Ramona Oaks: My Last Week of "Training"

So I see you found out how to change the font size! ;) That is so cool you saw DJ (the only one I can think of is DJ Scruggs who's older brother played on an intramural team with Ryan in PG).  There are a ton of LP kids that work at the Charleston so if Anna starts working there then she will be able to run into them. 

I'll see what I can do about getting you a recording or something of all of us singing.  The only problem is that Ramona is quite a ways away from where I think the Fireside will be.  But I'm sure something will work out. As far as music goes we were able to get a member somewhere to print up a copy for us.  The person who arranged it said it was an inspired piece that was free for anyone to use so I think the sheet music is just online somewhere.

Ramona is still the bomb (even if it is over 90 degrees some days). We have shifted our focus in our ward to the less-actives and recent converts in the ward and are trying to help them get to the temple.  Kim, Nichole, Gerry, Kelly and Rachel (recent converts) are all doing super well still.

One quick story and it has to do with a cat that I am pretty sure was sent from heaven... haha. So Elder Brown and I were having a pretty rough day where a lot of our plans were just falling through so we were kinda just at the point when we were basically improvising and visiting random people.  So we decide to go see Roger.  Roger is a
less-active member, and has been so for about 15 years.  So, we start walking up his driveway (the driveways here are ridiculously long and steep!) and on our way up we see this really odd looking pure white cat (this cat had like a lion's mane and everything) just sitting off to the side of the driveway like a statue.  So, we start talking and joke around about the cat but we continue up the driveway.  We finally get to the door and knock with the similar results that was experienced the previous dozens of doors we knocked that day. So we knock again persistent that we would get in but no one answered so obviously no one was home.  As we are walking down the driveway, we see the same cat still chillin off the driveway.  But then, it started walking towards us so, being the diligent missionaries we were, we stopped to pet the really cool white cat.  :) As we were there petting the cat, we here from behind us the door open and Roger yells, "Hey guys! Come on in! I was just on the phone."  We both looked at each other and we could both tell that this cat was magic or something.  So we left the cat and went in to visit with Roger.  And as we were talking with Roger he said to us, "Now, I have never said this to
anyone, but I have been thinking recently and while I was talking with my wife I decided that I really want to come back to church.  I want the gospel back in my life and to be honest I kinda miss having a calling and such."  As you can imagine I was blown away because this was the same man who a few weeks earlier when I went to visit was talking about how the primary songs sound like something a cult would use to brainwash children.  As Elder Brown and I were talking later about it we realized that if we hadn't stopped to pet the cat we would have likely been too far down the driveway for him to call us back.

This next week is transfers so we will get the verdict if I get to stay or not next week.  This is my last week of "training" so after this week I am officially no longer a greenie!  

Last week I got to go through the San Diego Temple which was SUPER cool.  I am pretty sure that it is going to be my favorite temple for the rest of my life.

Today we are going back up to Julian and hiking the tallest mountain in the mission and going to a wolf reserve.  WOOT!  Can't wait to hear from you all next week!

Elder Brown (companion) and I hiking Vulcan Mountain
(tallest mountain in San Diego Mission)

Elder Brinkerhoff (good friend of mine) and I hiking same mountain... haha

Love,
Elder Ethan John Rowbury

Ramona Oaks: Don't Really Have Time

I don't really have time to email today but I can tell you that I am safe and alive! :) I miss those Sundays and can't wait to have many of them when I get home (This whole no card games and hand and foot thing is killing me haha).  

We added a new investigator named Marla and she seemed really sincere and really wanted to know what we had to say. We should have a really good week this week and we have started off really well.  We should have another baptism in two weeks which is really exciting and another to follow soon after.  

Well, the Library is closing so we have to go... but know that I love you!!!

Love,
Elder Ethan John Rowbury

PS:  Can Kyle email anyone too now? I am pretty sure it was a worldwide rule change so I think he should... if he can then you should give his parents my email address so we can email!!! Oh! and I am singing Vocal Point's arrangement of Nearer my god to thee in about a month for a fireside with some future rock star Elders.  You should check out their version... It is way cool!

Ramona Oaks: Short and Sweet

That is so cool that Ryan's got his own house now.  

I'm glad to hear that you all had a good time watching conference! I had a great ol' time watching conference! Saturday we went to the church building and watched all the sessions there with the Elders from in town.  It is always a good time when you get a group of us Elders in an area together.  haha. Then for Sunday we went over to a member's home and spent a long while over there watching conference and eating. :) 

No crazy stories to report today though, haha.  

Our former Stake president (President Sabin) became a General Authority though which was pretty cool.  

I'm thinking that this next week I'm going to the temple on P-day so I should get some pictures from that coming up! 

The work is going well and we have been focusing on making sure we retain the new members that were just baptized.  We have been also working with the remaining parts of the families to get them baptized as well in the coming weeks! 

I noticed that in conference there was a lot of talks that mentioned obedience.  How true is it though that we have been given so much in this life and Heavenly Father wants to give us so many more blessings and all we have to do to receive them is to be obedient to the simple commandments which he has given us.  Obedience as a missionary is practically an everyday subject so it was neat to see the apostles proclaiming it to the world. 

Maybe this week will be more story filled. :)

Love,
Elder Ethan John Rowbury

Ramona Oaks: Someone Should Have Died

Well, to sum up this past week, my companion nearly died after an allergic reaction, our ward mission leader and his son nearly died from a rattle snake and I have been watching from a safe distance. :) haha but really someone should have died this week.

First, to explain my companion's near death, he is allergic to tree nuts.  So on Easter we go over to this Persian family's house for dinner,  and we start eating this AMAZING Persian food.  We are just chowing down and Elder Brown starts to feel his mouth tingle and slyly asks, "So what is in this?" and the first ingredient is walnuts. So we all start freaking out and I start thinking I am going to need to go the the hospital which is 45 minutes away and all he has are 2 expired epi-pens.  So we are all freaking out and he turns to the husband and I and asks us to give him a blessing.  So we quickly anoint him and I start blessing him... then the words and I command you to be healed slipped through my lips and I kinda paused there for a second just thinking, "what did I just say?!?"  So I kinda stumble my way to the end and kinda look at him.  It was so crazy.... He was completely fine.... He really should have died....  So yeah, that is my "Miracle Moment" for this week! haha

So we were moving our Ward Mission Leader's shed and we at this point had been walking all around it trying to figure out how to get over a fence and onto a trailer.  Then, one of the boys says, "Oh hey! that's a baby snake!" and we are all like, "really? I wanna see!"  So we all huddle around and notice it is a baby rattle snake (arguably more dangerous than adults because they don't know when to stop the venom when they bite) and the boys had been practically stepping on it for the past 15 minutes.  luckily by some miracle no one was bit and our mission leader killed it with a shovel. (bet you liked that story!)

But yeah.... pretty normal week... haha! I can't wait for conference this weekend! I am so excited! but sorry I didn't get this out by your lunchtime! hope you find comfort in finding out I survived this past week! It probably shoulda killed some other people though! I love you all!

Love,
Elder Ethan John Rowbury

PS: Thank you for the little picture book!!! It is freaking awesome!