Week 80 - Bring the Heat (5/7/2018)

A cool Book of Mormon
I found

So this week has been a really awesome week!! We've done a lot of good things here in the Buhl area. It definitely is a change from the Rupert Zone. Last week on Monday we had a good Preparation Day of sports. I'm looking forward to today of playing some soccer. Let's hope I'm not too rusty. We visited people that and it was really cool. Did some tracting in the area which can always be interesting. We found some really cool people that hopefully will have some potential. We met this one lady who just returned from the hospital and is frail and week. We talked to her friend and the friend wasn't interested, but told us to come back another day. So we planned on going back Tuesday.

Selfie with a shirt a Missionary gave me

Tuesday we went and visited the lady that is very ill and we had a wonderful conversation with her. We shared one of the Easter Videos with her and it brought her so much peace. She had said, "I like that, I feel different."  It was heartwarming to see her glow and just feel the power of Christ. I'm having to brush up on a lot of my English teaching skills since I haven't taught in English in awhile. We then later tried some other people throughout the day just trying to meet them. We didn't have a dinner so I decided last minute, to try someone. We tried and met a guy who was just all over the place. Couldn't really tell if he was drunk, but had a good chat with him. He just wasn't interested though. Maybe one day. We grabbed a quick bite before we had a list of appointments to do. We had a great appointment with these two kids that want to know more about the Gospel and it was amazing!!

Our home

Wednesday we had a good grind of working. We met some new people and some people that we could do some service for. We had a few appointments later in the evening as the day went on. One of our appointments was with this really cool family. They live out in the desert of Buhl and we got there just on time for our appointment. We were able to teach the Restoration as a story to get the kids involved and one of the kids is nine and hasn't been baptized because they come from a divorce family. It was sad to see this kids face as she lit up from all this that we were teaching and hearing them say that it was all true. All we could do was pray that maybe one day, the one parent will change their mind and let them be baptized. We overbooked ourselves after that and we went on a quick split for an appointment. Both the appointments I didn't know so I let Elder Livingston tell me which one I should go to. He thought it would be better if I went to the Spanish appointment. He later joined me cause his appointment cancelled. But we had a great lesson and the spirit was definitely there.

The rest of our house

Thursday....Planning....It was good, but I won't say my favorite thing in the world. We met a cool Peruvian lady before we taught our English class. We invited her to come and she came! It was pretty cool!!

Friday was fun. We had a meeting and then after that we got to work We met with a Brother in the ward cause the ward told us to go visit him. Don't know why, but we did. We met him and he's awesome!! He's from Campeche, which my mom knows what that means. We talked about Mexico for awhile. It's just cool being able to talk about those places and knowing what they are and where they are with other people who know. After that we worked hard and tried to meet so many new people. Which we did. We went to a party and right as soon as we connected to Wifi, our phones blew up with messages and one of them being a confirmation about an appointment that we didn't know about. So we said "Hi and Bye" and booked it to this appointment. It went really well and this family has potential. The Spirit was definitely pouring out of the dad as he was telling us what he wanted for his kids. It was so neat.

A cool fence

Saturday was a day of service. It was really neat serving some people who weren't expecting it. If there's anything that I love about Elder Livingston, is how much he puts others before himself. It has been really a unique quality that has been just so awe gasping as I have seen him serve. We had some really good lessons and met new people. We then had a great Cinco de Mayo party that we attended and made a quick run to deliver a family some food from the party. It was really neat. 

Sunday is always a great day. We went to church like crazy, had meetings, and I ended up translating for one of the wards. Hopefully, I did a good job. We did some service cause a family was being evicted that day and I know how it feels so we jumped in and helped them out. They were really happy and really thankful for what we and the ward members helped out with. It wasn't much, but the appreciated it. We had a good dinner that night and they gave us a lot of names to go and try out. We're hoping we can meet some of

Elder Livingston wrangling in the Cows

these new people. 

This has been eventful week and I can't believe how much time has flown by!! I love you and Miss you all!! Keep up the good things you do at home!!

Elder Ruesch 

Week 79 - Finally left the Rupert Zone!!!!! (4/30/2018)

A lightsaber one of the Elders
had (it's the real deal)

Special effects that I did

Wow so this has been a crazy week to say the least!! So Monday we had a good preparation day and we got to work pretty fast after our activity. We went golfing and I didn't do too bad on 9 holes. Elder Cooke taught me well. We then just chilled around for a bit and we got to work. Sadly our appointment cancelled cause we didn't have a third male with us, so we just tried to meet as many new people as we could. Didn't have much luck finding new people, but we gave it our best shot. 

Tuesday was among the same thing, our appointments cancelled, they never got back to us, or they just weren't home when they said they would be. It was sad, but I guess it's all in the work. We just had to keep busy and it was also stressful with the anxiety of transfers. We helped out our Bishop in one of our wards and we killed some wasps nests. It was fun!! Didn't get stung so that was a huge plus!! We got transfers that night and I was leaving Rupert and I am going to Buhl!! Finally a change of pace from the Rupert Zone!! I've been in that zone for more than half of my mission! It's crazy, I love it, but I'm glad I get change. Rupert was nice to me, but I kinda started to go insane.

Elder Cooke and I one last time

Wednesday, I got myself packed up and it didn't take too long since I was already living out of a suitcase for the past 4 weeks. It was pretty easy. We did some studies in the morning with the other Elders that we lived with and then we helped out our former land lord with some things and had lunch at an amazing restaurant. It was sooo delicious. We then got on the work grind after that and we tried so many people, yet again. It was incredible how hard we worked. To close my last day in Rupert, I said my goodbyes to some of my favorite families in Rupert. It was hard to say goodbye, but I needed to move on. My work is done in that area.

After a hard day at work (back in the Acequia house)

Thursday was the great Transfer day!! Had get some kinks out for rides and things like that and just missionaries being stubborn before I left Rupert. Loaded up the car, said my goodbyes to the other set of Elders we live with and then we took off. Drove the Ford Escape for the last time (thankfully) and we got to Twin. Say some familiar faces and said some goodbyes to people. Met my new companion Elder Livingston and loaded up the car and we made our way to Buhl. It wasn't a far drive at all and it felt pretty nice to be the co-driver. We got to our apartment I got comfortable and we got right to work. We met some new people and had a few appointments that night. Elder Livingston gave me a basic low down of the area and then we taught an English Class. I think some of the Hispanics were surprised that I could speak Spanish. It was funny just seeing their faces. It was really fun!

Transfer Day

Friday we had studies and the great weekly planning session. Got a better low down of the area and on some of the people. It was awesome! We did some service for some of the members in the wards we covered and it was fun. We then got to work and tried some people. One of our appointments fell through cause they weren't home, but luckily we had back ups and we were able to try them out. We met a few people and hopefully from there we will be able go get good things done with them. We had our dinner and we got lost. It's a lot different then Rupert the whole grid system so I got both of us confused when I was guiding us. We got an email from the vehicle coordinator putting me as designated driver and I about cried, but there's always a reason for everything. We then tried some people after dinner and we had some really good contacts. I met my walking goal for the day and I felt really happy!!

Elder Livingston and I

Saturday was fun!! So we got all of our studies out of the way and we went to an appointment after our late lunch. They weren't home, so we ended up tracting this trailer park we were in. We found some really neat people and some people we believe that have some potential. We will be doing some follow up with the potentials. We also met some really cool members which was awesome! I honestly feel so great being able to walk more in this area. It' been really fun. We then tried some more people later on in a different part of our area that's more spread out and we met some cool members and some people that we think that soon we could be teaching them. We had some craziness when it came to our night schedule cause we had an appointment cancel and one that sporadically wanted us to come over. So we arranged plans and worked some missionary magic and we made our way to the appointment. We got it and I met the investigator. Really awesome and really has a glow about here when it comes to the Gospel. We were able to teach her something that fell to her needs and it was incredible. The spirit was definitely present in that lesson. We were able to see how the Spirit is able to guide us in this work.

A gift one of the members back in
Rupert made for Elder Cooke and I
(I'm the one with the poncho on) 

Sunday was pretty neat. I got introduced to 2 of the wards that we cover and I really like all the members that I have met. Didn't have to translate which I was disappointed, but it was all good. We did a lot of contacting and we even helped a new member family move in!! The ward was so on top of things and we got a whole trailer full of things unloaded in 45 minutes. It was awesome!! 

Needless to say, I love my new area and the change of pace that comes with it. I'm thoroughly enjoying all the new things that have been coming with everything. I know that the Lord has a purpose for me here and I hopefully will be able to listen to the spirit to move this work along. This will probably be my last area and it kinda has me thrilled to see how much I can work my tail off till the end. I love this work and I know that what we do, is joyous!!

I love you all and I do sincerely miss you all!! Have a great week everybody!!

Elder Ruesch