Sunday, January 1, 2012

Elder Reeder - I love getting doors slammed in my face!

12/19/11

Hello Family!

So it looks like the email i sent last week didnt send. So it is attached down below.

Wow i cant believe so maný of my friends are getting home! That is crazy! Hahaha but Iv still got a good 8 months! YEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! I am pretty excited. Sometimes i wonder what i am doing in chile and it all seems kind of crazy, but then i think "i wouldnt be anywhere else" so as crazy as it is i love it. I still feel like i am in a dream. I really love being in the mission. It is like i am living my childhood dream. I dont really like to think about being done...

Well anyways this past week was good. My new companion Elder Basset is magical. He isnt doing much but just his presence is a lot different. Like when we teach it is really powerful. Like BULLSEYE in peoples hearts. A lot of people are beginning to progress who werent. I dont know if it is because of him, because i am wearing contacts now, because i got a bunch of animo from being in punta arenas with the zone, because of my new found energy/attitude. I DONT KNOW but it is awesome!

I have been pondering a lot.... In the sermon on the mount Jesus Christ teaches blessed are those who are persecuted in my name. I have been thinking about this a lot. Now everytime i get a door slammed in my face i say "thanks i need the blessings" hahaha!!! Like as a missionary you cant lose! Everything is in your favor. Even if i walk around, and get nothing done, get rejected a ton, i am receiving a TON of blessings!!! I feel kind of selfish. I try so hard to share them with others but they dont want them! Sometimes i even just give people candy or cookies or something just so i dont keep all the blessings to myself. Like well be in the street and i say "hey elder lets go get a door slammed in our face, lets get some blessings." with a crazy smile and he just looks at me like i am crazy. The worst thing that happens is rejection. But i actually really like it. The harder they slam the door i believe the more secure the blessings are. I just smile in the doors when i see people getting ready to slam it... it is like i get excited hahaha!! But this new attitude i have aquired thanks to REVELATION is awesome. Everything is enjoyable. You cant lose. The worst thing you can do is nothing. You just have to see the bright side of everything. The lord chastens those he loves. So the lord REALLY loves me hahaha yes!! Hahaha my companion thinks i am crazy. We have a good time. He sings and we are practing singing O holy night the nsync version. Hahaha it is awesome.

As far as for christmas.... we are going to skype the 24th at 3:00 chilean time. I dont know how that converts :p. There is also a possibility that we may be going to torres del paine either this week or the next. I think it will cost like $40 around there... but i think i am good.

Nobody goes to church! I have the gift to get people want to be baptized, but if they dont go to church they never will! Everyone accepts fecha but it is useless unless they want it bad enough to do it.

I have been thinking... I am almost 100% positivie i want to be an entrepenuer, engineer, or some sort of business/marketing degree. I got a sweet revelation in church.

I believe that it is all..... That would be REALLY cool if you sent me more digital photos through email of me having fun with friends. I would definitely appreciate it. Also i would love it if you could some home send conference talks, byu devotionals etc. on really cool stuff. There are discourse on joseph smith. Stuff like that i listen to at night. Joseph Smith is the man! Read the BOM and youll know he is prophet!!!! I really liked that business articles about missionaries hahaha! It is sooooo true. I feel like i can just talk to anyone about anything now and keep my cool. I dont know. I practice contacts in the mirror when i am bored... hand gestures etc.... I got new jeans and a shirt for christmas! I am going to open them later.

Also i am thinking about getting leather scripture cases!!! So i got to come up with a cool design.... if you could send me a bunch of church art through email that would be sweet! Also more quotes! I have all the quotes glued in my study journal! I want more!!!! But as far as photos... there is a way cool one of the tree of life by greg olson. I am thinking moses parting the red seas... elijah with fireballs.....the anti nefi lehis burying their swords... peter walking on water.... just cool photos! Get some really ones! That you could classify as "epic" Shauna you decide if they are cool. Like the greg olson is waaaay awesome. Something like that. I have no idea I am way excited!

CHAO!

Elder Reeder


Hello Family!

So i am thinking for skype we are going to do it the 25th at 4. Chilean time. I dont know how the times works out, and i have no idea how skype works.... So let me know next week!

This past week was allright. I am a little frusturated. My companion Elder Rainey is leaving, and Elder Basset is coming here. He is from utah i dont remember where.... But we are here in punta arenas. Turns out that they sent us my package and everything through a plane to por venir... they never told us... so it is there i just have to go claim it.

But yeah since i have been my energy has gone up a lot being with the zone etc. There is a member who told us these way cool missionary stories. Of how his mission president would always say "all i ask is more" more in spanish is màs. Their mission in santiago would just chant "mas, mas mas mas" hahaha it was a cool story. Lately i have just had stuck in my head "yes". Sometimes i dont want to talk to people, because i dont believe. But i know i just need to have faith and do it. Last night we had like 40 contacts to do. It was the end of the week. We had like 10 minutes to go inside. My companion said oh lets head to the house. At this point there were like 5. We were going to end the week not finishing..... I said "no way!!!" "were getting these done!!" My companion didnt agree buti convinced him. I said HAVE FAITH ELDER and we just went crazy and ran around talking to as many as possible. We got home like 7 minutes late. but we got them done! The elders of punta arenas showed up like 30 min later. Coincidence?? Yeah we were supposed to do them. That is the spirit.

I am a little disappointed with myself about the last cambio. I know a large large part of my success depends on my attitude and my faith. I just realized that yesterday... I just need to remember. Dont doubt, just believe and do. Just do it. Just get it done. Have faith. Dont say no, say yes. Yes Yes Yes. We need to have a vision that is bigger. That is all.

I love you all. I dont know what else to say. The members here are awesome, all really christ like. But they all come to late to church.... They are sort of weak. They need help! If you arent going to church, you need to read the book of mormon. If you have read it, you need to understand it. You need to understand the circumstances it took to write it. How perfect it is. Think about it. Ponder it. If that book wasnt true we wouldnt have a religion. Everything depends on IT. If it is true, joseph smith was a prophet, and this is the truth.

How do we have knowledge of God? The bible. The scriptures. Who wrote the bible? The prophets and apostoles. Who do we know the bible/prophets are legit? If what they say/write/prophesy comes true when you do it. For exp. if you keep the commandments and get blessings. If their propheices and teachings come to pass then you know it is true. There can only be so many coincidences. You must read it. You must understand it. Then you must experiment and apply it. Try out what it teaches, then you will begin to see how it changes your life, then you will know it is true. You cant so a cake is bad without trying it. Or food. Dont judge. Dont be prideful. If you have not done so do it again! If you have already done it and experience the tender mercies of god. Then REMEMBER. I know the BOM is true and ANYBODY who reads it sincerely, with true intent will know. I had to read it twice. You will know at some point it is true. Whether by the blessings and praying and accepting. Or when we Jesus Christ shows you at the judgement bar. Everyone will know. You cannot afford to not find out.

Elder Reeder

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