A Great Week

 Wow, did we work hard this week. Find, teach, baptize. Find, teach, baptize. Geez. Elder Anderson and I must've talked with have the people in Dallas about the restored Gospel this week. It is the first week of the transfer and we've almost filled up half of our potential investigator slots in the back of our planner. So many great experiences this past week. I will try really quick to share as many as I can as quickly as I can.

     I feel like every missionary has there "speciality". I feel like mine is the apostasy and restoration. I could talk about the apostasy and restoration for days on end. I'd have to say that my obsession all started with Brother Asper and his enthusiasm for this topic. He really is a scholar on the subject. I have come to notice, just like I mentioned in my last email, "If you know how to tell our story, then you don't have to argue." Our "story" so to say, is the apostasy and the restoration of the gospel. As I have come to learn how to tell our story in an effective, organized way. There truly is no room whatsoever to argue. It is amazing. As we've studied and studied WHY an apostasy occured, and HOW and WHY the restoration took place. And learned to explain it quickly and effectively to people, then they'll listen. It will make them think.  Even if the people turn me away, there is no way I don't have them thinking by the end of our conversation. Because it is impossible to read The New Testament the same way once you've come to an understanding of the apostasy and restoration. Haha. Gosh, I love teaching. I love this Church. I love our message. I am a fan of the best, and I love talking about the best things. Music, restaurants, movies, tv shows, and sports. I love our Church because it is the best. That is a bold statement, but you can't be scared to say it. It is the best because it is true. You study it, pray about it, and there is no other conclusion that you can come to. It is true.

     This week we've found eleven new people to teach and have four new investigators on date for the 28th to be baptized. Kathy, Kerry, Diane, and Michael. The only one I want to take time to talk about real quick is Michael. This guy is amazing. Elder Anderson and I ran into him while we were finding in this neighborhood. He was just sittin in his garage with his handgun chillin next to him and a rifle on the other side of him. Haha. The South... Michael looks like he is about 16, but he is really 28. The reason for this is he's had a double lung transplant, and a bone marrow transplant. I didn't even know that they could perform lung transplants. He is a walking miracle. This man loves God, because God is keeping him here. He knows a member of our ward. We taught him the Restoration, invited him to be baptized, and he accepted. He is a smart guy and has really got everything together. He spends a lot of time going around to hospitals seeing people who are in very tough medical sittuations to give them support. To show them that there is always hope. He is such a great guy. We are meeting with him again tomorrow night. Pray for Michael!

      This morning we helped an awesome family move. The Crisp family. They are moving to Utah. They are going to be staying in the ward for another three months. I just have to say, I LOVE THIS WARD. Everyone here is amazing and so cool. The Crisp family is awesome. They put there stuff in storage until they move out to Utah in January. They are letting me barrow their tredmill till they leave! They were going to put it in storage, but I just asked if I could barrow it until they leave. They said, "Of course! We'll save room in storage." Haha. This was a heaven sent gift. I am no longer on a bike, which means I won't get as much exercise. I got so fit in Lost Mountain, seriously, I've never been so fit in my life. I don't want to lose that, and that was a big fear of mine coming to a car area. But now I have my own tredmill! Haha. It was so funny, because the people that we live with own a tredmill. And last night I asked the wife if I could use it in the mornings to exercise. And she said (before I could even finish my sentence), "Nope, y'all got to stay in your part of the house." Haha. I can't wait for her to see that one day from me asking her that question, I get my own tredmill. Goodness, I love the Crisps. Haha. My other favorite member is our ward mission leader. Now this man is SOUTHern. And proud of it. His name is Brother Crew. I love this man to death. I could spend my life around this guy and never get tired of his stories. He is a politician here in Dallas. He is probably one of the most well-known people here in Dallas. He helped run Newt Gingrich's campaign. Haha. Him and I have some fun political disscusions (don't tell my mission president haha). He has some great stories and could tell you anything you want to know about the Civil War (or any other war). This guy is my hero. His love for the Georgia Dogs is only second to his love for maybe his wife. He's already given me a Dog's hat. He has four season tickets right behind the Dog's bench. He has me saying, "Go Dogs" after almost everything. Haha. He is awesome.

 

       I love this ward, I love my area, I love my companion. I love this work. There is nowhere on earth that I would rather be than preaching the true and restored gospel. I never want to stop. Yesterday we were driving down and I stopped the car and turned to Elder Anderson and said, "Elder Anderson, don't you just want to get on the top of buildings and scream the truthfulness of this message? Because that is what I want to do. I want to get on a building and just yell and scream to Dallas that this message is true!" I want the world to know it. I want to write books about it. I want to talk with everyone about it. An apostasy occured, and so did a restoration. What greater news for a Christian than that?

 

     I love you all so much. Especially my best friend Skella for sending me the coolest package ever!

 

-Elder Ryan Romero.

So Far So Good

  This has been a wild week. I'll start off with great news. Got in touch with the Roldans again. They are preparing for baptism sometime soon. We asked them to pray about May the 18th tonight for their family home evening. They brought up the idea about baptizing Gerardo this Saturday and having him baptize the rest of the family the following weekend. I can't tell you how amazing this will be if this happens. The Roldans have been being taught for the last three years by the missionaries, and they are so close to the waters of baptism. I love this family so much. I can't stop envisioning their baptism and the joy that each one of them will feel. Teaching the Roldans has been one of the greatest experiences I have had so far on my mission. I am so excited to see what happens. 

      Our area is really moving. We have been talking with everyone and teaching everyone. I have really become a lot more out going and a lot less fearful of talking to random people. Talking about religion isn't a weird thing down here. One of my favorite questions to ask people is, "Are you going to Church?" and they'll usually say, "Yeah, I attend so-and-so's Baptist Church." and I'll say, well "You should come check out our church sometime. We've got an amazing message about Jesus Christ that will change your life." And that usually strikes up a casual conversation about religion. I love asking people right off the bat what they know about The Book of Mormon. In reality it is the greatest news that you could ever tell anyone especially a Christian, "We have another record of Jesus Christ on the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. Don't you understand that this proves Christianity?" Of course people don't understand that point at first, but The Book of Mormon DOES prove Christianity. The Book of Mormon shouldn't be the greatest news to Mormon's but it should be the greatest news to Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and every other Christian religion. It proves that Jesus is the Christ, and that we have a Prophet here on Earth today. I think members of the Church, and even most missionaries don't understand how amazing the message is that they posses. If we truly did understand it then we would be talking to everyone about it as the Apostle's did, we would be dedicating our lives to the make sure that this message. I have noticed that as I have studied and as my testimony has grown and the magnitude of this message has sunk into my heart my faith has cast all my fear of talking to people. 
      
      I am very happy to stay in the Dunwoody Ward another transfer. I love the members here and I feel that they really love me too. I am so glad that I got to stay another transfer and hopefully be here for Beth and the Roldan's baptisms. Please pray for both of them.

      Last week I mentioned Basketball and how we've been playing every P-day. Last P-day a member of our ward named Brother Beaver came and played with us. He is pretty good. The last game we played Brother Beaver and I decided to play the rest of the district. So It was 2 on 6. And we won! Haha. I love basketball. I can't wait to play with my friends again and show them how much better I've gotten. 

      My Parents sent Brother Asper an awesome leather bound copy of The Teachings of The Prophet Lorenzo Snow. He was so touched by their gift. We called him to see if he'd come on a team up and he said that he would then he said, "I have something to show you." He pulled out the book and showed it to me. I had no idea that my parents sent him that book. He handed me the book with tears in his eyes and said, read the letter. I then found out who sent him the book, it was my amazing parents. He then asked my if I would sign his book for him. Brother Asper has given me a couple amazing books as presents and has wrote very kind things in the front of them and has this way cool paper press stamp that says "RJA's Library." Each of the books that he has given me has a note and that stamp. So he asked me to do something similar for him in his new book. It was such a great opportunity for me to really tell Brother Asper how much he means to me and what he has done for me in my life. I am so thankful to have met him. 

     Well I have got to wrap this up. I love you all. 

New Transfer-Breath of Fresh Air

 I love the start of new a new transfer. It is like a breath of fresh air. I have a new companion. His name is Elder Barraclough (bear-uh-cluff). Not one person has been able to get his last name right. He is a nice kid. Very very quiet... But has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He is from Kentucky and was going to school at the University of Louisville. He was studying Mechanical Engineering just like me. So we often have nerdy conversations about Math and Physics. He is a nice kid and I am excited to serve with him. 

      Ward did not get baptized this week. He got kicked out of the house that he was staying at and we currently don't know where to find him. His phone is shut off and has fallen off the face of the Earth. There is more to the story but I don't know how much I can really share, but I think saying that he is gone with suffice for now. On the other hand Beth wants to be baptized on May 18th and she is pretty confident on that date. She says that she took work off for that date and told her family. She has been off coffee for four weeks now and is very proud of it. I am excited for her. Satan has already started to work on her immediately after she set that date. She ran into anti-Mormon literature for the first time this past week, but she seemed to handle it pretty well. Pray for her, she is going to need all the prayers she can get. 

      The members of the Dunwoody ward are pretty surprised to see me stay another transfer. Brother Asper was pretty happy about it. I think the other members are too. When I first came to Dunwoody I never thought that I would be serving here for this long... I have enjoyed it though. I have become very close with the people here. I have made lifelong friends. I am so grateful to have families in the ward that truly love me and care about my well being. Brother Asper and I are going to be lifelong friends. I am so excited to keep in touch with him over the upcoming years. He believes that I am going to be a Mission President one day, but I think he may be shooting a little high with his prophecies. Although it was nice to know that he has such high expectations for me and it really pushes me to live up to them. I am going to miss the people in this ward when I leave. 

      Other big news. The Dunwoody ward has been split into a Northern and Southern areas. The Elders (us) are in the Southern area and the Sisters are in the Northern area. This was a big change. It will be good though. The Sisters are in the wealthier part of the area and I think that they will do better getting into the people's homes than we would. I can't begin to tell you how hostel the wealthy people are to the Elders. I really prefer tracting in an apartment complex rather than a nice neighborhood. 

     Well it P-day. Every P-day we meet as a District and play basketball. I have gotten really good at basketball over the past little while. I dare say I'm the best in the district, haha. But seriously, I love basketball. Well, the Church is true. Somebody asked me this week what the most important thing that I have learned from my mission thus far. I told them that now I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that this Gospel is true. Of course I had a testimony of this Church when I came out on my mission, or else I wouldn't have come out. What I have now is different than a testimony though. I don't quite know how to explain it. I am converted, I am changed. I just know it is true. I have deduced through my studies that if this Church is not the true church then there is no hope for Christianity, period. The Book of Mormon was the best thing to ever happen to Christianity, but people are still in the cave and choose not to view it that way. Of course the only way to truly know it is through the spirit, and I've had that spiritual confirmation. I don't think that any other of the skills that I have learned on my mission such as being able to work with people, organize, lead, and cross people over in basketball will help me more than knowing that God and Jesus Christ are real, and that they love me. Nothing. 

     Well I love you all. 

-Elder Ryan Romero 

Surprises

Well this was a week full of surprises.

 

     Elder Armenta's investigator named Bobby was getting baptized this week. I am very close with all of the Elders in my District and even the people that they teach. I know them all by name and have got the opportunity to meet most of them. Bobby is a great guy. He is pretty shy but a very humble man. I have had the opportunity to teach him with Elder Armenta and to give him his baptismal interview. We seemed to really click. After I gave him his baptismal interview we drove back to our area and had a lesson with Beth. Our lesson went very well and at the end I invited her to come to Bobby's baptism. She said that she would love to come and asked if I could have Elder Armenta give her a call because she wanted to catch up with him. So I did. What she was really doing was planning a surprise for me. She and Elder Armenta were planning her baptism to surprise me when I went to Bobby's baptism. She wanted to be baptized with Bobby and have me baptize her. The next day Elder Armenta called me and told me to bring my baptismal clothes to the baptism because Bobby wanted me to baptize him. I was very surprised and honored that Bobby wanted me to baptize him, but confused as to why he didn't want Elder Armenta to do it. The real reason Elder Armenta told my I was baptizing Bobby was just so I would bring my baptismal clothes so I could baptize Beth and he could maintain the surprise. The next morning I am ready to go to the baptism about to walk out the door and we get a call from Elder Armenta. The first words that he said were, "Elder Romero, I am so sorry. You weren't supposed to baptize Bobby. Beth wanted to surprise you and be baptized today and she wanted you to baptize her, but she just texted us and said that she doesn't want to be baptized anymore." I can't begin to explain the disappointment that I felt. I don't know why Beth cancelled. It was a surprise indeed. I don't know what to do with Beth anymore besides pray for her and hope that things work out.

 

     That was probably the climax to my week but Elder Greene and I did meet a couple interesting people. One of those people is named Bro Al. Brother Al is a really smart real estate agent that knows a lot about a lot of things. He is definitely one of the most eloquent talkers I've ever met. Brother Al wouldn't tell us anything about himself. He wouldn't tell us what he did, or really what he believed, but at the end we figured it all out. To get down to it Brother Al does not believe in Christianity. Brother Al is a black fellow and believes that Christianity was made up to keep black people in bondage by making black people believe that their God is white. He made a very good case, and all I did was just listen. He knew quite a bit about Joseph Smith but didn't have anything good to say. I really didn't feel like there was much that I could say to Brother Al to make him think differently. We never once argued or "bashed" during our conversation. Honestly, I enjoyed our conversation and I feel like I learned a lot from Brother Al. At the end of our conversation I just felt so low, and so spiritually drained. Just during that whole conversation I can't recall feeling the spirit about anything that he said. When he'd speak about black's and the priesthood, slavery and God, Jesus and Paul. Every case that he had just didn't click with me and I could feel that something was missing.
      Luckily this night we were having dinner with Brother Asper and we had a chance to talk with him. We told him about our conversation with Brother Al and about all the different things that he brought up. During our conversation we got into a discussion about Joseph Smith. Immediately the spirit was so strong that it almost brought me to tears. During that conversation I just knew that Joseph had to be a prophet. It was the complete opposite of how I felt with Brother Al. Immediately after dinner and we got in the car and turned to Elder Greene and said, "Did you feel that?" and he said, "Yeah." and I yelled, "Dude, Joseph Smith is a prophet!"
    
      That event was probably the best part of my week and I keep reflecting back to how I felt during that dinner. It was amazing. This was a contrasting week. I don't know how else to put it. The mission is tough, but it has its rewards.

I love you all.

-Elder Ryan Romero 

On the Bright Side

  Another Transfer down, another one coming up. Still haven't received a call from the AP's yet, so my guess is I am staying here. To be safe though I think that until I can know for sure that any mail you send this week should go to the mission office in-case I do get transferred.

     Miracles are happening, the work is moving forward. This week has been a week of what people would call "coincidences", but I'd call it the hand of God. This week has been a really interesting week, but I actually don't have too much time to tell everything that has happened. I will try and share as many as I can.
     This week we had a very good District Meeting. Probably one of the most spiritual ones I have ever had. The Zone Leaders came to my District Meeting this week. They came to report the numbers of the zone. During their report I had the strongest feeling that I needed to completely change what I had planned for District Meeting. I originally planned to encourage my missionaries to work with the Elder's Quorum to find a way to get them more involved with missionary work. I had a feeling that we needed to read the last chapter of John and discuss it together as a District. So that's what we did. This chapter is the one where Jesus Christ asks Peter if he loves Him. We probably all know the story pretty well after listening to Elder Holland's last conference talk. I felt inspired to share this chapter of scripture because I was beginning to fear that missionaries are losing their focus of why they came to do missionary work. I am scared that missionaries are doing the work to gain an accolade, a number to their name. When that is not the purpose of missionary work whatsoever. We should be doing missionary work because we love Jesus Christ, and we want to feed and gather his sheep. If we are doing the work for any other reason, we need to correct our intentions. During the discussion I was so emotional I could barely speak. It was sort of embarrassing but it was something that I felt very strongly about. I fear pride. I am scared of the effect that if can have on missionaries as well as the investigator. It is something that even the best missionaries can get caught up in. In fact, it is probably easier for the best missionaries to fall into pride. It is what destroyed the Nephites, it is what brought down civilizations, and I don't want it to bring down me or the missionaries in this mission.
     Our investigators are doing pretty well. We had three amazing investigators at Church this week. Ward, Beth, and Marcus. I can't quite explain the joy that I feel when I see someone we taught come to Church. It is one of the best feelings ever. I have told you a bit about Beth and Marcus, so I think I'll focus on Ward.
     Ward is a man that Elder Armenta and I tracked into awhile back. We had a prayer with him on his front door step and prayed for his daughter who was having chronic headaches. We had that prayer with Ward and were on our way. After Elder Armenta was transferred Elder Greene and I were visiting a member that lived on the corner of the area, fairly far away from Ward. While leaving this member's home I had a feeling that we needed to go visit ward. It was a strange thought because we haven't seen ward for about a month and a half and he lived far away. When we got in the car I drove straight to his house instead of home for Lunch. When we knocked on the door Ward answered and I barely recognized him. He had a scruffy beard and his head was totally shaved. He seemed very despondent, a totally different person than before. The first question I asked him before even saying hello was, "Ward, is everything alright." My first thought was that his daughter passed away due to something from the headaches, but it turned out not to be that. Ward struggles with a few things and has had a pretty tough life. It turns out that right before us knocking on his door again that things seemed to get a bit more complicated. I won't go into detail, because it isn't needed. We sat in Wards home and talked with him and told him that we are here for him and that our message is going to change his life. I told him that it was no coincidence that we knocked on his door. I know that God sent us there especially for him. I asked him about his daughter's headaches and his eyes got bright and said, "You know what? They're gone. It's a miracle. No medication, no doctors appointments. They just disappeared. After you guys said that prayer, they just left." I told him that God is real, and that he really answers prayers. Ward came to Church this week and loved it. He loves the members and the members love him. I am so excited for Ward and I can't wait to see the Gospel take even more of an effect in his life.

      I had a pretty good Birthday on Friday. It was really weird being away from home for my birthday. The members really tried to make it a great day. A member in our ward passed away this week and his viewing was on the night of my birthday. So things had to kind of get moved around. The Asper's were planning a get together with some of the ward members and the investigators for me, but because of the viewing it got moved to tomorrow. I am very excited to take lots of pictures and share them with you guys.

     That is about all that I have for this week, well all that I have time to share. I love you all so much.

-Elder Ryan Romero

A Rough Stone Rolling

 This week was a pretty good week. We accomplished most of our goals that we set for the week. We found new people to teach. We taught most of our lessons with a member present. And we regained contact with our investigator Claudie. This week flew by and I just don't know where it went. My mission seems like it is going by in the blink of an eye. I look back and it seems like yesterday I was riding to my first area with Elder Hansen and Elder Heimuli. I still remember the smell of my first apartment and everything about my first area. When I hit my eighth month mark it was the oddest feeling. Thinking that I am a third of the way through my mission just doesn't make sense to me. I just don't know how I will feel when I hit a year. That day is just right around the corner. 
   
    I want to just take a minute to tell you about how much I love all the Elders in my District. As a District Leader I made a promise to myself that I would have a personal relationship with all of the missionaries in my District. I can't stand leaders that put themselves on a pedestal and create a power distance between the Leader and the person they lead. I have experienced that before in my jobs and in the mission. The leaders of mine that I have respected most are the ones that I have been friends with. I feel like I have become best friends with the Elders in my district. I love them so much and they are all great Elders. I feel like that we have all come to grow together and be a team that wants to support each other and make sure that we are all fulfilling our callings. I dare say that we have the best District on the mission. 
    I'll tell you about one of the Elders in my District that I went on an exchange with this past week. His name is Elder Kimball. He is from Cedar Hills, Utah. This Elder love music, clothes, snowboarding, math, camping, and Apple products. I have never connected so well with someone Haha. It was the craziest thing when we went on the exchange and began questioning each other about their life back home. I felt like I was talking to myself. It was great. Unfortunately he has been out for only three weeks, so I will have to wait about eight months to hang out with him back home. He is going to be a great missionary. 

   So I'll tell you about Claudie. Our last lesson with Claudie was about a month and a half ago. Then She told us that she was going to go to Spain for a month. Luckily she is back now and we have been able to get in contact with her once she got home. Gosh, I love Claudie. She lightens my day every time I get to see her. She is from Africa and we just get along so well. We have been able to see her twice in the past week and both lessons went really well. Her neighbor is a member and we have been able to teach her with her neighbor. They are becoming really close. I think that is just a matter of time before Claudie joins the Church. She is so smart and really pieces things together. What we teach her makes sense to her and she really retains everything that we teach her. 

    I have really been getting consumed in missionary work. I am really getting the hang of things that we tough for me at the start of my mission. I am getting really good at working with people and using the members in the missionary work. I think that I am getting really good at uniting people under a purpose and helping them work towards that purpose. I am learning so much in the mission and I just can't want to see how much more I learn in the time that I have left. 

    Brother Asper is teaching me so much. I have learned so much about the scriptures, history, and life because of him. He is like my own personal BYU professor. He is honestly the most intelligent man I have ever met. His mind is just astounding. It is inspirational. I learn something new about him everyday. He grew up on a farm in Oregon. Later in his life he worked on the Lunar Module and met Neil Armstrong. He is just the most amazing person that I have ever met. I asked him if I could write his biography for him and call it "From the Farm to the Moon" I think it would be a New York Times top seller. 
    The people that I have met on my mission is what has affected me the most. The relationships I've made, the lives that I have seen change. I just know that God is so real and that he truly loves all his children. 

    Well I got to get going. I don't know if anyone really reads this anymore haha, but it will be a good thing for my kids to read. I love you all so much! 

-Elder Ryan Romero 

A change of pace

This week was a very tough week for me emotionally, but I have to say that I have grown so much this week because of the trials I've faced. It has made me look back on the past Seven months. I have asked myself, "Am I giving all of myself to the Lord?" My Mom sent me a letter and attached one of my friends letters to it. Reading his letter really inspired me. From this point on I am changing the way I am going to do missionary work. I am losing myself in this work.

 

     I realize that in my letters I need to give more information about what is actually going on out here. So I'll start and tell you about the ward. This ward was really struggling at first with the missionary - member realationship. This ward is mighty in its potential. I have met the most amazing people in this ward. When I first got into this ward I wondered why the missionary - member relationship was struggling. When I got into this ward I made it a goal of mine to have a relationship with every member of this ward. I have to say that my comanion and I have succeeded in doing this. As we strengthened the relationship with the ward we realized why the relationship was struggling in the first place. The past missionaries never took the time to get to know the members. We'd visit members and they'd say, "This is the first time the missionaries have stopped by. I really appreciate you guys thinking about me."

     This ward has completely turned around. I have made lifetime friends in this ward that I will never lose. The Aspers are like my second parents. Brother Asper is my Georgian father. We have grown so close. He has taught us so much about life and the Gospel. He has been an inspiration in my life and I truly feel that I was supposed to meet him. I truly feel he has changed the course of my future just from meeting him and getting to know him. I will never forget the Aspers. I will never forget the people of this ward. There are so many amazing families.

      I will tell you about about one more family. The Wombles. Brother Womble used to be a baptist preacher. I have to say, he is the most amazing team up out there. This man knows his stuff about all the Churches around the Atlanta area, because he had one of them. When he speaks he speaks with power. He has no fear. His example to Elder Armenta and I has changed the way we think, and truly made us better missionaries.

      The members of this ward have grown to love the missionaries, and we have grown to love them. I still look back when I first came into this area and thinking, "I am going to be so depressed here, not even the members care about us." Dunwoody was truly the area that no missionary wanted to go to. I'd have to say that it is now one of the stongest area's in the Atlanta East zone. The members are excited about missionary work, they want to give us refferals, and they trust the missionaries. I am very proud of the work that my companion and I have done in this area (as you can tell haha).

 

      Elizabeth has talked to her husband and it sounds like that things are becoming less tense between them and the Church. We are hopefully going to have dinner with her, her husband, and the Aspers this Wednesday night. If it happens it is going to be fantastic. She is ready to be baptized, we just need to make sure that her husband is okay with it.

      We had one of our new investigators come to Church this Sunday. His name is John. He is a really nice guy, but a little rough around the edges. Those are my favorite kind of people though, because you can truly see the Atonement work miracles in their life. John is a Veteran, but very young. He was injured a little while back and is now just going to school and looking for work. I am so excited to watch him progress and watch his life change. I hope that he continues to meet with us, and continues to come to Church.

      Tony and Kim haven't talked to us for awhile. They were progressing so smoothly but now we can't seem to get ahold of them. I am fairly possitive that they got antied by one of their friends... Hopefully we will be able to get in contact with them somehow. We have knocked and called and knocked. No answer. Pray for them.

      We have not been able to contact the Roldan Family since Christmas. It is the same story with them. We have tried everything. We have tried calling, knocking, leaving notes on the door, trying to communicate through the children. Nothing. I know that they still love us. I know that they still have a testimony of the Church. I know that the reason that they are being like this is because they are just so extremely busy during this tax season with their job. I just hope that things work out in the end.

 

       That is all the news that I really have from this past week. I know that my mission is making me grow. I don't feel like it is turning me into a different person, but a better person. There is a difference. Brand New and Thrice are still going to be my favorite bands when I get home. I am still going to want to go to rock concerts and wear band t-shirts and buy band posters. I still love snowboarding. I am still going to love the outdoors and math haha. Those things have not change, in fact I love those things more. Everything that I have had a love for has just grown in these past seven months. But I have developed new loves. I love the scriptures. I love learning about the characteristics of God and Jesus Christ. I love the 12 apostles (of the N.T. and modern day) and their attitudes and teachings. I love serving my neighbor. I love sitting down with people and hearing their story. I love old people. Haha that sounds really weird I know, but retirement homes used to be my least favorite place to go. Going there and seeing home bound people is quite honestly one of my favorite things to do now. The people that I have grown closest with out here on the mission have been the old people. Haha. I love God. I truly love God with all of my heart. Every breath I take has been given to me by him, and I love him for that. My new loves have not replaced my old ones. They have not made me into a different person, but a better person.

 

      I hope that this letter makes up for my past depressing informationless letters. I will try to make them better.

 

I love you all so much. I love hearing from you all and I hope that everyone is doing well.

Gaki at Stake Conference...she never smiles for pictures, must be an African thing

 

-Elder Ryan Romero

     

 

 

Another transfer week

Holy Cow, I'm starting my fifth transfer. I will hit my sixth month mark this week. That is absolutely crazy. Time is going by faster than ever. Elder Armenta and I are really doing work. We are working with so many people! This area has totally turned around since I white washed in. Goodness, I love this place. Dunwoody was the area that no one wanted to go to, but now Elder Armenta and I both don't want to go. The AP's called us this morning and let us know whether or not we were going to be moved this transfer. We picked up the phone and they said, "Well... Elder Armenta was going to go back to Lithonia, But... We have had people calling in from your area requesting that you both stay. So we had to move things around this morning, but you are both going to stay." This news was the greatest news ever. Elder Armenta and I are best buds, he is seriously my favorite companion. I love the members here. Right after that phone call we got on our knees and thanked God for allowing us to stay another transfer. One of the families that called the President was the Roldans. We had a meeting with them last night and let them know that there was a good chance that one of us was getting moved, and that we'd call them in the morning and let them know what is going on. After we got off the phone with the AP's we texted Bro Roldan and said "We're staying!" and he texted back, "We have the power! We prayed that you'd stay and texted your President." 

     The Roldans are amazing. We are continuing to teach them. Their daughter comes home from BYU today for the holidays. Having her there is really going to help us. They have committed to live all the commandments. Yesterday they stayed for all three hours of church for the first time. They are really really progressing. I love this family with all of my heart. Leaving them when I eventually do get transferred is going to be so difficult. I just hope that I can be here for their baptism. I can't wait for my friends and family to meet the Roldans. This family is seriously amazing. 

Elder Romero and Junior

     I want to talk about a member in this area for a little. His name is Brother Asper. This man has been a member for one and a half years. He is now the High Priest Group Leader of the ward. Next week the whole bishopric will be gone for the holidays so Brother Asper will be on the stand. There is only one word to describe this man, Inspirational. He will do anything to help us out. He is the smartest guy I have ever met. He studies everything. His desire to follow Christ is stronger than anyone's I have ever met. He has read about ever Church study material that you could imagine. He's read about every book from the most famous BYU religion professors you could find. The most amazing thing about Brother Asper is that studying and being kind and Christlike is just who he is. It is just part of his character. He is hands down the most inspirational man I have met on my mission, or possibly in my life. He's promised to come camping with me in Utah when I get back and come to my homecoming, so hopefully everyone will get to meet him. 

Junior, Elder Romero, Elder Armeta, Joe

     I don't have too much time today because we got a busy P-Day today. We have got a lot of cleaning to do! Things are going great here in Dunwoody. I am enjoying my mission to the fullest right now. I want to thank everyone that has sent/sending me a 12 days of Christmas present. You guys are the greatest. I am so thankful for everyone back home that loves and cares about me, and I want you to all know that I love and care about you too! I love you all so so much!! 

Merry Christmas! 


-Elder Ryan Romero