Well this week was a pretty good and interesting week! As you know we have been working with a family (of 8 people) for quite a while, about 3 months now, and they just weren't seeming to progress at all. so elder Perryman and i decided that we were going to go there and just tell her that we had to stop coming by because she wasn't keeping any of her commitments and we couldn't keeping driving forever away to get to her house. So the whole day we were thinking about how we were going to do this and how it was going to be so hard because we really do love the family so much and love the kids to death. We made it into her house and caught her before she could leave and sat down and talked to her for a while. We talked to her about how we couldn't keep coming by if she wasn't going to keep her commitments and that it was really important what we were doing and that we couldn't just keep doing this over and over again. Through all of the talking with her and trying to drop her, she eventually broke down and started telling us all about her past life and how hard things are right now and how she says that she wants the gospel but doesn't know if she can do it. We told her that we would be there step by step if she just promised to keep her promises and read and pray every night. She told us that she would. We also offered to give her a blessing and to her children, too, and she cheerfully accepted as we explained what it was. It really was such a beautiful blessing to be able to see that huge change in her, we went from about dropping teaching her, to giving her and all of her kids blessings of comfort and peace. That was such a tender moment when we did that for her. We couldn't do it in the house because the grandma wouldn't let them, so we ended up finding an old beat up chair outside and put it on there porch in the pitch black. We were all freezing and just kind of huddled around trying to keep warm in the 30 degree weather. i was given the opportunity to give a blessing to 5 of the 6 children as we asked them who they wanted to give the blessing. Each one that I gave to them was completely different and you could feel their spirit in each one. It was amazing to see the blessings that were promised by the Lord as I acted as a proxy and mouthpiece for Him. During the blessing for one of the youngest ones who was 5, we had promised him that if he stayed faithful and was baptized into the church, he would one day be a leader in the church and help change lives. I cant wait to see what happens with him in the future. The majority of the kids are boys and almost all of them have expressed how they want to be baptized and how they want to eventually serve missions like us. So in all reality their future now just hangs in the balance if there parents will follow them and be there support them because we aren't allowed to baptize them if they aren't old enough to drive themselves or if they don't have somebody who will be able to help them and guide them as they grow up, namely their parents. So it all hinges on whether she can commit to keeping her promises and be baptized eventually, because that would be 5 missionaries that would get sent out to help change others lives as well. Please keep them in your prayers and that this change of heart will be able to continue and that eventually they will be able to make that covenent with the lord and all be sealed in the temple. I really do love those kids and there futures are so bright.
Well, so i have a kind of crazy story... haha so the other day on Sunday, we went up to Mcminville for a baptism and we were going on this super super crazy and windy hilly road. like nothing you've ever seen before. I would literally close my eyes and I felt like I was on a roller coaster because we were going so fast and turning so sharp! The whole entire road is lined with trees and it was pitch black, so you couldn't see what was in front of you while you were turning until you were already there. I was sitting in the back and we had a member driving us because it was out of our area and I was thinking the whole time,"welp, if I die, I lived a pretty good life and I'll go to heaven because I'm a missonary!" and literally as i was thinking that, jorge (the guy driving) slammed on his brakes and we go flying forward sliding of the road because there was a deer that jumped out right in front of us. I think its leg nicked the front left side of the car, but not to much damage was done to the car. We were able to get back on the road and eventually make it there safely! haha that was one of those moments where your heart just stops and all the adrenaline rushes form your face to your legs. haha, it was pretty scary, but I'm glad to know that I'm a missionary and that there is an afterlife in case things didn't turn out as miraculous as they did! i definitley know the lords hand played a part in this and that all the prayers from back at home kept me safe and made sure i didn't have antlers through my head (;
The weather here is really quite depressing. the place is beautiful, but the weather is awful. It just rains all the time and averages about 36 degrees. But no worries I'm hanging in there and my face just goes numb after a while (: but things are going well and we are still working with a bunch of families right now!
i love you guys so much!!! Love Elder Romney (:
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| "This was our little Christmas party that we had this past Saturday. Santa and I were best friends (: " |
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| With a couple of missionaries from Newberg |
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| "These were our family pictures. Elder Ashcraft trained all of us." |
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