Hola Family! Week one in the MTC!

Hey Mom and Dad,
Sorry I haven't written to you yet. I figured that by the time you got any letter I wrote you would have already gotten an email from me, so I decided to just wait till my P-day to write you.

So my P-days are on monday so you should get an email from me every monday...Well my first week at the MTC has had it's ups and downs! The spirit is so strong here. I have felt it so strongly everyday in all the workshops and classes that we have. It's funny how everyone says that you'll hate the MTC, but so far I love the feeling I have here.

My district is awesome. My companion is Elder Pace, he's from Las Vegas, and he stayed in Helaman Halls the same time as me up at BYU. He's a good guy and will be an excellent missionary in Tucson, Arizona. My roomates are a little skinny guy named Elder Jones who will be going to Costa Rica, and Elder Fuiamono who is the coolest guy I know. He is the most genuine and loving samoan guy ever and I learn a great deal about how to care for people by his example. He's also way funny. Two other missionaries in my district will be heading to Costa Rica with me. Elder Anderson who is hillarious, and Elder Richardson who is way cool and plays linebacker at BYU. I really love my district.We also have a lot of Hermanas that are going to Tucson. They are babes haha, just kidding. One is from Granite Bay actually which is pretty cool.

Well this past week has been pretty cool. My spanish is coming along really well, and I'm starting to think in spanish now. I guess I was sleep talking last night and Elder Jones said he heard me speaking in Spanish. THE GIFT OF TOUNGES IS REAL!!!!! Haha, but yes the spirit is helping all our spanish so much.

We taught our first "investigator" this past week too. His name is Marcos and his girlfriend is a member of the church. I put "investigator" in quotes because we saw his "celestial smile" through his clothes and he was speaking perfect english in the hall to some of our teachers. Teaching is a real humbling experience. It is so hard to say exactly what you want, and express your true feelings about our church with the little spanish that we know. But through the spirit I've been able to understand and express ideas that I can't even remember saying. I know that the Holy Ghost resides here in the MTC and that he is helping all of us in learning spanish.

I love my spanish teacher, Hermano Wood. He is a true man of God. He recently interviewed all of us one on one to ask us how everythings going. It was such a spiritual and revealing experience. I told him I am here to bring the happiness and peace that the gospel gives me to others. I am so stoked to give people this happiness.

I rejoice in Christ and his gospel, and I seriously am so stoked to bring it to his lost children. I know this is where the Lord wants me to be. Well today we went to the temple and it was an amazing experience. I love the temple and it truly is the House of the Lord. Being a missionary is so great becuase you are so close to the spirit all the time, and you rely on it so much. Missionary work is so humbling and I love it. I JUST LOVE IT!

Well the food here isn't gross at all. It's 10x better than the Cannon Center! And i eat 3 square meals a day so thats way good. And tell Jason the OJ doesn't make you poop becuase Elder Fuiamono had 10 his first day and didn't have diarhea or anything. I had like 6 and I was fine. Also tell Katie thanks for her Dear Elder, I'll try and write her back soon but we don't have much time for anything.

Oh on a spiritual note, on sunday we had a really really good mission conference. President Brown talked about keeping your name dignified, and how we need to obedient so we will be remebered for good, and not for our dumb mistakes. It was a way good talk. I love it here in the MTC haha, most of the time.

Waking up early is pretty easy by the way, we just have gym right when we wake up which kinda stinks. But its all good, the spirit here makes up for everything that is bad about the MTC.

Also, tell people to write me and dear elder me please! I got 8 dear elders the first time here, it was rad. Everyone was jealous of Elder Taylor and his popularity. Also you can email me too. Oh and show this email to whoever you want to, i dont care.

I would just like to end this email with my testimony in spanish...Yo se que Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial, y Jesucristo es Sus Hijo. Yo se que Jesucristo murio por los pecados del mundo, por mi y ustedes. Yo se que Jesucristo es el Salvador y el Redentor del mundo. Me amo Jesucristo mucho. Yo se que Presidente Thomas S. Monson es la profeta de Dios, y Jose Smith es un profeta de Dios. Estoy muy agradecido por la diligencia de Jose Smit. Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero, y a traves de la fuerza de Dios, Jose Smit (translated?) el Libro de Mormon.

I love you guys so much and miss all of you. Say hello to the family for me, and let them know I think of them everyday and I'm praying for all of them. I love you Mom and Dad, and I hope you guys are doing amazing at home! I'll write next monday!

Love, Ryan

p.s I can't send pictures from the MTC... lame I know. So i'll send all the pictures I can when I get out to Costa Rica! Okay love you guys! Bye! The Church is True! And let me know if you get this email!