Ryan's letter:
Subject: Again
I don't know why this was sent back to me last week but here it is again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ryan Allred
To: ALLREDK@byui.edu
Cc:
Date:
Subject: Better late than never Right?
Family!
Wow, I am so sorry I didn't bet this sent off yesterday. We were unfortunate enough to have a snow storm yesterday, all of about an eight of an inch maybe. But because of the "blizzard" all of the internet was out in Loomis. Then we have been really busy today with transfers. I was afraid I was going to have to leave Sister Moss right before Christmas but I was lucky and I wil be here for another six weeks. This morning while I was in the mission office I got to see Elder Joseph Hansen ans Elder Derek Sommer who I had been to high school with and started their missions today. I just found out that Elder Sommer has been assigned to serve in my zone. It will be great to be with him again.
I got a REALLY big rice-crispy treat from Kristie this week, but don't worry, with the help of Sister Moss and Elder Haines we took care of it.
Well I hope you have a great day, Much Love!
Elder Allred
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
December 14, 2009
Ryan's letter:
Subject: I hope by then I will be ready....for Christmas!!
Dear Family!
I can't remember if I told you already, but it looks as if it is going to be a white Christmas. I hope we won't have any snow, but Nicholas Rosen will be dressed in white as he is baptised on the 26 of this month. He is a great kid and we are especially excited to see the entire family coming to church and enjoying it. Dawn also came to church for the first time last week and that was one of the most exciting things that has happened in loomis. I wish I could of been there but I got stuck in the singles ward for the day.
Elder Haines and I went on a total of four exchanges with missionaries within the past week, so including being separated on Sunday we were together less than three days last week. It was great to work with so many different wonderful missionaries, but it was pretty hard working another area one day then our own the next with out being able to see each other in between to find out what had been done the day before. We had a lot of fun though. Over the past few weeks I have been finding so many great scriptures about the doctrine of Jesus Christ and each time I do it gives me another boost to keep working. The one that has impressed me most is one I have heard hundreds of times before but it really hit me this time. We always talk about how the sons of Mosiah were such great missionaries but the reason why they are is what I like. In Mosiah 28:3-5 is were it shows us the great love that they had for everyone (freinds, family, enemies, everyone!) and how they got to be that way. The reason they could not bear that any human soul should perish is because they understood the doctrine of Christ. They had felt the power of the atonement and desired all to feel it. I guess that is really my hope, that as I gain a better understanding and TESTIMONY of the doctrine (faith, repentance, baptism/sacrement, and the Holy Ghost) I will have a greater desire and capacity to do missionary work. I really find myself drawn to any scritpure that has anything to do with this pure doctrine of Christ.
We tracted into a lady who seemed semi-interested in hearing our message but was about to dismiss us untill we asked if she would let us do some yard work. She didn't complain after that in fact she was pretty happy to have a religious discussion with us now. We set a return appointment with a plan to do yard work in the morning, then she would feed us lunch and we would teach a lesson. We went to her house on the designated day and found a sack full of food on her porch with a little note letting us know she wasn't going to make it. However on Thursday we showed up again in our work clothes and just asked her where to begin. She took us into her back yard and we realized we had been very fortunate to bring one of the young men form the ward with us. Her plan was for us to pull her pool out of the ground so she could re-dig the hole. The pool was made of heavy plastic and was about 6ft by 12 feet anf about 5 ft deep. At first we couldn't even budge it, but after emptying about 100 gallons of water, one ice-cream container at a time, we made some progress. With Elder Haines and Clayton on one side, and me on the other (good thing I have been doing my perfect push-ups) we lifted it out. Ok so I had the lighter side, but it was still pretty cool, and now we can start teaching her.
Well it's raining plenty and I'm loving it. Luckily I am in a car this winter.
I challenged each of our missionaries to search for a special spiritual experience to strengthen their testimonies this week, mine came as Elder Haines was practicing his violin in Bishop Astle's home. I was in the other room preparing for a lesson and I picked up an old NEw Era and thumbed through the pages. I found a nice one page article and read a simple story of how a young man gained his testimony of the Book of Mormon. As I pondered the article and my own testimony, the spirit witnessed to me again that the Book of Mormon really was written by Heavenly Fathers prophets. I was given a great peace in knowing that it is true. We have been given a lot of blessings out here, I guess it is our chance to now extend them to others.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
Elder Allred
Subject: I hope by then I will be ready....for Christmas!!
Dear Family!
I can't remember if I told you already, but it looks as if it is going to be a white Christmas. I hope we won't have any snow, but Nicholas Rosen will be dressed in white as he is baptised on the 26 of this month. He is a great kid and we are especially excited to see the entire family coming to church and enjoying it. Dawn also came to church for the first time last week and that was one of the most exciting things that has happened in loomis. I wish I could of been there but I got stuck in the singles ward for the day.
Elder Haines and I went on a total of four exchanges with missionaries within the past week, so including being separated on Sunday we were together less than three days last week. It was great to work with so many different wonderful missionaries, but it was pretty hard working another area one day then our own the next with out being able to see each other in between to find out what had been done the day before. We had a lot of fun though. Over the past few weeks I have been finding so many great scriptures about the doctrine of Jesus Christ and each time I do it gives me another boost to keep working. The one that has impressed me most is one I have heard hundreds of times before but it really hit me this time. We always talk about how the sons of Mosiah were such great missionaries but the reason why they are is what I like. In Mosiah 28:3-5 is were it shows us the great love that they had for everyone (freinds, family, enemies, everyone!) and how they got to be that way. The reason they could not bear that any human soul should perish is because they understood the doctrine of Christ. They had felt the power of the atonement and desired all to feel it. I guess that is really my hope, that as I gain a better understanding and TESTIMONY of the doctrine (faith, repentance, baptism/sacrement, and the Holy Ghost) I will have a greater desire and capacity to do missionary work. I really find myself drawn to any scritpure that has anything to do with this pure doctrine of Christ.
We tracted into a lady who seemed semi-interested in hearing our message but was about to dismiss us untill we asked if she would let us do some yard work. She didn't complain after that in fact she was pretty happy to have a religious discussion with us now. We set a return appointment with a plan to do yard work in the morning, then she would feed us lunch and we would teach a lesson. We went to her house on the designated day and found a sack full of food on her porch with a little note letting us know she wasn't going to make it. However on Thursday we showed up again in our work clothes and just asked her where to begin. She took us into her back yard and we realized we had been very fortunate to bring one of the young men form the ward with us. Her plan was for us to pull her pool out of the ground so she could re-dig the hole. The pool was made of heavy plastic and was about 6ft by 12 feet anf about 5 ft deep. At first we couldn't even budge it, but after emptying about 100 gallons of water, one ice-cream container at a time, we made some progress. With Elder Haines and Clayton on one side, and me on the other (good thing I have been doing my perfect push-ups) we lifted it out. Ok so I had the lighter side, but it was still pretty cool, and now we can start teaching her.
Well it's raining plenty and I'm loving it. Luckily I am in a car this winter.
I challenged each of our missionaries to search for a special spiritual experience to strengthen their testimonies this week, mine came as Elder Haines was practicing his violin in Bishop Astle's home. I was in the other room preparing for a lesson and I picked up an old NEw Era and thumbed through the pages. I found a nice one page article and read a simple story of how a young man gained his testimony of the Book of Mormon. As I pondered the article and my own testimony, the spirit witnessed to me again that the Book of Mormon really was written by Heavenly Fathers prophets. I was given a great peace in knowing that it is true. We have been given a lot of blessings out here, I guess it is our chance to now extend them to others.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
Elder Allred
December 21, 2009
Ryan's letter:
Subject: 369 DAYS 'Till Christmas!
Dear Family,
This week has actually been pretty hard for me, this is my last Christmas as a Missionary. But I am soo excited to be able to be teaching the principles of the Gospel during this season. Elder Haines and I can just feel the potential here in this area, there are soo many good people here in Loomis. I am also very happy to be the proud brother of one of the winners for dressing up at school. Just so you know, Kristie and Jen, I have been faithful in wearing my Santa Hat this year, at least as much as I can. As a matter of fact when Elder Derek Sommer came into the Mission he asked me if I was wearing the same hat that I used to wear in High School.
Our work is really picking up now! I am most excited about a family that we tracted into right after Thanksgiving. Matt and Stacia have been so nice to us every time we visit with them and they finally agreed to let us come and watch a movie with them this Wednesday. I have such a good feeling about them and I know the gospel can really help them.
This past Tuesday while sister Moss was making cookies in the kitchen, she slipped off of her stool and broke her hip. She has been in the hospital since then but is now starting to get better. It has been hard to live there at her home without her and we hope to get her back before Christmas, so your prayers would be appreciated. They are hoping for a full recovery, but it is going to be very hard for her. She has done so much for us and really the only way we can help her is through prayer.
I had another great testimony builder this week while we were teaching Irene Deen. We were reviewing the Restoration with her and her home teacher turned and asked me to tell the story of Joseph Smith. Again as I quoted the first vision I felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really had visited their prophet here on this earth to re-establish their church. It is so wonderful to be able to feel that witness again and again. One of the best parts of being a missionary is being able to just focus on the basics every day. There is so much to learn.
"Preach the first principles of the Gospel- preach them over again: you will find that day after day new ideas and additional light concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more plainly understood by those you teach."
Hyrum Smith
Well I love you all!! Merry Christmas!!
Elder Allred
Subject: 369 DAYS 'Till Christmas!
Dear Family,
This week has actually been pretty hard for me, this is my last Christmas as a Missionary. But I am soo excited to be able to be teaching the principles of the Gospel during this season. Elder Haines and I can just feel the potential here in this area, there are soo many good people here in Loomis. I am also very happy to be the proud brother of one of the winners for dressing up at school. Just so you know, Kristie and Jen, I have been faithful in wearing my Santa Hat this year, at least as much as I can. As a matter of fact when Elder Derek Sommer came into the Mission he asked me if I was wearing the same hat that I used to wear in High School.
Our work is really picking up now! I am most excited about a family that we tracted into right after Thanksgiving. Matt and Stacia have been so nice to us every time we visit with them and they finally agreed to let us come and watch a movie with them this Wednesday. I have such a good feeling about them and I know the gospel can really help them.
This past Tuesday while sister Moss was making cookies in the kitchen, she slipped off of her stool and broke her hip. She has been in the hospital since then but is now starting to get better. It has been hard to live there at her home without her and we hope to get her back before Christmas, so your prayers would be appreciated. They are hoping for a full recovery, but it is going to be very hard for her. She has done so much for us and really the only way we can help her is through prayer.
I had another great testimony builder this week while we were teaching Irene Deen. We were reviewing the Restoration with her and her home teacher turned and asked me to tell the story of Joseph Smith. Again as I quoted the first vision I felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really had visited their prophet here on this earth to re-establish their church. It is so wonderful to be able to feel that witness again and again. One of the best parts of being a missionary is being able to just focus on the basics every day. There is so much to learn.
"Preach the first principles of the Gospel- preach them over again: you will find that day after day new ideas and additional light concerning them will be revealed to you. You can enlarge upon them so as to comprehend them clearly. You will then be able to make them more plainly understood by those you teach."
Hyrum Smith
Well I love you all!! Merry Christmas!!
Elder Allred
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