Sunday, January 6, 2013

December 31, 2012 Week #2 in Cosamaloapan


Hola hola mi familia,
    How is everything going at home I still cant believe that emily and tyler are engaged that is flipping crazy!! But tyler is an awesome guy and I am very happy for them. Do they have a date or anything like that planned? What temple does emily want to get married in? Mom that is awesome the new program for the youth I was interested to see what they were going to come out with and it sounds amazing. Rachels talk sounds like it was pretty amazing and I am sure she had some amazing amazing experiences in D.C. and I love that she talked about faith and how we all have to act and take that leap. That is the hardest thing to do to put our trust in the lord completely but when we do we come to truly know him and that is when we see his immense love for us.
   Soo didnt get to baptize yesterday :( We walked by her house (marisol) in the morning and she wasnt there for church so after sacrament we went back and she still wasnt there. So we finally got ahold of her after church and she said yeah she still wanted to get baptized and so we told the whole ward so she would be welcomed into the ward. So we walked over to her house around 7 and she said her mom wasnt going to make it then we shared a scripture with her in mosiah 18 and she still said no next week. Her mom waited until an hour before her baptism to say she wasnt going to make it ahhh. So we had to go to the church and tell the whole ward that it wasnt going to happen and it was raining so I felt even worse because they had walked to the church in the rain. But something cool happened when we started our sad walk home in the rain. A man named Williams who has been going to church but in the past didnt want to act and didnt have the faith to act drove by and oh he is a taxi driver anyways he gave us a ride back to our house. We already had an appointment with him for this wed.  But we were able to share a quick message with him and leave him with some reading to do. So more and more I am learning that the lord always has his reasons and it wasnt just coincidence that he was driving by and offered to give us a ride home. The lord truly does work in mysterious ways. We did have one investigator make it to church sunday her name is Erika and she came with her 1 year old son luis. We have been teaching her with her aunt who is a member and actually is endowed. She stayed for 2 hours and I know that she felt that special spirit that is in the church.


She has accepted a baptismal date for the 6 of enero. I am really excited for that.
   The language is pretty tough haha but it will come I need to be patient and it will come with hard work. We study 4 hours every morning which is pretty awesome I have been studying preach my gospel side by side (other side of heaven style lol) every morning for a half hour or so and then study in the Book of Mormon. Then we do companionship study for 2 hours because I am being trained and them we do language study for about an hour. Its pretty funny how much I hated studying before my mission and how much I love it now. These past 2 weeks I have come to love the teachings of king benjamin and his counsel to us. I really love chapter 4 and I guess that is the chapter for this week lol. This morning I was studying in practicad mi evangelio and I realized that I need to start being more real with the people here I need to share more about how much this gospel has blessed my life and how our savior Jesucristo has truly saved me. And how I have felt his tremendous love for me.



I will leave you with this testimony that I know our savior Jesus Christ died for us for your sins and mine and that he knows us, he knows the pains we go through each and everyday. I know that he lives. I know that the book of Mormon is the word of god and I am so blessed to have it in my life. I know that our heavenly father loves us so very much and when we are in need we can turn to him in prayer and he is always there to listen and to love us. I love all of you so much and may god be with you ´till we meet again.

love,

   Elder Ryan Thomas Lehikainen.


 

December 24, 2012 Veracruz !!!!

Hola hola mi familia como estan!!! Como fue el cabin. I can skype you all around 4!!! I dont know your skype info so I need you to add me my skype name is elderryanlehikainen so pleaseee add me =).These first few days have been crazy but I absolutly love it here in Veracruz my first area and my area for the next 12 weeks is Cosamalopan in the southern part of the mission. It is a great area and we have a baptism for the 30th I guess we baptize like crazy down here. We have a baptism once a week which is sooo awesome. We we with alot of referals because that is safer I guess and that is what the brotheren want us to do so that is what we are doing and with referalls it helps the members have a relationship with the new converts which is really good. We teach around 6 lessons a day and walk all day from lesson to lesson which I am not used to any more lol My walking legs are gone. But they will come back soon enough. I love it here the people are so loving and so very humble they have nothing but seem to give us the very best. We dont eat dinner with the members we eat lunch every day at 2 with them and the hermanas are just sooo giving they are really an example to me. The poverty here is kinda shocking I knew that I was going to a poor country but it is a little different living in it.  We are so very blessed to be living in america and to have a father who has an amazing job. Most of the families here dont even have hot water to shower. I dont know I just realized how good and how blessed we are back home it has really opened my eyes. The spanish here is not the spanish that they taught me in the MTC lol it is kinda overwhelming but it just takes time to get used to. Thank goodness my trainer is a stud his name is Elder Charles and he is from Arizona. He does most of the talking and teaching which is normal but I just want to help do my part and know what is going on lol Yesterday was better I was able to add a little bit in our lessions. The ward is great there is a ward here and there are about 85 members that attend regulary. So I lucked out and didnt have to bare my testimony mom but I taught actually my comp taught gospel principles and I added a few things here and there.  But Elder Charles says we do alot alot for the ward so I will talk or bare my testimony pretty soon =) Oh I blessed the sacrament sunday I hope they could understand me.
    So how have you all been how was the cabin? I bet you had a blast the pictures look awesome. Tyler how does my jacket feel lol just playing you look like a stud and you are so muscular now. Anyways I have been studying in preach my gospel more here in the field and reading in the book of mormon. This morning I read in alma 54-56 about the 2000 strippling warriors and what great men of faith they were. I was brought to tears as they spoke of there mothers and the reason the had there faith in there heavenly father was because there mothers had taught them to do so. I then looked at the CTR ring mom and dad got me and read what they inscribed in it ´´ryan trust in the lord with all thine heart love mom and dad´´ that is exactly what I needed to hear and to ponder about this morning and I just wanted to thank you mom and dad for raising me how you did because I have been raised of goodly parents and I know what I must do. Can you read that chapter this week guys that would be awesome if you did. The lord is always there for us with his hand out stretched we just need to reach back or jump and he will catch us. But by making that attempt we show him that we have faith in him and in his son Jesus Christ and we are blessed for doing so. I think that is one of the biggest things we do as missionaries is help the people act and once they act the lord blesses them and they are filled with the spirit and they cannot deny what they have come to know in there hearts.
    I cant wait to see and talk to you all tomorrow it is going to be AMAZING. I will leave you all with my testimony that I know our Heavenly Father loves us all sooo very much. He loves us so much that he sent his son Jesus Christ to this earth to die for us. I am so very grateful for that because I sin daily and without Jesus Christ comoing to this earth and performing the atonement there is no way that I would be able to return with our Heavenly Father and live with the family that I love so very much. I am so very grateful for all of you and may god be with you till we meet again.

Love you son, brother and friend,
                               Elder Ryan Thomas Lehikainen