August 22, 2011

So this week went pretty well, thank you for all the mail and the package, the picture of AJ's mole was especially nice! How's kess training going? or did she stop? Where is she working next summer? Hows mallory's training for xc going? she running on her toes yet? How's Taylor's trip to South Dakota with grandma going, I bet she is having a blast. Has Pooch finished his summer reading book yet and has he started basketball? Thanks for the quotes each day mom, they really help me out. How was Jackson Hole? what did you guys do? Oh and tell dad to pay the net on my paychecks

This week went pretty well, I finally feel like I can effectively teach in Portuguese which is amazing. Even though the investigators we teach are just our teachers or other teachers pretending to be someone else, when you truely give a lesson driven by the spirit you can feel it. During the middle of one of our first lessons with an investigators I asked for them to be baptized and set a date and they said yes. That truely was a great feeling. The teachers here truely do care about your progress which is very nice and encouraging. Tell Jessica to look up Steven Cope, one of my teachers who is in Ricky Clark's ward. Stephen B. Allen spoke yesterday and the guy is hilarious, he had all these stories about obedience. Then he gave the talk which he wrote about feeling the spirit. Sometimes it is nice to mix in the comedy because some of the days can feel like a grind. sometimes we spend up to 10 hours in the same classroom! The Portuguese is coming though, I can say a lot about the gospel and I feel the words I need to know for the streets will come when I get down there. Nearly all my prayers are in Portuguese and I say a lot of them (need all the help I can get haha). Starting to get along better with my comp, we definantly have rough times but for the most part it goes well. I feel bad for another kid, Elder Heilner, who was actually in Grandma Hollands ward in Plano, his comp doesnt stop arguing. Arguing and contention drive the spirit away, yep after 19 years I finally got that lesson mom. Anyways we play soccer quite often during gym time and we split it up whites versus and we havent lost for 2 weeks, the Mexican Elders arent happy. Oh Weston Healy just got his visa, he is Duffy's comp so he is leaving tomorrow. I just want to get mine soon and get down there!!! It is fun here though, the lilttle things you find joy out of are amazing. From drawing on the whiteboard to singing songs just to help us from going crazy during all the study time. Oh and the whole district, all 11 of us are in the choir for the 2nd straight week, its sweet and way better than studying. Never thought I would get so much joy out of singing hymns but sometimes I just stop and listen and the spirit is there and its powerful.

Well Love you all, and thanks for the Dear Elders they really keep me motivated throughout the week.

Love your son, brother, and missionary,

Elder Ryan Holland McCord