Saturday, July 12, 2014

Updates from Across the Pond!

I am so proud of my brother. He is insightful, sincere, caring, resilient, humble, and has the same old great sense of humor he had when he set off for England! You can see all of this for yourself in his most recent e-mails below!

4/28/2014

We had a pretty good week. The miracle for this week came from a member!  We have been teaching a guy by the name of Yannick. He has come to England from the Ivory Coast to work and to escape the war that is going on there. He has been here for awhile, but he still has trouble with his English. Luckily, Brother Kouassi is from the Ivory Coast and was willing to come out with us to teach him. We were excited because Brother Kouassi would be able to clear up any concerns that he might have and would help with that language barrier. We met him outside of where Yannick lives, and when we knocked he didn't answer. We called him and he didn't answer. We try over and over again, but there was nothing. It was frustrating because that was the first time in forever that we were able to get a member to come out with us. He fell off the face of the Earth for a solid week, but Brother Kouassi is the man and took it upon himself to get in contact with Yannick. A day after giving him Yannick's number he gives us a call and tells us that he set up an appointment. We met with him on Saturday with brother Kouassi, and everything went great!  Brother Kouassi even got him to go to church! It was a miracle! Afterwards, Yannick told us that he really enjoyed it and that he learned so much! That made my week. Well, I'm short on time. Have a great week! Love all of you!

5/5/2014

There was another bank holiday today so the library was closed. That means that I am at a members house and short on time. They just fed us a proper English breakfast. It was delicious!! This is brother Cantrell.  He's such a great member and a strong support for us missionaries.  




We did a great job with finding people and getting return appointments, but only 1 out of 17 held this week. It's sad to think that we try to talk to well over 300 people a week and out of those 300+, we only talk with 40 for over 2 minutes. Out of those 40, usually only 15 will make an appointment with us, and out of those 15 only 1 will stick. How frustrating is that? It drives me insane! It started to really get to me a few days ago, and I just had to stop what I was doing. Elder Washington and I got off of the road and said a prayer. Afterwards, we opened up the scriptures to a random page and read the first scripture that we saw.  The scripture was talking about turning to the poor and helping them. From that we decided to go to the poor part of our area that we usually try to avoid because of the English gangsters (we call them chavs). I jokingly mentioned that getting stabbed wasn't on my to do list for today so we turned to the scriptures again. The next random scripture talked about Alma withstanding against those that tried to harm him. It was at that point that Elder Washington yelled, "It's a sign!! We won't get stabbed!" Both of us felt so energized from that, and our day was completely turned around. 

Well that was my exciting week. I hope that all is well in the sun.  

5/12/2014

This past week has been one of my hardest. At the end of last week we were doing a lot of service, running from place to place for appointments, and plenty of biking. Last Sunday I woke up and my knee was sore. I ignored it and went on with the day (I know Mom, I'm dumb). By the end of church it was twice it's normal size and in a lot of pain. Because of this, I was stuck in the flat for most of last week. At one point, I was in so much pain that I had to go to the A & E(England's ER). I was there for 5ish hours, and by the end all they could do was set up and MRI in 2-3 weeks. Luckily, I was able to set up an appointment with a different doctor who promised to get me in within the week so hopefully all of this will be sorted out soon. At the moment, most of the swelling has gone down, but there is still a little bit of pain. Even though missionary work is hard and we get rejected all the time, it is still better than sitting around doing nothing. I also noticed that the amount of energy I have has gone down. Being Idle is more exhausting than doing the Lord's work. I was talking to Elder Washington about how frustrating it was this morning, and he told me to look for the good and to be grateful. It's hard for me to admit, but he was right. There is still some good in this. I am still out here and once I am better I will still be able to do what I love, which is serving the Lord! 
I was so excited to hear about Briana and Kevin's Mission calls! It's hard to believe that we are going to have 7 missionaries out from our ward. While sitting at church last Sunday our ward mission leader said something that stuck out to me. "We aren't a museum for the perfect, we are a hospital for the sick." That stuck out to me because no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. That is something that people often have a hard time with when they look at our Church and often many people fall away. That was something that I always had a hard time with. I always felt judged and couldn't take it so I went Less-Active. What I didn't realize, due to pride, was that everyone around me wasn't trying to hurt me, they were trying to help me. It was the pride inside of me that hid the Love that they were trying to show. And if I had one piece of advice, it would be to Love Everyone! We don't go to church to show others how much we know or how worthy we are. We go to share our weaknesses and to learn how to overcome them. The only way for us to help others and to help ourselves is to do it out of love. Eventually, the Love will show, hearts will be softened, People's lives will change. 
I love all of you!  Have a great week!

5/19/2014

So...I received the results for my MRI on Friday, and I don't anything good to report. It looks like my ACL is stretched and because it's loose, a piece of it got stuck between the bones and caused a Cyclops Lesion. That is why I was in pain and that's what caused the swelling. The doctor gave me 3 options. 1) Don't do anything about it and live with swelling and pain. With that option I would be limited on the bike and walking, which is all we do...  2)  I can have surgery to repair the cyclops lesion, which would reduce the swelling and pain but I would still be limited. With that option there is still a possibility of of the cyclops lesion coming back because the ACL is still loose. 3) I have everything fixed!  I talked with President Rasmussen, and it sounds like I will have to go home if I have surgery...I will be going through some more tests this week just to double check but they are saying that I will most likely need surgery.  I love all of you but hopefully I won't see you soon.......

5/22/2014

President Rasmussen wants me to stay for at least another transfer to see if my knee will get an better. The orthopedic surgeon that they are in contact with is hopeful that if I rest my knee that the ACL will tighten and the cyclops lesion will go away. There are no promises, but it is a possibility. I will be in Derby again and President has given me strict orders not to play sports or to do any service. I can't ride my bike, and if it starts to hurt a lot I have to rest it. I will still be able to work, and they will be checking on it as the tranfer goes on. If there are any more updates, I will email you. He also said that when it comes to the final decision, I will be able to call home and talk to you about it. For now, don't worry about everything. It will work out the way it's supposed to. Oh, and my new companion is Elder Devitt. He's cool. Ha. Love all of you! Talk to you soon!

6/2/2014

This past week I have put a lot of thought into prayers. I have relied on the Lord so much this past month, and I know that things are working out because of all of your prayers. So thank you to everyone for the love and support. Last Thursday Elder Balzen, our new District Leader, was talking about prayer and what a huge impact it has on everyone. He gave us the example of Alma who prayed with all of his might for his son. In Mosiah 28:14, we read that it was the prayers of the people and the prayers of Alma that brought the Angel to Alma the Younger. Alma the Younger wasn't searching for the truth. In fact, he was doing the complete opposite. He was trying to lead away the righteous and to destroy the church. It was the faith and love of those around him that brought him to the truth. It is by faith that this was possible, and it will be by faith that anyone can receive a witness. They will receive a witness whether they are looking for it or not. It may not come by seeing an Angel, but it will be strong enough that they cannot deny the power from which it came. And that is the power from God, given to us through the Holy Ghost.  
Stay Strong. Stay Faithful. Always look to the Lord for Help. I pray for you. I love all of you! 
P.S. The computers are still being updated so I still can't upload pictures. Maybe in a few months...

6/9/2014

I came out 5 months ago. Does it feel like that long? Teaching isn't happening. Unfortunately, we haven't found anyone that wants to learn more. It has been a frustrating week. Nothing but walking and talking.  

The past few weeks for Elder Devitt and I have been incredibly hard. All of the investigators that we had have either dropped us or disappeared. We have been trying very hard to talk with everyone we see so that we can inrease our teaching pool. It can be quite frustrating at times. I don't have much to say today because of how slow everything seems to be going. But I do have one thing to share. Each week President Rasmussen sends out a letter to all of the missionaries. This is one that he sent awhile back that has helped me. 
"Dear Sister and Elders,

Life is full of little miracles, but this is perhaps the greatest miracle of all — to see people change, grow, and improve, day by day and little by little. It’s not always easy for us to wait for others or even ourselves to change, and it very often takes patience and faith.

Patience — the ability to endure delay, trouble or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated or anxious for a time — is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.

Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s knowledge.”

Dear Elders and Sisters the work of patience boils down to this: keep the commandments; trust in God, our Heavenly Father; serve him with meekness and Christlike love; exercise faith and hope in the Savior; and never give up. The lessons we learn from patience will shape our character, enrich our lives and heighten our happiness. They will help us to become worthy missionaries of our Master, Jesus Christ.

Watching you change, grow, and improve, day by day and little by little is for me, the greatest miracle of all. Thank you for your profound goodness.

With much love,

President Rasmussen"
I feel like I have learned an important lesson on patience this week. I know that someone is out there that is prepared to receive the Gospel. And maybe I haven't found them because there are still ways that I can prepare to teach them. When I get to the point that I am ready, I will find them. There is no doubt about that. 
Have a great week everyone!  I love you!
6/16/2014
This week has been awesome! We have an amazing investigator named Andrew, and he is so prepared! After teaching him the restoration he asked, "What can I do to serve the Lord? He has saved my life so many times, and I think that it's time for me to share this message with people." Isn't that amazing? He has such a deep desire to find the truth and he has found it! I will keep you updated. It's Zone P-day so I don't have much time to email. Sorry! Love all of you!
6/23/2014
My knee is doing great this week. I think that the game plan is to keep going, and if I can't take it any longer I will have surgery. As of right now, I'm okay and I haven't had a lot of pain in awhile. 

There have been so many ups and downs to this week. Andrew has really bad medical issues so he is unable to meet with us until they are figured out. We will be able to stop by and see him every once in awhile, but we can't go as often as we hoped. We did receive an awesome referral from the Manchester mission. He is a 19-year-old guy that will be in Derby for the summer. He is very genuine and sincere. I can see his deep desire to follow the Savior. He has been to church 3 times and really wants to be baptized. He has agreed to meet with us 3-4 times a week so Elder Devitt and I are very excited to see him progress. 
A few days ago our ward did a Helping Hands service project at the Tarra Buddhist Meditation Centre. It was a lot of fun. It took us almost an hour to bus and walk to it, but we enjoyed it a lot. The grounds around the center were beautiful! 
I love all of you! Adios! 

6/30/2014

Elder Devitt was called to be a trainer in Derby so I will for sure be leaving this transfer. This has been our best week of the transfer. I won't find out where I am going until later tonight, but I will let you know where next week. This will be my first move so I am very nervous. I don't like the thought of having to get to know a new area. I was told that after the first area it is easy to learn a new area. I just hope that they are right. I actually started to go through my stuff last night and became confused. I have acquired a lot, and somehow, I wasn't able to fit everything into 2 suitcases...I will try to send my third one home either today or next P-day.     
I have been so blessed this past week! We went out this week determined to do all that we could! We stayed out in the streets for hours talking to people, kept our meals short, we prayed like never before. It was so powerful. Usually we are super lucky to get 3 potentials in one day and some weeks we barely reach 12. Because we pushed ourselves to exhaustion, we were able to get 20 potentials. And some of the appointments that we set up actually held. We taught a 4 lessons this week. I have never been able to get over 3 so I am so thrilled. I feel re-energized for the upcoming transfer. 
Sam is as solid as ever. We were able to get him a ride with Brother Lim, and after church we were able to teach him. We taught him how to keep the sabbath day holy and how to study the scriptures. He agreed to do both! He told us that a week ago he was in a really bad mood and that ever since he has been reading and praying he has felt peace and happiness. He recognized that as an answer to his prayers and is set to be baptized on July 12th! 
I will update you more next week, and I promise that I will get pictures sent today!  The Sisters got to the computer before I could last week.  
Love you!  
-Elder Bos 

Oh and my knee is feeling great! I have been able to walk around without any issues. I still can't ride a bike though. I will keep you updated.






Pig Dig!



7/7/2014

I am now in Aberystwyth, Wales! (Ab-er- ist-with). It's pretty much on the other side of the mission. My new companion is Elder Elsholz(from Utah) and we will be whitewashing the area, which means both of the old missionaries will leave and we will go in to take their spots. It doesn't happen very often, and the downside is that neither of us know the area. The bus that took all of the missionaries stops in Swansea, which is a 2 hour drive fom Aber. When we got there I knew that we would be in a car area, but I wasn't expected the Zone Leaders to say, "Surprise! You're driving!" I HAD TO DRIVE TWO HOURS ALL THE WAY TO MY NEW AREA! I was scared out of my mind. Everything here is backwards. I would feel more comfortable driving upside down. The roads are tiny and curve like none other. The signs here are crazy as well. The top parts of them are in Welsh and the Bottom in English. They also have signs that tell you how many people have died on the road you are driving on. The village that we live in has around 25,000 people in it. We are in a Branch of about 75ish people(that includes 15 kids). Oh, and did I mention that it's a sea town? Our flat is a one minute walk from the beach. It is absolutely gorgeous here, and the Welsh are the nicest people I have ever met. They still reject us, but they do it in the nicest way. It's like an awkward break up. Ha. We have the second largest area in the mission. From north to south it is a 2 hour drive, and from east to west it is a 1 hour drive. We have tons of little villages scattered throughout our area, and all of them have Welsh names that I can't pronounce to save my life. Here are some examples: Llangranog, Tregaron, Llandysul, Maesycrugian, and Cwmystwyth. The last two look like I slammed my head on the keyboard and I promise you that I didn't...
We have an awesome Branch, and I am so excited to be serving here. I love all of you!  


This is Sam in the red jacket.




Wales


Creepy statues in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!




Stanley








Driving on the right side!


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Now you're all caught up!

We were having some serious blog issues, and I got a little swamped so apologies! Here is what you've missed. :)

3/17/2014:

Elder Jose A. Teixeira of the Seventy spoke to us on Friday at a Zone Conference!  It was such an amazing experience and I feel like I have learned so much!  He talked about many things but the thing that stuck out to me most was about Mat. 25.  This is where we see the Parable about Talents.  I don't have much time to explain this parable so I recommend you read it if you aren't familiar with it.  Elder Teixeira told us that the Lord doesn't expect quantity, he expects a difference.  When are at the completion of your mission, will you be able to say that you made a difference?  If so, then you have had a successful mission and the Lord will say,"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  I thought was so powerful and it even applies to everyday life.  I hope to walk out of every situation, whether it's at home or talking to someone in the streets, and say that I have made a difference. 
 
I experienced something new last night.  I had my first door slammed in my face.  We didn't even have the chance to say hello!  It was so unexpected that I bursted out laughing.  It was very unfortunate but if I didn't laugh then we night might have been ruined.  Luckily it was all uphill from there!  We have over a 100 less-actives listed in our are so we decided that was what we needed to work on last night.  Unfortunately most of the people we went to see moved but much to our surprise nearly every person we met in their place wanted to learn more so we were able to set up loads of return appointments for this coming week!  It was a miracle!  The second we got home we got down on our knees and prayed.  We are so grateful to have been put in their path and we could tell that these people are elect!  Be persistant, make a difference!

3/24/2014:

So this week has been interesting.  I pulled out my back again(woops).  I did it when I crashed on my bike(woops).  I was trying to zip up my pocket while riding(Stupid, Don't do that).  I finally got it and looked up when a parked car magically appeared in front of me.  I turned, slammed on my brakes, and had a pretty good fall.  I was on the ground for a solid 15 minutes not wanting to move from the pain.  Elder Hess thought that it was quite funny.  He was laughing so hard that he had the hiccups for 30ish minutes. On the plus side I did miss the car!  Yay for the car...

I forgot to tell you something that happened at the Zone Conference!  At the beginning President Rasmussen calls all of the new missionaries to stand and be recognized.  And as you already know Elder Teixeira of the Seventy was there.  And just so you know he is the President over the Europe region.  So President Rasmussen calls my name, I stand up, and expect him to call the next person.  Instead, he pauses, thinks for a second, and says, "Elder Teixeira, you might be the President, but he's the Bos."    I didn't have the guts to look at Elder Teixeira's face.  But everyone was laughing so I'm guessing that he was too.  

I had to go to Nottingham on Thursday and Friday.  Thursday for a zone meeting and Friday to work with the zone leaders while Elder Hess was at a training meeting in Birmingham.  I felt like a kid in a candy store while we were out finding people.  They have a place that they call "the funnel".  People are constantly flowing into this road and I love it!  I was running from one person to another.  It was great but at the same time we had a lot more nos than I'm used to.  It was still a great experience though.  At one point I just stopped and realized that Grandpa Stevenson could have walked down the same streets.  It was an amazing feeling.  

England is now in bloom!  I love it!  And so does Elder Hess!  

Elder Parham and I came across a Mexican restaurant and they had Arizona licence plates in the window!  We took that picture while we were on our way back from the train station.  It was exciting to see.  

I love this work.  I love the Gospel.  I love all of you.  I hope that you have a great week!  

Elder Bos

3/31/2014:

So lately we have decided that we would create a Birthday card for all members and less-actives.  A few days ago we took the bus 30 minutes north to deliver a card.  It was a long trip and we weren't ever sure if this less-active still lived there.  We finally arrived and no one answered the door.  So we decided to knock on the neighbors door to ask them if he still lived there.  We knocked and this lady answers the door and gets super excited.  She tells us that her cousin was in the church and that she has been wanting to learn more for a long time.  It was a miracle, we finally have someone to teach!
 
After that we had to take a different bus an hour south of where we were to get to another less-active for his birthday.  We get off the bus and start walking by a playground with around 40 kids running around, riding scooters, and playing tag.  Out of no where an Ice Cream truck comes around the corner and there is total chaos!   The music is blast and the driver can tell that he hit the jackpot.  Kids were waving their money, frantically looking/yelling for parents, and sprinting for the truck.  All of this happened withing 30 seconds.  The best part though was the reaction of this little girl.  She saw the truck, dropped her scooter, took two steps, and started to yell "ICE CREAM!  ICCCCEEEE CRRRREEEEAAAMMM!!!!!"  She yelled that over and over again.  Each time she would lift her arm and throw them down while going into the squatting position.  Definitely a funny sight.
 
So after that we arrived at the less-actives house.  And again we had no clue if he lived there or not.  We knocked and some guy answered.  We asked him if Robert lived there.  He said no.  We had an awkward moment of silence and then Elder Hess says, "We came to deliver this Birthday card to him.  It wouldn't happen to your Birthday would it?"  It was his Birthday! I was in shock for the next 20 minutes.
 
Yesterday was an amazing day for us.  We had a lesson!  It was our first lesson in over a week.  I honestly felt incredibly nervous.  It almost felt as if I forgot how to teach.  Before walking in we said a prayer and that made all of the difference.  We walked into his home and had the best lesson.  The Spirit was so strong.  That was by far the most powerful lesson that I have had while out here.  His name is Dapo(Duh-poh) and he is from Nigeria!  He is a legend!  
 
I don't have a lot of time but I hope that you all have a wonderful week!  Love you!
 
The girl screaming was the highlight of my week.

4/7/2014:

General Conference was so amazing!  We didn't have it at our chapel so we had to catch a ride to Nottingham to watch it at the Stake Centre.  Because of the time difference we had to do it differently and unfortunately we had to miss the last session.  I was able to see Saturday Morning's session on Saturday night, Priesthood Session Saturday morning, Saturday Night session on Sunday afternoon, and Sunday morning session on Sunday night.  It was an all day event and I loved every minute! 
 
Here are a few things that I liked:
-We are a Temple attending, not a Temple building people.
-Bear your crosses with love and gratitude
-Service prepares us to love what The Lord loves
-These are the days to stand strong, to build faith, and to become a Disciple of Jesus Christ
-take the short and long view when making choices
-The real tests of courage are quieter,like doing what's right when no one is around
-Not all acts of courage bring great result, but they do bring peace of mind
-Choose Courage, not compromise
-gratitude leads to ALL Christlike attributes
-Be Consistant, Persistant, and Follow-up.
He always has a plan, to safely get me home again
-Don't wait, Act!  We have eternity to think.
-I pray because I can't help myself
The miracle of the Atonement can make up for flaws in our perfomance
-Show love, Avoid regrets
 
 
In between sessions Elder Hess and I had the opportunity to teach a man named Mansoor.He is from Egypt and we met him on the street and gave him our number ages ago.  He called because he really wanted to go to church.  We told him that it was differnetly this week and that if he wanted to go we could find a ride for him.  We told him that it would be an all day event and he gladly accepted!  He nearly begged us!  It was so awesome.  He showed up with some members and was able to listen to two sessions.  In between we taught him about the Restoration and explained in a lot more detail about General Conference.  He really enjoyed it and he told us that he can't wait to meet with us again!  that was this weeks miracle.  I hope that all of you are seeing miracles in your life.  I know that the Savior lives and that He is there to comfort you in times of need.  He can bless your lives, so let Him!

4/14/2014:

What a week!  My entire week was made great by one lesson.  Her name was Linda and we taught her with Brother and Sister Tulip at the Church.  She is a sigle mother of 3 kids and has been wanting to find a church where she feels welcome and uplifted.  The Spirit was so strong during the lesson and you could just tell by the look on her face that she felt it.  At one point we asked her how she felt and replied, "Light, I feel peace."  Something else happened as well.  Normally she reads the Bible by opening to a random page and reading the first verse that she sees.  Well that's the first thing that she did when we gave her a Book of Mormon and she opened up and read 3 Nephi 19:13.  That scripture talks about being Baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost.  She instantly gasps and starts to cry.  It was so powerful.  Afterwards she grabed my hand and with her mother like strength pulled me into a hug. It was so awkward...My eyes went wide and I started to panic.    haha I told Elder Hess after and he just laughed and said, "That won't be the last and it's awkward everytime."  That was the amazing lesson for this week. 
 
Lately I have been trying to read the entire Bible.  The Old Testament is confusing but I love it so much!  I have learned so much since I have started and here is a scripture that stuck out to me:
Deuteronomy 8:2-6
2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lordthy God led theethese forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee,to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commanments, or no.
3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy father know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
4  Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
5  Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.
6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy god, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
 
I want everyone to look up the Chris Williams Mormon Message.  I feel like that goes with this scripture.  I want to hear what people think about it so email me with your response! 
 
I have tons of pictures to send to you but the library is updating all of thier systems so we are unable to plug in our cameras and upload them.
 
I love all of you and hope that you have a wonderful Easter!  Remember what it is all about!

4/14/2014:

Sorry that I'm sending this so late in the day. Because of Easter we had to go to a member's home. 

We had transfers and Elder Hess was transferred to Woodsutton.  I received the new district leader. His name is Elder Washington and he is from South Jordan, Utah. He has been out 16 months and loves it. He is a great missionary and I have already learned quite a bit from him. 






Monday, March 10, 2014

New transfers!

Here is the latest from our Ryan:

We had transfers this past week! We lost Elder Maligon and Sister Wengert. We have recieved Elder Parham (who is from Arizona and 22 months out!) and Sister Leisse (who is from Germany and fresh out of the MTC.) It feels great not being the new kid.
This has been a very difficult week for us. We have lost all of our investigators and have been doing nothing but street contacting. It's hard, but I have come to realize something. When things get hard, something good is about to come. When you have a doubt, that's the devil, and he's try to get you to second guess yourself because you are about to go and do something great. I plan on using that to my advantage in this upcoming week. We have been denied hundreds of times so that we will be in the path of that one person who will say yes. I know that! It will happen this week, and I am ready for it! 
Today I was reading in 1 Nephi1:1. As I read that verse, I noticed the footnote by the word "afflictions."  I looked down, and the footnote read," Blessing; Gifts of God." I love that! As much as we hate trials, they are blessings. They help us in more ways than we can imagine. Maybe I was supposed to learn something this week that would make me a stronger and wiser missionary. Maybe that person I will find needed a stronger and wiser me. Never look at a trial as a curse, look at it as a blessing that you will come out of stronger and wiser. Elder Hess shared with me that President Eyring PRAYS FOR TRIALS! That sounds crazy, but it is his goal to come closer to Christ and what better way, than through trials? Crazy, but brilliant. 
I hope that everyone has a great week!  I love all of you!



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Update from Ryan!

Excerpt from the e-mail from Elder Bos:

"These are pictures of Batman's house! That was the mansion that they used in the third movie! Awesome, right?  







This week has been rather difficult. All of our lessons except for two have fallen through.  Here is something that has been on my mind lately:
Having the right mindset, having a plan and praying for help and guidance to accomplish that plan are everything!
A few days ago we didn't have much planned so we decided to dedicate most of the day to Finding. We left that morning with the mindset that we would find at least 10 people and that we would give out at least 7 Books of Mormon! We were on bikes so we were able to go person to person with ease. We spent hours talking with people, being lectured, and being ignored. I noticed that the harder I worked, the more energy I had. The more effort I put into finding people, the easier it was to talk to them. It was an absolute miracle, and at the end of the day we walked into our flat with 10 potentials and 7 less Books of Mormon. 
I later thought of the Brother of Jared. He needed to somehow provide light in his ships so that they weren't in the dark while crossing the sea. When he asked the Lord for help the Lord responded with another question.  "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (Ether 2:23).  In a sense, he is saying, What is your plan and I will help. I love that! The Lord wants us to use our brains!  He gave it to use for a reason, so use it.  Next, the Brother of Jared came up with an idea, one that involved a lot of faith! He collected 16 stones and offered up a prayer: 

Ether 3
2:"O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwells in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee..."
4:"And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit on man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they shall shine forth in darkness..."
5:"Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men." 
My favorite part about this story is the fact that he mentioned his weakness. As humans we sometimes like to consider ourselves indestructible, when in reality, we are all weak, and keep in mind that we all have different weaknesses. One of my many weaknesses was having the courage to approach random strangers. It took a plan, it took faith, and it was asking the Lord to help me to overcome that weakness that is how I was able to leave my flat with the "I WILL" attitude. It has become my goal that even in the hardest of times, I will keep the "I WILL" attitude. Sometimes we feel defeated, sometimes we feel like all is lost, but we have to remember that the Plan of Salvation was designed for everyone to win. 

I love all of you and hope that you all remember the love that our Father in heaven has for each of us, his sons and daughters!"

Here are more photos he sent of his adventures in England. He looks like he's having fun and that he and his companion are both goofballs. ;)





 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Ryan's New Mailing Address

Ryan's new mailing address has been updated on the right side of the blog! Please note that only letters can be mailed to his flat, and all packages should be sent to the mission office address. I know he would love to hear from you all!

Recent Photos

This is definitely my favorite because you can see that sweet smile we miss so much!



He's representing the U of A with another Elder!



Ryan Turned 21 in England

First things first! This was the week of our missionary's birthday, so HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY, RYAN!!

Ryan is out of the MTC and in the field! Here are some excerpts from his most recent letters.


"This week has been a roller coaster. On Saturday we had the MTC exercise for ward members. We did this hoping that members would get more excited about sharing the Gospel with friends and family, but the only people that showed up were those that already do missionary work so we were very disappointed.  


We have been teaching a guy named Jonathan, and he is definitely ready to be baptized! We were planning on teaching him about the Word of Wisdom because we thought that that would be his biggest struggle. We only thought that because we are always asked if we want coffee or tea when we walk into his home. It turns out that he doesn't have an issue with it at all and was just trying to be a good host! I love it! He told us that his testimony is growing word by word, page by page. He'll be baptized February the 15th! The day can't get here fast enough! 


On Thursday we went to see Stanley. The night before he had a really bad fall, and it took him almost 2 hours to crawl to the phone so that he could call for help. It tore us apart to hear his story, and it took everything I had not to cry. He told us that he feels  his time on earth is coming to an end. He then asked for a blessing, and I had the priveldge of giving it to him. I was prompted to bless him with healing and energy. We saw him a few days later, and he had a big smile when he saw us! He is so strong, and I am so blessed to have seen this miracle. Count your many blessing everyone! I can promise you that the Lord loves you and that he will never forget you! 

We were blessed again yesterday with a guy names Brian. He just walked into church and wanted to be taught...THAT RARELY HAPPENS!!! He walked almost an hour just to get to the church. We plan on going to see him this week! We also were able to teach an elderly man names Ken yesterday.  he lives way out in Mickleover so it took a solid hour to walk to his flat. He has bad hearing so I'm not sure if he heard half of the things we said, but the Spirit was there and that's all he needs. I am so blessed to be here. Within two weeks we went from zero to three investigators. 

 We have had so many dinner appointments this week that I feel as if I'm going to explode. We have people from all sorts of places in our ward so we usually get a variety of food. Last night we were fed by the Thompsons. They moved to England a few years ago from Jamaica! They made us chicken and pink rice...delicious!!!"


As you can see, our Ryan is changing lives in England, and he has such a sweet spirit as his guide. We are hoping he had a wonderful birthday and continues to have successes across the pond!  

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Subscribe now!

Good news! You may now submit your e-mail address to the right to have Ryan's blog updates automatically e-mailed to you!

Word from Ryan

We were thrilled to hear from Ryan yesterday! Here is an excerpt from his e-mail.
"My first meal here was a sandwich that only consisted of bread and meat. I had to go to the salad bar in order to get cheese and lettuce. This definitely isn't America!  haha

I miss all of you guys so much!  This week has been so busy, and I have learned so much!  We were all given an investigator to teach, and our first lesson with her was last Saturday.  It was horrible!  My companion, Elder Boswell from Canada, and I definitely weren't prepared. That night we were taught how to make effective lesson plans and given techniques to use while teaching. I definitely wish that I had that the first time around because our second lesson was amazing! Her name is Natalie, and she has never believed in God but has always hoped that there was one. We focused our entire first lesson on how much God loved her and what she has to do to figure out that he is here. It was so powerful. The Spirit definitely did it's job because the next time we arrived she was beaming and told us that she was reading The Book of Mormon!  That is such an amazing thing to hear as a missionary! This experience has been so great, and I've only just begun! 
The other Elders in my district are so cool! We have people from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Spain, France, Canada, and Ecuador - so many different parts of the world, and we are all here for the same purpose! And for those of you that don't know our purpose, here it is, "To invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End." 
 I found that the hardest part of my week has been today. We usually have classes and study time from 7:30-9:30 so we're are constantly doing something and don't have time to think about anything else. Today we don't have classes until six. This makes me think of home and everyone that I left behind.
Everything here is so different. Every time I look out my window, I freak out that someone is driving on the wrong side of the road. 
I love and miss all of you!  Have a great week!"


As always, we are so thankful for our sweet Ryan. He has such a love for others and will bless those he encounters on his mission tremendously!

WWWeeee lllllooooovvvveee Eeeelllllddddeeerrrr BBBooooooosssss!!

We heard from our missionary! When he first arrived in England he had some comical keyboard issues, and this what we got from him on the 9th. :)

HHeeyy!!    FFoorr  ssoommee  rreeaassoonn  tthhiiss  kkeeyybbooaarrdd  ddooeess  ddoouubbllee  lleetttteerrss.  ssoooooooooo  ssoorryy  aabboouutt  tthhaatt...    II  hhooppee  aallll  iiss  wweellll  tthheerree!!  II  mmiissss  yyoouu  gguuyyss  ssoo  mmuucchh!!    TThhee  fflliigghhtt  ffrroomm  ttuuccssoonn  ttoo  cchhiiccaaggoo  wwaass  ttoorrttuurree!!    II  ssoommeeoonnee  ggoott  ssttuucckk  rriigghhtt  nneexx  ttoo  aa  ccrryyiinngg  bbaabbyy.    TThhee  fflliigghhtt  ttoo  EEnnggllaanndd  wwaass  ddeellaayyeedd  aanndd  tthhee  fflliigghhtt  iisseellff  ffeell  lliikkee  aa  lliiffeettiimmee.    II  rreeaallllyy  lliikkee  aallll  ooff  tthhee  EEllddeerrss  aanndd  SSiisstteerrss  hhaatt  II  hhaavvee  eennccoouunntteerreedd.    TThheeyy  hhaavvee  ggiivveenn  mmee  tthhiiss  ttiimmee  ttoo  eemmaaiill  yyoouu  gguuyyss  aanndd  lleett  yyoouu  kknnooww  tthhaatt  ii  aarrrriivveedd  ssaaffeellyy.    IItt  iiss  ssoo  bbeeaauuttiiffuull  hheerree  aanndd  II  sswweeaarr  tthhaatt  tthheerree  aarree  sshheeeepp  oonn  eevveerryyootthheerr  ffiieelldd.   OOhh  aanndd  iitt  wwaass  rraaiinniinngg  aa  wweeeeeeeeee  bbiitt  oonn  tthhee  wwaayy  ttoo  tthhee  MMTTCC.    KKeeeepp  mmee  uuppddaatteedd  oonn  eevveerryytthhiinngg  tthhaatt  hhaappppeennss!!    II  lloovvee  aanndd  mmiissss  yyoouu!!
--EEllddeerr  BBooss   

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Off he goes!

After a beautiful blessing in which Ryan was set apart as a full time missionary, we bid farewell to our brave Elder Bos this morning. It was extremely difficult to watch him leave, but we are elated and so proud as he embarks on this journey of service. He had a layover today in Chicago and is flying to England as I type this! We will keep all his dear friends and family up to speed on his adventures through this blog as we receive his e-mails. Thank you to everyone who has shown us such unwavering support!