What's up everybody?!                                                                                    November 18, 2013

Well how are things going up there in Utah? Sounds like everything seems to be going good. Dad I'm glad you had fun hunting again. Sounds like you're going to be going hunting this year just as much as you all went to St. George last year haha. Are you all planning on going to St. George a lot again? I'm pretty excited to see the house. Mom you asked if all these are our baptisms or if they are from the whole zone. These have all been just in the area of my comp and I. The ward is called Tres Cerritos. There are other baptisms in the zone, but we don't have time to go to all of them. We do have to do quite a few of their interviews though. Wow the missionaries in our Ward just keep coming and leaving. It feels like every kid in our ward is going out including girls. That's pretty cool. I got a email from Bryce Bishop and it looks like Alex Ross and Cameron Laycock are coming home already. Quite a few of the first ones from my age are already heading home. I'm glad I still have quite a bit of time left. I'm not done yet :) Still got a lot to learn, people to meet, teach, and baptize. Dad you asked if they celebrate Thanksgiving in Mexico. No some hardly even know what it is. It's an all American holiday. Thanks for the football update. That's pretty cool that Alex Smith from Utah is doing so well.

 

This transfer has been the most successful and fastest transfer on my mission so far. We were blessed and privileged to baptize a young man who is 18 years old named Daniel Palma Dávila. He is so awesome!! I love him. We have been teaching him since the first week I got here and have been helping him to get to church and learn the truth. He has been so willing and accepting. He has a great member friend in the ward named Jorge (George) who has been helping him so much. I gave Daniel one of my ties after I signed it with my name. He gave me a hug right after he got baptized and it got me all wet :) haha He already has a great testimony. Well this week he have planned to baptized another younger kid named Carlos Villegas. He has been taught by other missionaries, but lives in our area. We are going to start teaching him tomorrow, but he already wants to be baptized. A little bit about Pilar (the middle aged woman we baptized last week). She is great. She had been taught a few times before I got here by my comp and Elder Knowlton. As I started teaching her with Elder Betts we got to see her really change her life. She has had it rough. She has had marriage problems and problems with the word of wisdom as well in her life. She was scared at first, but she accepted baptism because she felt the spirit and she knew she needed to change her life for good. After more lessons and blessings and everything she was baptized! It was awesome to see how coming unto Christ changed her. She also read the Book of Mormon a lot. Well this area is awesome and I'm loving it here. I know that I'm going to get a new comp after this week because Elder Betts is going home. Next P-day I'm probably going to visit one of his old areas with him. It's something that Pres. lets the leaving missionaries do. I'm hoping I stay here in the Mayorazgo zone and the 3 Cerritos Ward. We'll see what happens.

 

I know that the Savior lives. This is His work. I feel happiness as I see people coming unto Christ and changing their lives. I often express to them how I was able to change my life before the mission. I love being to bear my personal witness that Jesus is the Christ and that ONLY through His Atonement we can be saved. He cleanses and washes away sins and wrongdoings. I know that he is the Mediator with our Father. Let us all live lives that reflect our personal beliefs in Christ and our determination to return home with our Heavenly Father. It's our divine potential and right. Being good is worth it. I love each and every one of you. You're in my prayers and in my heart. The impact that you've had in my life reflects the way I live and teach and serve others. Thank you for all of your sacrifices to let me be here trying to make a difference in the lives of these people. I love the people and I love the culture and language. Keep up all the good work!

 

Un fuerte Abrazo

Con Amor

 

Elder Ryan Kitchen