Yeah it has been a really great year this year. I've also been thinking about how much I've been blessed in this time that I've had and how the next year a head I've got an opportunity to make a difference in these people's lives.
Actually I'm not doing good...I'm doing fantastic!
Yeah I'm kind of freaking out because I'm almost done with my dead year. That's when you go from Jan 1 to Jan 1 without seeing your family. Weird.....
I definitely know what you mean about too much junk food. I'm ready to get switched over to a bike area just to burn it all off. I love our jeep Bianca but sometimes you've just got to make sacrifices.
Here it's been raining a lot and it's been weird. I'd much rather have snow than rain.
I loved Skyping you guys on Christmas too! It was really great and I can't believe at how much everyone has changed. It's crazy. I really am around a lot of really great people. I've been really blessed on my mission.
I would love to go back to Broadway and there is a good chance of that happening. I will miss the people here in Cleveland though. The members are really nice and I would miss them a ton. I love being around the Hispanic people. I love to let them know that the people in the Book of Mormon are their ancestors. It's been fantastic and I really do love all of them.
Love you so much and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Love,
Elder Ressler
Monday, December 29, 2014
Monday, December 22, 2014
Cleveland, TX - December 22, 2014
I'm doing really well! Not much has changed, just a regular week of missionary work. We did have a couple really cool experiences this week. On Thursday we all had the idea to go Christmas caroling so we and the English elders went. We didn't have a whole lot of success but the last house we knocked invited us in and there was a bed ridden lady who could barely sit up. We sang to her and then we all held hands to say a prayer (pretty normal) and she started crying. It was really cool.
I do play the piano sometimes, but not so much. I'm a little out of practice but I would really like to start up again. I can play a couple hymns but will try and learn a few more.
I've come to understand a lot more about the importance of the temple here and honestly I can't wait to go back! (even though I just went). Also I don't know if you have seen the "He is the Gift" video that the church put out but it was super good. I really enjoyed it (especially the Spanish version). It really made me think.
I'm super excited to talk to you guys on Thursday. Man, I feel like I just called you for Mother's Day. You know another crazy thing? In the mission there is something called a dead year which is when you go a full year without seeing your family. I'm only about a week away from finishing mine.
I think that I will call you sometime from 10-12 but just watch out for me. We'll be with some other elders and we'll let them go first. I'm super excited. It's crazy how fast it came. It makes me a little trunky just thinking about talking with y'all but that's just part of life. We have a couple places to go on Christmas but if it all falls through we'll probably just figure something out. What the mission wants us to do is spend as much time with members as we can.
Love,
Elder Ressler
I do play the piano sometimes, but not so much. I'm a little out of practice but I would really like to start up again. I can play a couple hymns but will try and learn a few more.
I've come to understand a lot more about the importance of the temple here and honestly I can't wait to go back! (even though I just went). Also I don't know if you have seen the "He is the Gift" video that the church put out but it was super good. I really enjoyed it (especially the Spanish version). It really made me think.
I'm super excited to talk to you guys on Thursday. Man, I feel like I just called you for Mother's Day. You know another crazy thing? In the mission there is something called a dead year which is when you go a full year without seeing your family. I'm only about a week away from finishing mine.
I think that I will call you sometime from 10-12 but just watch out for me. We'll be with some other elders and we'll let them go first. I'm super excited. It's crazy how fast it came. It makes me a little trunky just thinking about talking with y'all but that's just part of life. We have a couple places to go on Christmas but if it all falls through we'll probably just figure something out. What the mission wants us to do is spend as much time with members as we can.
Love,
Elder Ressler
Monday, December 15, 2014
Cleveland, TX - December 15, 2014
Sorry, I totally forgot to bring my camera, but I promise that I will take pictures and bring it next week!
I wonder what people think when two big guys knock on their door. It's pretty funny though because people think Elder Mamea is black or Hispanic. Then they look at me and are like, "Why is this white guy speaking Spanish?" It's pretty funny. Yeah, I can tell you that the Hispanic culture hasn't changed since your mission. They love to feed us all of the time. Honestly we were having dinner last night and I realized how much I love the culture.
This week we are going to have a ward party and we'll be having pisole and tamales. It's gonna be sweet.
This week was great! Our investigators are doing really well and we are teaching a teenage girl and her family who are pretty interested in our message, so that's good!
Yeah I'm really excited to Skype y’all too! It's going to be different because I've only called home before.
This week was pretty good. It was honestly a pretty normal week. We went to a Christmas Mission Conference on Thursday and it was really weird. I felt super old in the mission especially now that I've almost hit my 18 month mark. Things are going by way too fast and it is kind of freaking me out. Honestly it hit me yesterday how little time I have left. I am going to be so sad to leave my mission. It has been some of the greatest times of my life.
Love,
Elder Ressler
I wonder what people think when two big guys knock on their door. It's pretty funny though because people think Elder Mamea is black or Hispanic. Then they look at me and are like, "Why is this white guy speaking Spanish?" It's pretty funny. Yeah, I can tell you that the Hispanic culture hasn't changed since your mission. They love to feed us all of the time. Honestly we were having dinner last night and I realized how much I love the culture.
This week we are going to have a ward party and we'll be having pisole and tamales. It's gonna be sweet.
This week was great! Our investigators are doing really well and we are teaching a teenage girl and her family who are pretty interested in our message, so that's good!
Yeah I'm really excited to Skype y’all too! It's going to be different because I've only called home before.
This week was pretty good. It was honestly a pretty normal week. We went to a Christmas Mission Conference on Thursday and it was really weird. I felt super old in the mission especially now that I've almost hit my 18 month mark. Things are going by way too fast and it is kind of freaking me out. Honestly it hit me yesterday how little time I have left. I am going to be so sad to leave my mission. It has been some of the greatest times of my life.
Love,
Elder Ressler
Monday, December 8, 2014
Cleveland, TX - December 8, 2014
This week was pretty good. I'm having a lot of fun with Elder Mamea and I'm feeling pretty good! I will make sure to send you a picture of us next week. I haven't taken very many pictures in a while but I will make sure to get back on it.
This week we had a really cool experience with one of our investigators. When we started the lesson we could tell that she was having a bad day but when we asked her about it she said that she was all right. Then we started talking about the lesson and when we finished you could tell that she felt a lot better. It's something small but it was really neat.
It's getting a little colder but honestly we still haven't pulled out the jackets. Right now it is perfect weather. It's always really hard as a missionary because you want to thank everyone in person but you can't.
As far as something new...Everything is pretty much the same. Elder Mamea is a great guy. He's got a really crazy personality and he and I hit it off right away. He played Linebacker in High School and then went on to play for the University of Hawaii for two years. After that he decided to go and play for US Rugby and he did that until he decided to go on a mission. Right now he's 21 which is a little different having someone quite a bit older than me but it's cool because he gives me a lot of advice on stuff. My favorite thing about him is that he is super real and just wants to help.
That's great that you are going to have the missionaries over! Just so you know a missionary can never express how grateful we are for what members do for us.
Cleveland is a great place to be. We had a really cool activity with the stake in which a bunch of people brought their nativity sets and put them on display. It was a lot of fun.
Love you so much and Merry Christmas!
Elder Ressler
This week we had a really cool experience with one of our investigators. When we started the lesson we could tell that she was having a bad day but when we asked her about it she said that she was all right. Then we started talking about the lesson and when we finished you could tell that she felt a lot better. It's something small but it was really neat.
It's getting a little colder but honestly we still haven't pulled out the jackets. Right now it is perfect weather. It's always really hard as a missionary because you want to thank everyone in person but you can't.
As far as something new...Everything is pretty much the same. Elder Mamea is a great guy. He's got a really crazy personality and he and I hit it off right away. He played Linebacker in High School and then went on to play for the University of Hawaii for two years. After that he decided to go and play for US Rugby and he did that until he decided to go on a mission. Right now he's 21 which is a little different having someone quite a bit older than me but it's cool because he gives me a lot of advice on stuff. My favorite thing about him is that he is super real and just wants to help.
That's great that you are going to have the missionaries over! Just so you know a missionary can never express how grateful we are for what members do for us.
Cleveland is a great place to be. We had a really cool activity with the stake in which a bunch of people brought their nativity sets and put them on display. It was a lot of fun.
Love you so much and Merry Christmas!
Elder Ressler
Monday, December 1, 2014
Cleveland, TX - December 1, 2014
My companion's name is Elder Mamea. He's Samoan and lives in Hawaii. He's been out for about 10 months. He's a super great guy and I'm having a really good time. He was serving in Broadway 2 before this so we know a lot of the same people.
So this week was a really good week!. I'm doing really well but have been really tired lately. I'll probably try and take a nap today during p-day.
I feel that a lot more people will be receptive to the gospel this season but we'll see. We've been having a lot of help lately and I've noticed a change in everyone. Right now we are teaching a really great guy that has been participating in our English class for a while. He showed up to a baptism a couple of weeks ago and right now is doing really well.
For Thanksgiving we ate with la familia Vega who are super cool. We had barbacoa which is the pig cheek and a soup called consume that was really good. We also had this habanera salsa that was super good! Probably the best I've had. It was really good. It's pretty strange being away from your family during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not like you get homesick but it feels way different. Doesn't feel like a holiday. Spending time as a family really is important. A lot of people out here have dysfunctional families because they don't spend time with each other.
I was able to talk to Elder Ek before he left and I just let him know how grateful I was that he was my trainer and that I would miss him. He's a super great guy and this mission feels way different. I guess that it means that I'm getting old.
I'm really happy that I got my Duty to God and Eagle. It's made a huge difference in my life. I'm always going to be grateful for the things that I learned.
You are totally right about how there are no coincidences. I've definitely seen that a lot on my mission. We don't really understand the effects that we have on the lives of those around us. I've probably told you guys before but one of my favorite quotes is "I am a part of all I meet, and they a part of me". I've found that true. Every person that we meet we have an effect on and they have an effect on us. I've really loved to see how that is. I know that miracles really do happen. I've seen a lot on my mission.
Love ya and have a great week!
Elder Ressler
So this week was a really good week!. I'm doing really well but have been really tired lately. I'll probably try and take a nap today during p-day.
I feel that a lot more people will be receptive to the gospel this season but we'll see. We've been having a lot of help lately and I've noticed a change in everyone. Right now we are teaching a really great guy that has been participating in our English class for a while. He showed up to a baptism a couple of weeks ago and right now is doing really well.
For Thanksgiving we ate with la familia Vega who are super cool. We had barbacoa which is the pig cheek and a soup called consume that was really good. We also had this habanera salsa that was super good! Probably the best I've had. It was really good. It's pretty strange being away from your family during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not like you get homesick but it feels way different. Doesn't feel like a holiday. Spending time as a family really is important. A lot of people out here have dysfunctional families because they don't spend time with each other.
I was able to talk to Elder Ek before he left and I just let him know how grateful I was that he was my trainer and that I would miss him. He's a super great guy and this mission feels way different. I guess that it means that I'm getting old.
I'm really happy that I got my Duty to God and Eagle. It's made a huge difference in my life. I'm always going to be grateful for the things that I learned.
You are totally right about how there are no coincidences. I've definitely seen that a lot on my mission. We don't really understand the effects that we have on the lives of those around us. I've probably told you guys before but one of my favorite quotes is "I am a part of all I meet, and they a part of me". I've found that true. Every person that we meet we have an effect on and they have an effect on us. I've really loved to see how that is. I know that miracles really do happen. I've seen a lot on my mission.
Love ya and have a great week!
Elder Ressler
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