My Batteries Have Been Charged!

Hey, how are you all? Dad, it’s nuts to hear you are just about 30 minutes from me right now. We had interviews with Pres. Carreon this past week and I told him that you would be down here and he just laughed and asked if you were going to come down...hahaha I told him that I didn’t want to see you until November :) Conference was fantastic! I’ll get you my thoughts in a just a sec :) And that’s good to hear that Hayden and Turkey had a fun time playing ball this week! Wish I could have been there! I love the pic of Turkey takin’ one for the team! His face is priceless! Mom that’s great you found your ring as well. Prayer works!!

So, let’s get the bad news over with. Antonio didn’t get baptized this week :((((( We went on Tuesday to prepare him for the baptismal interview and everything was great. We went to get the zone leaders and went back about an hour later and things had changed GREATLY. He was super nervous and slurring his words and saying really funny stuff. I realized something had happened. So Elder Vasquez did the interview and said everything was great and this guy is super ready for the Gospel and repented and what not, but on Monday night he got drunk :( We got talking to him after and he has been an alcoholic since he was 9 years old and just fell into an old habit. Poor guy. He explained to us that he got super nervous and anxious for his baptism thinking that the members were going to judge him. He couldn’t take anymore and se puso hasta ATRAS (or he got super drunk). So yeah he was pretty down he couldn’t get baptized. He started crying and everything. It was super humbling to see a grown man covered in tattoos that was once in a hardcore gang crying. It was the first time he had drank in 2 weeks – since we had begun teaching him. So yeah, he was pretty upset. It didn’t really surprise me, honestly. We went back on Thursday and he fell down the stairs and couldn’t get up he was so drunk. Poor guy. (I know you are all probably thinking I am in grave danger right?? Don’t worry one bit, anyone can change :) ) We heard it this week in conference! He started bawling again saying how bad he missed his family and that his Mom called him telling him he was a fool for wanting to be baptized in the MORMON Church and what not. His daughters and everyone have given up on him. We are pretty much his only support right now. Another member whose name is Ray has really helped us out with Antonio. We moved Antonio out of his house Thursday afternoon. He was living in a “hell hole” pretty much. He only had 3 bags of clothes and his TV. It reminds me of a talk from Conference saying that we can have all the worldly possessions we want but, God can take them away in an instant to humble us! So yeah Ray is renting him a room for only about 60 bones a month and Antonio doesn’t have to pay light or water. So that’s the miracle of the story. That God helped us find Antonio a new place to stay to get away from that bad influence and with Ray. Ray was actually an alcoholic ten years back and will really help us out keep an eye out on Antonio so he can let go of alcohol for good and be baptized. Thank goodness for members that are willing to help us out. OH yeah give the missionaries back home referrals just as Elder Ballard has said TWICE now. The worst they can say is no and I promise they WON’T be offended. :) Plenty of people tell me no everyday in the streets and we go our ways and the world doesn’t end :) So yeah, Antonio is on date in two weeks more if he doesn’t drink again. We will have to keep a close eye on him!

So I think as I get older and older, conference gets better and better. Being a missionary and watching conference is something else as well :) It’s always hard for me to pay attention when it’s in Spanish because I can always hear the English voice in the background and man I MISS the voices of the Prophet, Pres. Eyring, Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Holland. Those guys are STUDS - well they all are, but those are my favorites! I loved the talk from Pres. Uchtdorf about being grateful always and being able to feel peace in the storm if we are grateful. Elder Holland's talk about defending the faith really impacted me as well. That was a big theme of conference - that and morality as always. Elder Oaks in the Priesthood Session set things straight with women and the Priesthood as well. Loved it!

In that same talk he said that we only have the Priesthood keys of this dispensation and that we haven’t been given the Keys of the Creation or of the Resurrection....kinda cool huh? It was pretty weird for me to think that was my third General Conference as a missionary and when I’m at my next and last General Conference and as a missionary I will going home shortly after. I went to the same chapel to watch it when I went a year ago when I was still with my first companion. My how I have grown and I’m a lot more comfortable as a missionary! 

I got a package from G-pa and G-ma R in zone conference and sadly your package didn’t come, but I have a training in two weeks so it should be there then :) If not, I’ll wait ‘til May to get it.  No biggie! I wasn’t able to see Elder Peisley or Elder Ivins this time around as they are in other zones.

President Carreon said I was one of the older missionaries in the mission now and man that was weird for me! 8 short months to go!

Dad, I hope you are enjoying San Diego. TJ looks NOTHING like the picture you sent :) hahaha if you saw it down here you would all be amazed :) 

Well, that’s about it for this week. We found some cool people to teach this week so we are excited for this upcoming week of work. Elder Hunter is still improving in his Spanish...glad I don’t deal with the language barrier anymore :)

Take care and I love and miss you all!

Elder Roper

Enjoy the pic from zone conference this week with myself, Elder Hunter, Elder Manis and his companion, Elder Hernandez

I met Elder Kessinger - he is from Spanish Fork.  When I got talking to him he said that he went to Maple Mountain High School and that molly was his computer tech teacher a while back AND that his sister is on Molly's drill team right now!  Ha - small world, right?

Through Jesus Christ and His Atonement ALL can change. Alma 7:11-12