Thursday, September 26, 2013

CCM - September 26, 2013

I am going to be sad to leave this place. I have had a lot of fun here but now I am ready to go and serve. I am going to really miss Mexico. I wonder how it would be to go on a mission here but I know that there is a reason that I was called to Houston. Sometimes I wonder how it would be to go to South America, but then I stop myself because I know that there is someone in Houston that only speaks Spanish who only my future companion and I can teach. This work is not about me. It is about Him.

My Spanish is not even close to perfect, but I know that that really doesn’t matter. In a talk by Elder Bednar to the MTC that he gave just after the October general conference he said that we need to not pray for power, but instead pray that we can act and receive power. We act and then we receive.

I think that I will be okay with the bike. Don’t worry about me I am sure that I can figure it out.

I am going to miss the snow. No snow for two years! By the time I get back I will probably be so used to the heat that I will freeze in the winter. That will be an experience.

Hey, I heard that Utah won the BYU game. One thing that I have learned is that God has his own time to bring about his purposes. We must continue in faith.

I think that is awesome that Jake is in a big city. We have been speaking with Hermana Thorsen and we don’t think we will be going into very populated areas. I am praying for an encounter with Si Robertson. The language has been coming along fine. One of the elders ahead of us told me that you hit a wall about the fifth week, but then you are able to pick it back up. That definitely happened to me. I have noticed that when I have the spirit with me I do well in the lessons, but when I try to do it myself I struggle. If you have the spirit with you then you can do anything.

I am pretty sure that I have lost weight, but not a whole lot. What can I say, the food got better the last couple of weeks. We think that we are just used to it so when we get to Texas the food will taste amazing. I do know that when we get to Texas it will be Monday when we have our P-day. I am happy that Kelly and everyone are all doing okay. That would be hard taking care of triplets.

Today in the temple I had an incredible experience. I am now able to understand what they say and when I was in the Celestial Room I said a prayer and sang in my head Army of Helaman, but this time I put "I" instead of we. I felt the spirit so strong and I knew that this is where I am supposed to be. Some other cool stuff happened this week. I played soccer on an all Latino team against my district and we massacred! They even thought that I did really good and was made an honorary Mexican (just joking).

Yo quiero compartir mi testimonio con usted. Yo se que mi Redentor vivir. Yo se que nuestro Padre Celestial ama Sus hijos. El llama todos los pueblos venir a El. Y yo se que si soy guidar los mandimientos, un dia yo puedo volver a El.

Love you all,

Elder Ressler

P.S. One of these pictures is of me and my companion and the other is of me and all of the missionaries from AF.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

CCM - September 19, 2013

To tell you the truth I have not really been able to tell (see a difference in the weather with the storms that have hit Mexico). We are just so used to having it rain here. The last couple of days it has been very sunny and I have been realizing that each day I get whiter and whiter because we are inside all of the time.

The CCM is really an island in the middle of a storm. Even I would probably be afraid to be out there alone. We also celebrated Mexican Independence Day so it has been absolutely crazy here! We heard some gunshots because they shoot their pistols up in the air. We watched some festive dancing on Saturday which was awesome because one of my teachers was in it. Then on Sunday we all went into the auditorium and watched the Grito! This is the Mexican cry for independence that they do every year.

Yeah I cannot believe how fast it has gone. I am happy to get out but I really like this place. I am actually going to miss speaking Spanish to all of the natives. Some really cool stuff happened this week. In one of the pictures that I am sending you is a group with a bunch of missionaries. The one in the middle is Elder Rivera who is a matador! Yeah that was a highlight. Another highlight is that I and my companero were able to give two of the Hermanas a blessing. I feel pretty good about my Spanish but that may change pretty soon. Me and Elder Woodruff have been having some really good lessons lately and I have had the opportunity to be an investigator to practice on. The world religions class I took in High School has really helped me already. I am able to understand where the "investigadores" are coming from because I know about the Catholic and Baptist religions.

Being here places a whole different perspective on life. Elder Holland said that you should never want to go back to the way you were. He really loved his mission and says that everything good in his life since has come because he went on a mission. I can already see it happening. I am the happiest that I have ever been out here and I have not even gone to Houston. I feel so close to mi Padre Celestial that it is unlike anything that I have ever experienced. Last night me, Elder Woodruff, Elder Strong, and Elder Birch sat around preparing for "Christmas" and I asked them if we could sing the "Army of Helaman." I felt the spirit so unbelievably strong. Already I would say that this last month has been one of the best in my life.

Love you all and miss you,

Elder Ressler

Thursday, September 12, 2013

CCM - September 12, 2013

It has been pretty crazy here the last couple of days because Mexico is celebrating its Independence Day. We get a little fiesta on Saturday.

Down here they still have the old temple film and it is all in Spanish! I am getting to the point where I can understand a lot though and am now able to use decent Spanish. It helps when I talk with the natives. The thing that I miss most is listening to music. We are not allowed to listen to it here so the best we got is to sing Hymns.

Actually the food is mostly American food that the cooks make into something that we have no idea what to make of it. I have to admit though it is beginning to grow on me. Yeah, it is pretty nice in the CCM. I was talking to my teacher and he said that he attended it as a high school. What is really cool is that I am happy here all of the time. For some reason I can feel the spirit so strong. La Ciudad de Mexico is really crazy though. We go outside the CCM in order to get to the temple and the drivers are LOCO EN LA CABEZA!!! This place is a whole new world down here. There are a lot of interesting things that we get to see. I do not know if Mom would be able to handle this place. We see some pretty crazy stuff.

Haha, yeah go BYU! Hermana Thorsen in our district comes from Texas and she was horrified to hear that BYU beat Texas.  She and Hermana Warren (Mexican Heritage but doesn’t speak Spanish) are the only two out of twelve people who are not going to Houston. They are heading off to Nicaragua instead. That is pretty crazy to hear about how much rain you guys got. Here it rains for about three hours every day at 4 o’clock. Today I had a really cool experience. At the temple me and Elder Woodruff were walking in the parking lot when the guy on the bike in the picture that I sent to you said the usually, “Buenos Dias Elderes”. We said good morning back to him and then we went to go catch up to our group. Then all of the sudden he called to us saying "Thank you for saving me!" in Spanish. It was really cool to know that his life was changed and that he now is a member of the Church.

This week me and my companion had a couple of absolutely amazing lessons and my teacher Hermano Valdez said that he has been impressed with how fast we have been progressing. He says he know that it is because we are working hard and have the spirit with us because of it. I know that that is true, too. My district is awesome. Most of us are from Utah. Elder Decker who is with the DL Elder Dye is from Pleasant Grove. We have four Hermanas who are awesome and I think they are all 19. Elder Birch is Elder Strong’s companion and the other Elder who is in the same dorm. I have been having a lot fun here even though most of the time is just studying. Something cool that me and my companion are doing is building a pyramid out of Arizona cans from la tienda. We all get about 100 pesos a week, so I was able to get some nice Krapatas. We get about an hour of gym time each day where we go and play basketball, play soccer, or ultimate Frisbee. I have had some really cool experiences here and I have felt the spirit pretty much 24/7. Me, my companion, Elder Strong, and Elder Birch make on average at least one inside joke a day. Now that I have reached the half way point time is going by way fast. It seems like we have been here forever. There is a saying here that says "A week feels like a day and a day feels like a week".

Love you a ton,

Elder Ressler

Thursday, September 5, 2013

CCM - September 5, 2013



I just barely got your letters in the mail yesterday and I thought it was awesome. I noticed that you wrote down some of my blessing when I was set apart as a missionary. On the airplane ride here I sat next to a very sweet lady around forty who served a mission and is now a seminary teacher in Florida. She told me that I should write some of my blessing down but when I did I missed a few things. I have already noticed some things coming true. Yesterday, one of the Hermanas was really stressed and frustrated about learning Spanish. I felt like I should go talk to her and so I sat down and told her the things that the spirit has been telling me. It was like the spirit was working through me in order to tell her and myself that as long as we have faith we will be able to make it. I am so happy to be out here. Mexico is a lot different than I thought it would be. It rains every day here at five o’clock and it rains hard. Everything is very green. Outside the walls it seems rather... interesting. I miss everyone too. I am going to try to send some of the pictures. Life in the CCM is different. The food is not the best. There are a lot of rice and beans so sometimes we have issues.

Elder Strong (Fuerte) was the first missionary that I talked to at the Salt Lake City airport terminal and ended up rooming with us. Elder Woodruff is the tall, skinny guy in the pictures. Elder Fuerte is the big guy and Elder Birch is the guy with glasses. My Spanish is a little better. I can feel Heavenly Father helping me. One thing that helps is talking with the natives in our dorm. I think that it is crazy that Jacob got transferred. He is going to do awesome no matter where he goes, but it must be a big change. It has to be that there is someone that he needs to teach.

Cereal is the only thing that is really close to food back home. The food has gotten much better though. We have had a lot of very interesting experiences here. Usually it is meat with some kind of peach sauce and a bean tortilla thing with three things of bread. We have fish and other things like that too. Pizza night is on Tuesday.  We spend about six hours in the classroom being taught and about three to four hours we are in there studying. I really like it here though it rains every day. I am so happy that Grandpa Jacob has been doing missionary work; he is definitely not an ordinary man! It makes me very happy. If they want to I think they should serve a mission. There is nothing like it. We go to the temple about once every other week I hear. Each day we have about an hour of gym time where we play soccer. I have been so blessed as well to have such a great family. I love you guys so much. I think everyone has their p-days on Tuesday through Thursday just to divide it up.

Hey Sadie this week has been pretty crazy. I have done a lot studying. If you think that school is hard you should try the CCM. I have been truly blessed and I know that you will to if you constantly follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Stay close to your family because they are the ones that you will be writing to most when you are on your mission. I love you so much sis and I know that you are a daughter of God.

Harrison, me and my compaƱero are very different, but we use our differences to make us better. For instance I am a total gringo when it comes to Spanish while he speaks pretty well. Sometimes he does not know where to take the lesson and I discern what the investigator needs to hear. Together we are awesome. I love you man and I want you to know that.

Addie, I am so happy that you are going to the temple and to Young Womens! That makes me so happy to hear. It was interesting because last week we were able to go to the temple and even though I did not understand anything it was still good to just sit and feel the spirit. What I would do is if I have a question, I would go to the temple and read while I waited for them to call me and I would always find the answer that I am looking for. I miss you a ton but I feel that I must go and serve. I will tell you now that I will not be the same when I get back but I believe that I will be the person that I was designed to be.

Love,

Elder Ressler (Luchador as I tell the natives)