Temporary Assignment (Awaiting Visa to Spain!)

If you hadn't heard, Ryan has been temporarily reassigned to the Ogden, Utah mission and arrived Saturday morning Sept 29th!! The first photo is Ryan with President & Sister Hiers. The second photo is of all the missionaries temporarily assigned to that mission who are also awaiting their visas. Hopefully they will come soon, but if not, maybe he'll be close to some of you in the Ogden mission

Love to all,
Temporary mailing address (Utah Ogden Mission Home) is:

Elder Ryan C. Coombs
4380 So. Orchard Ave.
South Ogden, UT 84403

Ultima carta electronico del CCM! 9/27/12

Crazy! It has not felt like 9 weeks...and yet it has. I'm ready to hit the field! Pero, a donde ese campo est'a, no s'e! We all got flight plans last week with the Texas Elders, but since we didn't have visas it doesn't matter. Basically there to laugh in our faces. We all went in to ask if that meant that we got our visas, along with 2 Elders from another zone and some Hermanas. The guy had some corny smile so we thought it meant yes, and then he flat out told us no and not to get our hopes up haha. So we've all been bracing ourselves for our reassignments sometime this week, maybe later today or tomorrow. Elder Wiscombe just got his today though! He went before our laundry to get the mail (since he's the district leader now) so that we could maybe see where we got reassigned to before emailing home, and the only thing in our mailbox was a paper for him to go to the travel office and get his visa! We are all super happy for him, since he probably deserved it most out of all of us, but then again it makes the rest of us all want to weep haha. So the Texas Elders all leave Monday morning, Elder Wiscombe on Wednesday, and the other 3 of us have no idea as of now. So, I don't know when my next P-day will be and when I'll be able to write next, or from where. All I can say is, it better be someplace awesome! I'm know wherever it is, it's where the Lord wants. I want for the Lord to want Spain though ;)

They broadcasted the Temple Dedication here in 3 sessions, we went to the 3:00 session. It was super awesome. I thought it was really powerful, especially hearing Boyd K. Packer and one of his sons talk about it, as well as Elder Perry talking, and Elder Nelson read the dedicatory prayer that Elder Packer wrote. The second counselor in the presidency and his wife spoke too, and they did a good job. Speaking of temples, today was probably our last time for quite awhile. It was good to go through and get that one last spiritual boost before heading out. We stayed up on the grounds and studied there, rather than heading back to our classroom, which I really enjoyed.

Thanks for all of your prayers and your faith in my behalf! Thanks for all of your thoughtfulness and caring, they mean a lot! Thanks for being great examples to me and teaching me so much!

I know that this work is sure, that there is nothing that will stop the Lord's work as we do it in His name, His way, and by His power! All things are possible through Him. I know that He has given us His word, contained in books of Scripture and Living Prophets, Seers, and Revelators. I know that we have been called by this Prophet to preach the restored Gospel, which came again to the earth by means of God's called and chosen prophet, Joseph Smith. I know that we have the fulness of the Gospel that has ever been on the earth. I have a testimony of the temple, that it is His house, that His peace, glory, and power reside within those walls, that the ordinances performed therein are eternal. I know that God lives and hears our prayers. I know He loves His children, that we are His work and His glory, that He knows each of us by name, recognizes our faces, and knows each of us perfectly. As such He knows how to change us, help us, and teach us. I know that we have a Savior and Redeemer, the living Christ. I know that He loved and loves us enough to have suffered for each of us individually and intimately, that by His grace and enabling power we can be changed, justified, and sanctified, and His grace is sufficient for all who come unto Him. These things I know because they have been impressed upon my so powerfully by the Spirit and so many times that I cannot deny them!

Con mucho amor, Elder Coombs

Sept. 13th Updates

Hola from Madrid!! Haha just kidding. Es un chiste. We are still hanging around Provo! Definitely getting antsy though! We hear all sorts of cool stuff about our mission and it makes us want to leave! I've seen a bunch of people that I hadn't thought I would still be here to see, and that's one reason it feels super weird. Hopefully we will be out of here in a week or two.

It's been really cool to recognize how the Lord uses us as instruments in answers to other people's prayers. I have had some pretty neat experiences about where something I have said, done, or was that I came to find was an answer to somebody's prayers. Especially when it pertains to the Gospel!

The Spirit here is so powerful, cuyo fulgor or gloria no admiten descripcion! I've learned so much in this past week and I sometimes wonder how I can retain it all. Hermano Barton and us all had a super powerful experience on Saturday night in class. After singing our opening hymn, it was really spiritual so Hermano Barton asked if we could sing another for his desires/benefit. He told us later that he said that the Holy Ghost told him that we needed that experience too, so we ended up singing all the verses of each person's favorite hymn in Spanish for like an hour. Then after we were all in tears and filled with the Spirit, we wrote in our journals while Hmo. Barton asked us tons of inspired questions and then it was just waterworks after that. We bonded so powerfully as a district and in our personal relationship with the Holy Ghost, Heavenly Father, and especially of our Savior Jesus Christ when Hmo. Barton took an hour or so to talk about the Atonement instead of doing our progressing investigator. It was amazing! Then all throughout the week the talks and workshops and class lessons have been on the Holy Ghost and conversion, which just reemphasizes to us the things we've learned, and I can't tell you how many times that happens in the MTC. Everything here is inspired and directed by God in Heaven, and it is such a testimony builder.

As for our visas, this last week we've heard rumors of missionaries going to Spain getting their visas. We've heard of one Hermana and two Elders who got theirs this last week, and we heard that Elder McKeagan (one of our zone leaders going to Madrid when we first got here and was reassigned to Salt Lake) just got his too. So we have hope again!! Hopefully sometime next week we will be able to get ours and leave! It sounds like you leave as soon as you can after, like within the next 2 days after. We are definitely excited to go!

Well, I've got to run now. I love you all! May God's blessings of health, guidance, and love and Spirit be upon you! Muchas gracias for your prayers and support! They're really the only way missionaries learn and grow as fast and as much as they do, because it's definitely not all come from my faith! Nos vemos hasta la proxima semana!

Elder Coombs

Pictures with MTC Companions in Provo, UT

Elder Coombs with MTC Companions in Provo

Elder Coombs with MTC Companions called to serve in Spain

Elder Coombs and Elder Bozarth