january 5, 2015 letter

Well another good week here in oregon! this week was pretty good because we were able to find a couple new potential investigators that we think could get baptized sometime here pretty soon! we are still pushing hard with some families but have decided to take a look at all of the families that we are teaching and start dropping some people that aren't ready to hear the gospel. its tough, but its really whats best for them and for us. when we drop them it gives them some time to think about everything and it also gives them time to miss the spirit that we were able to bring with us. we even have some investigators that have told us that they know this church is true and that they love the teachings of the church, just don't want to join because they want to stay catholic because there parents or family or whoever is catholic.  i've come to find that there are kind of like two extremes in the world of religion. there are churches that just teach that all is well and that you don't have to do anything and that you will be saved if you accept Christ in your heart. and then you have the other extreme which says that you cant donate blood to a loved one or that if you even go to another church you'll be excommunicated from theirs. the first one is a religion that everybody wants where God is somebody who just lets you get by with everything and you don't have to do anything, and the second is a church that converts on fear and obligation and works alone. its kind of crazy because over my course of time teaching people a very common concept is the one given by Paul that it is by grace that we are saved and not by works. up to this point i would usually just pull out the scripture in mathew 7:21 that says that there are certain things that we have to do in life. so for the most part i kind of just pushed away what paul said and almost tried to prove paul wrong in a way. but it was super cool because the other night i read a talk called "Salvation, by Grace or by Works". it was really one of the best talks that i've read and it talked about how grace and works, work together. it really was able to expand my mind and help me understand what i'm doing out here and help me gain a greater grasp on the atonement of Christ. each day i seem to be learning something a little bit more about his atonement. i love what joseph smith says when he said "that the atonement is the central part of our gospel and that everything else is just and appendage of it." and its so true. since i've come out on my mission its like the atonement has taken a whole look for me! i have been able to see it in ways that i never was able to and i love that. it truly is one of the greatest things we can utilize in this life. you should definitely read that talk, it was super good! 

We were able to contact into a part member family and a family that the mother's sister is a member. they are some of the best families i've ever seen. the one that is a part member family, both the parents are member and all of the little girls aren't, and there are 6 of them! haha and then the other one is a family who has family members in the ward! so we are hoping to help them out and accept the gospel here pretty soon. one of the girls is 18 and had a baptism date but felt like she was getting pressured into it so she backed off, but we went by and talked to her and she said that she wanted to start taking the lessons again soon, so we are excited about that with them! and i don't know if you ever heard about this guy, but he was one of the first houses that i ever knocked, and through our meetings with him it just seemed kind of like he was going on with the lessons and wasn't really progressing, so we were getting ready to drop him and stop teaching him. but it was super cool because this last time that we went over we taught him about the gospel of jesus christ again and it just seemed like everything was clicking for him. it was one of the more spiritual lessons that i've been able to have out on my mission. we also just yesterday were able to sit down and talk to his brother as well and he said that he wanted to start listening to the lessons as well and that he wanted to take us out to eat! so hopefully we are able to help them both and realize the importance of families in there lives! we also were able to teach a really drunk guy which was probably the funniest thing in the world. he came up to our car so i rolled down my window and he just started ripping on us and could barely stand. by the time he was done talking to us his head was like in the car. i don't know why i found it so funny, maybe because he really had no idea what was happening, but it made my day(: 

oh and speaking of drunk people, the last time that i got my haircut this guy ran into the barber shop, on drugs, and started chanting like voodoo at us or something. haha i looked at the barber and was like, "did you know him?", and he was like "nope!" so i just shrugged my shoulders and he went on cutting my hair. and this barber that was cutting my hair is the first hispanic that i've ever seen with dreds. haha its the coolest thing in the world! looks a little funny, but its sweet!

i was able to read all the letters that you guys sent me this last week and it was the best thing. i love getting hand written letters. it just struck me as i was sitting there how manly amazing people i have that know and love me! i can't thank you guys enough for all of the prayers that i have received and all of the help that i've received throughout my life. i couldn't be happier to have you guys in my life. whether it was with school or with sports or with my mission i've always had the best support(: thank you guys for all you do i really appreciate it!!!

 i love you!

Love, Elder Romney (:

The people that we go and help each week

The party at the home of the people who's extended family wouldn't come because these people are LDS

One of the little kids at the party

A sugar cane from a drink she made.  It was the best thing ever.  You would just take it and chew on it and suck the juice out of it.  It was the best!

This is the family that the parents are mad that they are LDS.

Mom's sweet tie

me kicking trash at this awesome game! haha i was the second persond to actually complete the game that they have ever seen and i did it on my first try!! im the yellow ones(:

the missing piece of the puzzle that the pisters lost and couldnt find forever and said that whoever found it would be there favorite person ever and they would hang up a picture of them (:

this was at a different ward party. this baby, sorry its blurry. but this baby is probably one of the cutest babies in the world (:

this is our district (:

this awesome poster from walmart that a member hung up in her house!

some of the people in my district at our ward party!

 this is the one that got me those shoes (: