Ok so it's Mexican Spanish but Merry Christmas anyway!
More in Zaragoza
The day before Thanksgiving we went to the tastiest restaurant I have been to in Spain. It was Urugayan pizza. Saturday I had my least favorite meal of the mission. It was about a half gallon of soup, filled with full shrimp (heads and legs), and entire crab and a whole fish (head and fins). So we spent about one hour dissecting the animals, eating the fishiest soup I've ever had.
(this picture isn't from that meal)
Interviews with Elder Hadley
As we were walking the streets I had the strongest impression to turn around and so I did. We started talking to two men that were right behind us. They were incredible men from Ecuador and just loved everything we said to them.
Karla got baptised!
Sunday we had a visit really far away from church so we had to run run run to get there in time. We were praying we would make it in time for Sacrament and when we come through the door, president is just barely announcing the song and 2 seconds later the door was locked. It was a miracle that Heavenly Father answers our prayers and helps us to have the strength to do what we must.
Second pair of shoes worn out.
We got to go to La Sagranda Familia in Barcelona. It's this giant cathedral that they have been building since 1850 or so and it's still not done!
On the way back from Barcelona, they couldn't get us out early enough so they had to put us on a sleeper train. Yep it was incredible. The chairs turned into beds and they gave us those eye covers and everything.
2 Nephi 5:27 is a description of our life
Zaragoza
I am now in the incredible city of Zaragoza. I'm with Elder Matherus, from Gilbert, Arizona. He already knows the language pretty well and knows how to work. I came at the perfect time; they had a party named La Fiesta del Pilar.
Also we have two baptismal dates for this Saturday and they are the most golden investigators I have ever seen but their story is crazy. They had been homeless for about 3 months when a member felt like he should go talk to them. He talked to them and invited them to stay in his house and come to church with him... this was one month ago. Their names are Islamil and Ana. They are so happy now and they have an amazing amount of hope.
Here's what Nick wrote to our Herrscher neighbors. A nice summary of his mission so far:
"Everything here in Spain is great. I have already been in 5 cities and I have only been gone a year! The mission is exciting and so fun. I love talking to so many people and learning another language. I have been very blessed and have been with 4 native companions who have all really helped me with the language. We had to go through a bit of a change and I am actually in the Barcelona mission now.
I want to share with you my testimony of missionary work. It is the greatest joy that a person can have in this world. It brings the most blessings and really brings the best out of a person when we share the gospel. I have been changed immensely and already know I will not be coming back the same person (hope you accept me into the neighborhood all the same haha).
Alma 26:16 We can not find a greater joy it is only through joining the lord in his work
Matthew 11:28-30 This is not so much a sacrifice as it is a blessing. Always trust in the lord and learn from his example and you will be lightened of your load
3 Nephi 18:19-21 Prayer is what brings miracles. If we do not ask, we will not recieve.
I miss you and hope for the best for all of you. And please also pray for our mission we are trying to baptize 400 people before the end of December and we need all the prayers we can get."
Also we have two baptismal dates for this Saturday and they are the most golden investigators I have ever seen but their story is crazy. They had been homeless for about 3 months when a member felt like he should go talk to them. He talked to them and invited them to stay in his house and come to church with him... this was one month ago. Their names are Islamil and Ana. They are so happy now and they have an amazing amount of hope.
Here's what Nick wrote to our Herrscher neighbors. A nice summary of his mission so far:
"Everything here in Spain is great. I have already been in 5 cities and I have only been gone a year! The mission is exciting and so fun. I love talking to so many people and learning another language. I have been very blessed and have been with 4 native companions who have all really helped me with the language. We had to go through a bit of a change and I am actually in the Barcelona mission now.
I want to share with you my testimony of missionary work. It is the greatest joy that a person can have in this world. It brings the most blessings and really brings the best out of a person when we share the gospel. I have been changed immensely and already know I will not be coming back the same person (hope you accept me into the neighborhood all the same haha).
Alma 26:16 We can not find a greater joy it is only through joining the lord in his work
Matthew 11:28-30 This is not so much a sacrifice as it is a blessing. Always trust in the lord and learn from his example and you will be lightened of your load
3 Nephi 18:19-21 Prayer is what brings miracles. If we do not ask, we will not recieve.
I miss you and hope for the best for all of you. And please also pray for our mission we are trying to baptize 400 people before the end of December and we need all the prayers we can get."
Last entries from Bilbao
For p day we decided to go bowling and it was really fun and luckily free but it took forever to get out there and then even longer to get back which made us get home extremely late. So we figured we were going to miss our visits. We were praying to find a way to have the visits and when we get back to our apartment we call the visit to tell them we wont make it. She tells us that she has two friends that have come to hear our message. When we hear that we get dressed in five minutes and are out the door. We ran the entire way but it was completely worth it. We had a visit with two of her friends and one actually started crying in the visit. After that we were already late and so we go running to the next visit which is a fair distance away. We get there about half an hour late but somehow that is when they were just walking in the door. We had an incredible visit and could give his wife a blessing to help her back. He told us that is just what they needed in this moment. I know the lord helped us make it to these visits and help these people.
About conference, I really liked President Uchtdorfs talk about simplifying life and focusing on the four relationships that really matter: God, family , fellowman, and yourself. There was a big focus on gratitude in this conference as well which I have already seen makes everyone happier.
Bilbao
On a hike near Bilbao
Beauty and Beast cutout for youth activity
Zone Leader Council in Barcelona
Excerpt from Nick's email from Sept 20:
We met a woman on the street named Elizabeth. We had a visit with her on the bench on the street, invited her to read and come to church; she ended up reading and she was ready to go to church with us on Sunday!... Yesterday we had a visit with two retired catholic priests... It was fairly interesting. We started teaching the first lesson and they had no complaints and were actually very anxious for us to move on to the things they didn't know and as soon as we start talking about the apostacy, Fernando (the one that invited us) starts to flip out. He just says "no that's not possible. That didn't happen. You don't know that." and refused to listen to us. But the other one had more interest and actually asked where the church was and asked for a Book of Mormon so we will see if I can get a Catholic priest baptized. In the ward we now have a new mission leader named Presidente de Malino. He is the second counselor in the stake and is INCREDIBLE. We already have seen a change in a lot of people and have received more help with the visits. He is very excited to make this ward a missionary ward and I can see that he will be able to do it.
Defender of The Faith
Nick's trainer, Elder Webb, made this video before his mission. So funny
Nick and his clever companion
Executioner of the Barcelona Mission
The first week in August Nick attended a leaders' conference in Barcelona. "It was pretty intense, almost like the MTC all over again... We didn't learn many new principles but just relearned what they taught in the mtc and Preach My Gospel. I am very excited. I have already seen improvement in the lessons. The spirit is much stronger and I feel like they understand better.
I'll be honest. It was weird to be with Jose on the mission. I felt like I was in school again, learning all sorts of stuff sitting by my friends. But it was good to see him again.
These past 2 weeks have been insane but I have gotten to know our secretary very well because he has been calling us about every day to organize everything. We finally organized our areas with the sisters here so we had to give them a pretty portion of our investigators that were on the point of getting baptized. But it's ok. We have plenty more to start progressing."
Executioner Nick has had 3 companions who are on their last weeks or months of their mission. He currently serves with Elder Chavez. "He is incredible. He's 25 and from Ecuador but has lived in Madrid for 10 years. He wanted to go on the mission before but didn't have the option so he is excited every day."
I'll be honest. It was weird to be with Jose on the mission. I felt like I was in school again, learning all sorts of stuff sitting by my friends. But it was good to see him again.
These past 2 weeks have been insane but I have gotten to know our secretary very well because he has been calling us about every day to organize everything. We finally organized our areas with the sisters here so we had to give them a pretty portion of our investigators that were on the point of getting baptized. But it's ok. We have plenty more to start progressing."
Executioner Nick has had 3 companions who are on their last weeks or months of their mission. He currently serves with Elder Chavez. "He is incredible. He's 25 and from Ecuador but has lived in Madrid for 10 years. He wanted to go on the mission before but didn't have the option so he is excited every day."
Changes
Over the past month, Nick has gone from Santander, to San Sebastian, to Bilbao; 3 companions and becoming Zone Leader. That includes a new mission assignment (Barcelona) and president (Hinckley, yes President Gordon B Hinckley's son, Clark).
When asked what a Zone Leader does, he replied "I am in control of 3 separate cities and several companionships. I have to go to Council in Barcelona every transfer and I do exchanges with the District Leaders in my zone. I also have to lead the Zone Conferences with President in some sort of way to improve the work."
Last week he wrote: "This week I had the chance to go back to Santander to do an interview with an old investigator! It was so cool to see him ready to get baptized. Also this past Saturday we headed over to Las Arenas to do three other interviews for the elders there. They are great. So the work is going well here."
Here's a photo of the former Bilbao missionaries, being silly. Nick's on the back row, with tongue sticking out.
About Spain winning the World Cup, he wrote "No one here really likes Spain because they are all immigrants and Basque so they didn't do anything to celebrate the victory of Spain. There are still so many parties and festivals; it's almost impossible to do contacts because the streets are empty."
When asked what a Zone Leader does, he replied "I am in control of 3 separate cities and several companionships. I have to go to Council in Barcelona every transfer and I do exchanges with the District Leaders in my zone. I also have to lead the Zone Conferences with President in some sort of way to improve the work."
Last week he wrote: "This week I had the chance to go back to Santander to do an interview with an old investigator! It was so cool to see him ready to get baptized. Also this past Saturday we headed over to Las Arenas to do three other interviews for the elders there. They are great. So the work is going well here."
Here's a photo of the former Bilbao missionaries, being silly. Nick's on the back row, with tongue sticking out.
About Spain winning the World Cup, he wrote "No one here really likes Spain because they are all immigrants and Basque so they didn't do anything to celebrate the victory of Spain. There are still so many parties and festivals; it's almost impossible to do contacts because the streets are empty."
Everything's Spanish
World Cup Champions!
"A Spanish July," wrote El Mundo newspaper as Contador and Formula One driver Fernando Alonso's victory at the German Grand Prix on Sunday "closed the greatest month ever in Spanish sport."
It does not end there. Spain's national basketball team — already the European champion and Olympic silver medalist — was preparing to defend its world championship title in Turkey in September. And Nadal also helped Spain to its third Davis Cup victory in five years in 2009.
Barcelona Mission
How many missionaries can say they received two mission call letters from the Prophet?
Nick's now in San Sebastian, a beautiful beach city in the Basque area.
His companion is Elder Cepeda, from Cadiz, Spain.
Here's the blog from his new mission.
Watch this amazing Youtube of San Sebastian
Last but not least, look at Spain's World Cup team
Nick's now in San Sebastian, a beautiful beach city in the Basque area.
His companion is Elder Cepeda, from Cadiz, Spain.
Here's the blog from his new mission.
Watch this amazing Youtube of San Sebastian
Last but not least, look at Spain's World Cup team
Barcelona, here he comes!
Check out an entry about Nick on the
Spain Bilabao Mission blog
Yomarra, Jessica and Kevin's baptism, right before Nick was transferred from Santander.
Now he's in San Sebastian. Check it out at San Sebastian Travel Youtube
Great news is that he'll be reassigned (the Bilbao Mission is dissolving) to the Spain Barcelona Mission - with Elder Zunu Estrada!
Spain Bilabao Mission blog
Now he's in San Sebastian. Check it out at San Sebastian Travel Youtube
Great news is that he'll be reassigned (the Bilbao Mission is dissolving) to the Spain Barcelona Mission - with Elder Zunu Estrada!
Happy Birthday!
Santander
Near a faro (lighthouse). I almost fell off the cliff and decided to take a picture at the same time. A crazy statue at the palace.
For a "Feed the Missionaries" calendar. They're trying to look poor and starving.
April 5: In Santander, we don't watch General Conference when it is live but sometime this month they will be sending us a dvd and we will get to watch it then. I really cant wait. It's always such a blessing to hear from our leaders. Because I couldn't listen to the new conference I have been spending the last hour before bed listening to last years conference and it is so amazing the inspiration and guidance that the leaders give to literaly every single member.
March 29: So this week has been truly an awesome relief and so incredible. After so many long weeks of having nearly no investigators or visits I was feeling very down and... left alone but I knew that the success would increase. The Lord really does bless us when we have patience. After weeks of nearly nothing but hard work with no fruits of our labors, this week really was the complete opposite. We began having visits with incredible people and all of them had such desires to learn. The hard times came and we were patient through it and after, the Lord gave us the success and joy that we had been waiting for. We find 12 new investigators in one week! I have never even gotten 4 in a week. The Lord will really never leave us if we will do all we can in this work.
Turns out this new investigator is an assassin. He was part of the bloods in America and did their "dirty work" but he wants to change and all he really wants is his son with him. I was really pretty scared to talk to him but we promised him this message could change his life... I honestly hope he comes to church because president told us we can't teach him because of his history but if he comes to church he can be taught there.
March 15: Our ward mission leader is such a stud he had me and the new hermana speak in church yesterday. I was surprisingly happy to have him invite me to do this. I was very nervous because it was the first talk I have given in Spanish outside of the mtc and well it's a ward now not a branch and so we had the place jammed all the way to the back. I felt very good about it though because this really was the first time I have given a talk without the entire talk written down. I just had some general guidelines to direct my thoughts and let my memory and the spirit do the rest.
March 8: We were walking through this tunnel and I was thinking about what I should contact with and I was thinking "I will talk about prayer." I stop this lady and she just looks at me with the most stunned look on her face. We kept talking for a bit and she told us that she had just gotten off the bus and was praying the entire ride for help from God. Such incredible miracles God works through us. I probably would never have stopped this woman normally but man I just got such a burst in my mind: "stop her."
Zoo
Nick and friends went the zoo at Santander. It's so big, a car is required to go from animal to animal.
Los Osos
A wild bird show - this one flew wildly close to Nick!
For April Fool's joke, I emailed Nick and Maggie that Dad would be offering a prayer at General Conference. They both fell for it - what trusting missionaries! So I emailed their presidents' wives to tell them the truth on April Fool's Day. Hermana Clegg wrote me back:
"Just want you to know that Elder Ryser is looking so good and doing so great. We saw him this last Saturday and he looked happy. His Spanish is wonderful and it looks like from the report of this past week they had a great week... Thanks for raising such a great young man. He is super!!!"
Me Voy!
Nick reached his quarter-mark.
"i am leaving tommorow for santander!! santander is a two man piso and my new companion is elder griotti and he is from barcelona. i am going to have a native companion! i am insanely scared for only speaking spanish but i have heard he is incredible and very creative with how he does the work and the city is beautiful. other great news if i stay in this city till the end of this mission i will be in the barcelona mission! how incredible is that i have been so blessed during my mission. having an incredible first city with so many loving people and now i am going to a new beautiful city that had a ward. its going to have 120 members that come every week."
The Ourense branch had a Pioneer party February 27, the same night that a Hurricane hit Spain and France. Here's what Nick said: "it was super fun. we watched the work and the glory, played bobbing for apples.. thats awesome, and a few other random games and also that night there was a hurricane warning so we were not allowed to leave the capilla untill like 9:30 so it was a blast and the members loved it. i really love the people in this branch they are so much fun and so caring and great."
New email address
For some reason, missionaries' addresses have recently changed. Write to Nick now at:
nicholas.ryser@myldsmail.net
nicholas.ryser@myldsmail.net
The Ourense ward is having a Pioneer/Western party this weekend and here's what
somebody drew of the four elders.
Notice Nick's cigarette.
Another photo on the Bilbao mission blog. Nick looks pretty focused
on pulling his sock up - more than listening to the leaders - ha ha.
Nick's leaving the Bilbao mission
That got your attention, eh? Effective July 1, the Spain Bilbao mission will be dissolved and the boundaries of the Spain Barcelona and Spain Madrid Missions will be realigned to include the areas now served by Nick's mission.
His response on Monday, 2/8, was: "Its going to be interesting because I will have more time in the other mission than for the one i was really called to. How strange. Honestly i am just excited for it... Going to either mission would be incredible in my opinion though. I could serve with Jose! How awesome would that be. I also really want to see all those cities in that mission and well President Hinckley's son is the president there so that would be pretty interesting. Madrid I would be excited for because that means I could have the chance to go to the temple during my mission which would be a huge help and relief for me and well they have the Canary Islands in that mission."
What a resilient guy. They're teaching a man named Michael, who is doing amazing. He's read a lot of the Book of Mormon and says the only thing he needs is a scripture marker.
These are from the mission blog:
His response on Monday, 2/8, was: "Its going to be interesting because I will have more time in the other mission than for the one i was really called to. How strange. Honestly i am just excited for it... Going to either mission would be incredible in my opinion though. I could serve with Jose! How awesome would that be. I also really want to see all those cities in that mission and well President Hinckley's son is the president there so that would be pretty interesting. Madrid I would be excited for because that means I could have the chance to go to the temple during my mission which would be a huge help and relief for me and well they have the Canary Islands in that mission."
What a resilient guy. They're teaching a man named Michael, who is doing amazing. He's read a lot of the Book of Mormon and says the only thing he needs is a scripture marker.
These are from the mission blog:
Nick's new companion is Elder Renshaw.
Goofy picture in their apartment. They're making decorations for a ward event.
Holidays
Brownies they gave people.
And cupcakes (from US)
Merry Christmas!
Ourense
Ourense, Nick's first city
Guggenheim Art Musuem - front and center
They even have McDonald's
and a fun playground
and interesting places for tracting.
So this week was... interesting. You must hear of the ridiculous things I have seen here in the little corner of the world, Ourense. First of all we're doing some contacts when a beast of a hummer, the type that can't fit in the street and would be able to eat Moog's car, comes cruising up and it was so strange because there was no one in the drivers seat. So we walk around the car and the door opens and out falls a midget. He had a beard and was smoking a giant pipe. . he had some height problems.
The mission is incredible and I am loving every minute of it. I love you all and hope all the work you do there for the Church brings you as much joy as it has brought me. Love, Elder Ryser
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)