Big Changes for the Mission

I don't know if I have time to completely recount everything that has happened this week. A lot has happened. Sometimes I am overwhelmed trying to fit the most important things from an entire week in a letter that I only have about 30 minutes to write. My goal in each letter is to try to lift the hearts and spirits of those reading my letters, but when so much has happened in a week like this it is hard to pick and choose the best things that will do just that. I will  do my best.

     There are huge changes that are going to be occurring in the Georgia Atlanta mission. Changes that were very needed. I don't feel like it is necessary to go into detail (at least in this email) but I will tell you what I have learned from it all. Simply, there have been certain things that I did not quite agree with going on in the mission. I have not wrote about them in these emails, because I didn't feel like it was something that y'all needed to know about. But I have felt very strongly about a lot of the things that have been going on in the mission culture for quite awhile. Culture meaning the way things are handled, taught, reported, and carried out. And again, I won't go into detail. Many things have been happening that I have disagreed with, but let me make this clear, I did not revolt against them. They were what my leaders asked me to do, so I was going to be obedient. But in my heart, I could feel that things were not being done the Lord's way. I would do what I could to get my voice heard and I would pray for guidance. However, I always felt like I was kicking against the pricks. I felt like a heretic just thinking the thoughts that I was thinking, and having the feelings I was feeling. I was so confused and burdened down by the weight of not knowing what is right. I felt like the devil and God were raging inside me but I couldn't tell which side was which. Yet in my mind, when I felt closest to the spirit, I just knew in my heart and mind that things had to change because they were not being done the Lord's way. But I did not have the authority or the keys to fix it. I remember clearly my last exchange and the Elder and I talking about key indicators, and all sorts of other mission protocol. He asked me my opinion and I told him everything, and spilt my heart to him how I felt. I remember him saying, "Well Elder Romero, I agree with everything you're saying. But that is just not what they are telling us to do." And I said, "But what there telling us to do just does not feel right." and with tears in my eyes I said, "Elder, I want to do what feels right."

       The whole situation I was in reminded me a lot of my ninth grade geography class. I had a teacher that handed out reading material and a worksheet that we'd have to do for homework. The reading material and the worksheet did not correlate with each other whatsoever. So I never finished my homework. I remember spending hours trying to do that homework and being just so frustrated because it just did not make sense. I was failing the class because I would not complete the homework. The school got my parents involved, and told my side of the story, and my geography teacher told hers. To spite me and to prove that I was not completing my homework my teacher sent me home with a mound of homework from the other students in the class. To show that other students are completing their homework, therefore I must be lazy. Unfortunately for her, this tactic turned against her. As my mother and I looked through the other student's homework we began to notice that none of the students were getting the same answers for the questions. They were just filling in the blank spaces and she was marking it right. A student even put, "this class is stupid." and she marked it correct! In her attempt to prove my laziness, she proved her own. After our discovery we scheduled an appointment with the principal to show what we've found. While in the waiting room my teacher came in and with the homework in hand we showed her our discovery. After realizing her mistake she grabbed the papers our of my mother's hand and said, "I wasn't suppose to give you those. It is against school policy to give out other student's homework." And we were never able to show what we found to the principal... I ended up failing the class. However, I was honest. I could have easily turned out with a good grade in that class if I would have just did what the other students were doing. But I wasn't there to get a good grade in a class, I was there to learn. Throughout high school I did extremely well. I graduated with a good GPA, got into the college I wanted to go to, and even achieved all the goals I've set out to accomplish since my childhood. I know that it is in large measure due to the integrity that I had in my ninth grade geography class. This geography class seemed like it at the time it was going to stop me from achieving my goals. I know that because I chose to do what felt right, I was blessed by God throughout the rest of my schooling.

       Sorry for that tangent, but it does tie in with my original story. My purpose in sharing that story is not to compare the leadership or organization of the mission to my ninth grade teacher. My only purpose in sharing that story was to compare how I've felt through both experiences. This week we had Elder Evans from the seventy come and speak to our mission. Elder Evans is the chairman of missionary work for the Church. He is extremely important. We had our Zone conference on Friday, and he was our main speaker. It was a seven hour meeting. Within the first hour it was clear why Elder Evans was here, to call this mission to repentance. It was clear from all the topics that he spoke on that he was addressing the very issues in the mission that I had qualms with. Minute after minute I could feel burdens being lifted off of my shoulders. My feelings and thoughts were not, "Yes, I was right all along." Because I was never concerned about BEING right. I was concerned about DOING what's right. When he was speaking it was a sense of relief of knowing that my feelings and thoughts were not heretical at all. The spirit is real and was leading me to feel what was truly right all along. My prayers were answered and overall my concerns that I prayed about were addressed the way God would address them. That way being through the organization of the church, through the keys of the priesthood.

       President Harding was our last speaker of the conference. He said in the most humble way imaginable, "Elder Evans lovingly has called us to repentance, and we will do everything he asks immediately." I am so thankful for President Harding. I love him so much. I know President Harding is my mighty leader. My love and respect for my mission President only grew through this whole experience. I've never doubted his calling or his choices. I want to make that extremely clear. I love my mission President, and he has absolutely positively changed my life. I know that if it wasn't for his tireless effort and love for his missionaries that I wouldn't be anywhere near the person I know my Father in heaven wants me to be. I will follow him into any battle. I happy to have a humble mission President that is so willing to follow his mighty leaders wherever God directs. I don't know the every detail of why the events that occurred this week happened. All I know is how I felt, and what I saw happen. After the meeting Friday IMMEDIATELY all the things that I was concerned about got changed. And I mean EVERYTHING. I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this church is ran by God. I've witnessed it with my own eyes this week. I know God answers prayers. This experience has honestly been so enlightening. This truly is the same organization that you find in the new testament. Elder Evans was Paul, speaking to the church of Rome, or Corinth. This whole experience only strengthened my testimony in how true this Church is.

      Now I know I've already written a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if most people just stopped reading in the middle of my ninth grade drama. But like I said, a lot happened this week. We found a great new family. Daniel and David are doing well. Please continue to pray for them. Brother Crew's wife had a heart attack, she is doing well though. I love Brother Crew so much. My heart goes out to this man. He has the biggest heart. Every time he ends a conversation with always asks us this question, "Do y'all have nourishment?" and never fails to tell us how much he loves us. I feel so much love in this ward. I just never want to leave it. The people here are just so loving and caring it brings tears to my eyes.

       Oh my goodness I just have so much to talk about! On Thursday we went to a devotional in Atlanta. And guess who was there?! Brother ASPER! It was the greatest thing ever! I got to talk with him and give him a big hug. He told me about how the ward was going and how much he missed me. It was so funny, within three minutes of the conversation he pulls out this folder and hands me a five page paper that he wrote on the premortal life. He says, "I wrote this this morning. I think it will come in handy for you." Haha. Who else does that? He is a scholar! I love him so much. I also got to see one of my other favorite people from the Dunwoody ward at this devotional, Sister Albanes! Her and I got along so well. We could always joke around. It was so nice to see her. That wasn't the last person I got to see from the Dunwoody ward though. The next day at Zone Conference I met Sister Whitehurst. The Whitehurst family was one of my favorite families from the Dunwoody ward. I don't think I wrote too much about them. Sister Whitehurst was very excited to see me and told me that her family missed me a lot, and that their son Jared really missed me. Jared and I were really close. He is a huge sports fan and could tell you any stat on any player playing any professional sport. NO JOKE. This kid had a photographic memory. She said that I was such a good influence on Jared that now he wants to go on a mission. This almost brought tears to my eyes (I say that so much, I really don't cry that often). There has not been a single thing in my life that has brought me more joy than being able to affect and influence other people for the good. Not a single thing. Hearing that Jared now wants to go on a mission seriously made me so happy.

       Now for my last and final thoughts. I want to end this letter with my testimony about The Book of Mormon. And encourage all to read this amazing book. If anyone reads any part of this letter, please read this part. The Book of Mormon is true. It is true, it is true, it is true. Please everyone, consider these things, and give ear to what I have to say! I just want to scream this out to the world. Jesus Christ is the son of God, Joseph Smith is his prophet an revelator in these last days, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is once again the Lord's Kingdom established on the Earth. And I know these three things because I have read, pondered, and prayed about The Book of Mormon! If you do not have a testimony of this Church, you've fallen away, or you are having doubts it is because you have not read (and I am not talking about a page, a chapter, even three-forths of the book. I am talking about the WHOLE book), pondered and prayed on The Book of Mormon. Joseph Smith could not have written this book. I have studied and studied and studied and studied. Joseph was 23 when the book was brought forth. He translated it in less than three months. There are two big theories that have been proven totally false about it's origins, and the only theory left that people are turning towards is that he wrote it out of his own mind, his own experiences from his life. Of course when you run out, or lack, any evidence to prove that he couldn't have brought it forth the way he said it came forth, you are going to either have to accept that he translated it from golden plates and accept the he was a prophet, or deny he was a prophet and once you've ran out of evidence that could prove the contrary (which the critics have ran out) resort to the theory that he dictated it out of his own mind. Isn't it obvious, that theories (besides the theory that Joseph wrote the book himself) were developed because everyone who knew Joseph, and lived during that time KNEW that Joseph was not intelligent enough to write such a profound piece of literature. People tried hard to find the ways Joseph could have written this book, because they knew he couldn't have done it by himself. Isn't it interesting how the critics developed theories to explain how the book could have come forth regardless of Joseph's incapability to write the book, and then go back and say that Joseph wrote the book as the theory to explain how the book came forth? When studying the history of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon all people will come to the same crossroads. Either you read with an open heart and pray about the book to know if it is true, or you don't. There is no other interpretation for The Book of Mormon. Either it is true or it is not. Let me tell you right now, no amount of research is going to prove The Book of Mormon false, or even true! The only way to gain a testimony about The Book of Mormon, and the thing that continually strengthens my testimony of The Book of Mormon, is to READ, PONDER, and PRAY about it. There is no way to know whether this Church is true of false without doing that. I invite all those who read this, whether you are a member or not, to read and to pray about The Book of Mormon. Because quite frankly, The Book of Mormon doesn't mean anything to you if it is false. All it means is that Joseph Smith was a criminal and that he deceived a lot of people. BUT IF IT IS TRUE, then it means the world to YOU. It means that God the Father and Jesus Christ love you, you can live together as a family for all eternity, the things that you've done wrong can be made right, you can go to a Church and be sure that the things being talked about are true, that there is a life after death, and that God still speaks today. Those things are so much more important to prove to yourself than to prove that Joseph Smith was a charlatan. Because if the book is false, then it won't affect you and it doesn't matter to you. But if it is true, regardless of if you believe it or not, it will affect you and it should matter to you. I want to tell the whole world that I know The Book of Mormon to be the world of God and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. It has blessed my life. It has changed my life. Please consider what I've said and read The Book of Mormon.

"You don't know me - you never will. I don't blame you for not believeing my history had I not experienced it I could not believe it myself." - Joseph Smith (Journal, April 7th, 1844)

      I love you all so much. With all of my heart. I wouldn't take the time to say so much if I didn't feel love for all the people that read my weekly letters. I don't write back home to try let people know how great of a missionary I am or whatever a selfish motive may be. I really write back home so that all can see that this Church is true. Because the truthfulness manifest itself daily in my life out in the mission field, and I want to share my experiences with the world.

-Elder Ryan Romero

Elder Jordan, Elder Romero, Elder Macmahan, Elder Schneck, Elder Sandoval

Ending the Transfer Strong!

Miracle after miracle this week! Oh my goodness, great things are happening in dynamic Dallas!

      Alright, I'll start off with the first miracle. It happened just last P-day. Last P-day was got to spend some extra time with David and just hang out with him for a little before our P-day ended. Once our P-day ended we went to have dinner with a family in the ward and David came with us! And we had an awesome lesson. After dinner we went back home where one of my favorite members of the ward, Brother George Bush (yes, that is his real name!) was waiting to take us out on a team up. Our plans were to go see this one guy named Daniel that we tracted into the week prior, but I felt like we should go see a couple more people before we go see Daniel. So that's what we did. We drove to the people's homes but unfortunately they weren't home. After about 45 minutes we went to go and see Daniel. He opened the door and says, "Wow, you caught me, I just got home." Coincidence? Doubtful. This was our first time sitting down with Daniel, and let me tell you, he's been prepared by the Lord! Daniel has served two terms in Iraq and now suffers from PTSD. He has things together pretty well though. He is a Catholic but is not too firm in his faith. His faith in God and Christ is struggling a bit after his time in Iraq. We taught Daniel the Restoration and the first thing he says is, "Well yall say you have prophets, can I hear one?" And our reply was, "Well of course you can!" So we pulled up conference on his laptop and threw it up on his big screen and we all had the feeling that we should watch Elder Holland's talk on Depression. Daniel, just one minute into the video, paused it and said, "Oh my gosh, that is exactly what I needed to hear. The Catholic Church just won't say that. They say, 'Well that's just how God made you' and just beat around the bush. But he said it exactly how it needed to be said!" He was astounded. Since that visit Daniel has come and done service with us at this lady's home that needs help, taken us out to lunch, taken a church tour, come to Church, and had us refer his mother to the missionaries in Texas. Daniel is a total miracle and we are so excited about him.

       Miracle number two. This Saturday we had an awesome lesson with David. We had the bishop with us and read one of my favorite chapters out of The Book of Mormon, Alma 42. It explains the Plan of Salvation so well and how God is both a justiceful God and a merciful God. I told David that I really like chapters that teach a lot of doctrine, and this is one of those chapters. We read that chapter and he was just loving every second of it. He was pulling out things from that chapter that I had never thought of before. After we read that chapter I asked David one simple question, "David, did Joseph Smith write this? Or did God?" and he said, "There is no way Joseph could have written this." We then expounded and asked David how he's felt since he's been meeting with us and he said, "I feel warm, especially when we pray." I can't even explain the joy I felt as he answered each one of our questions. We then invited him to be baptized on October 26 and he accepted. He still has a couple more hurdles to get over before he gets there, but I am confident that he will make it. Please pray for David.

      Miracle number three. Both David and Daniel are coming to a devotional that we have this Thursday with Elder Evans from the seventy. The miracle is that Thursday is the only day that David has off from work this week. And he has it off because he took it off in advance. Another coincidence? Nah. David and Daniel are both committed to come to this awesome devotional that is designed for investigators and recent converts. Brother George Bush has already committed to drive us all. I am so excited! It is going to be so much fun. David and Daniel are just complete gifts from God. Please continue to pray for both of them!

      I love the Dallas ward so much. The Bush families, the Kelly family, the Seawell family, Brother Crew, Brother Hoddow, just every single member of this ward is so amazing. I can't even express the love that I have for Brother Crew. His wife isn't even a member and he devotes so much time to help us out. He is serious the best ward mission leader I've ever had. His testimony of the Gospel just shines through all his good works. I love the the Bush families. Miles Bush (Dad), George Bush (Son) and Spencer Bush (Son). All in the same ward. George and Spencer remind me of my family members. They are both electronic loving, apple fanboys. They are so funny and cool. I love spending time with them.

      Random thought that I wanted to throw into my letter. This week I bought a thing of canned beets, because they reminded me of home. Poppi, my grandpa would always eat them. The smell just reminds me of my grandparents home. I was also looking for healthier things to eat so I thought that I might give them a try. Unfortunately Poppi, I still hate beets. They were so gross. Haha. I ate them though. I miss you guys and love you so much!

     I love you all, I hope to hear from whoever reads this over the next week!

District Picture 10/13

-Elder Ryan Romero

Conference Week, My Favorite Week

What a great opportunity we had this week to hear from the prophets of God. I love conference so much. This conference really gave me the spiritual uplift that I needed this week. I don't even know where to start. I loved it so much, I feel like every talk was written just for me. Subjects were talked about that I didn't think would ever be talked about in conference, yet they were exactly what I needed to hear. I love knowing that the General Authorities are not given topics to speak about, but seek revelation and speak about what God wants them to speak about. I love seeing the trends in the talks. It is important to realize that they prophets and apostles are not just speaking for the church, but for the entire world. Just think how much better of a place this world would be if everyone sat down and listened to these oracles of God and took heed to their words.

      I had a couple talks stick out to me. David M. McConkie's talk spoke to me, because his words were my words. If you read my last letter and listened to this talk, then you will understand what I mean by this. This talk was specatular. So well layed out and so clear on how to become a powerful teacher. First I want to say that I was not aware at all that Marion G Romney said word for word exactly what I said to the Elder I was on an exchange with. I told him that I know that I am teaching by the spirit when I learned something from the lesson I taught. When David M. McConkie said this quote I stood up out of my seat and said, "Whoa, I just said that exact thing like two weeks ago!" I was so excited. The Gospel is truly amazing. I did not come to this conclusion of teaching by the spirit by reading about it in any book, or hearing it from any other person. I came to the conclusion you know when you are teaching by the spirit when you learn something from what you teach from my own personal experiences. I was so excited that Marion G Romney came to the same conclusion that I came to through his own experiences. It just shows how true the Gospel is.

      Elder Holland's talk, as always, spoke to me. He spoke on the subject of depression. This was a talk that I feel a lot of people needed to hear. It was something that I needed to hear. Throughout my mission I've stuggled with depression. I've gotten down and sometimes it's felt like something I just could not get out of. I won't go too deep into the details of my own depression, but it was very similar to what Elder Holland described. I felt like his advice was quite litterally an answer to many of my prayers. It was a direct message from God to me. I almost felt like that talk was not written for anyone else. I felt like Elder Holland called me into his office and just sat down with me and said, "Elder Romero, we need to have a little chat. God loves you, he's been listening to your prayers, and he's given me this message to give to you." Goodness, I can't describe the awe I was in while listening to that talk.

       Now I must admit my disappointment that Elder Tad R. Callister did not speak. Haha. I am just kidding (kind of). Elder Callister is my hero. He is my favorite General Authority. I was crossing my fingers the whole conference that he'd be given the opportunity to speak. This man is my favorite. His understanding of the apostasy and the atonement absolutely blow my mind. This man is a MASTER teacher and is truly inspired. His talk on the Book of Mormon that he gave a couple years ago is a masterpiece. He is one of my favorites.

      I love the modern day prophets and apostles. If anyone wants to gain a testimony of this Church I'd encourage you to study the lives and the teachings of these amazing men. I have spent a considerable ammount of time listening to and reading about these amazing men. SOME of my all time favorites (in no particular order) would have to be Bruce R. McConkie, Ezra Taft Benson, Joseph Fielding Smith, Legrand Richards, Matthew Cowley, Marion G Romney, Hugh B Brown, Neil A Maxwell, and many many others. I am so intrigued by the life and teachings of Brigham Young. He was an incredible man. However, I don't think that anyone can trump my love for studying the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The more and more I study about this man the more and more I fall in love with him. His life was absolutely incredible. He did more in his short lifetime than most could accomplish if they were given many lifetimes. I love studying and learning about all these amazing people. Their lifes are amazing examples of how we should live because they have all patterned their lives off of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

 

      David is doing AWESOME! This kid is so great. We met with him last night after conference. He is so serious about finding out if this is true. He knows how it will change his life and he is so ready for that change. I am so happy that Elder Anderson and I found David. I am so glad that we are friends with him and have the opportunity to change his life for the better.

 

      I love the members of the Dallas ward so much. This week we had dinner with one of my favorite families in the ward, the Kelly family. Brother Kelly is a business owner and is extremely successful. He is a very humble and giving man. At dinner I expressed to him my interest in hopefully starting a business of my own and shared with him a couple ideas of my own. He was impressed with my ideas and my enthusiasm. He gave me many great tips on what I should do to start my own business and to be a successful businessman. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have met all the amazing families in the Dallas ward. Each one of them I feel like was placed here just for me. Each one of them has had an affected my life, and I know that each one will have a lasting effect on my life.

 

        Well I love you all so much and hope to hear from anyone who reads this! God is good, the Church is true.

 

-Elder Ryan Romero

A Bumpy Week

This week was a bumpier week than usual. Along with those bumbs were some miracles. We had an investigator come to church this week. Her name is Pam! She is awesome. We found Pam the second week of the transfer. She is so funny and just awesome. She loves Elder Anderson and I. She is a great missionary herself and tells everyone about us and the light that we bring her in her life. In fact, she brought her friend to Church with her on Sunday! And her grandson wants to be baptized! Pam is awesome, she really gets our message and really loves the spirit she feels. She is really looking for a change in her life, and I know that that change that she needs in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

     To quickly update you on the other people we are teaching. David is doing good. We are having an FHE with his family tonight. Pray for that! Michael has been out of town but we are meeting with him on Tuesday. We have found some really good fellowshippers that are going to relate well with Michael. We are really excited about these people.

     To tell you more about Dallas. Dallas is a small town. Really small. Well not CRAZY small. But pretty darn small. The people that have lived here, have lived here forever. Brother Crew is the man of the town. Literally, he's won that award. Haha. The old time members have grown up here. The ward is pretty small, there are a lot of less-active people (which is going to change). I can not even express to you how much I love the people here though. I love this ward. Let me tell you about a few people. Alright, Brother Seawell: This man is awesome, he's memorized all of JSH. He is so funny and loves to come on team ups with us. Brother Alderman: This man is SOUTHERN. Grew up in Georgia and you can barely understand him when he speaks. But he has a big heart of gold. I seriously love this guy so much. He drives a big truck that he is really proud of. Brother Askea: Southern old man that would take a bullet for the missionaries. He's a womanizer. Haha. Gotta love Brother Askea. Also has a big truck that he is proud of. Brother Haddow: This guy is my hero. He is an AMERICAN. Straight laced freedom fighter. Rides a motorcycle. Convert of the Church. Has an armory in his basement. The Bush Families: There are 3 Bush families in the ward and then their Sister who is Sister Kelley (also a family that I love) The Bush's are like my brothers away from home. Way into technology and they own their own business. I have made a deal with them to start up a branch of their business in SLC once I go home. I am stoked to work with them. There are many other people in this ward that I could go on and on about. I love Dallas so much. I can't even explain. I already told you about Brother Crew in my previous email, but I want to emphasize again how much I love this man! I am never going to forget this guy. He is the best Ward Mission Leader anyone could ask for.

       Alright. So the event that I would like to tell y'all about is an experience that we had with this one very anti-mormon fellow. We knocked on this guy's door and he started to talk to us. He expressed that he is getting a masters degree in theology and that he knows all about us. We asked if we could pray with him and he declined saying that we don't pray to the same God. This man was very eloquent and seemed very knowledgeable. He began to go off that Joseph Smith was just a charlatan that found a way to fulfil his wordly desires. All things that I have heard before. He began to go into doctrine and expound. This man assumed that as a clean cut Mormon missionary that I did not know anything about Joseph Smith's life, because there are quite a few things about his life that 90 percent of Mormons don't know. He kept talking to me like I was an ignorant boy. Keep in mind that we did not argue, bash, or fight. In fact the conversation was quite calm. It was not worth arguing with him or correcting him on incorrect "facts". As he began to talk and talk it became quite clear that in reality he knew nothing about Joseph Smith. Just the normal things every anti-mormon chooses to research. After all this research he didn't even know how old Joseph was when he translated The Book of Mormon, the amount of time it took, and the names of the people whom he translated it with. It was quite clear that this man overlooked the miracle of the Book of Mormon all together. After all of his rhetoric I had one simple  question to ask him, "How do you explain The Book of Mormon?" And his fickle answer was, "Well Joseph Smith wrote it. I've written many books, his just happened to 'catch on'." As if the Book of Mormon was a 1830 version of Twilight or The Hunger Games. This man even overlooked the importance of reading The Book of Mormon. When I asked, "Well have you read and prayed about it?" I already knew his answer before he gave it to me, "Well parts of it. I've never cared enough to read the whole thing." So tell me Sir, how could you know a book is FALSE before you've even taken the time to read it. I refrained from saying this, but surely was thinking it. Instead I said, "Well Sir our invitation to you is to read the Book of Mormon. I've read it and I know that it is true. We are not here to argue, we are here to invite. If you do not want to accept our invitation then we don't have much more to discuss." Our conversation ended in a handshake and goodbyes. I learned A LOT from this conversation though. This man, as intelligent as he was, could not explain The Book of Mormon. Like LeGrand Richards says, "You don't have to argue, if you know how to tell our story." If someone wants to disprove this Church they are going to HAVE to disprove The Book of Mormon. Otherwise this Church will stand and progress and not be stopped. Unfortunately for the critics of the Church the book is true. And that is why they have not been able to come up with a better answer to explain the origins of The Book of Mormon than, "Well he wrote it, and people fell for it." When you look at the facts the coming forth of The Book of Mormon was an absolute miracle. And anyone that reads, studies, and prays WITH A SOFT HEART about that book will know without a shadow of a doubt that it is true. All those that refuse to read it will never come to the joy that it brings. The joy that we can in fact live after this life, with our families, and progress and grow. There are so many other things that you come to know after knowing that this book is true. Combined with the Bible it reveals or restores the truth and confounds false doctrine. Without the Book of Mormon we are truly just as Paul says, "Carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive." I love this Church, I love this Gospel. It is true.

 

I love you all,

 

-Elder Ryan Romero

Week two in Dallas--Miracle upon Miracle

    Miracle upon miracle. This was an amazing week. John Steele was baptized on Saturday, and it was amazing. His life is going to be changed by this forever. I am so happy for him. Luckily I got to attend the baptism and so did Elder McMahan. John was so glad to have us there. John's baptism was a huge event for him, as it should be, but he made it a great day. He always told Elder McMahan and I that if he got baptized he was going to go all in, that day was going to be unforgettable. He sure made it an unforgettable. John got himself a new suit, a hair cut, invited all his family and friends, and got loads and loads of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese from his favorite restaurant Bojangles. Haha. It was awesome. I am so happy for John and for his wife Peg, they have been waiting for awhile for this. And in one year from today they are going to go to the temple to be sealed. I swear I am the luckiest missionary in the world to be part of these amazing people's lives.

     Elder Anderson and I have just been working and working and working. We have found quite a few new pretty promising people. We found this amazing kid named David. David is about 19 and is interested in engineering! So him and I get along real well. He claims to be agnostic, but is very open and searching. He is a truth seeker. This kid is so smart! Him and I get along so well and we really relate with each other. I love teaching David. We gave him a Book of Mormon last week and he has been reading and really understands it and loves it. He has promised to pray and ask God if it is true. I can tell that he really enjoys talking with me and Elder Anderson. I am excited to see what happens with David.

     Unfortunately Michael was unable to come to Church this week. Hopefully he will be able to make it next week. We are still in contact with him.

      I had a good experience in Sacrament meeting yesterday. The youth speaker didn't show up so in desperation to fill those five minutes they invited me to go up and share a few thoughts and my testimony. Haha. I was very happy and excited to fill those five minutes. I have so much love for this ward. Every member that I have met has just an amazing story, and is so full of charity towards the missionaries. It was so easy to go up there and express my love towards them, because I truly did love them. I had a strange experience while I was up there sharing my thoughts. While up there I could hear myself speaking, but I wasn't really thinking about what I was going to say next. Words were just coming out of my mouth. Generally I am not the most comfortable and eloquent impromptu speaker. But when I got up there and started speaking I realized a genuine change in myself. Words were really being given to me, my mouth was being filled. I realized that I am really not the same person that I was when I left. My testimony of this gospel has increased dramatically. I was saying things that I didn't know or understand when I first came out in the mission field. But now I truly do understand them, and I truly do know them. I talked about love, missionary work, and the atonement. I could tell that I really got through to the members and really made an impact on them. It was a good opportunity to show the ward that I love them, and that I am ready to work and help bring there loved ones into the waters of baptism.

      I am so excited for my future in this area. Thank you for all the support that y'all send me from back home. I love you all so much.

Spiders are big in Atlanta!

-Elder Ryan Romero

John's Baptism

Welcome to Dallas

 A new area and a new companion. I am now in Dallas Georgia with Elder Anderson. Elder Anderson has been out in the mission field for six weeks and he is ready to work. He is from St. George Utah. He is a big football player. He is going to play football for SUU once he returns home. He is a great guy with a huge heart. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel. He is awesome. I am very excited to be his companion, and to be a good example to him.

     This past week has been an amazing week. But before I tell you about all the great things that happened this past week, I need to fill you in about the miracles that I didn't get to tell you about in my last email. Alessandra! She is amazing. It was such a sad goodbye. Alright, so Alessandra was baptized last Saturday, and everything went perfect. The miracle that I really want to share is what happened Monday night. Monday night we had family home evening with my favorite family in the Lost Mountain Ward, the Sears. They invited Alessandra over to have FHE with them. The lesson was on the Holy Ghost. The Sears daughter, Abbey, taught the lesson and she did an amazing job. After the lesson Sister Sears opened up the lesson and asked us if we had any experiences with the Holy Ghost that we would like to share. Unexpectedly Alessandra shared an experience. As she started she began to say that she's felt the Holy Ghost throughout her life, "But then she stopped and tears started to slowly role down her face (not many, just like 4 or 5). She continued and said, but I've never felt it as strong as I have had since I have been in this Church. I know God sent you all to me, because there is no way I could deal with the things that I've been dealing with without this Church and the Holy Ghost. Sunday was an amazing day, and I know that I have now received the Gift of the Holy Ghost." There was no better way that I could have left the Lost Mountain area than hearing Alessandra bear her testimony. It was honestly one of the best moments of my mission. I will never forget her face and her sincerity as she bore her testimony, it is engraved in my mind. I am going to miss Alessandra so much!

       Alright, one more story. I can't remember if I have even talked about this man before. His name is John. Elder McMahan and I have been working with him ever since I got to that area, and McMahan had been working with him even before I got there. In total John has been taught for about 15 months. He is extremely intelligent. John is a stubborn man, haha. But in a good way. He is sincere. Goodness, I love this guy. John he puts missionaries through the ringer to see if you are capable. He sure put me through the ringer. We've met every week with John. He recently married a member of the Church and has been meeting with missionaries ever since. When I first met with John he considered himself sort of agnostic. After a lot of discussions, spiritual experiences, and amazing member fellowship. John is a completely different person than the first time I met him.

      His story is quite long, and I don't know if I have much time to tell it all. To make a long story short, John is going to be baptized on September 14th. This man has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith like you would not believe. He is going to make an amazing member of the Church. After a lot of blunt discussions with him, and a lot of spiritual experiences. He has began to pray, and received a witness that he needs to be baptized. This is huge! The ward has been waiting for John for a long time. He has been one of the most active and charitable "members" of the church for the last 15 months. He is a great guy. I found out that we were going to be transferred last Saturday. That same day we had the amazing opportunity to go the the Nashville Tribute Concert. Peg and John both came to the concert. When I saw Peg I want up to her and said, "Peg, I am being transferred." Haha. I thought her world just about ended. She said, "No! You can't leave. You are the Elder that is going to baptize John! No! Where is your mission President, I am going to talk with him." Haha. I did not advocate her idea to talk with President. But sure enough she hunted down President Harding in the crowd and gave him the fifth degree... Haha. Peg was not the only one to talk with him, but John too. Luckily John was a bit more understanding. Haha. The Tuesday before we left we asked Peg and John if we could sit down with them and have one last lesson. In this lesson we planned out John's baptism for the 14th!

      

       Things were great in the Lost Mountain ward, and I am proud of the miracles that happened there. I am so excited to be serving here in Dallas. This past week Elder Anderson and I have been working our tails off. We have been talking with EVERYONE and sharing our story. I can tell that Elder Anderson really loves the way that I do missionary work. He is very excited to be my companion. I am doing my best to teach him all that I know. When we first got together I shared with him my favorite quote from LeGrand Richards, "As a missionary, you never have to argue, if you know how to tell our story." This statement is so true. If you know how to tell our story, you never have to argue. We have really worked hard on being able to tell our story in the most affective way possible.