October 19, 2015

Hi family,

How was everyone's week?

My week seemed like a pretty normal missionary week. There were days and moments that flew by, just teaching and talking with people that seemed interested, but there were also some days that just seemed to drag on and never wanted to end.  But I am grateful for both experiences because these moments are what make up a mission.

Some things that stick out about this week.

On Wednesday we had a stake missionary meeting. The stake I am in right now is really pushing missionary work and it's awesome.  We talked about how we can involve Missionary's more into ward councils and how to get more members out to lessons! It was a great meeting and

the ward already seems more invigorated to be involved in the work with us.

Sunday was Jim’s confirmation. I can't remember if I have told you about him but he is awesome.  He was baptized in Utah by some of his friends on conference weekend. Jim is the most solid person I have ever met.  He always tells us that being a Mormon is more than a religion but it's a life style and he means it.  Right after church on Sunday he took one of our investigators to his house and fed him lunch

and told him about his conversion. Than he came and picked us up and we went and taught a lesson to Sirius.

It was awesome! We talked about the word of wisdom and Jim shared his story of how he quit coffee and Sirius committed to keep the word of wisdom.  Than he took us home and fed us dinner! I love Jim!! Ha-ha

Well I have to go! But I love and pray for you all! Have a fabulous week!

Love Elder Roper

My Zone

Gord lamps a member in the ward makes

Desert a member made for us

Morning Basketball

October 12, 2015

Hello,

Well my week was pretty grand.  We had those normal

missionary days where everything cancels and nobody wants to talk with you but some how at the end of the day we still come home with good attitudes and finish out the night strong.

Tuesday was awesome.  We were invited out help with some service on a member’s fish farm.  They raise tilapia, ha-ha how cool is that?   We were helping them build a huge fish tank (like a 40x15 foot fish tank!) it was a blast.  My favorite part was talking with one of his employee named Clayton.  He is 22 and is going to school and working part time and he just could not believe that we could leave

right out of high school and come and do what we're doing. The questions he would ask just kept blowing his mind and it topped it all off when we said we paid to do it and they didn't pay us!  Ha-ha later that night we got a call from this member who told us about how the

rest of the day he kept asking more questions about us and why we do what we do. So on Thursday they invited us back. They worked us hard!  Ha they had 2 cement trucks come and with wheelbarrows we had to haul a ton of concrete into this barn for a side walk.  It took 3 hours of non stop work but the whole time we were able to become pretty good friends with Clayton. I don't know how long it will take him  before he will want to take the lessons and learn exactly why we're here but we will hopefully go back this week

and talk more.

This experience just reminded me of how much I love

being a missionary and how I know the lord has a plan for me.  While we talked with him it wasn't hard to realize he was just kind of lost. He is an awesome guy but just doesn't know how much better his life can be!

So we had a baptism on Saturday for Mariah. She is an awesome 9 year old girl. She had been taught lots when I got here but it was a grand experience to finish her teaching and watch her get baptized. My favorite part was on Sunday when she received the Holy Ghost.  She asked me to do it earlier in the week and so I have been studying up lots on the Holy Ghost. I didn't exactly take the challenge from

conference but I didn't kind of ponderize  a scripture this week.  It was Moroni 10:4-5. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost and would be lost without it.  I know this church is true because the Holy Ghost has told me. I know the Book of Mormon is true because the Holy Ghost has told me it is! I am striving to always listen to the prompting I get and act when I get them!!

The highlight of my week was teaching my investigator Sirius. We went over early in the week to teach him about the plan of salvation and when we started talking about the atonement and how we can be forgiven for our sins he just look lost.  We figured out that he had no idea Jesus Christ suffered, died and lives and preformed the atonement so

that we can be forgiven of our sins.  We ended up teaching him 3 times this week and in each lesson we talked about the atonement, It was amazing!  We were trying to figure out how we could help his testimony of Jesus Christ grow and we figured out in PMG it says that the best way to gain a testimony of Jesus Christ is through the reading the Book of Mormon.  So that is exactly what he has been doing. He thinks

it is the coolest thing ever that he can be forgiven for what he has done!  I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and that I too can repent and change and become more like him.

All in all it was a pretty good week. I finally got to meet my ward and they are awesome. It is probably the biggest ward I have been in yet.  It kind of feels a little bit like home.

I hope you all had a good week as well.

Thanks for the prayers, they help!

Love Elder Roper

Mariah

The sidewalk we layed at the fish farm

 

October 5, 2015

Hi family!

How was every ones week? My week was crazy, anxious, exhausting, and in the end extremely spiritual.

Wednesday we were out late saying bye to my friends from Lanecaster.  Then I headed home to pack.

Thursday we went to Columbus for transfer meeting.  That is the craziest meeting ever.  There is no adrenaline rush like the one I get every transfer meeting! I have run from a lot of people and done some pretty crazy things but I think this tops it all. You just have to sit in a pew waiting for your named to be called and hear about your new companion and area!  Finally toward the end of the meeting my name

was called, I have been transferred to south Zanesville Ohio.

I am back in the ghetto and couldn't be more excited! (We are not allowed to live in our area though because it's too dangerous) It is different from all of my others areas and even has some country on the outskirts so it is perfect.  I never really believed that gangs existed but let me tell you that gangs are real and run South Zanesville! Ha-ha

it's awesome!!

My companions name is Elder Sloan. He is from Roberts

Idaho and has been out 3 months. We get along great and are doing some pretty amazing work together. In just the few days we have been together we are seeing miracles every where we look.  We are trying to be exactly Obedient so that they keep coming as well.

Friday was my first full day here. We woke up, weekly planned then headed out for the day. I am finally back in a car which is nice because it has started to rain a lot here.  We taught a lesson almost every single hour of the day on Friday! I have never had a day like this on my mission. I asked my companion if his days are normally like this because he has been here his whole missions and he said not at all!  Ha we didn't plan to teach that many lesson but it just worked out like this. We planned to visit potentials and less actives and a few investigators and almost every one we saw was home! It was Awesome. We put 2 people on date as well!

One of the lessons we taught was too this awesome black guy named Sirius. He has had a crazy life and has spent some time in prison but is ready to change. During his

growing up years he lived with some Mormons and he said they were just a happy people and he wanted to be like them. This was a huge reminder to me that we are a light in the world.  People can look at us and tell that we are happy. So shine on and always remember we have the Holy

Ghost and can light the way for others. But during that time he was a boxer and couldn't leave his old life.  He said he just loved knocking people out! Haha (you'll see why when I send the picture! This dude is huge and dresses like a champion!) but now he is ready.  He is so solid.

Saturday was obviously conference.  Conference for me on the mission is sometimes hard.  I am used to being with my family on the couch with some yelling and wrestling but out here it’s just my companion and I alone with one other set of missionaries in the chapel. But as soon as it starts all of those thoughts go away.

I LOVED conference and am so happy I am in Zanesville! When I got here I have to be honest I was a little upset. This is not where I wanted to be. I haven't really heard anything about this area and was worried I wasn't going to a

place I didn't want to be in. Saturday night we didn't get home until like 10:30 because of the priesthood session but I had to get on my knees and repent.  The lord definitely knew what he was doing when he sent me here.  I am in an area that I could spend my whole mission in because I love it.

I could probably write an entire email just about conference. How amazing was that.  Every speaker just hit home for me.

I just realized I have to go. I had lots more to say but sometimes I just start to ramble, sorry.

I love you all and hope you enjoyed conference as much as I did!

Love Elder Roper

Our investigator Sirius, he is the nicest person I have ever met

September 30, 2015

Hi there guys,

Another week has come and gone in the crippled life of Elder Roper.

Haha I was on some pretty strict Doctor orders not to walk or do much this week, but the last thing I was gonna do was sit in the apartment all day, so we spent a lot of time at members homes doing service and basically anything to get out of the house, Hah.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong but I guess the lord is wanting me to learn some patience and I'll explain why in a minute! Haha Last Tuesday was our missions "summer bash" it is basically where we all get together and play sports and have a good time just hanging out and taking a break from the missionary life.  It was awesome...except I couldn't really participate in much.  I did a lot of watching from the

sidelines and I think I may have overdone myself in some of the activities I tried to participate in because the next few days I was back on crutches and In a ton of pain. 

All in all it was a fun day, at the end of it our mission president gave us each a copy of the Book of Mormon and challenged the whole mission to read it by Christmas.  He gave us some options of things we can highlight and I chose Faith, Obedience & Repentance.  He gave us a promise that if we would do it that "our testimony of the Savior and the Book of Mormon will grow and we will feel the spirit more abundantly in our lives and in the work" I am already on page 50 and I am loving it!  Just like many of you I have probably read 1 Nephi 1000 times but even though I think I know what's happening I always learn something new.  

I read pages that stick out to me so much that I don't ever remember reading.

It just amazing to me how I feel when I read that book!  I just started and can already tell a difference in my life.  It makes my day so much better.

Saturday two different families in the ward moved but they both stayed in the ward so we got to pack and unpack the trucks at both houses. It took all day and in the end everyone was a little on edge because I guess OSU wasn't playing to good! Hah Ohio fans are Obsessed with football!  But they won so everyone was okay. This city shuts down for the game. It killed me to just sit and watch other people work. I wanted so bad to help but couldn't walk let alone help lift stuff.  But I am one of the best supervisors/directors I know!

Sunday was pretty great as well.  It was the Primary program, which is always a little interesting.  There are some pretty crazy sunbeams in this ward that like to man handle the microphone and give a shout out to their parents and fans in the audience. But it turned out pretty good.

I don't think there was a single person that wasn't laughing at some point during the program...except the primary president. She was in tears for a minute there! Ha-ha It's always hard to explain to investigators that church normally isn't like this but they seemed to enjoy it.  At the end the bishop got up and talked about how all we need to learn in the church is taught in primary, which is so true.  I loved listening to them sing their songs and what they mean.

I think the summer is finally over. It's starting to cool down and it has been raining for the last 3 days.

Just like I'm sure all of you are and am super excited for conference!

I was sad to hear about Elder Scott. He came and spoke to us while I was in the MTC and made my experience there a lot more enjoyable and gave me the strength to help carry me until I got to Ohio.  I loved the MTC but did struggle for a few days.  I went back through my notes this morning of when he spoke and the spirit I felt and the confirmation I received while he spoke was what reminded me that I

needed to be on a mission. I love my mission and will never regret the Decision to come to Ohio!!:)

I just got a called that I will be transferred tomorrow.  Pray that I get transferred to where the pumpkin weigh off will be! Haha I have loved my time in Lanecaster and am sad to be leaving but excited for my next adventure.  I am so glad I was able to serve here, I'll let you know next week where I go next.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Go Buckeyes

Love Elder Roper

September 23, 2015

Hi Family,

So I think this is the first time I have done this but I totally

forgot to write a letter last night and only have like 5 minutes where I will have Wi-Fi today so I will try to type fast but you might not send it out because it'll be short.

So on Saturday I rolled my ankle playing basketball in the morning.  Like its bad! It swelled up immediately and after talking with the mission doc we had an x-ray done on it.  At first they said it was broken but after looking closer at the x-ray they said it wasn't.  They put me on crutches and said it will heal and to just ice it everyday.  As of right now it's still pretty big and my ankle is purple!  

So the work is slow because we are in a bike area and I can't walk.  Ha but today was lots better and it felt a lot better.  The work is still good though.

Before this happened we had one of our investigators accept to be baptized in October and had a bunch of less actives families come to church as well.

I wish I had more time.  I will try and write a good long one next week. Sorry it's short!

Love you.