Quick Week

Hey, how are you all? My goodness, this week absolutely flew by! I feel like it was just yesterday I was writing! We had a decent week. We had a rough time finding people this week - only one new person. So, we have really been focusing on talking with everyone in the street we possibly can. We have appointments with a bunch of cool people we found on Friday and Saturday so we should stay pretty busy again this week!

We did have a baptism though. His name is Jose Granados. Elder Huie and his last companion found him about a month ago. He is leaving to work in Mississippi this Friday to work until December so we had to hurry up and get him baptized and confirmed before he leaves :) It was a roller coaster week with him. His wife is a member as well but super duper less active and doesn’t want anything to do with the Church. So she had him thinking that he didn’t need to be baptized and that it was way too early for him to be baptized. So when we show up on Wednesday he told us that he wanted to wait six months and what not. And that he had a couple of beers!  Man, I forgot how hard the work becomes right before a baptism.  Like the adversary steps his game wayyy up to make that baptism not happen. But, we did too and after a two hour baptism interview, he was cleared :) He called us on Saturday morning saying that he wanted the water to be SUPER cold. The good part was that he asked Elder Huie to baptize him so I didn’t suffer the cold water :) He was confirmed on Sunday and he was so happy! Definitely so cool to see people change and accept this Gospel! We have another date for this Saturday but I don’t wanna jinx anything so I’ll let you know what happens next week :)

So Elder Huie and I have been talking a whole lot this week about his mission. He said he has really had trouble finding joy in the mission and doesn’t understand how missionaries can be so stressed and busy, but be laughing and joyful at the same time. I think all new missionaries go through that crisis at the beginning of their missions. He just said that he was pretty much a different person in the mission than what he was before the mission and that his family doesn’t even recognize him anymore because he is so stressed out and what not. So, I pretty much had to sit him down this week and tell him that the Lord called Elder Huie and that he didn’t call anyone else. One of my MTC teachers told us that in the MTC and that really impacted me. She said that yes, we had to be working always and we had to be obedient and there was certain habits we had to change like sleeping in, TV, facebook, etc . . . but we should always be ourselves because the Lord called Elder Jackson Roper to be Elder Jackson Roper and He knows that I can bless lives in ways that no one else can. So why change who we are? And that really helped him a bunch. He said he is a lot more relaxed now and having a lot more fun. So I’m pretty grateful to have been able to share what I have learned in the mission with a new companion. It’s funny because he is still a workaholic greenie missionary that just wants to go go go and go and I’m pretty laid back and like to think things out to be more effective in the teaching and what not. It works out well though :)

We went up Hell's Hill quite a few times this week. I am always gassed at the top but its seems to be getting a little easier day by day :) We haven’t been around Pres. Garcia since the last zone conference but he writes us personally every week and he said he was going to take us to the temple in San Diego if time allows at the end of this month :) I’m super excited for that because I miss the temple so bad! But Pres. Garcia has really made is mark in the mission with obedience because there have been quite a few changes and he has sent home a couple of missionaries as well. Interesting huh? But it’s for the good right?

I’m super happy to hear that Turkey has been loving football so far. I was thinking about him the other night and wondered if he would like the contact and all the bumps and bruises that come with football but it sounds like he is doing well :) Dad how do you feel about coaching this year? You will be super busy!

Mom, how are you feeling about the change of school? Nervous? Excited? I’m sure you will do great! 

As for the release date, I’m not sure :) I actually have been wondering the same thing because there is a family in my ward here that has a missionary out that entered the MTC the same day as I did and he already has his flight plans and everything. So I was like “what the heck” ha? I looked at the calendar the other day and my last transfer ends on the 24th of November and I would be flying home sometime Tuesday the 25th just in time for Thanksgiving :) That would be cool huh? But on the mission ID cards that they give us, it says on everyone's from my generation that we aren’t going home until the 2nd of December. There is always a 7 week transfer in December, but it never starts it November, so I have no idea what will happen. I’m hoping and praying to be home for Thanksgiving but who knows? That’s in the back of my mind right now anyways :) Oh and in two months from today ill be 21 years old...ha nuts right?

Hey, I dunno if you are going to send anymore packages anytime soon but if you do, can you send another BIG bottle of that yellow gold bond powder. That stuff saves my laugh in the hot sun everyday :) Thanks!

Well, I love and miss you all!

Have a great week and happy August!

Love,

Elder Roper