Happy Easter

Howdy everyone!

So…Sorry this email is coming a day late but all of the libraries in San Diego are starting to close now on Mondays..kinda lame but I don’t know really the cause of why they’re all shutting down on Mondays but whatev so I guess we’ll have to kind of settle on Tuesdays unless we can find some other way because this is the closest library within miles of us and we don’t have a car so it makes it kind of hard but anywhoo that’s what’s going on email wise.. So how’s everybody doing!? Let’s see recap of last week..A-MAZING as I told you last week Elder Holland came to dedicate the Mormon Battalion Center along with Elder Hinkley and Elder Jensen! It was so crazy to shake an Apostle of the Lord’s hand and to talk with him face to face…really words can’t explain the feeling and the power, and the spirit that those men literally radiate! We had a conference for about 3 hours and after it was all said and done I had a headache for an hour or so…. Just the power in Elder Holland’s words is just overtaking really…. I just kept thinking to myself the whole time…you know this is an Apostle of the Lord…just think about how it’s gonna be when we actually stand before God himself and His Son Jesus Christ…. I’m gonna need like 50 ibuprofens if just an Apostle gives me a headache for an hour ha. But really it was just an amazing experience to listen from all three of those men and to talk with them face-to-face…. I’d like to add that Elder Jensen told me that I looked really sharp in my suit and tie….yea I was pretty much flauntin it that day for those guys….maybe they’ll give me a shout-out in conference this weekend…. “I’d like to tell a story of the sharpest looking missionary I think that I’ve ever seen…..” naa but hey it could happen…. It was really neat because after all the missionaries went up and shook Elder Holland’s hand and Elder Hinkley and Jensen’s too Elder Holland spoke and said that when we went up there and shook his hand he said he looked each of us in the eyes and interviewed us right there on the spot…scared the crap out of me when he said that but he said that of all the missions that he’s traveled to in the world throughout his years as a general authority, he said that this was the most obedient and best looking group that he’s ever seen… so I guess that means we passed ha! But it’s so interesting…those men can just see right through people and discern their needs and everything…. Another interesting thing that I saw was before Elder Holland got up to speak, the whole time he had his hands in his face kind of rocking back and forth just receiving revelation out the wazooo and literally just wrestling with the spirit…it was intense…I took a bunch of notes but dang it I forgot them at the house so I’ll have to include some of the things he said next week in my email. So yea that was pretty much my week this past week and then tomorrow we have transfers, then this weekend we’ll have General Conference (stoked for dat), then in a few weeks it’s my compleanos!, then a few weeks after that it’s call home day well more importantly it’s mother’s day but still…excited to call home!!! So there’s a lot of stuff going on in the next bit then before too long we’ll be past the count up to a year and to the countdown to the next July…it’s certainly goin by fast but it’s been so good! I’m so blessed and happy to be out here serving God’s children and helping them make the journey back to Him, something interesting that Elder Holland said was that “Salvation does not come cheap,” and that the road to Salvation always goes through the Garden at one point or another. He knows exactly what we’ve been through, what we’re going through, and what we will go through so always remember that and keep Him in yours prayers for His help and support always and He WILL help you through!

Like always I love you all so much and hope that you have a happy and safe week!

Much Love…One Love,

Elder Ryan Lawter