Annapolis, MD - February 22, 2016

I've had an awesome week teaching people. I love talking to people. This week has been awesome. Everyone has been letting us in and we are starting to get with families I have tried to get in with my whole mission but not been able to.

This ward loves me for my piano skills. This ward member is calling me elder tips like finger tips he says because I played a musical number last week and it was awesome. I played the  song "If You Could Hie to Kolob" by Marshall McDonald. I haven't had too much time to practice, but I have gotten a lot better at sight reading.

I hate being sick. It's weird though because I've actually been pretty good out here in the cold not getting sick. It's a real blessing for being a missionary.

I did something weird. Last night right before bed I got hungry and decided to make some Chinese food like spicy seafood ramen which is fancy ramen and also fried rice. Last preparation day was fun we went to a world famous restaurant called Chick and Ruths and got the largest milkshake in the world. It was fun this week we went bowling and some of the missionaries are going to get me a sick jacket. It's like a warm-up jacket with graffiti on it. I'm pumped.

These last days have been awesome. Super humid, which I've come to love and 60 or so. We went to an Amish market last week and it took me back let me tell you. I got some potato salad and a whole lot of bubble gum.

If people skip repentance or don't really focus on it then they aren't solid converts. This gospel is meant to change our lives for the better if we let it. I'm giving an instruction tomorrow on it for zone training. We're focusing more on applying repentance sooner and commitments.

Love you,

Elder Ressler

Annapolis, MD - February 8, 2016

We are all dug out and the sidewalks are clear, but we hear it might snow again. It's just getting to the point where I have talked to the same people out on the street, but I do love Annapolis.

We got to go to a temple session in Washington DC. It was awesome and a really good experience. It was pretty beautiful and was really good seeing some other missionaries there. We actually went to the temple on Friday for endowments. It was awesome. It wasn't my favorite celestial room, but the actual temple and the hallways were nice. The highlight was the paintings and the stairs are super cool. They have stained glass windows that light up around the stairs and a fountain when you look down.

Then the ward mission leader started driving the wrong way and ended up driving past the White House. He had the coolest stories and could point out which embassies were for which countries because he was in the FBI in DC. It was tight.

My week was awesome we got to teach a bunch! We had a miracle with this kid . We have been trying to see him for like two weeks. He let us in and talked to us while playing call of duty. Then we got him to pay attention and the atmosphere completely changed. He said he knew it was true and it's what he's been looking for because he's always wondered why there are so many churches. He couldn't put the Book of Mormon down when we were explaining it to him.

Our most solid investigator now lives in the sketchiest part of Annapolis, but he is super smart and when we asked he was like I think it is true about the first vision.

We're back on bikes and although my legs are getting used to it again, I'm super happy about it. We've had a lot of one and done investigators. My health is great. I'm congested today for like the first time this winter. I feel really blessed.

We talked to granny the other day and she was like have you ever been to Murrays? We're like no. She says she's going to buy us a bunch of "good meat" and other groceries and give it to us. She also says it's going to snow and granny's never wrong.

We had a great week teaching.

Love,

Elder Ressler

Annapolis, MD - February 1, 2016

I'm doing so good! Well We haven't been able to do much because although everyone else in the zone is back to work, we can't ride our bikes on the snow covered sidewalks. We have a lot of investigators right now, but they aren't coming to church. I'm going to the temple sometime this week. I brag about grandma Ressler and her heritage like all the time out here. My Ecco shoes are amazing. I have tons of grip and they actually are really waterproof. This week was pretty lame walking in the cold, but most of it has melted. My companion is super good at the scriptures and he knows the weirdest scriptures from the old testament. It's going by way fast I'm almost at my 6 months mark.

Elder Ressler