Howdy Ho!

Who the heck knows

Hello!

How's everyone doing? Sounds like the weather has got the best of ya! Well

it's getting the best of me here to! Sunburns kinda hurt sometimes! But

things are going really good here! Picked up a new companion last week! His

name is Elder Linnemeyer and he's from...wait for it.... San Antonio!!! And

guess who his favorite basketball team is!!! BOO-YAH!!!! Da Spurs!!!! So you

could say it was love at first sight! It's been going pretty good with us we

get along really good! I've been a pretty fortunate companion wise on my

mission so he falls right in with most of them... Things are going pretty

good here I think that we're going to go play basketball right now so I've

got to make this thing a little short because I'm being rushed to get off!

But other than that there's not really a whole lot of news going on just

same old same old. Last week was kind of a tough week but that means that

this week is just going to be that much better so I hope for the same to all

of you. have a good week and take care of yourselves and know I love you

all!!!

in the word of Bob... One love,

Elder Lawter

This kid just got his call to Chile! 

He went to a Taco Shop that was based on Nacho Libre! Ryan's dream come true... 

Playing Wiffeball at Petco Park! 

The mom loved Ryan's goofy...I mean stylish glasses!

Buenas!!

Como estan ustedes!
So I just got off the phone with the zone leaders and it looks like I'm
going to be staying here another transfer!!! I'm soooo stoked for that!!!
Unfortunately my compo is leaving but things are doin way sick here! Last
week was another just boss week added 4 more investigators had some peeps at
church people are getting closer and closer to baptism, Enrique (remember
the guy that I was talking about last week?) he's planning on getting
baptized in the middle of next month but the crummy thing is that he's
moving back to Mexico next month because there's a preacher he said that
trying to steal his property and take his stuff in his other house
in Mexico...So he's planning on moving back but...we're planning a getting
him baptized and transferring his records to the ward boundaries where he
will be moving to ha...God always provides a way and always provides safety
for the soul. Things are just happening and I hope I finish my mission
here...maybe a little bit of butt kissing and convincing and that dream
might come true but it's all in His hands so if I do GREAT and if I don't
then it is what it is. Speaking of the Lord's timing I was reading President
Uchtdorf's recent talk call "Of Things That Matter Most." Just like all of
President Uchtdorf's talks they stick out to me but this part stuck out to
me the most he said, "One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be
that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or
obstacles. Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up
a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think
that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood
the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during
times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their
lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little
sense of meaning in their lives. It is said that any virtue when taken to an
extreme can become a vice. Over scheduling our days would certainly qualify
for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and
ambitions, albatrosses around our necks. The wise understand and apply the
lessons of tree rings and air turbulence. They resist the temptation to get
caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”  *In short, they focus on
the things that matter most." *
So what is it that truly matters most to us? If we let that question really
sink in and think about it.... it's evident it's; our family, it's our
faith, it's those loves of our lives that we literally couldn't live
without. So why is it sometimes that those things and those precious people
that we love so much take a back seat to other things which are of less
importance if indeed these things truly matter the most to us. If things
that bother us the most don't involve the things that matter to us the most
then they really don't matter. It's the things of eternal that we're
seaching for and the people in our lives that we're going there with. It's
all about the love folks and "that's all I have to say about that."
One Love y'all talk to ya next week,
Love,
Elder Ryan Lawter

Howdy hey y'all!

So once again here we are another week.... Last week was a really good week for Elder Harper and myself we saw a lot of people that pretty much fell of the face of the earth on us and we added 6 new investigators and for our area that's huge! I'm pretty sure that's the most we've added in a week since I've been here. So things are startin to happen.... It's been a long time since this areas been up and runnin and I just hope that I don't get transferred next week just as soon as it does but if I do it's nothin new...the story of my mission but I guess it's all in the Lord's plans and time maybe I'm just suppose to find em' and get em' goin...either way if it's the Lord's plan I'm down...can't really argue with Him right? But there is one story that actually happened yesterday that really struck me... Last week we got in contact with a man named Enrique (Iglesias...haha I wish) but yesterday was actually the 1st sit down lesson that we've had with him and there has been just a hand full of times that I've felt the spirit that strong like I did in our lesson with Enrique. Enrique kind of is your stereotypical Mexican he works a cleaning job, lives in an apartment with 3 other Mexican dudes, he's just everything Mexicany (new word I just made up) goin for him. That's what you see on the outside and to be honest that's all I really saw of the Mexican culture before my mission... A person exactly like Enrique was the 1st thing that always popped into my head when I thought of a Mexican before my mission but just like everyone... everyone has their own story to tell and a heart inside that's the same as everyone elses no matter the look on the outside. But the more we got to know this man the sadder and sadder it got. We learned that his wife left him with his 2 kids just some random day he knows where they are and he told us that that's pretty much the only reason why he works is to send his paycheck to his kids to support them.... he told us a bunch of other sad things but the saddest to me was that he's at the point right now that he questions if God even exists anymore... He told us that he had a teacher for 5 years that told him pretty much everyday and tried to prove to him that there was no God and chasing after vain hopes that He really exists is pointless and a waste of time. It's weird because 99.999999999% of the people that I've taught on my mission have a die-hard belief in God and His son Jesus Christ and to teach someone who questions that isn't really the easiest thing. So the more we talk I asked him so what do you want to believe? and he paused for a second....started to tear up and said I want to believe. and he told us that that's why he let us in...he said I've been lost for too long now...and now's the time to get on the path and be a believer. There are no coincidences he said and that if there is a God I know that he sent you two to me. So we started to talk more and I was shaking as I was baring just pure testimony to him of the reality and deity of God our Eternal Father and His plan for us to come back home to him because the Spirit was sooo strong and testifying right to me. To have different beliefs in religion is one thing but to not believe in God that's one of the saddest things anyone has ever told. How grateful we should be to have a testimony of our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ and that they live! Mormon, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist whatever religion people believe it the greatest testimony that we all have and all share is of our Father in Heaven. So with Enrique we introduced him to the Book of Mormon explaining to him that it is a sacred and divine scripture that testifies that Jesus is the Christ and God is the Father of us all and that he would draw near to them by diligently studying and praying and he told us that he believes that this is the way...he told us that he's never read a book in his life before but that this he will read and pay so close attention to, to gain a sure testimony of these things. "Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives...I know that my Redeemer lives." It's my pray that all His children may come unto Him and know and by praying directly to him, go to Church, and studying the scriptures we may know!

Love you all have a great week!!!! Talk at ya next week!!

Much love!

Elder Ryan Lawter

Happy 2011!

Happy New Years!!!!

What a good year it's gonna be this year! It just seems like yesterday we were just stepping into 2010 but here we go 2011...everyone have their new years resolutions and goals that they're working towards this year...I know that I've got mine!!!! So for new years eve we didn't do much. We were suppose to be in by night fall then we suppose to weekly plan that night and what weekly planning is, is we sit down for maybe 2-3 hours and discuss in our companionship what we need to get done, accomplished, planning for our investigators in what we feel inspired to teach them from their needs and things like that...so it definitely wasn't something that we wanted to be doing on new years eve but we got it done popped open some champagne and called it a night....just kidding bout the champagne part...I'll probably get in trouble from that one if President looks at my blog which I know these emails go up on...but yeah we were party animals this year plan then in bed by 10:30 whoopie!!!! But 2010's been a fun year definitely been a year of a lot of up's and for sure a lot of downs but I think I've come out of them stronger and with more experience from them...You definitely learn a lot from trials and struggles and looking back they've all been worth it so looking forward let's make the best of this year and not waste a minute that the Lord's given us cuz it's a minute that we'll never get back and before you know it the months over then the year....

Take care everyone love you soo much and have a good week!!!

Love,

Elder Lawter

"2011! We are party animals..right after this picture, we went to bed."

"I don't know what the heck Vivian's mom was doing, haha" 

After an old missionary's wedding in San Diego (Todd Ulrich) 

"My big white friend..."

"...and my two little brown friends...santa's little elves" 

"This was on the Quintero's on Christmas. We played pictionary! It was solid..." 

"At the MCRD...we don't work there anymore since the time changed for the new year."

"President Bennett at the MCRD...he has like a billion war stories, they're pretty sick..."

"The Griffith's from Missouri...they love me...Missouri lovin"

"An english member that HOOKS...US..UP!!! Her names Chanhom...shes from Laotia...and she's pretty much da bomb! She's the one who we ate the ducks with.."

Dinner at the Munoz's

Happy New Year!

Hey Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! I know mine was really really

good!!! I feel like I don't really have a whole lot of amazinly interesting

news we just went to the MCRD to sing for a Christmas Devotional Christmas

morning, came back to the house opened presents, the I took a nap while my

companion was talking to his family on the phone, then we went to a members

house to eat lunch played pictionary then talked to all of my fam the rest

of the night....not too shabby if you ask me. It was just a chill Christmas

nothing too big. but I probably need to wrap this up actually the library

that we usually go to is closed this week so we had to go to a different one

and they don't give you as much time as the other but next week the library

should be open again so I'll be able to send a longer one! But take care

everyone, love you all and I'll talk at cha next week!!!

Much love,

Elder Ryan Lawter

Howdy Everyone!
Welp...never thought I'd say it but looks like we're gonna have a white
Christmas down here in San Diego....white as in whitewater...it's been
raining down here for about 2 days straight and the news on the street is
that it's not gonna stop for another 2 weeks. They're predicting record
rainfall down here in Sunny SoCal. It's pretty crazy because already they're
blocking off streets because of the flooding everywhere... and there's been
a lot of wrecks around too... Dang Californias..they act like it only rains
a few times a year down here.... I think tomorrow we're actually going to go
play some fooseball in the rain... What happened this week was we had what's
called a MTE or Missionary Training Exhange today and yesterday for our zone
and another zone so what President wanted us to do was switch our P-day from
today to yesterday but still go email because he said he doesn't want any
angry phone calls from angry moms who don't get an email from their kid
haha.... So I guess other kids mommas are just like mine..."aren't all mamas
the same?" ha....  so that's the deal today and tomorrow President said it's
our early Christmas gift to email today... I'll take it! Especially because
tomorrow's gonna be a busy day! Let's see I've got Todd Ulrich's sealing
tomorrow which I got permission from President to go to! So that'll be
pretty sick, then mud football, then our district is gonna have a big nerf
gun war in the church building, then Thursday's our mission Christmas party,
Friday's Noche Buena, and then Saturday Feliz Navidad! So it's gonna be a
goooooood week coming up!
It's been a good time at Christmas this year... What we've been doing as a
companionship and a district is wrapping Joy to the World, The Testaments,
The Restoration, Mr. Krugers Christmas DVD's, Copies of the Book of Mormon
etc. just all these kinds of stuff and we've been handing them out like
candy to people; members to give to their friends, investigators, people
whom we talk to on the street... Just anybody and giving them a gift that
will really change their lives and those around them...truly what we're
doing is giving these people access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ in
which other ways cannot be accessed unless through us and the church we
represent....and what an incredible Christmas it's been! Goin out with a
bang this last one! We've also been caroling and handing out our Christmas
cards to our members and investigators and knocking on doors of apartment
complexes and singing in the courtyard..It's actually been really
effective...we've found a few families to teach through it so it's produced
some good results. And you can just tell that's there's a different spirit
about the people whom we're already teaching and the people in whom we talk
with. It's pretty cool and I hope that everyone's able to feel that same
spirit that comes from the joy of Christmas! Have a HAPPY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!
Love you all and ENJOY!!!!
Feliz Navidad!
Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Ryan Lawter

I mean...Feliz Navidad!!

Feliz Navidad!....Casi.... solomente tenemos falta once dias!!! No puedo
esperar!
It's almost here! We've been doing a lot of caroling, watch Joy to the World
with people, helping people decorate, sharing scriptures about Christ's
birth....it's been sooo much fun!
 And as well amazing to see the Spirit of Christmas in everybody. It's weird
thinking that this is going to be my last Christmas as a missionary but it
for sure has been one of the best ones! There hasn't been any crazy news
or blow you off your feet miracles but it seems since December hit we've had
just little miracles each and everyday; people being home that usually
aren't home, finding people on the street that we've been looking for
forever, people generally have been more accepting and letting us in just
like things like that have been happening more and more everyday and there's
no doubt in my mind that it's the Spirit of Chirst the true Spirit of
Christmas inside of these people and inside of us as well.
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. "And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men."
It's my prayer that what we keep in our hearts and we give "Glory to God in
the highest." This day and everyday.
Love you all talk to ya next week!!!
Feliz Navidad!
Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Ryan Lawter