Alive and Well!!

 Hello everyone! It has been a WHILE but I am still alive and well! The work has still been AMAZING out here with Elder Aldridge in Hillsboro and I love it! Here are some highlights from the past little while! 

We met a guy late one night while he was taking out his trash and we asked him how he was doing and he said not good... we had a long conversation about how he had just lost his 12 year old son during a surgery and he was confused and angry. We told him that he would be able to see his son again and at first he was apprehensive but we bore testimony and then he got really emotional and invited us to come back another time! 

We met a younger guy named Alex who was so intrigued by religion and how he could improve his relationship with God! He kept learning and progressing and he ended up getting baptized on Halloween! 

One night I had an impression to knock on someone's door that we hadn't seen in forever and we knocked and we met the guy's girlfriend! She told us he would be back from a trip in Africa in about a week and we set up a time to come back and meet with them!

About 6 weeks ago we were called upon to cover an English area in our zone and during the first day we found 3 people to teach in that area! It was an amazing testament of how quickly the Lord works his miracles in this work! 

At the beginning of one of our days I had the distinct impression to visit a person who had been formerly taught by missionaries. When we got to the location we realized she lived in a locked complex and we had no apartment number for this woman. However, we felt strongly that we were here for a reason so we walked up to the door and right as we did some lady's who were outside smoking let us in! While inside we asked a group of kids playing in the hallway if they knew anyone we could visit! They pointed down the hallway and told us to knock on that door. We did and no one answered... but as we turned around to walk back a woman approached us and told us she was so happy to see us! She explained to us how her husband had formerly been a member of the church and that she really wanted to learn more and be baptized!! 

One of the missionaries in the zone found a Spanish speaking guy who wanted to visit missionaries! We met with him and he explained how he had been on a lifelong search for truth and he felt good about the things we were teaching! He told us that he would pray about our message and if he felt like he should continue learning about our church then he would come to church the next morning... and sure enough HE CAME! 

Juan Urdaneta is a guy we met who is absolutely in love with the scriptures and the Book of Mormon! He has a great relationship with God and has such amazing faith! He said he would like to get baptized in December! 

While visiting a member in the English congregation we talked to his caretaker and she said she would love to meet with us! She grew up around a lot of members and was interested in learning more! 

One night I had a strong prompting to pull off of the road really quick and knock on someone's door. While we were sitting there thinking about how to approach this a couple of dudes walked out of their house and told us that we couldn't park there haha! We started a conversation with them and they both spoke spanish and we got their numbers and they invited us to come back another time! 

One night we locked our keys in a church building and were running to a members house to get a ride home. We met a guy waiting to cross the road and talked to him all about the gospel! He said he knows God exists but he doesn't understand how he can create a relationship with him. He gave us his number and he said he would love to talk more another time! 

And last but not least, this week I got Covid... So although we have been confined to our apartment for a few days we have found a bunch of formerly taught people who are really anxious to talk to the missionaries again! 

This work is amazing and I have just loved my time serving the people here in Hillsboro!! They are so amazing and I have come to love who they are and who they are becoming! Growth and change is such a beautiful thing in the gospel and I love seeing it myself and others everyday! 

With love, 

Elder Ross