Week 1

Hey everyone!I finally figured out the way to log into the missionary email thing here at the MTC and I hope you all get it there at home. And that you figure out how to post it to my blog so everyone who wants to can read it if anyone does!That being said, life here has been amazing! Different then anything I have experienced before, but in the best way possible! My companion is Elder Sessions and the other elders in my district are Elder Kunzler, Elder Draper, and Elder Liu. They are all from Utah and have a deep love of the cold and snow - something I have yet to appreciate. I will get there soon though, I kind of have to. So far for most of the time, we have been focusing on the language and teaching the first lesson from Preach My Gospel. The language is quite challenging and uses a part of my brain that I don't think I have ever got to use before - a completely new alphabet, new sounds your mouth has to make, new meaning to everything. But I am progressing just great and I know the Lord will bless me as I continue to work hard at it. Learning from Preach My Gospel has been a very enlightening experience. I have to rethink everything I have ever read or taught from it before because the Mongolian people have only barely heard of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, or scriptures. Everything is brand new to them and so everything must be taught from the beginning as simply as possible. However, the LDS chuch is currently the largest Christian church in Mongolia and is growing at an exponential rate so more and more people are learning. Also, 10% of all those baptized in Mongolia have served missions or are currently serving missions, how cool is that? My teachers here are amazing and have such a deep love and understanding of the gospel and the Mongolian language and culture that learning from them is a treat. They care about each one of us individually and loved us from the first day, even though they didn't know us at all. I hope that as I serve my mission I will be able to gain such a great trait to be able to love everyone. They also take the time to explain everything simply and in detail so that we aren't too confused at the language, just a little bit. Although that little bit can often seem really huge because there is just so much to learn! The food here is same old, same old. Hasn't changed much since I worked here a few months ago. Best nights are still Friday night (pizza night!) or Sunday because we have an ice cream bar. It doesn't compare to home cooking like Mom does or what we have a Grandma's house, but it isn't bad. I only get to mail and write letters on my P-day which is Thursday. That being said, thanks for all the mail I have already received! I am trying to write all you guys back and make each letter personal and get to know how you are all doing, but if I don't get it all done today, I will write you back next Thursday. I love letters by the way and love that you all have sent them! They totally make my day and let me know of the love and support I have at home, which is a great blessing. I am right now in the process of reading from Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage which is an amazing book. It doesn't necessarily teach or say anything new about the Savior that I haven't heard before, but it puts it all together and makes it simple and easy to understand. The Savior's life was truly incredible and I am extremely and eternally grateful for the sacrifice that He made for each one of us so that we may be able to live with our families forever and return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. What a blessing beyond what we can really comprehend! I also am just finishing up the Book of Mormon and that is always marvelous. To read the testimony of the great men of the Brother of Jared and Mormon and Moroni and how much they truly loved the people even though they were wicked is such a great example to us. Also, their stories of faith and perservance as being the last of the believers and holding to the iron rod through it all, never letting go of their testimonies. I hope that I can be like that for all my life. I just mailed a letter home with a bunch more info and questions for everyone! Lora - I need to write you a letter back still, I hope to get to it today, but if not I did put a section in the family letter for you. I love you all so much and miss you all tons! But I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing right now and I feel deep down that this is where I belong and that I am doing the right thing. The Spirit here is so strong and peaceful all the time, I wish you could all feel it. It feels just like the temple, where you get to leave the world behind and only focus on the gospel and the things the Lord wants us to do. General Conference especially was very powerful here. I am kind of sad that I never was as spiritually prepared to hear the messages before as I was now because I would have been greatly taught my whole life every Conference instead of only this past one. I know that what they told us is what the Lord wants us to hear right now and that each and every one of them is called of God to their position. I know that President Monson is a prophet and that he loves the church and us deeply and wants what is best for us just like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do. I know this church is true and am so thankful that I am a member and grew up in a family that encouraged me to grow up the way I did and to focus on the things of the Lord instead of the things of the world. I know the Book of Mormon is true and the spiritual power that it holds is truly incredible. I can't wait to go to the temple today, I am so excited for it! I love the temple! Please send my MTC cafeteria hat if you could - our service hours are spent in the cafeteria and I would much rather wear that than the hairnets we have to wear instead. I love you all tons and pray that you all are happy and healthy every night! The fall colors up here are really cool and the temperatures are really nice although a bit nippy. I hope the weather in Mesa is beautiful and that it finally cooled off. Can you send me Elder Will Casper's mailing address? It should be on an envelope in my bedroom or if you go on my Facebook look up the group - BYU friends on missions or something like that. I have run into Elder Sterling Tracy, Elder Tanner Hatch, Elder Robert Skousen, Elder Jared Carter, and others that I know up here and it is great to see each one and hear where they are going and how they are doing. Each is so excitd to be doing the work of the Lord just like I am and you can see it in their faces. That is another thing that I like about being up here - everyone is happy and their faces just shine with the Spirit and with love and peace. It is fantastic! Well, my time is almost up so I will now finish. Please keep telling people about Dear Elder and send me mail through that instead of email - beause I only get to 30 minutes to read and write and so I need the time to just write!Love,Elder Ryan Leroy Hughes