That's RIGHT I'm your favorite son!

Hey Dad!

That's RIGHT I'm your favorite son! I never hear from the other two on the same P-Day. Once every 3 or 4 weeks I will get something from Jordan; Zach will write about the same frequency.

And Jordan..... very interesting there. I figured as much. They gave up on any prospect of reproducing...

Personally, I am doing alright.  Some good prospects for this week, so I will definitely let you know how it goes.

I am reading through the New Testament right now and am almost through Romans. The Bible is incredible! I have not read the New Testament through since I was but a lad! It is wonderful! What are you studying these days and learning from Church, family study, etc?

Thank you for all your wonderful prayers! Thank you for telling me that you are proud of me and expressing your compliments and love. That helps so much. Your caring for me means a lot. I think often of some of our experiences before I left and treasure these; things as simple as going to Farr's for some peanut butter ice cream and seeing those F-16's fly over, or you coming home and us watching Netflix together after a frustrating day at work, and then going to get some Wendi's Sukiyaki, sitting in the hot tub and talking, etc.

I look forward to those again!

I love you, Dad!

                                                                                   Love,

                                                                        -Elder Ryan A. Bell

Picture Time

Elders McKell, Williams, Harms and Bell out in Katy, TX

President Pingree's Message to his Mission

Dear Sisters and Elders – 
 

I hope that each of you were able to speak with your parents yesterday and that you had a meaningful experience with them.  Please know that not only are you in our prayers, but your families are also.  We recognize the sacrifices many of them are making so that you can be here.

Today, I want to re-emphasize the Texas Houston Mission's areas of focus for 2013.  Certainly, there are many other principles of effective missionary work, but at this time I feel impressed that we need to pay particular attention to the following four:

1.     Prepare for the Spirit every day (planning, morning schedule, living Missionary Handbook)

2.     Talk with everyone (invitations to learn, asking for referrals)

3.     Have a member present at every possible lesson

4.     Baptize each month

 

As we faithfully strive to implement these four principles in our day-to-day efforts, we will see the overall performance of the mission improve in other areas as well.  Please review these areas of focus as a companionship and prayerfully determine how to integrate them more fully in your proselyting efforts.

Thank you for your examples of faith and devotion.  Have a great week!

Love,

President Pingree

Editors Note: I have had the chance to meet Pres Pingree and I have talked with him and Sister Pingree on various occasions during Ry's time out in the field.... I am so glad we have such great Mission Presidents and their esteemed Wife's for our Guys and Gals serving in the Mission Field!!

Hello Father Letter to Dad May 6, 2013

Hello Father!

 

Thanks for your e-mail today and for your words of encouragement! Yes, time passes away like a dream; it is already May. Soon the summer will roll on.

 

Cool to hear about Mom's work and your employment options as well. That is sweet stuff, I guess only July will tell what happens.

 

Betty Kennel, an investigator that I have been helping to teach for the last couple of months informed us all on Friday that she has decided to be baptized on June 15th at 12:00 pm, so I am excited for her! In the mean time, we will keep teaching her and building her faith while trying to find and teach someone who will get baptized in May. EVERY MONTH, baby!

 

Anyway, proud of you! Have a good week.

 

                                                                                                                Love,

                                                                                                     -Elder Ryan A. Bell

A Quick Update... Letter to Dad Apr 29, 2013

So, I will just give you an update on what is happening now- a missionary in our Zone just went home so now we have his companion as our third companion. This third companion is so cool, so I am excited to have him!  I am excited to be helping both missionaries. This week will be interesting! Thanks for your prayers! I can feel their sustaining power. I love you, my good man!

 

                                                                                                    Love,

                                                                                        -Elder Ryan A. Bell

 

P.S. What if you cut a few inches at a time off the branch by the power line so only little pieces might touch the line, rather than the whole thing coming down? Has Jordan tried to develop any crazy mathematic formulas to remove the branch? It might not help, but it sure would be entertaining!

 

HA! Just kidding, I love that boy. He just makes me laugh. You make me laugh too.

Ripple Effect

This week, my companion and I got to teach a one hour class 5 times at the local Stake Youth Conference. The whole conference was a simulated mission. Each Youth had a nametag, was assigned to a mission, and had a companion. Elder McKell and I were supposed to teach what a day in the life of a missionary is like, so we brought in bedding and really acted out waking up at 6:30 am with all its accompanying orneriness. Then we studied from our scriptures and included the class in a "companion study" asking them for input on what we should teach the people we would be teaching during the class.

We had Betty, a lady we are teaching, come in and play a real investigator. The kids did so great at teaching her and the other "lessons" we had. (Elder McKell and I played the other characters).

It was a lot of fun, and the Youth were pretty impressive, being so involved and actively engaged. It was sweet!

But my miracle for the week was when I looked out at the classes and realized that there were three kids in attendance who I taught and got to see baptized at different times on my mission. Now these three great youth were sitting there with glowing faces and nametags of their own, preparing to go serve their own missions. I cannot describe how this felt! Remembering what each of these kids were like the first time that I met them, comparing that to this moment. The Gospel of Jesus Christ really does change lives!

Maybe these kids will go on missions, and maybe not, but either way, their countenances and influence will bring others to Christ, even if it is their own children in just a few years, but this will continue to grow and spread until a couple generations down the road, there will be hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of exalted saints because of the faithfulness of great people who got a lazy Elder Bell out on his mission, who happened to be in the area where these three Youth were being taught, who grew up to serve their own missions and raise righteous families, and the miracle goes on and on.

How can this NOT be true?

                                                                 Love,

                                                        -Elder Ryan A. Bell

P.S. And then they gave us Great Harvest cinnamon bread.

Stay Outta My Town... Letter to Dad Apr 15, 2013

Pipidy, Papidy, Popidy,

Things are going well here, although, I really wish I could do better and getting things to go even BETTER. 

Sounds interesting with Mom's work stuff,  I know that she has been applying to all kinds of places. To be honest, if push came to shove, Houston's got probably the world's biggest collection of mechanical engineers.... so you could always come here...... just kidding, stay out of my town.

 

But the good news with that- and I tell you this in confidence, it's one of my mission secrets, come closer to the screen.......... come closer........... a little closer......................... hi.

 

Just kidding, but seriously, every Christmas, the Church gives a special gift to their employees, special edition books, or, if you know where to look, special edition scriptures. These scriptures are magnificent and they are extremely rare, they are a special Invecciato Italian Leather. They are a beautiful maroon, red, and the longer you have them and more you use them, the color actually changes and becomes more beautiful with time. Elder Jimenez had some and he and I would always scheme as to how we could get another set. I actually dreamed about those scriptures last night........ oh my goodness, I haven't changed.........

 

Yea, don't worry, we'll hang out some time, tease the cat, doorbell ditch Melinda's house, stand in Jordan's doorway and stare at him silently and invasively, and other such diabolical nonsense. Just a few more months of awesomeness until even more awesomeness.

 

Love you, my man! You are very right, in fact, I'm writing that quote down- "Things work out and miracles never stop coming to a faithful Missionary and his family..."

 

In this challenging time, you have Heavenly Father on your side because of your sacrifices and our faithfulness together in being a great missionary and family! This motivates me!

 

JINGLE-BAM!!!!!!!

 

                                                                                                  Love,

                                                                                      -Elder Ryan A. Bell