first week is always really long. It is hard to help the new guy
adjust. But things are going well! My new companion, Elder
Gottfredson, is the bomb! He is a really good guy. He has been out
on his mission as long as Elder Hirschi, so still pretty fresh. I'm
just finishing up his training. He is from West Jordan. Not too far
at all from home. We have fun. It's been nice becasue he is very
willing to work and listen and learn. He's a great missionary. It's
been lots of fun. He's super easy going and so I we get along very
easily and laugh a lot. Thank goodness. I need to have a good laugh
every once in a while.
What an interesting week. It's been crazy. We didn't get the chance
to teach many of our investigators this week. It was hard to get
appointments with them for some reason but we're still working with
them. But we got to do other awesome things that just rocked my
world! Thursday was amazing. We got to go to the temple with the
young men and new members. Awesome! We rode to the temple and back
home with _________ and he knows the twin cities really well so as we
were driving the cities he told us all about the many places we saw.
It was awesome just to hang out with him in the car. He is such a
good guy. And then at the temple______ and _________ were there as
well as another recent convert family and the young men. What a cool
experience! Unfortunately, missionaries aren't even allowed to be in
the baptistry at all so we got to work in confirmation room the whole
time. That was exciting. I loved that. ________ brought the names
for his dad and grandfather. That was super neat. He had a great
experience. I wish I could go to the temple every day. The moral of
the story is the temple is the best place in the entire world. Amen.
I think I told you about the family we tracted into who does the Bible
Bee, didn't I? Anyway, we went and taught them last Monday and the
lesson just was horrible. They had a million questions which is good
but it was an argumentative setting. No bible bashing but the spirit
was definitely not there. I don't know if they'll ever let us back.
I feel horrible about how the lesson went. But I have to not beat
down on myself. It wasn't all my fault. I just hope they at least
read the BOM. That's what it is all about. This was really the only
sad thing this week.
Moving on. We had 4 investigators at church yesterday! Yay! There
is an older woman that we taught once who is super cool. She grew up
Lutheran but has been telling us that she doesn't like her church
anymore. She keeps saying she needs something more. She is totally
ready for our church. So we've given her a BOM and she came to
church! WORD! I can't tell you how stinking hard it is to get
investigators to come to church. Seriously, the hardest thing in the
entire world. But she came and had a good experience. It was ward
conference and so she thought that all the sustainings were weird. We
explained it though and she was fine with it. We'll keep you updated
with her. The other investigators that came to church were kind of
unexpected. A less active girl brought her friend and another less
active lady brought her husband and granddaughter. It's exciting.
There is this less active lady in our ward that we visit every once in
a while. She is hilarious. It's so funny. But she took us to the
hospital yesterday and we gave one of her friends a blessing. That
was a good experience. Her friend is not a member and just got
diagnosed with colon cancer. I think that she had a super good
experience from the blessing. I don't know where it could lead to but
it was neat.
We finished the week off well with the most amazing fireside.
Yesterday was the farewell fireside for President and Sister Howell.
it was SOOOO good! The ________ actually spoke in the fireside and
talked about their conversion story and shared their testimony. It
was so powerful. They also had several musical numbers and then
President and Sister Howell each spoke. Man, you would have had to be
a cardboard cutout to not feel the spirit in this meeting. We also
have a tradition that we sing This is the Christ at the end of Zone
conference and other missionary meetings. So all the missoinaries
went up to the front at the end of the fireside and sang This is the
Christ. Ah! Delicious. It was such a good fireside. It doesn't get
much better than that. If you go to the Howell's homecoming I think
that all the RM's there are going to get up and sing This is the
Christ as well. That will be so good.
I am sure going to miss the Howells. They have had a major impact in
my life and I will dearly miss them. I am super excited to meet the
Clements though. They come on Wednesday. I am super pumped! Oh and
guess what. You know how we have this goal to baptize 60 people in
June? Things are going really well and we are only 1 baptism away
from reaching our goal. We're waiting for a miracle! It is still
June and we are going to reach our goal and so I can't wait to see
what happens. Missions are the bomb. The MMM (Minneapolis Minnesota
Mission) is seriously on fire right now. I can't even tell you how
well our mission is doing. It's a fact, this is the best mission in
the world! President got a call from one of the Quorum of the Twelve
the other day telling him that Salt Lake it watching our mission like
crazy. There is so much faith here and so much is happening that Salt
Lake is watching our every move. I am so grateful to be a part of
this mission. I wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else. I love it
here. The members are awesome, the missionaries rock, and the work is
dang hard. I love it!
The Lehi round up looks like it was a party. I am sad that I missed
it. I only have to miss one more of them! Sister Ford is here in
Minnesota now. I'm sure I'll see her sometime soon. I am excited to
see her. That will be a fun connection to home. I'm excited.
Thanks for all of your love and support! Love you guys so much!
-Elder Ruesch
