General Conference In The Mission Is Like Super Bowl Sunday Back Home

Hey, how are you all? :) Sounds like you all had a fun week! Thank you very much for the birthday wishes!! Its even hard for me to believe that I’ll be 21 here on Saturday. The good thing about my birthday this year is that it’s during General Conference and I will be watching that all day :) We will probably go grab tacos or something though to celebrate :) Thank you very much for the package! The shirt and socks are super cool!

I ended up buying a Mexican coke and we did the taste test! Wow, I was super amazed and the difference! I have the video and I’ll try to get in uploaded to the Dropbox so you can see it :) Its in Spanish, so Turkey will have to translate! I was blindfolded and had to tell which was the mexican coke and which was the american coke and I confused them dang it! But wow! it’s amazing to taste such a difference. I’ll try and take Mexican coke home so you can all try it!

Ha, I forgot how big of a challenge it can be training. I have had companions that have had experience in their missions for the past year. I guess I just expected Elder Carranza to be like them. I realized I have changed a lot, too. I walk super fast now. I shower and get dressed super fast now, too. New missionaries still aren't used to that type of life so its been a big adjustment getting Elder Carranza whipped into shape. Kinda fun though :) Don’t get me wrong, he is a great missionary and a great guy. Just gotta get him into missionary mode. I’m sure I was the same way when I very first got to TJ.

We had 2 for sure baptisms fall through this week which is frustrating. One of them is an eternal investigator that finally got her answer to her prayers and was super excited for her baptism. We went to see her Wednesday and she just straight up told us “You know what? I’m not gonna be able to get baptized”. I guess she has had a bunch of problems with her family and she says it makes her mad what they do to her and that she cant get baptized because of the way she feels. But then when we talk to her family about the situation they tell us that’s just an excuse not to get baptized. So who knows?  Not much else we can do.

The other investigator had his baptismal interview last Friday and didn’t pass because he had smoked a cigarette. The missionary that did the interview acted like a complete idiot during the interview and the investigator didn’t like the way he treated him and just decided he didn’t want to go to church anymore – ha! My jaw dropped when he told us that. So we are gonna try to see him this week to see if we can help him.

The good thing is that we had two new solid investigators go to church yesterday, so we will be teaching them in the week to see if they will progress! I’m doing my best to stay positive and diligent even though the situation right now is challenging!

I hope you are all ready for General Conference this week. I’m super excited to hear the Prophet and his Apostles. General Conference in the mission is like Super Bowl Sunday back home :) I hope you can all watch it and learn a ton. It doesn’t matter what problem we have . . . when we watch conference our prayers are answered!!

Well, that’s it for this week! Enjoy the pic of Elder Ivins and his trainee and myself and my trainee :)

Take Care!

Elder Roper

Interesting Experience This Week

Hey, how are you all? Sounds like you are all staying busy . . . we are as well this week flew by! We went to the offices this morning so my companion could get his Visa taken care of and I got your package - thank you very much! Mom will you be sending another one with the pants later? Good thinking with Dad's pants though. I don’t want to buy an expensive pair down here either. My pants now are just starting to get old and I hope they hold up is all. Thank you very much for your help and all the birthday goodies! I appreciate it!

Sounds like Turkey is following in my shoes. Mom remember when I got called for 3 in the key when I was like 8 years old and we were playing against the 10 year national champions. Ha! I cried the whole rest of the game. Turkey the retaliator ALWAYS gets caught, so tell him he has to be careful! I think it’s amazing I can give him tips about sports now . . . everyone is growing up too fast!

So this week flew by even though I pretty nervous to be training a greenie ;) His name is Elder Carranza from Ecuador. He is 23 years old and has plenty of experience in missionary work. He has told me that before his mission he worked with the sister missionaries so he pretty much has a hold of things. I will just have to help him get his kinks straightened out with his teaching and what not. It’s funny because I always forget he is new. I treat him like he has a year in the mission and he often has to tell me that he only has have 3 weeks ha. He is a good guy though . . . 

We did have an interesting experience this week though. We went Friday morning to get to know a referral of a sister down here. She hadn’t told us much about the referral but on the way there she was telling us how this referral was only 17 years old and how her family was super catholic and how this referral's mom was super rude and kind of a jerk. We decided to get there in the morning when her mom wasn’t going to be there, but when we got there, her mom just happened to be there. So we get there and we start introducing ourselves when her mom walks in and she BLEW UP!  Anyways this lady blew up on us and on the member that took us there. I dunno if I scare people because of my size or because I almost always have a serious face on but people have treated me rather way in the street here in my 21months. When people don’t want us to visit them, they have always asked us politely to leave and not come back. But like I say, this lady BLEW UP saying she was Catholic and how she made the decisions for her daughter and we weren’t gonna go to her house to make them "Mormons" and all that jazz. She then told us to get out of there ha It was my first experience getting kicked out of someone's house like that so I was kinda in shock ha. I have realized that when people make me mad or I get frustrated I smile and start laughing. And that’s all I could do-smile, laugh, and leave. So we stood up and left. I know it’s not that crazy or anything but it was the first time that had happened to me so I didn’t really know what to do or think. Just gotta keep working :)

Tuesday was Independence Day here in Mexico. So we had this big Mexican Night in the stake center and we helped getting people around and showing them around the chapel and what not. There was a bunch of cultural dances and people singing so we decided to take a picture with the hats that the some of the dancers had . . . funny huh? Fun night though!

Dad, good luck on your presentation in Oregon tomorrow! Seeing those pictures of Seattle brings back memories of going to the Mariners game together that one time. How is the weather? And did you ever get that dump truck out?

Well that’s about it for this week...pretty normal week. I hope you are all doing well! Take care! 

Happy Birthday Grandma Roper!

Elder Roper

Sign Me Up for the Turkey Trot Because It’s Official!

So yeah, we had special changes. We actually went to the offices earlier today to take a couple of baptism forms and the second we got there Pres. Garcia pulled me in to his office. I was just thinkin . . . What in the world did I do?? Haha He just asked when I was going home because there was problems with a companionship and when I told him I only had another transfer left he just said nevermind. So we went back home and shopped and right as we got home the assistants called saying President had gone through with his decision. So we'll see how things turn out. I’ll be finishing the training of this new companion so that should keep me busy for my last nine weeks of my mission :) Dad don’t worry . . . I’m still not too trunky. It is hard not to begin to think about home, but I just try not to say anything to my companions :)

As for the official date . . . I have had a cold that has been kickin my trash for the past week. It has been SO hot and humid the past lil bit. Last week it was starting to get chilly so with that drastic weather change I caught a cold – dang it! So Thursday morning during weekly planning I was feeling pretty bad and I went and took a nap. At like 10 the secretary to President Garcia called asking for me. And the first thing he said was “Elder Roper you're finishing your mission the 25th of November . . what airport will you be flying to?”  Ha I was half asleep and that caught me wayy off guard and then it hit me! So I told him SLC International and he said he would be buying the ticket soon and would have me an itinerary shortly after. So sign me up for the Turkey trot because it’s official! :)

We had the training this week with Elder Valenzuela. One session from 9-1:30 pm and the other from 7-9:30 pm. It was a great day. He is so powerful. He talked alot about working with members and how the Lord is still hastening His work. Get this? He said in General Conference this year the speakers will be speaking in their native tongues . . . for example - Pres. Ucthdorf could possible address us in German. Crazy huh??? There will obviously be subtitles that we will read. Elder Valenzuela got on us for not studying the mission language or english depending everyday and he said that the Lord wants us Americans to be able to speak Spanish so we can be useful to Him in the future. And that English is the language of the Restoration so that’s why he wants all the Latin missionaries to be studying English. Interesting huh?

We met a lady named Amanda this past week. She may be the most prepared person I have ever taught. She came here from Puebla with pretty much nothing. She said she has friends in Hermosillo that are members and that they are really good people. So when she got here she went into the church to ask for a bit of money for a bus. The ZL's contacted her and then passed us the referral. She accepted a baptismal date real quick - ha. We were a bit worried she wasn't gonna be sincere and was only in it for the money from the church, but we learned real quick that she was sincere after she told us about a dream she kept having. She said that she was seeing 3 angels dressed in all white in her dream saying that she had to go. She didn’t know where but she just ended up here in TJ. We haven’t told her yet, but I’m pretty dang sure they are the 3 Nephites preparing her for the Gospel. It’s really strengthened my testimony that the Lord will always prepare people for us to teach :) She will be getting baptized on the 11th of October if everything works out well :)

We have two ducks on the pond (baptismal dates this week) that should be good to go if everything goes well. Dad, we are praying for rain here in TJ so it cools off. Last year at this time I was already wearing sweaters at night and now I’m just sweatin’. The rain never gets here to TJ but the heat and humidity does.

We are teaching our recent converts all the lessons over again and working with them to meet new people to teach. We will see how it goes :)

Tomorrow is Independence Day here in Mexico. We have a big party tomorrow night in the Stake Center that we are all looking forward to. It should be quite the blast and hopefully there are a lot of referrals!

Well, I love and miss you all! Have a great week!

Elder Roper

This is Elder Watts. He is NOT my new companion. But he went to American Fork high school and yes, played baseball. He played against us in the state title game. Small world huh?

Wow! This Week Flew By!

Wow! This week flew by! Glad to hear you are all doing well and staying busy playing sports. Hayden sounds like that all night tourney was fun - how did you guys play? Was Coach Brown coaching you all? Looks like the temple trip was fun as well! Mom, I didn’t know you had botten the ties already . . . you might as well send them now.. :) Hey I’m gonna need another pair of pants. I accidentally threw away my black pair on Wednesday morning. I went in interchanges with another elder and I had my pants and a pair a basketball shorts in a yellow bag. I had another yellow bag full of trash and I mixed the two up and ending up throwing both bags in the trash. By the time I realized it, it was too late. Elder Huie got back to the house and they were long gone . . . dang it! Ha! so if you can find a cheap pair - thats great :) waist 40 and the inseam HAS TO BE at least a 38 so they aren’t tight :) Thank you very much! Sorry for the hassle. The pants I have right now are fine - I just don’t wanna get a hole in em and then not have any pants. I feel real dumb for that mistake ha. Dad I took money out of my account to get Hayden's surprise bought. I know he will love it!

Dad, it never rains here in TJ. There are rarely clouds actually. There are always a bunch of clouds in San Diego and on the outskirts of TJ but never in the city. It has been super thick and humid lately. When we get home at night we are soaking with sweat - yum :) I haven’t used the boots a whole lot and the coat less. But they are good to have just in case :)

We did have another baptism this past week :) 2 weeks in a row! His name is Sixto. His wife was baptized about 6 weeks ago and he was supposed to get baptized with her but they aren’t married. He had some bad medical problems and a whole bunch of surgery done so he was out of it for a while. He has to have dialysis done now and has a tube coming out of his stomach now. So he ended up having to move out of his house because his house is too dirty. So that gave us the chance to baptize him now that he isn’t living with his wife. They have plans to get married soon. Elder Huie and I both got in the water to baptize him. Everything went smooth though. :)

We had 3 experiences this week with the same sister that has been really going through some tough trials with her kids and her family. She said that she said a prayer this week asking Heavenly Father for help, the second she went outside we "just happened" to be passing by. So on 3 occasions we were able to share a message or give a blessing right when she needed it. We are instruments in His hands :)

Mom, I've been thinkin alot about what you said how members of the church are being ridiculed  for being "Mormon".  Elder Huie was reading conference talks from last October and read the talk from Elder Hales about General Conference.  "In recent decades the Church has largely been spared the terrible misunderstandings and persecutions experienced by the early Saints. It will not always be so. The world is moving away from the Lord faster and farther than ever before. The adversary has been loosed upon the earth."

  

That really hit home for me and it says exactly what members are going through right now. That in the future the Church and its members will go through persecution just as the pioneers did. Thats exactly why pretty much all of last General Conference was about being brave and being ready to defend the faith. Pay CLOSE attention to this upcoming General Conference  and I know Heavenly Father, through one of his prophets will tell you why members are passing through this and what they can do to overcome it. I love General Conference for that reason :)

I was reading 1 Nephi 15:13-14 this morning and that changed my entire perspective on the BofM for me today. It was just cool to see how the Lord, through the Gentiles, is taking the Gospel back to the Lamanites just as prophesied in the BofM.  I know Mexico is a rough place to be on the mission, its so cool to help bring to pass the promises and prophesies of the BofM. I know it’s true!

Well, that’s it for this week. This Friday we have a training with Elder Valenzuela from the Area Presidency - looking forward to that. Have a great week!

Elder Roper