Thursday, September 11, 2008

We mean business!

I had to stop and get a picture of this

Don't worry I am safe at night



The fencing agent!


LOL. Thats all I can say

Me testing out the camera and getting ready


Hello there! How are you? I hope you are great! I hope your face has lit up again and is glowing! :) I'm glad you like getting my letters! I LOVE getting yours! And do you know what else I love? Getting your tapes! Which I did get and it was the coolest thing in the whole world! Except! That part where you were like,"oh guess what" and then "oh Nevermind!" I will definitely get you for that one! Grrr! I can't believe you would do that to me just cause I am in WA and I can't do anything about it...:( But I figured you were going to finish that with something like "guess what I went on a date with this really cute guy and he held my hand and now I have goose bumps even thinking about it..."etc so if that's how you were going to finish that then I am glad that you didn't finish it! :) So it was the funniest thing I was thinking the day before I got your letter about the "what do ya do? you don't.." and I started laughing and I thought I'm going to put that in my next letter cause she will laugh and then you put it in your letter :) It was funny. Oh and you probably could have beat me at guitar hero before I left, I never was good at that game! But it sounds to me like you might want to start blinking a few times while you are playing LOL. You are so funny. Well I haven't spoken in church yet...my Sunday kinda goes like this- I get up (6:30), get ready and study for a little bit, have a meeting at 9:30-10:30 and then after that we do what we call "round up" where we call or go see everyone that we invited to church and either wake them up or remind them about church. Then we have lunch and go to church at 1:00 and then we are usually there until about 4:30 and then we have dinner at about 5-5:30 depending on the member. Then after dinner we do what we would do on a normal day. Elder Ashton has been in 2 accidents so no driving for him! I love driving that Malibu! I haven't been crocheting much at all...to tell you the truth I just try to stay
asleep...When we get in at night and plan after that we have a half hour before we go to bed but I just go to bed anyway. Thank you for writing me every week! Most missionaries say by now the letters slow down, but I tell them we are practically already married! LOL I have a baptism this Saturday the 13th! Its Richard Powell's and he is so cool! He got up and bore his testimony on Sunday and hes not even a member yet! He is in a wheelchair so we are going to have to carry him in and out of the font. I'm way excited. Well I finally sent some pictures and I hope you like them. :) The "fencing agent" Elder Ashton is completely serious in those pictures by the way. I gave him that nickname too. I hope you have a great week!
Love, Elder Ryan John

Monday, September 8, 2008

A Better Week

well hello parents!!
Hows it going?! well things have surely gotten better here and I thank you for all of your prayers! after many comp studies on charity and on well charity and even on charity I think elder Ashton has softened his heart a little and he seems not to be so pushy with people.. which is a wonderful thing! Cause other than that he is just goofy and I can deal with goofy :D it is hilarious tho cause even though in the mission he is known as my "mom" cause when you get trained for 3 months by your "dad" then your next comp is your "mom" anyways.. he really takes that to heart lol! he tries his best to be my mom.. like the night I got your package I was listening to Shannon's tape she sent me and lol 10:30 came around and he was like hey its bed time ... and I was just like goodnight... and then like 10:40 came around and he came out again and I told him to go to bed and then 10:50 came around and he came out again and I was like dude do I need to cuddle you or what?!?!? lol so he finally went to bed and then I went to bed at like 11:00 what a hoser lol and then the other night I was talking to elder Clyde on the phone :D and 10:30 came around and he was like elder... its bed time... LOL! I just laugh which I probably shouldn't but well... you guys know me :D ok so mom I sent you the paper work back for the driving history and I got the bank deal notarized but I looked and she had stamped it but not signed it and so I have to go back... but they are sending me ANOTHER card?!? hmmm this is way too confusing but oh well.. thanks for the awesome package tho and I'm sorry that you have to do all this running around for me! grr.. well this week we were able to get 4 investigators to church and one was Richard who got up and bore his testimony FIRST!!! before anyone else it was the best testimony I have ever heard! I was a little nervous when he said he wanted to cause I didn't know if he would start tellin stories or what but nope he got up and said how he had been searching for 60 years and through prayer he has come to know the the truth the light and the way reside in the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints!!! it was so cool! and we got a young couple to church also! it was their first time and all of the testimonies were just fabulous! it was amazing! AND! Richard is on date to be baptised on Saturday! the 13th! so happy birthday James! :D lol but we are excited we will have to carry him in the font and what not but its going to be so sweet! i am excited! he is so solid and he has been getting a bunch of crap thrown at him too from all the vets that he lives with they tell him a bunch of stupid things and he just tells em to mind their own business and its pretty funny... but we are excited for him! and hopefully this week we will put Jacob and Tessa on date and get them married! its gonna be sweet! but ya things are going A LOT! better I think what it was was when he came in he thought (with it being his first experience as senior comp) that he was going to have to do everything... and so he had his mind made up about how he was going to do everything before he even got here... and then when he realized that I'm not green even though I have been out only a short amount of time (and I'm not boasting cause I didn't get where I am at on my own...) then he humbled himself and now all he tells me is that I'm going to be a zone leader LOL!! and I tell him that I don't like him for wishing that upon me! cause I don't want to baby sit I just want to serve and so I tell him to wish training on me cause I think that would be way fun to train! but anyways... I have a funny story for ya that will kinda let you in on how goofy elder Ashton really is.. ok so we are tracting and we go up to this door and there is a picture of Jesus on the door and in the window and a couple others so we are like sweet at least they are christian right... well we knock on the door and this lady answers and before I can say anything Elder Ashton goes "well it looks like you are a Jesus lover!" LOLOLOL!!! after that I couldn't say anything cause I was trying not to laugh!!! it was so hilarious!! and she goes yep and i don't want to talk to you guys and I was like why is that... and she started telling us how we don't believe in Christ and what not... and Elder Ashton goes "OH YA... what about this?" and starts circling his name tag with his finger and he is like "it says right here" LOL!! once again I wanted to smack him... but I just figure that you know the lord makes up for our weaknesses and so if he is a spaz there is nothing I can do about it... lol! so now I call him a Jesus lover all the time :D lol well thanks for everything you guys are awesome! I love you guys! take care of yourselves! and keep reading your scriptures you slackers!!!! LOVE YA!!!
Elder Penman