On May 21, 2013, at 12:40 PM, Ryan Neuhaus <ryan.neuhaus@myldsmail.net> wrote:
Dear Nathan,The MTC is awesome! Here in Peru its called the CCM. Its really pretty around here, I sent Mom and Dad some pictures of it, you should ask to see them. Most of my friends just left for their missions this morning so i'm sad about that. I only have two weeks left here. I'm super excited to be out! It's almost been a month....crazy! Miss you little bud.Love you,Elder NeuhausOn Wed, May 15, 2013 at 9:41 PM, <neusflash@aol.com> wrote:Dear Ryan,
I love you! I miss you. I hope you are having a good mission. Tell me all about the MTC. You will be a great missionary, I know it.
Love,
Nathan
Hey Fam,That's awful news! I've been trying to follow the news here as best as I can. Sounds like an awful tornado. Heard that a couple states have gotten into the gay rights movement. Our country is really going downhill. The Second Coming is close, I can feel it. We all need to stay as worthy as we can and prepare for the time that the Lord will come back and return to the Earth to bring Celestial Glory to those who are worthy of it. I have learned so much while being here. Jesus the Christ is my favorite book, I can't stop putting it down. It's starting to affect the time I put into learning grammar for Spanish. I love my Lord and am so glad to be serving him. I know that he will admonish many blessings unto you and me as I spread his word to the people of Bolivia that are humble enough to accept his teachings.I love hearing about Brads basketball, he's such a stud. I hope his leg gets better and he continues to succeed. Everyone around here knows his name and that he's truly my best friend. I miss him alot.Spencer. Spencer. Spencer. It's strange to think that by the time I will get home Emily will be 16...dating and driving...guess I'll have to really step it up as a big brother when I get back. Keep her away from boys. She's gonna be gorgeous.Thats incredible. You should send me a video of it. Andrew is a stud. He'll be one of the best baseball players our family has, I know he'll be better than me for sure.Natalie is a level 3 already? wow! There is a new elder here now named Elder Grover that did gymnastics for 14 years, he was gonna go do it in college but I think I heard him say he decided not to anymore.Laura...June 1st. That's a big day for her. I'll be sure to mark it down on my calender so that she will know that I am thinking about her. Proud of her... John 3:5Twins/Mark/Tyler....sounds like they are growing up quick. Hurts my heart to not see them in these stages of their life. Love those boys.I hope you (mom) and Dad are doing good. I'm sure the move is stressful. Pray to the Lord for help, he truly does hear your prayers. I know that you guys are following his will. You guys are great examples to me right now.I heard about that! I hope I get to train him, that would be fun. I'm going to send you guys some more pictures of the things I've been up to out here. One of them is a picture of 4 ties I have bought. I'm not going to wear them because 3 of them are for Dad, Brad, and Andrew. They can decide which they want. They're pretty cool. Handmade by a member out here in Peru.It's sad to hear about sister Monson passing away last week. Remember to keep President Monson in your prayers. He is a great man and I'm sure the passing of his wife has been hard for him. He is leading us by inspiration and revelation every day. I know that to be true.Love and Miss you guys,Elder NeuhausEther 12:6Dear Ryan, how are you? We love you and think of you often. We hope you have fully recovered from your sickness I'm sorry you had to have that happen. It sounds like you are really enjoying your mission, good to hear.
Yesterday in Oklahoma City there was a terrible tornado. It was 2 miles wide and on the ground for 40 minutes. It hit two elementary schools and 91 people are dead. Very sad.
Brad is working hard in basketball he did great in the last tournament but in the last game he did get his leg injured again, not as bad this time though.
Emily is still pretty upset that we are moving back to Tennessee. I think a boy named Spencer is part of the issue :)
Andrew just memorize the entire document of the living Christ I videoed it maybe we can send you the video he did a great job. He is definitely the superstar on the baseball team, not a good team.
Natalie finished her last gymnastics session she is now a level III gymnast she will be excited to start again in Tennessee.
Laura is still just a sweet and happy girl she is looking forward to her baptism June 1.
The twins are finishing up preschool and learning how to read they also love to just have fun.
Mark is still the same little crazy self and Tyler is everywhere he is a speedy little crawler.
I have been busy getting everything packed and ready to go, it's a big job.
So proud of you and the service you are giving.
Oh and the big news of the week, do you remember Remington Lohmeyer from church? He is going to be serving in the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission,can you believe that! He reports to the Peru MTC in October so maybe by the time you get to Bolivia you can train him. Anyway I think it's neat that someone else from Brentwood Tennessee will be serving with you in Bolivia!
Have a great week, work hard, and know that we love you!
Love Always,
Mom
Elder Neuhaus,
I hope you have had another good week. It has been fun for us to get your
letters. It sounds like you are having a great experience.
We are getting ready for the move back from Utah. I think Emily is having the
hardest time with it so far. She has really enjoyed American heritage and has
found some really good friends she doesn't want to leave. As far as Nashville
goes we have a contract on our little farm property and should have a new
adventure ahead of us with that. Looks like it will officially be ours July 1.
Works out well because that will be our first day back in TN.
We heard this week that Remington Lohmeyer received his mission call this week
to the bolivia Santa Cruz mission! He goes to the Peru MTC in October. Ill
have to get you his address so you can write him a letter or two and help him
know how to pack. :) I'm sure he would love to hear about your experiences and
get some tips about how to prepare.
This weekend I'm taking brad, Gabe, josh, and Andrew to California to go
fishing. Ill give you an update next week and let you know if we catch
anything. Should be fun. Wish you were able to go with us but I know you are
where The Lord needs you in Peru. Keep working hard. I was going to tell you
to be sure to study the correct grammar and sentence structure. Don't learn
that from the people on the street. You will be working with uneducated people
and will develop bad habits if you do. Make sure you learn correct Spanish so
you can come back and test out of all the classes you need. If you do you will
realize you can speak better Spanish than the natives.
I'm so excited to hear about your experiences. Have a great week! Enjoy your
time in the MTC. You are in our prayers.
Love ya,
Dad
Reply from Ryan
Hey Dad,
Well it's almost been a month away from home now. Seems like forever but also feels like no time has gone by at all either. The mission has been just what I have needed so far. Happy to be out here, I can already see myself growing up and maturing as a person.
I'm sure Emily will struggle, let her know that it's all going to be okay and that she has my prayers. I put all of your guys names' in the temple this morning. You guys are constantly in my thoughts. I hope Emily knows that the move is what is best for her at this time. Heavenly Father will help her with whatever she needs if she prays for help and guidance. Heavenly Father truly does answer prayers.
Last saturday I got to go on my first adventure. Proselyting. I went with an Elder named Elder Garcia. He is from Lima, Peru and just left for his mission this morning in La Paz, Bolivia. At first it was really hard because I was nervous to just approach someone with the little Spanish I knew. However, the Elder I was matched up perfectly for me. We were guided by the Spirit to so many different people. Sometimes we were called names because we were Mormon but it didn't phase me at all. At first I would only testify to someone of the lesson we were teaching or read a few scriptures but by the end of the day I taught an entire lesson to a lady and her daughter. Elder Garcia had me introduce us like he had every time we knocked on a door so I did and then he decided to turn the lesson over to me by saying that I had a message to share with them. At first I was taken off guard because I wasn't expecting it so I started off by saying "Yo no se mucho español, pero yo se que la iglesia de Jesucristo es verdadero..." and then I didn't stop talking. I listened to the needs of the two women and was guided by the Spirit to scriptures and topics I needed to discuss during the lesson I was teaching. By the end of the lesson I had committed them to come to church on sunday and read the Book of Mormon. Well the younger daughter, the older lady said she would come to church but wouldn't read the Book of Mormon because it was too big and she didn't like reading. So I just let her have a phamplet instead. It was amazing because she said that she had been a member of the Catholic church for 73 years. If someone really is looking for the truth I now know that they will accept it when they find it. That experience was a testament to me of the gift of tounges and that Heavenly Father prepares people for us and ourselves for certain points in our lives.
Wow! I may have the opportunity to be Elder Lohmeyers trainer! That would be great! Get me his email or his parents and I will for sure write him. I can look back now and just see so many opportunites to prepare that I didn't take advantage of that I wish I did now.
I'm sure the past weekend has been a blast. Brad probably caught a huge fish and you guys have had aton of fun. I'm jealous. Did Gabe and Josh ever raid my closet? Those guys are good examples for Brad. He'll be around good kids while he's in Utah without the rest of you guys. I don't think you have anything to worry about with him living alone.
The Spanish is coming quickly to me. I understand about 95% of everything I hear and can respond about 70% of the time. Most of the kids in the CCM are saying that at this point they aren't learning anything new in spanish but I still feel like I am increasing. Any tips on how to become better at spanish so I will test out of the classes when I get back? I study vocab often, learn new words all the time. I also try to take advantage of every moment I have to talk to someone in my room, on the street, or just in the halls if they are Latino. They Spanish language feels natural to me in a way, I'm comfortable with it and people tell me I have picked up a good accent quick. My teacher says I should be completely fluent by Christmas. I hope that's true.
I've also heard that since the Santa Cruz, Bolivia mission is splitting into two parts it is now taking some of the Cochabomba mission away. What I've heard so far is that my mission will receive the southern part of the Cochabomba mission so now part of the Santa Cruz mission will have Argentina in it as well. That means the Santa Cruz Mission will have 3 countries in it. Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. That'd be cool if I got to see all three. But with the split to a North Santa Cruz Mission I'm not sure where I'll end up. Wherever I end up I will be excited to serve and meet all of the people. They are some of the most humble and loving people I have ever met. It's amazing to hear their stories and how they accepted the gospel. Most of the Latino missionaries are only 1 year members.
Last night all of my friends left for their missions. Elder Leavitt, Colton, Walker, Dority, and Hess are gone. I'll miss them alot. We all became really good friends during the time I was here with them, it's crazy to think I only have two weeks here left. Time has gone by quick. The mission will be short I have to take advantage of every second I have here. My testimony is growing each and every day. Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ gave their lives for this gospel, so I'm going to give two complete years of mine.
I love and Miss you guys alot.
Elder Neuhaus
Dear Ryan,
We hope you have had a good week. You seem to be enjoying the mission. The
pictures were great. Our Internet is still down. The Comcast guy comes today. I
will send pictures when we get it up and going.
Brad is still working hard on the basketball court. The boys had a good time on
their fishing trip, but Brad only caught one fish!
Emily's friends are throwing her a surprise good-bye party. It should be fun.
Andrew is almost a life scout. He is going to scout camp out here in Utah. He is
looking forward to BYU basketball camp.
Natalie is getting tall.
Laura is interviewed and ready for her baptism on Saturday. The girls and I are
taking a quick trip to San Francisco this week to see where we used to live.
Nathan can really hit a baseball
Preston loves to ride his bike.
Mark turned three on the 25th. He is growing up.
Tyler is already walking around the furniture! He totally reminds me of you.
You walked at nine months. He is now 8 months.
Stay healthy. Neil has to have knee surgery out on the mission. His mom is
having a hard time.
President and Sister McKee of the Nashville mission are being sent home a year
early due to her heart attack and stroke. She has improved. But I think still
has challenges.
Angie McKee came out for graduation, she did distance Ed.
I know you are where you need to be right now. Enjoy the experience. We love
you!
Love Always,
Mom.
