Email from Elder Lofthouse 4/2/2013

I can't believe how long the weeks are here and yet how quickly they pass.  We had a special zone conference on Saturday.  We got a mission call-out from President Gelwix on Thursday morning telling us that it was 1) To refocus the mission on baptizing, a call to repentance and 2) a special announcement.  I'm not sure he realized the impact that statement had on the missionaries.  The rumors were flying!  Well, we had the conference and nothing really special got announced, so that was slightly disappointing/relieving (there were some interesting theories).  The mission isn't getting split, President Gelwix isn't getting called as a Seventy, we still don't get to use facebook or have girlfriends, our service time is still the same, there was no major change in church policy, a war isn't starting, the District 3 isn't getting filmed here, nor  is anything else we came up with happening.  But it was a great conference and I learned a lot.

After the conference, we had a baptism.  J and K got baptized.  Hopefully V and her kids will be baptized this month.  I got to baptize J.  Sadly, I accidentally left my camera in my pocket.  The memory card is fine, and the camera is actually turning on again, but there's water in the lens or something and I can't take any good pictures.  Also, I forgot to bring my memory card here so I could send pictures.  Sorry!  I'll try to remember next week.  I'm hoping that maybe it eventually dries out, but I may have to go buy a new one. 

One day we were walking to an appointment we'd set earlier that day to give a blessing.  On our way, Elder Hernandez felt prompted to knock on a certain door.  A man opened it, and Elder Hernandez said (in Spanish), "Hello, we are representatives of Jesus Christ and we are here to leave a blessing."  "Oh, come in, come in!"  He then asked us how we knew his wife was sick and who had sent us here.  We said we hadn't known, but God had.  She just found out that week that she had cancer, and it's a pretty big tumor.  We gave her a blessing and the next day we taught them the Plan of Salvation.  I know that we were led to that door.

I can't wait for General Conference this weekend!  I love Conference so much!  I know that if you prepare yourself spiritually and you come with questions to be answered, if you listen carefully during each talk and write down the thoughts and impressions that come to you, you will find answers to all your questions, and you will find the guidance that you need right now in your life.

Transfers are next week and we'll probably be finding out on Friday what's happening.  Most likely my companion will be getting moved.  I can't believe my training is just about done.  I feel like I just got here!   I hope everyone is doing well at home!

I love you all!

-Elder Lofthouse 

Email from Elder Lofthouse 3/26/2013

Hello again!  Things are going well here.  I forgot to mention last week that there's a new e-mail policy which gives us an hour and half of computer time and we're now allowed to e-mail friends.  So if it's easier for some people to send me an e-mail rather than write me a letter, they're free to do that.  However, getting something in the mailbox is always fun.

We could be having up to five baptisms this Saturday, but could only end up with one.  E's son J is almost for sure getting baptized and he's so excited (he's 9).  His 13 year-old sister, K, should be as well, but she didn't come to church with them and she wasn't there when we visited them yesterday.  We're going to try and catch her home today, and hopefully she'll be prepared by Saturday as well.  Then there's Virginia and her son and daughter.  V can probably be baptized and as long as we get to teach them a few times this week, her 9 year-old daughter S probably will be ready as well (she reads her Book of Mormon every night!)  Her son, A is 8, and he's never really paid attention in the lessons and we're not sure if he'll be ready to be baptized on Saturday.  But we'll be working closely with both those families.

     We had brief hope that O might be able to be baptized on Saturday too.  He got home from Mexico on Friday.  But he's going back tomorrow because he found work there.  So we're going to try to send the missionaries to him there.

     In other news, we're still teaching D because she already knows us and is starting to get to know people in our branch, so she doesn't want to go to the YSA ward yet.  And we're fine with that.  She seems to be getting along with the older sisters.  She even went to a Relief Society activity last week.  We had branch conference this Sunday, and they talked about Family History and Temple work.  Church went half an hour long, but all our investigators who came are still planning on coming back.  Yay!  D had lots of questions about what she learned at church and what she's been reading in the Book of Mormon.  We met with her later that night to answer her questions.  While we were talking, Elder Hernandez felt prompted to ask her if she had prayed for help from God before she met us.  She said she had and that she felt like we have been giving her that help.  She doesn't want to commit to a baptismal date because she's afraid she's going to mess up or fall away.   She wants to change and become a better person.  She said that she'd smoked that day and that the day before she'd gotten drunk.  "And what if I hadn't come to church, just because I'd been drinking?  That'd be a lame reason!"  She felt so bad.  We haven't even taught her the Word of Wisdom, but she knows she's going to need to change those things.  She's already run in to so much opposicion, but she's been overcoming it so well!  She is going to grow so quickly.  We're going to be teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her next time so that she can understand what Christ did for her and how she can overcome all these things.

     Well, that's about all I can think to write.  We had interviews with President Gelwix on Saturday.  He is so amazing!  Elder Hernandez and I watched Forever Strong with an investigator yesterday (we're allowed to) and it's so much better when you actually know President Gelwix.  He's done so much good in his life and he truly has a gift of discernment.  I'm so blessed to have him as a mission president.

     I hope everything is going well back home!  I enjoy reading your letters.  Love you!

-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-

Email from Elder Lofthouse 3/19/13

I can't believe another week has already passed.  And once again, I can't really remember what happened.  It all feels so long ago!

We had zone conference on Thursday.  I love Zone Conference so much!  It's so inspiring and uplifting.  We were talking about why we are here and how our reason should ultimately become simply because we love Christ.  I was asking myself, "Am I here because I love Him?  Do I have a burning testimony of Him?"  I wrote in my study journal, "I am so imperfect and selfish.  How can I could I ever represent and become like Him?"  And though my question was rhetorical, I knew in that moment that the next thing that would be talked about would be the answer to that question.  And that was the Easter Project.  As a misison, we are going to read through every single reference listed under Jesus Christ in the Topical Guide, including all the sub categories like "Jesus, Antemortal existence of."  We should be done in August.  President Gelwix promised, "If you will do this, it will change your mission, and you will experience a mighty change of heart."  After only a few days I'm already starting to see a difference.  I am trusting in that promise from a servant of God, and I am so excited to see where I'm at in five months.

E was baptized on Saturday.  And her two kids, K and J should follow on the 30th.  Remember A, the one who found the Restoration pamphlet and called us to learn more?  He came to church on Sunday!  And that morning when I called him, he said he couldn't make it.  But I guess he found a car to use and made it for Priesthood and Sacrament Meeting.  He really liked it, wants to meet with our Branch President today and told my companion and me that he wants us to be direct with him and tell him exactly what Joseph Smith taught and what he should and shouldn't do.  He says he's still making a decision, but Elder Hernandez and I can see him as a bishop one day.  We also had another investigator at church on Sunday.  Her name is Da.  Elder Hernandez and his previous companion had street contacted her before I got her, set up an appointment and then forgot about it.  Elder Hernandez and I ran into her again last week and she said she'd waited half an hour for them!  Woops.  We started teaching her.  She said she thinks there's a God, isn't sure what she believes about Jesus Christ, and she has a nose ring.  But she has a light in her eyes, and after her first lesson she started praying, and she read the chapter we left her, Alma 32.  Best of all, she found her own ride to church, but when they flaked out on her, she walked about 3 miles to get there.  She's progressing so well!  The only problem is that she does speak and understand Spanish, but she's very comfortable with English and she's YSA aged.  So we're thinking the YSA ward would be better for her and we might be passing her on to those missionaries.

As I've been doing the Easter Project, I've been noticing how Christ would take time to renew and strengthen His relationship with Heavenly Father.  He would fast for forty days, or he would pray so long on the Mount of Transfiguration that His apostles would fall asleep.  He also spent all night long praying before he selected the Twelve.  How often do we forget to say our prayers?  Or when we do say them, how often are they half-hearted?  Does your mind wander as you pray?  Are you thinking about what you're saying?  More importantly, are you feeling what you're saying?  Sincerity brings the Spirit more than anything else.  You can share testimony and pray until you're blue in the face, but until you're doing it from your heart, the Spirit won't be there.  I invite all of you to look at how you pray and ask if you are really talking to Heavenly Father or not.  The Bible Dictionary teaches that prayer is a form of work.  It does take effort to pray mightily, but if you will take the time to do so, you will feel the power of God enter into your lives with more strength than before, and you will see miracles.  

I love you all!  Keep the faith and don't ever stop striving to improve!

-Elder Lofthouse-

Email from Elder Lofthouse 3/12/13

Hello from the California Fresno Misison!  How's everyone doing?  I'm doing great!

Elder Rasband came and spoke at a Stake conference here in my area and I got to shake his hand!  He said they're expecting to have 90,000 missionaries in the field by the end of the year.  I can't wait to see how that affects church growth!  I was listening to my companion translate it into Spanish, so I'm not sure what I heard right, but I think they said there's going to be 58 new missions and 2 new MTCs.  This is such an exciting time!  I'm so excited for General Conference.  It can't get here soon enough!

Last night, we were doing our daily planning.  Elder Hernandez has leadership training today so Elder Vera is with me, and he was planning with us last night.  Well, we were planning, and the doorbell rings.  I said, jokingly, "It's probably President Gelwix again."  And Elder Hernandez looked out the window and said, "It is!"  Of course, we didn't believe him until he actually opened the door.  And there he was, again!  Twice in two transfers I've had the mission president visit my apartment.  That never happens!  He wasn't sure why he was there, just that as he was passing by, he felt he should visit.  He reminded Elder May that he had to be at the mission home on Sunday to get ready to leave to Argentina (his Visa went through in record time!)  and then told us that the Savior loves us and wants us to know that He's with us.  President prayed with us, and then he left.  Oh, he also counseled us (as prompted by the Spirit) to not fall into routine prayers, to pray with "energy of heart."  Good advice for all of us.  

E (the one who was almost baptized 10 years ago) is getting baptized on Saturday, and hopefully her son, J, too.  We're still working with her daughter, Ka, but we're hoping she'll follow her family into the waters of baptism by the end of the month.  I'm so excited for them!  And we're teaching new people all the time.  Our mission found 307 new investigators last week!  Now we just need to get all these new investigators progressing.  

Well, I hope everyone is doing well back home.  I'm having a great time here, and I look forward to my experiences this next week.  Thank you for your prayers, and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

-Elder Lofthouse-

Email from Elder Lofthouse 3/5/13

Hello again!  Thank you for your letters.  There were a lot of questions asked, and I'm going to go ahead and answer them here.

Do I get to play the piano a lot?  I've played twice in sacrament meeting, and I've played in our last two zone meetings as well.  And I'm going to be playing the hymns in a special fireside we'll be having towards the end of the month with President Gelwix and the Hispanic community.  So yeah, I get to play fairly often.  How often do I speak in church?  I haven't yet.  I bore my testimony both Fast Sundays that I've been here though.  Do I have to teach in church at all?  My companion and I are usually the ones who teach Gospel Principles.  

How's the weather? It's starting to get hot.  The weather is very nice here.  It's only rained once and I haven't really used my jacket except after dinner this last week. We definitely haven't gotten any snow.  How was Valentine's day (asked by Camary)? I mentioned in one of my last e-mails that that was the day we had our Trainer/Trainee meeting.  I also happened to get the Valentine's day package you sent me that day too.  Other than that, nothing really special happened.  And what's my favorite animal (also asked by Camary)?  A tiger.  Tigers are the best.

Dad, you asked if Elder Peacock has family in Castle Dale.  He does.  Like me, it's his grandpa's brother's family.  I'm sure they're the ones you knew.  Small world, huh?

Mom, Preach My Gospel says we're only supposed to study the Standard Works and the Missionary Reference Library.  President Gelwix has added church magazines and the Miracle of Forgiveness.  In fact, he's asked us to read the Miracle of Forgiveness during our mission, even if we've read it before.  So you could send me a copy of that, but not of that other book, sorry.  And trust me, I wouldn't have said anything to you about those dogs if I'd thought there was any real danger.  And don't worry, I've been perfectly safe, and will continue to be safe as long as I'm following the rules. 

I have a couple questions.  Why didn't Xander send me a letter??  And did Rusty get the last letter I sent him?  Because I mentioned the accident in there, but in this last letter I got from him, he didn't seem to think I knew about it.  

Anyway, I am enjoying being a missionary and teaching is going well.  It's so easy to fall asleep at night.  I have never slept so well consistently in my entire life.  Ironically, I'm tired all the time.  But if you're not a tired missionary, you're doing something wrong.  I love how busy missionary life is.  Time goes by so quickly because of it, and at the same time it feels like a lot more time has passed.  I feel like I've been out in the field for three months, but it's only been 6 weeks.  So much happens each day and each week.  It's hard to choose what to write home about.  But I'm doing well, talking to lots of people, and having great experiences.  I don't really like sharing experiences that haven't finished yet and I don't know what's going to happen next.  But here's one that I hope ends up going somewhere.

We were riding down the street one day and stopped to talk to a couple and their daughter.  I don't remember what we were saying at first, but they weren't all that interested, just telling us that they were Catholic.  I asked if we could come by and leave a blessing on their home sometime.  The husband was very friendly and he said yes, but the wife didn't look too sure.  He told us they live across from O's family!  So they knew what religion we were from, and they knew that family, but the wife still didn't seem happy to be talking to us.  When we went by to give the blessing, the husband invited us in, but again, the wife was a little resistant.  They have a sign outside their door that says, in Spanish, "This house is Catholic.  We don't accept protestant propaganda or any other sect."  I'm pretty sure she's the one who put that up.  However, after the blessing, something in her changed.  They invited us back.  However, when we went back, the husband wasn't home and they were expecting company (I guess they forgot our appointment) and we still haven't gotten to teach them yet.  But the wife was very kind to us, gave us their number, and a couple of very needed water bottles.  I really hope we get to teach them soon!

Well, I hope you keep asking me questions, because I never know what to include in these e-mails.  Hope everyone is doing well!

Love you all!  And don't ever lose hope!

-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-

Email from Elder Lofthouse 2/26/13

Well, I've just about finished my first transfer in the mission field.  I had my first baptism on Saturday, D.  She's 11 and we're hoping to be baptizing her mom soon.  I honestly don't really feel like it's my  first baptism, but I did get to confirm her (in Spanish!) on Sunday.  I didn't get any good pictures, sorry.  Next time I won't trust a nine year-old to get me a good picture. :)

After the baptism, we got a phone call.  It was a man named A who had just moved into a new house and had found a Restoration pamphlet with our number on it.  He'd read some of the pamphlet, liked what he read, but wanted to know who Joseph Smith was.  We told him we'd be happy to come over to his house and tell him about Joseph Smith.  We did so yesterday with the second counselor in our branch presidency.  It was a good lesson and he said he'd read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.  We're following up with him on Wednesday.

Remember how I told you about Richard a couple weeks ago?  He got baptized on Sunday as well.  Imagine if we hadn't stopped to talk to him!

Last week I mentioned going to contact a referral (the one with the dogs).  When we contacted him, we gave him a Book of Mormon.  We finally got to teach him (very briefly) on Saturday, and he'd read the first sixteen chapters!  We had forgotten we'd even given him one.  He works kind of far away though so he doesn't get home until around 8, and it's been hard to catch them (him and his wife) home on weekends.  But they have great potential!

We were hoping to have a baptism this Saturday, but we're not so sure it's going to happen.  He's going down to Mexico Sunday night to visit his father who's sick.  His family are all members except for his oldest daughter, and we haven't seen her for awhile.  I think she's a way working or something.  And he has been progressing very well.  The only problem is that he's been having a struggle with drinking.  When we found out a couple weeks ago that he would be going to Mexico for most of March, we decided to set the goal of having him be baptized on March 2.  But he couldn't drink at all for the two weeks before that date.  Yesterday, we went over to their house to have a Family Home Evening, but he was in the other room talking to his dad and we didn't get to see him.  My companion saw a beer on their kitchen table.  O has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.  He's seen how the gospel has affected his family, and he has expressed a desire to be baptized.  He went to the baptism on Saturday, and he really just needs to overcome this last obstacle.  Please pray for him.  He needs Spiritual strength, especially as he visits Mexico these next three weeks.

We're also teaching a lady named E and her two children.  E was going to be baptized 10 years ago, but her husband wouldn't let her.  She's no longer married to him, and we're hoping to baptize their family on the 9.  They let us confiscate their coffee, they've been going to church and reading in the Book of Mormon, and we're having dinner with them tonight with our Branch President.  I'm excited!

I wanted to quickly share something from my personal study the last couple days.  I started studying about hope.  We always hear about faith, hope, and charity, but hope seems to be fairly ignored, probably for a couple reasons.  For one, we see hope and faith as basically the same, and for another, in our daily use of the word hope, it holds a lot of doubt.  Here's an interesting thing.  In Spanish, the verb "to hope" is "esperar."  That also means, "to expect."  Esperanza, the word for hope, is also "expectation."  And so it is in the scriptures.  Hope is not a doubtful thing.  Quite the opposite.  Hope is a certainty, an expectation for the promises of God to be fulfilled.  Faith is believing that God CAN answer prayers.  It's believing that it's possible to go to the Celestial Kingdom, to speak by the Spirit, to work miracles, or to be forgiven of sin.  Hope is to expect those things.  When we don't have hope, we're in despair.  Preach My Gospel says hope is manifest in confidence, enthusiasm, and optimism.  You cannot have hope without faith, but I believe that you can have faith without real hope.  However, strong faith is always accompanied by hope, by that expectation in God's promises.  The scriptures talk about "a lively hope" or a "perfect brightness of hope."  And how do we develop hope.  Read Alma 22 and you'll have an idea.  It comes through repentance, prayer, and study of the scriptures.  And then, when we have faith and hope, when we know that we have a remission of sins and we will inherit Celestial Glory, then it is so much easier to develop charity and a desire for all men to have that same hope that you have attained. 

The Apostle Paul always ended his letters saying something like, "May the grace of God be with you" or something about grace.  I think I'm going to end mine with hope.

Keep your hope burning bright,

-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-

Email from Elder Lofthouse 2/19/13

Hello!  I am having a wonderful time here in the mission field.  So much happens in one week and I'm not sure what to write about.

We have baptism scheduled for this Saturday, an 11 year-old girl named D.  We also have several baptismal dates for March.  And with our mission president's counsel to spend three hours each day finding, we're finding so many new investigators with a lot of potential.  For example, on Saturday we were riding our bikes and we passed a man in a trailer park doing something with his car.  We both felt we should go talk to him, so we turned around and went back.  When we told him that all we wanted to do was leave a blessing in his home, he invited us in.  His whole family was there, including five sons.  They were very nice, and just had a Mormon-ish look about them.  They felt the Spirit as we left the blessing, and invited us back.  We're hoping to see them today.  

Oh, funny story!  Again, riding our bikes, we saw a man with a teenager and a young kid.  When the kid saw us he said, "Run!  It's the Mormons!"  And he took off running!  The other two just ignored him, and so he said, "Look behind you!  Vaya (go)!"  And he disappeared around the corner!  Well the man talked to us, and it turns out he was one of the sister missionaries' investigators.  I couldn't believe that someone had literally ran away from us, even a kid.  

Another story:  We got a referral and went to go contact him.  There were two dogs and a bunch of their puppies guarding the gate.  They weren't that big, but they were not acting friendly at all, barking and growling.  But we had to contact this referral.  So with faith that God would protect me, I opened the gate and stepped in.  A second or two later the dogs were perfectly happy to have us there.  I like to think that they were calmed down by angels. 

We had a Trainer/Trainee meeting in Fresno last week.  I love meetings with President Gelwix and his assistants.  They're always so inspiring and motivating.  We talked about how our purpose in life is to become like Christ.  And as missionaries, our purpose is to invite and help other people to do that.  Everything we do is just a part of that, including baptism.  We can't lose focus of that bigger picture.  We also talked about the prayer, and how the purpose of prayer is to strengthen our relationship with God and bring our will in line with His.  And we locked our hearts!  There's a talk that President Benson (I think it was him) gave in a mission many, many years ago called, "Lock Your Hearts."  Falling in love is not allowed in the California Fresno mission.  So they have a tradition of buying plastic locks for all the new missionaries, and we get to decorate them and then lock them in this frame (I should have taken a picture) and give the keys to the coordinating sisters.  We get them back at the end of our mission.  It seemed a very fitting thing to do on Valentine's Day. :)  Oh by they way, I got your package while I was there. Thank you so much!

Elder Christofferson and Elder Rasband are coming to Fresno this week for a Priesthood Leadership Training.  I won't get to see Elder Christofferson, but Elder Rasband and President Gelwix are holding a special stake conference in my stake.  That should be really good!  

Anyway, I hope everything is going well back home.  Tell everyone that they can feel free to write me letters, but that I have hardly anytime to reply, so they should be aware they might not get a reply for awhile.  

This work is God's work, and this is His church!  I'm so excited to see the growth of the church in the next several years and to be able to be a part of it.  

I love you all!

-Elder Ryan Lofthouse-