Week 2 (from Mission President)

AREA: Northwest Zone, Tucson (Catalina, AZ)
COMPANION: Elder Young

Ryan left the MTC on Monday (we previously thought it was Tuesday, but it was actually Monday) and flew to Tucson from Salt Lake. He's officially in the field! No email from Ryan this week (at least not yet), but this is an email that his mission president sent to mom and dad. It's quite obviously scripted and sent to every missionary's parents upon his or her arrival (with specific information filled in the blanks), but we appreciate the sentiment... 

September 2, 2015

Dear Brother and Sister Smith;

It was a very special experience to personally greet your son, Elder Smith, at the airport upon his arrival in Tucson.  We were impressed by his great spirit and desire to serve.  We are grateful to have him serving here with us.

From the airport we took him and the other missionaries to the Mormon Battalion Monument in downtown Tucson, where we talked about commitment, and leaving behind all the cares of the world to focus on the work of the Lord.  After a brief stop at the mission office to meet the office staff, we went to the mission home, where our Elders and Sisters received instruction and training from the Assistants to the President, Sister Passey and myself.  I had the pleasure of interviewing your son and getting to know him personally and to feel his wonderful missionary spirit.  Later that evening we dined together, took photographs and took the opportunity to discuss our purpose as missionaries.

Elder Smith has been assigned to the Northwest Zone, located Tucson, AZ with Elder Young as his companion.  

As you write to your son, please encourage him to continue to serve faithfully, being completely obedient throughout his mission.  We know that he, and the Tucson Mission, will be in your prayers.  We also know that the coming months will bring many blessings into your lives by your son’s faithful service and the sacrifice you are making for him to serve the Lord and his fellow men.  Thank you very much for having prepared your son to withstand the rigors of missionary life and now to be serving with us here.

May the Lord bless you.   We send our love and appreciation.

President David G. Passey                                                                               

Sister Beth Passey

Arizona Tucson Mission

 Thank you for your continued prayers for Elder Smith as he's on his mission! His mission president included this picture:

Ryan with the mission president and his wife. Looking like such a little missionary dork with his tag! So cool...

Week 1

AREA: MTC
COMPANION: Elder Jackson

Ryan had a hard time these past few days dealing with some extreme anxiety. He was really worried that he might not be able to do it and thought that he might come home. We were able to send him emails of comfort when we learned of his trial, and he's doing a lot better now. However, he did not have enough time to write a complete email to put up on the blog because he spent his email time replying to those who had sent him words of comfort. These are a few excerpts from those replies. 

(My mom also asked me to say a special thank-you to those who fasted and prayed for Ryan on Sunday. You know who you are! I'm sure all of our fasts and prayers together really helped Ryan with his anxiety. Thank-you!)

Anyways, here are the excerpts:

His email to Mom: "I am feeling alot better. What I realized over these past few days is that I cant do it. But with the Lord on my side helping me through it I can. I just need to have faith that he will be there for me the whole time and that he knows what I am going through. I can quit on myself but the Lord loves me and wont do that too me. Everything is doing great now. I had some counseling and the counselor said that I am doing alright and he says he thinks I have figured it out. 

      My companion is great btw. He has been there for me if I need a lesson or someone to pray for me. He isnt complaining about me not having the confidence to do alot of the things im doing he is just loving me through the whole trial. Elder Jackson is an amazing companion and gives me an entirely different view on "Utah Mormons". Tell Megan to not judge them so hard. There might be some "Utah Mormons" that just drive you crazy but there are a good bunch of them. Thanks for all the prays love you all. 

Elder Smith"

His email to me (Amy): "I know that Satan does not want me to go on a mission and that he will get me alone to quit. I just need to put my trust in the Lord and pray as hard as I can for help. I am working my butt off and learning alot. I can listen to songs now and actually understand what they mean. It is great. I am teaching, learning, growing, and learning to love the gospel more every day. 

My companion is Elder Jackson, he is a great Elder and he has been helping me alot through these hard times. He is very positive and an inspiration to me. He is from Lehi Utah and he is 18. He graduated from highschool early and went to Utah State for a year before the mission. He is a amazing lacrosse player and played as a starter for Utah State as the attack. These emails you never really get alot of time to think about what to write. Hope this is good enough. Love you, and tell taylor Ill know where to go when I need to vent alittle.

Elder Smith"

We're proud of our missionary! Please continue to pray for Elder Smith as he continues with his mission. It's a hard thing to do, and I'm very proud of him for making the decision to do it. Thank-you!

Here are some pictures that he included:

Elder Smith with his MTC roommates. That's a lot of boys for one room. I can only imagine the smell...

Elder Smith with his companion, Elder Jackson.

Elder Smith with his companion, only with more swag.

Elder Smith in front of the Provo Utah Temple.

Elder Smith trying to be all artsy. And it's kind of working here.

Elder Smith with his district. He didn't talk about them at all (only Elder Jackson), so hopefully they're cool.