First week in San Diego!

**Just a little side note, Ryan was VERY disappointed when he opened and call and found out he was speaking english. That boy has mexican blood, so he was hoping to speak some espanol! It just goes to show how the Lord works in all of our lives. It may not be on our timing or how we think it will go, but everything works out!!
Keep Ryan in your prayers as he is in a not-so-ideal area. But, he will be great! We love him lots!
-Whitney


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Hola La Famila,
Hablo es mucho gusto! My Spanish is raunchy but Do you see where I'm going 
with this???
Wed. morning before our transfers we had personal interviews with Pres. 
Donaldson and one of the first things he asked me was "so what did you think 
when you open your call up?" I said, "Well was kind of disappointed to an 
extent, I said I kind of wanted to serve spanish speaking. I told him about 
our mexican lineage and Uncle Buck, Uncle Russ, and Uncle Mike all serving 
Spanish-speaking so I was a little bit bummed when it said english-speaking 
and that I was kind of anticipating a Spanish-speaking mission but I told 
President that the more it sunk in; English-speaking, San Diego, 3 weeks at 
the MTC, I told him it kept sounding better and better each day. He said 
"Well, I guess those intuitions weren't just a coincidence. He said that he 
did alot of praying and he needed another Spanish-speaking elder and guess 
who it was??? (If you don't get this right I would shame myself) IT"S ME!!! 
I got switched to Spanish!!! I thought about not telling you and then 
bearing my testimony or talking to you in spanish on Christmas but freak I 
can't keep a secret! Especially one this big! So as of Wed.... Hablo 
Espanol.... Crazy huh!? There is a negative to this, actually there's a few. 
For one when we go teaching I just sit there like a retard staring into 
space while my companion talks to the people. And two I'm in El Cajon/Santee 
area. It's not a very good area where I'm at. Alot of mexicans, arabs, and 
blacks as well as alot of poor people, drug, people, and drunk people. So 
it's a real rough part of town and that's pretty much how it's going to be, 
so I've already had a few interesting experiences; been yelled at, flipped 
off, a lady said that she would make my night haha... a bunch of CrAzY 
people out here but it's fun. I've been into places that smell like a 
dumpster and that look like a dumpster too. When people get done with a bowl 
of something they don't wash it oh no that would be too much work, so they 
just leave it there and go get a new bowl. I wouldn't let a cow live in some 
of these places, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My companions name is 
Elder Law kind of funny Elder Law and Elder Lawter, it was ment to be. He's 
a really cool guy; he's from Idaho, loves sports, same personality as me, 
just real chill and lax so we get along really well. Just the experinces 
already are awesome to. I might be able to understand people when we teach 
but I can feel the Spirit and that's the best part and I can see it working 
on the people. I have actually taught a few times we get a young person that 
speaks both spanish and english so I'll get to teach sometimes but for the 
most part I'm just sittin there smilin away! It's like 95 degrees here too! 
That weather channel thing is full of crap! It's soooo hot! I guess I'm 
closer to the desert but still! Where I'm at too isn't pretty at all. It's 
dry and baron, worse than Utah even! I'm sure there's pretty parts like 
everyone said but I haven't seen em yet! Actually I take that back, when we 
flew in on Wed, the airport is right downtown and right by the ocean so that 
was pretty cool but that's the only part I saw. Ok now for a few 
experiences. First off today's my P-day so you'll get an e-mail every mon. 
btw. Anyways, Elder Law and I have a few investigators that have committed 
to baptism we just have to get them to the baptism. Satan works overtime on 
those people and its crazy to see. For example we have an investigator named 
Gabby (she speaks english so I get to teach her, Yea!) and she wants to go 
to church wants to be baptized but everytime she makes an effort to go to 
church something ends up happening. Last fri. her brother got pulled over 
just for a routine check, and he doesn't have his citizenship or a license 
but worst of all he had some creatine in a bag because he was going to go 
workout but the cops saw it, thought he was trying to impersonate the 
creatine for crack or something like that and so he got arrested and Gabby 
had to stay home Sunday to wait for her brother to call and the lawyer! Uh! 
Stupid Satan! So it's difficult to see these people just want to do go but 
bad things end up tying them down. Another investigator we have is awesome! 
His name is Edson and he's so stoked about the gospel! He speaks English too 
so there's another one I teach! (But that's about it as English goes) So he 
was going to go to church but he had to work and his boss said if he didn't 
come that he'd get fired. Just random crap like that happens! It's 
frustrating! So we've been pretty diligent with our investigators that are 
on the brink of baptism and we're constantly running all of the Santee area! 
I'm sooo exhausted when we get home! We have a car so that's good but we 
also have the largest area to cover in the mission because we're 
spanish-speaking and we've got alot of responsibility on our hands! But it's 
good. Busy is good. One more experience then I've gotta run; we've got 
shopping then B-Ball later on!!! So my first night here, Wed. night I went 
on splits with a member that spoke english and he's 19 so he was way cool, I 
told him all about you guys and Whitney and he was so theraputic (I don't 
know if that's how you spell it but you know what I'm talking about). But we 
were walking on main street contacting in El Cajon and we were walking by a 
bar and there was this man sitting outside that just wouldn't take his eyes 
off us. Then he said you boys missionaries? We were like uh yea!!! Then he 
invited us to sit down and talk to him and I have never smelled so much 
alcohol on someone, I'm suprised he wasn't already passed out. So we sat 
down, asked him how it was going and he said not good. So the more we talked 
the more he wanted to preach to us instead of the other way around. So we 
let him mumble and slur all over the place then we started telling him how 
the gopsel would help his life. He was in bad shape; his clothes looked 
dingy, he smelt, he was drunk, looked like he hadn't taken a shower in a 
year, but he did have a wedding ring on so it made us wonder. He wouldn't 
really accept anything that we were saying but he did say that we helped him 
more than we knew. He said that we were like his sons and that he loved us, 
I don't know if that was because he was drunk or what but he said that he 
was sooo angry and that he could strangle someone but we calmed him down, 
seems like I do that alot, I don't know what it is about me. But after he 
was done saying every name in the book and we were done giving him our 
number to call us when he sobered up he told us that we were truley sent 
from God to help him. His name was Michael and he was my first experience 
talking to a real person in San Diego about the gospel. It was so neat! We 
talked for like an hour and a half. An experience I will truely never 
forget!
So welp I better get runnin but I love you all, who ever is reading this and 
I'll be back on next monday to write some more! Hope you have a good week!

Mucho Mucho LOVE,
Elder Lawter

Week 2-7/14/09

You can see all the pictures better/bigger by clicking on them!

Ryan's MTC District!! Ryan is 3rd from the left. His companions (Elder Hall and Elder Burbank) are squatting in front!

Elder Hall and Elder Lawter are the only 2 in their district going to San Diego

Elder Lawter's District again...Ryan is District Leader! He is standing 2nd from right, kind of in the back.

Hey!So here it is the P-day email. It seems so crazy that it's already been a week since I last emailed! They weren't kidding when they say that your mission just blows by! I'll be in San Diego next time I email! Insane! I've meet lots of people here and have cultivated alot of friendships! It's going to be sad when Elder Hall and I leave for San Diego and the rest of our district leaves for New Mexico. I don't know if I told you this but my district consists of nine elders and only Elder Hall and I are the only ones going to San Diego, so it's going to be a little bit sad seeing our friends leave but we'll see them either in this life or the next and we can talk all about our missions! Oh don't know if I told you this either I don't know how it slipped my mind but I was our district leader here at the MTC! haha a little late notice but it was cool. I got a letter from the President of the MTC thanking me for my service as district leader. I'm gonna send the letter home so you can look at it. Right now I'm just in the insanly hot laundry room on the computer, sweating as we speak! The last week has been full of sweet things. I got to teach a few lessons; one about the Book of Mormon and another about baptism they we're both really cool! But I think the coolest experince happened last monday a few days ago when my companions and I taught an investigator at our TA (Teaching Appointment). Well to start the story we only had like a day to learn the WHOLE second lesson, find scriputres and be able to teach it! Talk about PAH..RESSURE! I wasn't nervous but a little uncertain how the whole thing would turn out. So we got there and about 5 minutes before we were about to teach the lesson to our investigator (his name was Johnathan and we taught him the first lesson the week before) our teacher came to us and told us he was a no show but they had some one else lined up. So we were like crap! We don't know nothing about this person, what her story is, what her concerns are, so it was pretty much a blind-date, a gospel blind-date! So before we went in my companions were freaking! I told em' just chill and let's say a prayer, so we said a prayer and they were still shakin like a salt shaker. So by this point I kind of anticipated me teaching most of the lesson becuase they were like a deer in the headlight. So we went in and it was amazing! I taught for the most part and it was incredible! Here at the MTC they always say just open your mouth and let the Spirit guide and that's what happend! The words just poured out like I've been teaching since April 23, 1990. The best part was when I told the lady to repent. haha. I said it as bodly as I could. There was no beating around the bush on this baby, I went straight for the kill. I told her that it was imparative that she takes full advantage of the Atonement, repents and prays about baptism. Her eyes got so big like out of shock and that was exactly the respose I was looking for. I didn't want her to take this subject lightly becuase the Atonement IS the gospel, not apart of it. She said that it was shocking and a little harsh how I put it but the more I talked to her the more she accepted the fact that yea, I do need to make a change and come unto Christ. I bore my testimony of the blessings that is in store for her if she keeps her commitments and she was like on the brink of crying. When we got out I was on cloud 9! One of the best if not THE best experince I've had here! I felt like a true messenger of God. This week is going to go by so fast and like-wise starting tuesday these two years are gonna blow by! NO DOUBTY! So speaking of me calling, I'm fairly sure I'll get to call so tell Whitney, Grandma, Grandpa, Callie, Annie, Murph, Duncan, whoever to crowd around the phone! I should be calling anywhere from 8-10 your time! I look forward to talking so much! Welp I've only got a minute left on my timer, stupid thing! But this will be the last time I have only 30 min to e-mail cuz I'll be in Sunny San Diego! Well I love you all mucho mucho! Mom, Dad, Grandma(s), Grandpa(s), Whitney! Everyone! OLOve yuou

Week 1- 7/6/09

Hey everyone!So today is my P-day....Finally! Missionaries have said that once you get to Sunday then it will go by way fast! It's true! Last week drug on and on FOREVER! But this week has been really quick and I think that's how it's gonna go for the rest of my mission! I hope everyone's doing fine! Things here are going really good! The progression spiritually that Iv'e seen in myself is incredicle! Only after six days being here, I've already pretty much got the first lesson down! My companions and I work pretty well together, sometimes they can be dweebs but we're all here for the same cause and that's what I always tell myself when I wanna slap em'. It seems like so much has gone on since I've been here! Some cool stories I'll tell you, a few actually happened yesterday.... There's a place in the MTC that's called the RC which means the Referal Center and what we do is we take call and make calls from people who call the church for Book of Mormons and other things like on the Bible and what we do is send it to them but pretty much talk to them about the Gospel over the phone. I get nervous sometimes because I don't know what to say but when instinces like that happen the Spirit never fails me by putting words in my mouth every single time! It's incredicle the Spirit that is here! Besides Temples I don't think there's another place on earth that holds the Spirit so strongly! But anyways story time... So this lady called me yesterday and she had a really twangy raspy voice and all's she wanted was a Bible. She would always ask me what's the catch? where's the hidden fees? you're not going to contract me to be baptized are you? just all of these crazy things. So as we started talking I asked her so why did you call to order a Bible? She told me that she's made some mistakes in her life that she can't escape.... Turns out when I was getting her address and information that she was in a state penetentary in Oregon. As confussed as she sounded on the phone, she new what she wanted and that was a fresh start. She had no where to run from her problems, which kind of made me feel for her but at the same time made me grateful for where I'm at in life and where you guys have led me. i wrote in my journal last night about graditude and i came to the conclusion that without your support and love i would absolutely be no where in life. so thank you. p.s. somethings wrong with this computer im trying to capitalize letters and make explanation marks but it's hit and miss sometimes. So I hope that you got my letter! Sorry it was a little later but I have been so busy here! Almost to busy to breath but it's a good busy! Today we went to the temple and just an overwhelming feeling came upon me today. It was the most comforting feeling that I've had since I've been here! It felt as if you both and Whitney were with me at the same time. I get that feeling everytime I'm around any of you and it just feels like home to me. It was a blessing to feel that way for a change out here but I'm doing really well in that sense, I miss home alot and you guys everyday but I also have an understanding of why I'm here! I'm getting lost in the work and it has made things go so much faster! My branch counselor's son just got back from a mission last week and he said it was without a doubt the fastest two years of his families life! Although I envy his position of already serving and being home, at the sametime I don't. I know I'm suppose to be here and what a blessing it is for me to serve the Lord! The food here is just like the Cannon Center so it's no that bad. Tell Debbie and Emily I said hello, I'm running out of time... We only get 30 min to e-mail which stinks but it's better than nothing, when I get to San Diego I'll have much more time to sit and write. So for now I'll leave you with this... Alma 36:3, it's about trials and afflictions read over it and it will help you just as much as it did me! My time's running out so I'll try to write a letter when I get time!Hope everyone's doing good!Love You!

Elder Lawter