Pictures...Finally

Another short email, but it's better than nothing!
Thanks for your love and support!

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hey everyone!
how's it goin! Things are good here! Things are startin to smooth out with the bishop and everything...we had a coordination meeting this past sunday and it seems like the dudes taking a change of heart...I don't know what happened?? I don't know if word got to his mom and she wasn't too happy or what but things are goin really well! We are soooooo busy it seems! I'm the busiest I've been my whole mission....we have appointments from like 3 on to the rest of the night every night so I'm probably gonna sound scatter brained and everything but uhh....get used to it for another 10 months then we'll have all the time in the world to chat after I can take a breath but yea the work is amazing and it seems like the Spirit of the Lord is working overtime with us as well and miracles are just popping up....just a few minutes ago I just got done talking to a man in a wheelchair who wants to know more and come to church....the Lord is placing them everywhere in our paths, like this is an everyday occurance so yea is all good!!! And I'm loving it!!! but I better get steppin we've actually got an appointment with a less-active family here pretty soon but I'll talk with you all next week!! Take care and love you alll!!!!!!
Much love,
Elder Lawter

Smile!

Hey everyone.....
Man it's seems like it's been awhile since I've got an email out....it's
been a little...hectic I guess you could say lately....lot on my plate...
not just talking bout food either....
Things are goin pretty good down here....it's been a weird starting few
weeks of the transfer...we've had some problems with the bishop and other
things like that but I think now that President Donaldson's involved things
are starting to smooth out...we've got a lot of people though that are solid
it's just all of em have little things that seem like mountains to them to
get over...it ain't easy (bein cheesy).... but all-in-all everything's good
I don't have anything really big or crazy to tell...it's all pretty chill
around here...everyone for the most part is generally nice maybe not
accepting but I'll definitely take nice over a lot of things.
I don't really know what all is gonna go down today I think we might go down
by the boarder and look at some shops or something nothing too
exciting....man as time goes on and on I realize how lame my life is haha
well not lame in a spiritual sense but when you can't go to the beach or do
anything really that San Diego has to offer it makes things kind of
difficult to come up with some stories or something but it's all good...I
love you all know that but I better head off got.....lots to do today haha
Love you all I'll talk to ya later!
Much luv,
Elder Ryan Lawter

Hey there

Hey everyone!

How’s it goin? Welp I’ve realized looking over my emails over the past months that they just seem to get increasingly smaller and smaller….before too long it’s just gonna be a hi and bye and that’s that ha…not really but when you’ve been writing emails for 50 some odd weeks or so everything starts to sound the same…and when you do the same thing for 50 some odd weeks everything is the same…..workin hard, havin fun, lovin life. I honestly don’t know how people write books…it’s ridiculous but seriously everything’s goin good! Transfers are already coming back up, it’s been crazy that it’s already been 6 weeks since I’ve got here in Chula Vista….time’s just been goin by way too fast but I guess that’s part of it…part of life…I honestly don’t know what’s gonna happen with transfers…I don’t know what’s gonna happen with my companion and I but we kind of got a hint that he’s gonna take off but who knows. President Donaldson has been moving the Spanish work along pretty rapidly though…. I think the general authorities are pushin for San Diego to be one of the vocal points for the church so there have been a few branches going up down here and this transfer they’re bringing in I think 17 Spanish missionaries…that’s a huge group coming in…when my group came out there was only 9 of us and that was Spanish and English combined so if that kind of paints a picture. “The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; … the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” It’s definitely moving that way and it’s inevitable…things are happening at such a rapid rate before too long it’s gonna be hard to keep up...President Donaldson was also speaking about how China is gonna open up to missionary work before too long and that the missions, membership, everything is going to double within the span of a few decades…crazy but here starts here and now, little by little and how grateful I am to make probably not even the tiniest of a fraction of a difference…but all in all it’s rollin… It’s been such a blessing to be here…that’s probably the best word to describe it is just one big blessing. Love my Savior and I love this gospel…It’s something that I’ve never felt anything like it in my life and it’s something that I’ll probably never quite feel again so I’m eating it up as much as I can… and I know without a doubt it’s true...you just can’t explain these feelings…it’s crazy… I probably sound like an idiot who has no idea what he’s talking about but that’s how it is…the joy is indescribable…and the blessings and feelings are eternal and I’m grateful for it.

Have a good week and I will talk with you on the flip-flop!

-Elder Ryan Lawter

Dear errryone….

Welp here we are…last july 20th of emailin home…that sounds kinda weird, but kinda cool, but kinda scary at the same time….mom you’re gonna kill me for saying this but I’m at the point know where things are clicking on all cylinders…my Spanish is a hecka lot better than it’s ever been and things are just sick right now…. You could say it’s been real…you could say it’s been good…and you could even say it’s been real good… I love it I absolutely do… I’ll probably be bald by time I get home thanks to Mexican stubbornness but with sacrifice comes blessings from God…..Rogaine. So but yea things are sweet…still don’t know what the heck I’m doing but I’m doing it….and for some odd reason it’s working. That’s something that I think I’ve learned the most on my mission is it’s not so much how much we know or how well we say…it’s how well we mean it…that’s when the hearts of people really change is when you say something as simple as I know this church is true…and mean it…and the Spirit does the rest…and through it all He somehow makes my Spaiberish make sense.

And I do more than every I know that this church is really Christ’s church among the earth…it hits me pretty much everyday multiple times a day…we were reading in the introduction to the Book of Mormon and it just hit me like this is it…this is what people search their whole lives for and how I am so blessed to have this in my life… So yes I know that my Savior lives… I know that He loves us and wants us to follow Him and if we do so…we will have more than we have ever dreamed of…. I love my Savior and am so grateful to wear His name each and every day…I know without a doubt that these things and all the things we as missionaries teach are true…this is “it”.

I love you all too I hope you know that…through thick and thin it’s all the same… I pray for you and hope that you all have a great week!!! And take care!!!

Hasta pronto y les quiero!

Much love,

Elder Ryan Lawter

Keep on Keepin on!

Greetings from San Diego,

Sorry I wasn’t able to get an e-mail out last week but the dang computer shut me down before I could send out the e-mail…so I switched libraries….. Personally…I’m still a Mid-Content die hard at heart so all of these libraries are just disappointing to me but I’m getting used to it…getting used to the area, getting used to the members, getting used to the weather…oh wait… yea everything I’m still getting used to because I was in the Barrio for so long but it’s good, I’m getting it down and loving it like always….the car and the members well and our investigators as well might be the death to my heart because all we do is drive to a home…walk to the door…sit down…walk to our car…sit down… drive to another home…so the chubby bunny might make a reappearance but I’m trying to combat it...we had a good p-day today…lots of running…lots of basketball…lots of volleyball so I just try to catch up on my out-of-shapeness every p-day…so no worries health, I’ve got it covered. It does get annoying to me because our area is massive and it’s not like the Barrio where everyone is Mexican…no it’s some here some there…some over here and some over there… but it’s good though…makes the Mexican hunting all that more joyful for me he he heee.

But all in all things are good here. Can’t complain…lot’s of work...siempre. But that work is calling so I’ve got get scidadling (?)

Take care of yourselves…love you like always and pray for you like always. Have a good week and we’ll be talking at cha next week!!

Much love,

Elder Ryan Lawter

Happy One Year!

Dear Family,

Just a real quick note because I don’t have a whole lot of time but just writing to let cha all know that I’m doin alright and that I’m actually in Chula Vista right now!!! It’s sick…but it’s weird at the same time…. I got transferred from the poorest most ghetto place in San Diego to pretty much one of the richest if not the richest (next to La Jolla), places in San Diego….it’s nice to see your own breed for a change…but there are still a lot of hispanics here too and a lot of work!!! I’m serving in the Chula Vista 4^th ward so actually this is the 1^st ward that I’ve ever served in…this past year I’ve only been in branches….and to top it all off….chea I’ve got a car…1^st time in a year… So probably the most changes that could occur in a missionaries life just happened to me….it’s nice. Oh yea I got a new companion too….his name is Elder Gregory….and uh….well that’s all I have to say about that…. I’ll make it though, no worries…just prayers.

But yea that’s pretty much the update on my life…pure sweetness. We’ve got a few solid families that we’re teaching… I mean it’s heaven here!!! So no worries about me.. I am set for a bit…but I’ve also gotta run too!

Love you all chat at cha next week!

-Elder Ryan Lawter