This week we had a great week! We found a lot of new people and had a lot of fun. It's actually been a lot cooler right now and it's been raining a lot but that's just how it is in Texas.
As far as what's new I am staying in Cleveland. I feel like my Spanish is really picking up. Oh yeah! We were tracting on Friday and we knocked onto this less active member's house and her fiance let us hold his baby squirrel and he sang for us and played the guitar. He was actually really good.
I really love teaching less actives out here because most of them have had a testimony before they have just been distracted. It is so great to see them come back and start participating in church again.
I've really found that it if I don't study Spanish or try and speak it I then head into a lesson and it is hard to get my Spanish going. Almost like I have to do my warm ups before I go. It's a little tougher out in the states because it's easy to not learn the language if you don't work at it. I think I want to continue speaking Spanish for the rest of my life if I can. Just don't judge when I use words like lunche y trocka. It's hard to keep my Spanish and Spanglish separate!
There aren't a whole lot of things to do here in Cleveland. It's just us, the English missionaries, and the senior couple. There is a set of sisters out in Livingston but everything is so far away and we don't have very many miles. Every once in a while we go to Kingwood where the rest of the zone is. We'll play some basketball or volleyball over there. Before when we didn't go to Kingwood we wouldn't be able to do anything but I just bought a basketball (and flash drive to help with the pictures) and now we play a little bit.
This week was good. We were able to teach a lot of new people and one of the was a family of four. They are super awesome. Just keep praying that we will be able to help these people become converted!
As far as missionary experiences go, Cleveland has always been a tough area as far as Spanish missionaries go just because there are a lot less Hispanics. I've seen a lot of miracles though with finding those pockets where groups of Hispanics are and we have met a lot of really great people. I have a feeling that we are going to find a lot of prepared people and I know that I've seen the hand of the Lord here a lot. The first couple of weeks was hard because I was taken out of Broadway where most of the people I knew from the mission were and where a good portion of the people are Hispanic and put into a really wooded and mostly white area with a lot of people I didn't know. I've really been able to have a better relationship with my Heavenly Father here and I feel like I've grown a lot.
I know a lot of missionaries who have had converts choose not to come very much more. It's always for different reasons but we have to focus on those who do stay strong and we have to realize that they have been given a chance and they have to decide for themselves now.
The branch here is great. We really want to help it grow. There are a lot of really nice people here and they love the missionaries. I really get taken care of really well out here :)
I actually already saw Meet the Mormons :) The Kingwood zone and Summerwood zone both got together and president let us watch it on Thursday. It was really good. They had a lot of clips from other movies like South park and Fletch. I really liked the football coach one.
Love you!
Elder Ressler
