Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Elder Reeder - Faith=Miracles

Feb 25, 2012

Hello Family!!

This week has been AMAZING!!!!!! Oh my goodness!!! We have five people
committed to church. My companion and I have a lot of unity and we are
working hard!!!!!

I am learning a lot as a district leader. It is incredible the things
you learn helping missionaries and other people. Answers to all the
questions they dont ask etc... I really enjoy learning. The Holy Ghost
is amazing.

Cool experience. The other day we were teaching an investiator named
Rafael. This man is amazing! He is evangelical but he knows a lot. He
is smart, he understands everything, yet he looks like a crazy old
man. He is great! He already knew about the apostasy, he was telling
us in the lesson that he knows all the church are false and are of men
no mas. He told us that a pastor went up to him and asked him to be
the pastor for a few churches. You know what he said? I dont have
power or authority of god to do that. So no. HAHAHAHA!!! This is
before we got there. So amazing!! He already has a BOM and he has been
reading it and praying and asking god. In every lesson we kneel down
with him and ask. We invited him to go to church and he said no
because he has to go to his, but then i told him if he doesnt go he
wont get an answer from god, because he wont be showing faith and
doing his part. He eyes got really big and looked at his wife and
said, thats is why we havent gotten our answer, we are going to church
and we are going to get that answer we have been looking for. We asked
if what it would mean if it was true and he told us that he would be
baptized, he would get eternal life and he would be the happiest
person in the world.

In that lesson i felt so happy. It was amazing. I have only had 2 or 3
other experiences that were better than that in the mission. So
awesome.

Wow that is crazy how many people are leaving. Blake, Sy, Corbin
etc... It really surprises me they are old enough! I wont see them for
a while oh my goodness.

I am going to look for an umbrella today, and maybe some chilean
jerseys in the markets outside.... Things are going great. The
districts is progressing, my companion is progressing, i feel that as
a companionship we are growing grace by grace and EVERYTHING is
working because we have the spirit. Soooo awesome.

Mom, i decided on my classes but i left the paper at home..... I want
to take USU Physical Science, and nutrition. What is horticulture? I
also want a spanish minor so count me in on the test and classes if
necesarry after. I would like to take more than 12 credits. Like 15 or
18. I want to be busy and get things done. I have a list at home.
Please wait!!! Well just start doing everything and change it when i
let you know!! I will show you... as far the career class... it is a
possibility but i think i have things clear on what i want to do. So
bussines.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Elder Reeder

Elder Reeder - PROGRESSION

February 18, 2012

Hello Family!

Sorry, I was thinking about snowboarding. I just remembered all of the cool words i used to say... I forgive you for forgetting about the pday change.

Anyways this past week has been GREEEAAAATTT!!!!! Yesterday I had an interview with President, we talked about the district and some ideas to help us to seguir mejorando!! My companion and I are amazing investigators with our unity. We get along really good now. I have realized that just being an example, and just a few suggestions is better than being so worried about his progression. Just teaching with me he picks up good habits. So i am just being his friend and when something terrible happens then i give him a few suggestions. But things have been awesome!!!!! I have noticed that i tend to get along better with people are not my companions. I have been thinking and i also notice that i always get along with my friends more than my family. My fear is that that will happen again when i get home. SO I AM CHANGING THAT. I want to be best friends with you guys when i get home, so things are going to change. I am you are all reading, praying etc... ;)

I really like being district leader. The skills i am learning are really helpful. I find that i am just becoming more loving, understanding, patient, and a bunch of other things. I am learning the happy balance between justice and mercy, and unconditional love, and saying things in a way so they are edifying. I have a little black book i have written in keys to my personality. Key thoughts and quotes i have come up with that help me. I have actually shared a few with you guys. Things are going great!

I realize i have only 6 months left... But six months is a good chunk of time to get a lot done right?! That is a full 1/4 of my mission. So i am not too concernced...I got the valentines package, and i handed some out to my companion and the zls but not the district because i dont want them to be focused! Haha. Why is addy getting home in July? He is going early? Whoah hey oh Colbie Caillet just came on the radio. Bubbly. Uh oh!

Mom, i got a deal. Two pants for 10mil or 20 bucksish. Good deal! I am looking for an umbrella. I dont want to spend all of your money so dont worry... as far as school i am going to print out this list and look at it. It gives me a headache. I feel like my mind is not too interested in that. As far as the english class put me in it.

I think that is all?? What is the difference between life science and physical science??? Physical science sounds cool.... Rocks or something?? Who knows...
LOVE YOU ALL!!!
BYE BYE!!
Elder Reeder

Elder Reeder - Obedience=Win

Feb 11, 2012

Hello Family!

I dont know if you all forgot to write... but there is no mail. Except Mauricio! Yeah! So i gues send me a letter and ill print it out in the afternoon. But i will not be able to respond ;(

This past week has been EXCELLENT. My companion and I are getting along really great. The obispo here is incredible (a returned missionary) and getting everybody working. And we are going to have a baptism this next saturday!! Today i am going to do my 1st baptism interview. I am not really sure what to do, my zone leaders sort of explained, but we will see how it goes. I am excited. The elders in the office have been struggling lately, but it was all for a baptism! That is what matters that they baptize. It doesnt matter how many lessons you have if you dont baptize.

Interesting experience. So we were getting ready to leave and work in the afternoon, and then we got a phone call from the sisters in my district. The told us they had ordered 8metros of wood and that it was all sitting out in front of their house on the street, and they needed us to go help them move all of it into their house..... WHAT??!!! This is during proselyting time. First think i thought, "why didnt you do that pday?" also, "why did you order it" and a bajillion other thoughts... Well, i figured we would help them just so they could get it down and go to work sooner. I called the Zone leaders, got the go ahead and we went a loaded wood for around 3 hours. We got done at 6. It pretty much ruined our days. While we were all hot and sweaty loading this wood, a scripture came to my mind. When Nephi cut off Labans head. The commandments say, thou shalt not kill. Yet God commanded Nefi to kill. How did he do it? Through the Holy Ghost. Nephi FELT that he should kill Laban. Note, he was not a prophet then, his dad was. AKA he was just like you or I and he received that revelation.

Thinking about this, i think i achevied understanding a lot more of why you shouldnt really judge people and what they are doing. Sometimes in special circumstances, rules get broken etc... But we should be like Jesus Christ, not like Pharisees. But there is a happy balance. Lately i feel our contacts have gone bad because we wake up a few minutes late, or go to bed a few late. They are little things, but we can control them and in produces big results.

Mother, I am thinking about buying some new proselyting pants, i have only one pair besides my suit pants. Also possibly an umbrella, and some socks, and maybe a shirt or two. (i have given a few away).

I love you all, Love Each Other!!!

Elder Reeder

Elder Reeder - CLEAN HOUSE!

Feb 4, 2012

Hello Family!

This past week has been pretty eventful. Tell Coach Atwood hi, i was pretty excited when i got a his letter haha. That is pretty unexpected with Uncle Steve. I´ll be sure to fast for him.

I bought a new jacket...i may need new shoes... and pants... but i am going to see what i can do before i buy something. Good news about the weather.. im not missing out. That awesome that Kelli is getting involved! YEAH! I saw the magazine article of Scott and James. I am jealous... I am planning on buying an umbrella.

As far as being in the city.. it is awesome!! This place is great! Supposedly it has been a tough sector, but we are tearing it up. I have not gotten the mail. Mauricio has written for a week or 2. I think i am going to send him a letter.

Cool story. Right before we went to a lesson on Friday, we realized we had set a baptismal date for the 11 for the investigator. AKA(THE NEXT WEEK). That means he needs his interview the next day, (TODAY). We had set a goal for a baptism this next week. So we went in planning on repassing all the baptismal questions to see if he is ready for his interview.

On the 2nd question, he said he didnt believe Thomas S. Monson was a prophet. I didnt panic, we just finished all the other questions, and he was good. I was so determined to get his guy baptized, cause we had planned in weekly planing!!! So we have got to do it! So i just told him to pray with us right there on a spot, he needed to be ready for tomorrow. I showed him a photo of him and we all kneeled down, and he asked me to do the prayer on his part. I did. I felt the spirit really strong when i did. I asked how he felt after, and he told me he felt nothing. I felt prompted to tell him to do the prayer himself, and then my companion said it. UNITY!!!! Hahah the spirit... anyways, he did it. And after we stood up, i asked him. He told me he felt something and he believed. The member who was with us bore his testimony after. He told us that since the day Thomas S. Monson has been the prophet he has not accepted the change. He told us that as we prayed in that moment he felt it, and now he accepts it. AWESOME!!!!

I was just so happy we followed the spirit and we did the right things. Tears welled up in my eyes and i was just sooooooo happy!!! This sector hasnt baptized for a while now. It is really great. I am super excited. Probably one of the happiest moments of my life. I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet, i have a spiritual confirmation. I know on another level, not just trusting in my testimony of the BOM. I am super happy!!! Heavenly Father know his children too well.

So that was my good experience of the week! I had my first district meeting.... it was.. AWESOME!! Everyone left really pumped to work. The Elders in the office have a weird schedule, so it complicates things... but we are going to do it!!!

CHAITO!

Elder Reeder