struggling to get him to church. We hadn't been able to get ahold of him for about a week, and his calls were going straight to voicemail. Finally, we tried to *67 his number and IT WORKED! Haha he was so surprised to hear our voices haha. He said we could come to church, and he didn't show, so we called again and it worked again haha.

   Then, we just went and knocked on his door. We ran into his mother in law, and when she went and grabbed him we could hear him telling her he didn't want to talk. Well, we wanted to talk to him haha so we just walked to the door, and he stood up and came to talk to us. I just asked him if he had blocked us, and he shamefully looked down and said yes. He explained that his life had been really difficult, and he's afraid to let God down so he blocked us. We instantly started to explain the story of Moses and the children of Israel, how they had to wade in the water before the river Jordan split. We explained that as he "jumps in" God will intervene and strengthen him. Suddenly, his entire countenance changed and he goes "screw it, man. Screw it. I'm coming to church I'm doing it." And then we met with him a few days later, went over the restoration and he says "so how can I be baptized?" God seriously changed his heart in a matter of moments. So cool.

   We got a referral from this lady named Larissa, and it was super cool. When we first knocked, she answered and began to tell us that she is struggling because her brother is using drugs and it's tearing the family apart. We read a couple scriptures from The Book of Mormon with her, and she wanted us to come back.

   We went back a few days later, and got to talk with her mom and grandma as well. They speak Spanish only. We talked about the Saviors ability to help them and their brother and son as they come unto Christ. It was really really powerful and the spirit was so strong. Larissa is only 20, and she is so so hungry for the gospel. So excited for her. 

   My last 3 proselyting days, Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, were super awesome and emotional. On Monday, we were out all day and find an amazing lady who speaks Spanish. As I explained the gospel to her, she literally held out her hand to The Book of Mormon and asked for it. It was really cool.

   At night, we were at a Bible Study for another denomination that someone invited us to. As we were sitting there, I got the strongest prompting that we needed to be somewhere else. I felt awkward and didn't want to get up and leave, but I felt it again. So I told Elder Beesley and we got up and left. We both felt like visiting Jaylon who we used to teach. We caught her literally as she was leaving to go to the store. We could tell that was struggling with something. As we talked to her she wouldn't open up, but I got to say goodbye and bear my testimony to her one last time. She wouldn't open up, but I know we were where God needed us to be. Plus, right after that we went to Larissa's house and that's when we met her mom and grandma and had an awesome lesson with them. God is so good.

   On Wednesday, we needed to drive down to Alpine which is hours away. I didn't want to spend my last proselyting day doing that so I went on exchanges with Elder Winters. It was 112 degrees, but we had no car so we went biking. It was so awesome. I got to see frank and Irma again, who just had their funeral for Frank's mom. It was a tender little conversation, but so good for me and them. We then also got to meet this new guy, who was so so interested in the Gospel. He felt like all churches were so divisive, and that they taught so many false things. As we explained the Restoration to him, it was so awesome to see the light bulb come on in his head. Love it.

   Then my last night, we went contacting and tracting. I simply didn't want to stop. I love being a missionary so much. It has genuinely been the best thing of my life. Lots of tears, but I'm so grateful I've been able to serve. I love yall! I'll see everyone soon!

Love, Elder Ryan

Second to Last

Hello everyone! This last week was really good! 

 This week we found a new person named Leticia. It was such a cool experience. We've been trying so hard to meet with her for over a month and a half now. We finally got a lesson with her. She walked into the church, and after got to know her she just started talking about how awful the world, and how wants some refuge from it. She also told a cool little experience. She said she felt super dark and didn't want to come in the church. But she decided to just come in and the second she did, she felt instant peace. We had an amazing lesson on the Restoration, Christ's ability to comfort her because of His Atonement, and The First Vision. The spirit was so so strong. It always is. She said she wants to work towards Baptism! 

 A couple weeks ago, we ran into a lady named Aniston who seemed to be struggling, but told us she doesn't really want a visit. This week, we were walking in the street and she kept popping into my head. But I didn't know her number or where she lived. So as she keeps popping in my head, I turn my head and BOOM there's her house haha. So we walk on over and before we even get to her front lawn she opens her door. God was working miracles. Before we even say anything she invites us in. 

 As we sat down, she opened up about how she is a full time caretaker for her 40 year old brother, who has the mind of a 4 year old. Her mother unexpectedly died, and she hates God for it. She's tried to take her own life multiple times, and she is constantly struggling. It was heartbreaking. But we had an incredibly powerful discussion about Jesus Christ, and his love and compassion, and his ability to make all things fair at one point or another. I felt so so much love for her. Everyone please pray for Aniston! 

 So after our appointment with Aniston, we were 15 minutes late for our lesson with Cornelious. We were about 10 minutes from Cornelious, and 11 minutes from our truck. So, Elder Beesley and I sprinted in the 100 degree heat through the streets in pros, and got to the truck in about 4 minutes. Then we drove and had a great lesson with Cornelious while dripping in sweat haha. It was a real good time. 

 We had an amazing lesson with Irma. She is so cool. She got to know our members well which was perfect, and then we had an awesome talk about eternal families, temples and Christ's Atonement. She loved it and it was super powerful. It was so cool to see the light bulbs turn on in her head as she truly understood the doctrine. She watched the Rome temple tour video and loved that too. Pray for Irma! 

Overall everything went really good this week! I'm loving Odessa. Trying to soak up every last minute. 

Love yall!! Love, Elder Ryan

Lots of Lasts

Okay this email is for 2 weeks ago! This week was super good. We didn't have as much time to work as I would have liked, but it still went great. That is because I had my final interview with President Child, I had my last zone conference, and we had MLC way up in Lubbock. 

    I got to go on exchanges with Elder Winters here in Odessa this week and he is awesome. We didn't have many scheduled lessons that day, but he was down to walk and tract all day so it was a good time. Starting to get miserable in the 100 degree heat though haha.

    We're struggling to get our friend Cornelious to come to church right now. He's doing really good, he loves the way The Book of Mormon makes him feel and how he feels during our lessons. He has a very serious need for the gospel and knows it, but we have put a member on his doorstep twice now for church and he's just blown them off and not answered haha. So pray that we can get him to sacrament meeting!

    We had a lesson with our friend Irma, and she is so awesome. She considers us her grandma and just tries to make us enchiladas all the time haha. But she opened up to us a lot about her parents, and siblings who have passed away and how much she misses them. She also talked about the fear of losing her children and grandchildren. We began teaching her The Plan of Salvation and she is so smart and loves it. We haven't covered it all the way yet, but the spirit is always so strong especially as someone starts to truly comprehend the plan. 

    We're teaching an 11 year old kid named Jaden, who's part of a part member family, The Torres'. We taught Jaden the Restorarion of Christ's church and he is such a stud. He's the most spiritually mature kid I've met, and he retaught the Restoration to us right after we taught it to him. He then said something along the lines of how he needs to be baptized in this church because it's Jesus' church. He is planning to be baptized in July! Sad day that I won't be here but I'm so stoked for him.

    Anyways, I got to have my last interview with President, last zone conference, and last MLC. My final interview was so awesome. We talked about my mission as a whole and the changes that I've seen in me and that he's seen. I felt the spirit so strong and I'm so grateful for President Child. I felt so grateful for the Atonement of Christ and the change that he has made in me. I also got to go down to Lubbock for MLC, and got to see a bunch of my old mission friends which was fun.

    I wanted to end with a spiritual thought. President Child taught us in zone conference about the parable of the slope. We talked about how God isn't as concerned with where we've been, as much as he is about where we are and where we're willing to go with his help. The gospel is a gospel of hope and progression, not one that causes us to look backwards. Hope because of Christ is always pointed to the future! Love yall!

Love, Elder Ryan