Faith and Humility

With our new Latino room mates.

Hola Familia!

Well, I made it to my 3rd p day! Wow!

This week was actually rather tough... At the beginning of the CCM stay they have you take the attribute quiz like from Preach My gospel on the Computers and you check two attributes you plan to work on at the CCM. I think that is just a physical click to tell God what you want to be tried with! I chose faith and humility, and this week it hit me. There were some amazing talks this week that kinda rocked our boats! On Sunday there was a broadcast from SLC what was to Peru as a Peruvian Stake Conference basically. Elder Bednar was one of the speakers, and since I´ve been in here I´ve grown to love Bednar, he knows his stuff and he tells it straight. But anyway, he had a talk that kinda set a lot of us being on the edge and scared. But then we had a lesson about the Holy Ghost´s role in teaching, and that helped our district really gain some more faith in ourselves. But I have started getting scared about how well I´m doing. I´ve been praying a lot and meditating on how I´m doing. But I´ve grown to learn that if I just put all my heart might mind and strength into serving and I tell my Heavenly Father that hey, I´m all in your hands, make of me what you want, I will be just fine. Today going to the temple was a really great help too, so I´m ready for the next week, and I´m coming up swinging!

I finally bought my soccer jersey today! Peruvian jersey of Guerrero, it´s a little big but hopefully it will shrink a tiny bit in the wash and I can gain some weight, like I´ve already needed to. haha And yes, we do get to go to the temple every P day, it is such a remarkable blessing!

I never have told you about our investigators! We have two teachers that act as investigators, Yomira and Teresa. And let me tell you, they are good actors! I pray for my investigators multiple times every day! But here has been our work. Teresa has been our longest investigator, we actually teach her tonight too. But her mom died when she was young and her Dad remarried but is never home and Teresa has not gotten along with her step mom at all. So  we have taught her a lot, she also has a word of wisdom problem, so we are currently working to get over that hill, and tonight I think is when we will seriously talk about Baptism, since we have asked her before and last time she said she would pray and ask for an answer. Tonight we will probably focus on that and the Book of Mormon, and see how her foundation of that is going. Yomira is more new as an investigator. So far we have taught her about the Restoration, then started the gospel of Jesus Christ with Faith and Repentance, then our next lesson is going to simply focus on the fact that God loves her and Families can be together forever, but I feel like that is what she needs right now, I think she doesn´t believe God can fully forgive her, and so we want to help her understand how unconditionally loving He is. It´s been a great learning process teaching here in the CCM!

Oh, and mom, about packages and letters, scratch what I said last time, As long as it is below the size of a shoe box It should come through just fine, the problem with if its bigger is it gets stuck in customs and thats why they say don't send them. But it also does take about 11 to 15 days sometimes for stuff to get here. I got your third package for me 2 nights ago, and that was SPECTACULAR! Thank you Darcy, for those twinkies you gave me, and thank you mom for sending them, because I´m pretty sure my comps are getting jealous of me. haha, but don´t worry, I´ll share!

It sounds like life is going great back home. I sure miss it a lot sometimes, we actually did the math this week, 14 weeks until we get to skype home! haha but I need to start focusing on the work and not worry. I love this gospel so much and I can´t wait to get into the field and teach it to everyone!

Logan, it sounds like you are doing great! Maddie said you started up a double quartet or something at school?! wowza! That´s awesome man! Keep up the good work on that and the play and high school rodeo, you seriously are a superstar! I love you lots bro and think about you every single day!

This has been quite draining, but I have also felt the spirit very strongly when I´ve been here. My testimony has grown immensly, I am growing closer and closer to Jesus Christ and starting to really understand who He is and what He has done for me. I have so much I want to learn and not enough time!! haha But I am going to start reading the Book of Mormon in English and Spanish too, even though this week I did a big focus on the Bible and read through Matthew and Mark and other various Old Testament scriptures, but now it's gonna be a lot of studying about the keystone of our religion!

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I got asked to be the new District Leader of our group! It doesn´t mean much in the CCM, I get to choose the opening hyms for the disctict and I go to weekly meetings on Sunday with all the disctrict leaders I think. Elder Chapman was the old Disctict Leader, and I think we still all look to him as the head honcho, he is such a great elder.

Yesterday was also the hump day of our CCM stay! Woo hoo!! Has it felt short out there? In here, time is so weird... I feel like I haven't seen you in months, but at the same time weeks are passing by fast and there isn't enough time for everything!

Well, I love you all so so much, I think about you all the time, and emails become such a highlight! Thank you everyone for sending me them!

Dad, thanks for always helping me be strong, you are always a role model in my eyes and this past week I have held onto your example to me and it has helped build me up lots!

Well, my time is about up, I love you all, con todo mi corazón! Stay strong, know that I am doing well and growing closer to my Heavenly Father daily.

You are all AWESOME!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Collin Russell

 My reaction to glorious packages!

My comps and I doing some sweet selfies with our new soccer jerseys!