Week 1

Elder Ruesch's first letter home this week! We were so happy to receive it and hear all about his first week. It's amazing to already see the growth he is experiencing!

"Um so let me take you through the whole scoop.

so we finally landed in san paulo and we get in some van with people that we dont even know and they take us to this building thats surrounded by the gueto and had barbed wire and spikes all the way around it. there is a 24 hour guard by both entrances and ya its just creepy looking. so we get inside and they have us take our bags to our rooms and then we had to come right back down for a meeting. they tell us all about the mtc. there was so many rules it was very overwelming. um then we tought our first fake investigator and it was amazing. the spirit was so strong even though we had no idea what we were doing.
the next day um actually that day was just about like the rest. we wake up. study then have breakfast. then study some more. then study the language. then study some more. then teach a fake investigator in a language we dont even know yet.. haha its so funny. they probably think im weird because i end up resorting to sign language every time and they just look at me like im retarted. but its good im starting to pick up the language just a little bit. its very hard. usually by the end of the day im pretty down on myself but i pinned up a picture of jesus cristo in the top of my bed and i will just look at it and say a really long prayer and i usually can get over it.

I'm not going to lie home sickness is definitely a real thing. i have had a lot of nights of crying because i miss you guys. but i have also had a lot of nights of crying because i have never felt the spirit so strong. the other night i was just sitting in my bed and on of the elders turned on some Mormon Tab and i just started to ball. The spirit is so amazing and 100% the best comforter in the world. \he can help us through any problem or concern we have and he can heal any heart.

The other day we were teaching our fake investigator Patricia and we have spent already 3 lessons just teaching her what we think she wants to hear. but we finally figured out what she really want. her and her husband just got a divorce and he is trying to take her kids away. so all she wants is to be happy with her family. so tomorrow we are going to teach her the best that we can in our broken Portuguese the plan of salvation and how the gospel of Jesus Cristo can bring happiness and joy to all of our lives.

Ha the other day i was so tired when i woke up so i started to get dressed. well throughout the whole day i kept saying how those pants were the most comfortable pants i have ever wore. well i ended up going to the sanitario (bathroom) and i undid my pants and realized that i had left my basketball shorts on under my pants without even noticing. haha.


um the other night we were all asleep and all the suden the lights turned on. elder naria started sleep walking and he started getting ready at 1 30 in the morning. haha weve had some super funny stories already. and im sure we ll have even more.

Well my times almost up. sorry for all the spelling errors. this keyboard is super weird. but i love you all!!!!

\Love Elder Ruesch"

Elder Ruesch has Arrived!

Elder Christopher Ruesch has safely made it to the Brazil MTC! Here is a letter we received from the Mission President - Pay attention to the additional information at the end if you plan to send letters, packages, etc.

"Dear Friends and Family,

We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC. What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to take good care of your missionary.

They now have companions and are settled into their rooms. They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study. The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting. These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.

The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs. He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple. This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.

Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “ There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an Elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".

Please accept our love,

President Ralph Degn and Sister Mary Ann Degn

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION . . .
DO NOT SEND PACKAGES to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving, not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.

WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE SENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers. The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant."

Elder Ruesch would love to receive letters via DearElder if at all possible. Although it does cost to use this service for the Brazil MTC Mission, it is nice for him because they deliver the letters daily that are sent through DearElder. It must be nice for him to receive letters at the early stages of this change in his life.

We will continue to update this blog with information and letters from our Elder!