Friday, August 19, 2016

Week 5 - Last letter from CCM

Hola Todos!!! 
First, happy anniversary Taylor and Ronnie!!! Love you guys and I absolutely LOVE your family that you have started!! So this is my last time emailing from the CCM!! But that also means you won't hear from me until the 29th, I think that's my first P day in the field.

This week was pretty good, I had my first Cockroach encounter... SO BIG! it was in IP (IP is where I teach a mock investigator) And all of a sudden you could hear something moving across the floor, and when we looked down... a cockroach, and I had to kill it. Those things dont die! I had to stomp on it 3 times. 

Also we heard a fire fight in our classroom while doing personal study. We all of a sudden heard a bunch of gun shots hahaha

Also Proselytismo!! First off, the horses walk around like stray dogs, its messed up, they just are chilling in yards and in the streets, haha. This was a new area, because you only get two times in each area, and we went knocking door to door. This area was harder because it was a lot more city, like I was able to get mcdonalds for lunch, (so good to get a little american food). The city is a huge change from the suburbs, its poor in the neighborhoods and pretty nice in the cities (well nice for Sur America). Anways we found this dude Fernando and his wife while knocking doors, And He Let Us In!!! so lucky. For the first thirty minutes he was talking, and I literally didn't understand anything, he just kept talking about The Cuban Blockade, Kids in Africa, Kept making fun of us for not being able to understand, and Donald Trump. But then all of a sudden, Don de Lengua, I could understand everything like the flip of a switch! And then he realized I could understand him and we started getting some where.
We then started to share the Book of Mormon, and when he saw the aztec pyramids in the background of the picture of Christ, he went off about God being an alien and all the miracles like Moses dividing the red sea is because the God (An alien) can give them more power over there mind. And Jesus Christ also had this ability. And that Sodom and Gommorah was a nuclear strike by aliens..... And the CCM hasn't gone over how to handle this scenario quite yet. hahaha
Anyways, I had the strongest impression to talk about the preisthood, and finally I got my opportunity to talk. so I told him, "We believe in this ability or power that you have talked about, it's called the priesthood. It's the authority of God, to use his power for his will. By this power, Moses split the Red Sea, Christ and his apostles performed Miracles, Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, and this power was lost from the world after Christ. But, its been restored, and a normal man, if he follows Christ and his commandments, and is worthy of it, can Have this power!" 
Before he could respond his wife came into the room and kind of ruined the moment, but she invited us back this next Saturday for Empanadas! so we have a second chance before his information will be given to the real missionaries. 
We also ran into two teenagers, who spoke english!! Shared the story of the Book of Mormon and challenged them to read and pray about it, and hopefully they do. They kissed us on the cheek afterwards.. Honestly I don't know how this custom came about but its weird and I don't know how to avoid it.  
There is this missionary in the CCM who is a recent convert, 6 months ago. His name is Elder Morales from Bolivia. He comes to me every day asking questions about the gospel, and I've had the opportunity to teach him about different things. He doesn't know much about this gospel at all, but he knows its true, and he knows that the missionaries changed his life 6 months ago. He was brought to tears thinking he wasn't ready to go proselyting because he didnt know the gospel entirely. Its so humbling to see how blessed I am to be born into a gospel family. I've taken this gospel for granted in my life, to have the knowledge I have. And I've never respected anyone as much as Elder Morales, who doesn't even know anything beyond the basics, but knows it is true with all his heart, and he is for sure out here because he wants to share that.
We watched the Joseph Smith Movie, Prophet of the Restoration (Not the 20 minute investigator version but the real one). That movie almost brought me to tears. Joseph Smith is the leader of this last dispensation, and nothing can change my knowledge of that. He has done more for the church in our day, save Jesus Christ. I invite you all to watch the movie if you haven't, or watch it again
Thats it for this week, The latinos think I'm a goon here. I mess with them so much! haha I literally can say the most random stuff to them and get away with it because im a gringo, its the best haha




Monday, August 15, 2016

Week 4 - One month!

Hola everyone!!!! I can't believe I've been here a whole entire month!! Its flown by to a point that it scares me, haha

So this week in proselytismo (btw we get to go every Saturday while in the CCM) was slower. Not as many people to talk to, but I got kissed by some old Catholic on the cheek, weird, and we had our return appointment with Christian. At first we were praying he'd be home, and want to talk to us again. We rang his doorbell, and he came out instantly and led us through his house to his backyard which he set up drinks for us!! We talked for an hour and a half about all these different questions he had. It took so long because it took us a while to communicate sometimes, it was amazing!!
His wife kissed our cheeks when we left, because we had no idea how to stop her.. haha we will learn, we confessed to presidente just in case, haha he laughed at us. 
Sunday was our first sacrament meeting with the latinos, and it was fast sunday so it was testimony meeting. I bore my testimony in spanish and I think they understood, haha. Also these Latinos can't sing... at all. 

This week has been a lot of refocusing and intenser studying (I think that's a word). I sometimes want to kill my new latino roomates, one snores louder than you can believe and kept me up till 2 am one morning!! I finally threw a pillow at him, and was able to fall asleep before he could start snoring again haha

These new latinos like to play ball with me, I'm the tallest person here and one of two people who actually plays, haha its so entertaining to play them. There's this shorter Elder Lugo who is from Mexico who you can tell played a little bit before the mish, who's pretty fun to play with, and he's going to BA Norte. I sliced my hand open on the rim on a dunk, they hold the nets up with Zip ties, and it really hurt, but I'm good.

I need to tell you about my instructor Hermano Martinez. He's our nightly teacher, a seminary teacher, recently returned missionary, and when we go to the temple each Thursday he officiates our sessions. Honestly the coolest man I've ever come in contact with!! I'll get a pic with him later, hes the best!!

Thats about it from my claustrophobic priso.. I mean ccm haha


Also there's an Elder in my district named Elder Hurst, he's from Viewmont and played basketball there, and we realized we played on Hustle together, hahaha so cool!!!!

Hasta Luego, Les Amo!!!




Bird Poop. 



Not sure why he's kissing this fat tree...



His and Jaydon's missions 


More packages!









Week 3 - You don't knock, You clap...

Hola Everybody!!!
So this last week we went proselyting!!! Its such an advantage to be at this CCM!! I am so immersed into the argentine culture, I'm the minority so its helped me learn spanish so much quicker, and I've got to go proselyting in my area!!! (Well it was in the west mission, but who cares hahaha)
It was sooooo coool!!!!! First, the non spiritual stuff, we had the most amazing food!! Alfajores, Ice Cream, and churros, they do it better here.. hahaha
Also I've never seen a parrot before, and we saw a whole tree full of them!!
We were proselyting during the siesta, so people weren't out in the streets really. So we had to go door to door, and you dont knock, you clap... hahaha
Whenever someone saw us walking towards them, they'd cross the street... I guess two white hair americans isn't   appealing here haha. And when you would actually get close enough to say Hola, they'd act like they didn't here you. 
I was able to give my first BOM to a man named Brian, really cool dude, really interested. Towards the end we gave another to a man named Roberto, we might get to revisit him this Saturday. But the big deal was this man named Christian. We clapped at his house, he came out and we taught him about the BOM and we learned about how his daughter had died two years ago, and we got a return appointment this saturday!!! Hopefully it goes well, because this is our only opportunity to return (The CCM only sends you to a proselyting area twice).
I got your package!! thanks so much!! Also I tried to send a letter without a stamp... again... so I probably won't send letters till after the CCM
I've had to say 4 public prayers now... Twice in sunday school (Which is with all the Norteamercanos) to bless the Santa Cena, and once in front of the entire CCM at a fireside. I talked to Elder Hogan, and he said that usually people will only get chosen maybe once haha, but for some reason whenever presidente asks for a prayer he instantly says, and this isnt a joke, Where's Elder Ryan hahaha. and they have to be in spanish so its a little ride. All the older elders joked about it a lot because it was random, hahaha its so good tho
Tuesday I said goodbye to my Roomates, Paiva y Saeteros, I wanted to cry, I love them!! And even worse Elder Hogan, that one was hard. Although he pointed out we are in the same ward now, so we will see eachother enough after the mission, I'm so glad I got to become so close with him while he was here!
For two days there were only 11 people in our CCM!!! Not your normal experience for a CCM. Especially compared to the Provo and Mexico. Its such a blessing to have such a small CCM, we literally are all so close to our Presidente and his wife. We had an ice cream party with him, it was amazing.
I also got to play the piano once again!! Wasnt even rusty!! hahaha
The new people coming in have been so much fun to meet!! We just make it a blast welcoming them in, and we can actually speak spanish now so we can actually communicate!! hahaha
Once the whole new group gets here we will have about only 65 people here, because there arent going to be any new norteamericano groups (The CCM is closing in 3 weeks for renovations)
I'm doing so good!! Love you all and love hearing from you!!!
Hasta Luego!!

Elder Ryan




Saying good bye to Elders Paiva and Saeteros

















Monday, August 1, 2016

Week 2 - Groundhog Day

HOLA everybody!!!
This was a pretty tough week, not gonna lie. But at the same time, its amazing. 
Most of the time here we pretty much do the exact same thing that we did the day before. Estudiar de Idioma, Personal and Comp study, just same thing every day. Sometimes we have testimony meetings with our district, and they're always so incredibly strong!!! I love them!!!
We had a mock investigator for about a week and a half before we stopped lessons with them, and got evaluated. Turns out, the actors who were our investigators (who are our teachers) were acting as real investigators that they had on their missions!!! Once we found out they were real people, it was such a strong spirit! 
Sunday we got to watch The Testaments, and without fail, I cried at the end of the movie with Christ talking to Helam.
Yesterday our mission presidents came to visit us!! They have young kids with them. Their youngest, Johnathon, literally looks exactly like Brash Emery, but with Bryson's hair, straight mix of the two buds!! haha
I got your letters yesterday!! turns out a lot of peoples letters got here in under a week, which is really fast. Jaydon, I can't read yours... I'll piece it together when I know more spanish haha!!
It's so cool to have Elder Hogan here. He's still his same funny self that he has always been, but now we also have so many deep talks about the gospel and spirit. I'm so grateful and lucky to have him here. I think he leaves next Tuesday, which is gonna be terrible. 
This week we get to go proselyting!! I'm so excited to leave the pris.. err I mean CCM;)
I'm doing great!!! Its extremely hard, but extremely worth it, I love you all!! Hasta Luego!!

Elder Ryan
















Thes are our room mates. Elder Paiva and Elder Saeteros! theyre amazing 
Paiva is the taller one