From: Colin Reeder [mailto:colin.reeder@myldsmail.net]
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 10:20 AM
i think it takes like 2 or 3 or 4 weeks for my letters to come. so im going to write big ones if i do. ya. hahaha. but ya ok.
my p days are mondays.
(real quick i can receive emails from everyone but i can only write my emails back to mom or dad. no one else. so mckenna i am writing you a letter like on paper and i am super happy you sent me one!!! and yes i really do read that scripture a lot when i am tired etc. :p)
(shauna wow you are engaged!!! yeah!!! first one in the family!!! you better go to church! hahahha we will talk in a week well i will write you a letter....)
ok this is the best decision i have made in my life to be here. i am soooooo happy. i love it.
hello family!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everything is awesome!!!!!!! ya!!!! hahaha but seriously chile rocks. we went to the mission pres´s house and he gave us like a run down on things. then we slept in this crazy hotel. hahaha like i thought i was gonna get robbed. and the shower was like up above the normal ground level and i almost slipped getting in and the shower was suuuuuper cold and i was shivering the whole time. and super gheto haha but i love it thats what its all about! ya and then we went the next day to the church where we were assigned our comps and areas. i got assigned to elder urias (a honduras native) super happy about that so my spanish comes fast. we are in fressia, chile. apparently its a really hard area but this last week we have had a lot of success!!! so good!!
the people of chile are so awesome!!! most of them are really nice. i love chile. i love spanish, it is such a beautiful language. hahaha i love listening to people speak it. apparantely i can speak it really well for being new. like really well.. but i dont understand much but i am starting to now its awesome! its crazy cause even the little chicitos and chicitas speak spanish. like in the san tiago airport this little girl walked up and tugged on my arm and started talking to me hahaha. it was so cute. but i was amazed she could talk spanish hahaha.
ummm ja. pero ja ok we are doing really well in fressia. it is crazy. like our first day out contacting like everyone elder urias was talking to was being mean. but he was like ok your first contact do it. and so i went and talked and it ROCKED. and the next one. and the next one. and the next one. all i do is talk about the restoration and bear my testimony and it is great. we have found 8 new invest this week. we got six to come to church!!!! i guess we did the best in our zone this week!!! iv taught like 22 lessons or something. i guess we are doing really good for being my first week. hahaha i love it.
i´ve had so many cool experiences. its rediculous. like miracles. so cool. like one this guy we were teaching and his wife are just so awesome. we asked him to pray and he prayed and just prayed forever thanking thinsgs. at the moment we were late to our room and i was stressed but after he was done i felt like such an idiot. and i thought for like the rest of the lesson about lots of things. and the spirit was just soooo strong and i realized how much i was grateful for and how incredible the hand of christ is in changing peoples lives. its incredible. like wow. these people are just so good. and i realized that for like the rest of the lesson. then i had to say the prayer to end. and all i said was heavenly father were so thankful for this day, were so thankful for all of our blessings, were so thankful for the book of mormon. please help us to be better. and i almost started crying. that strong. and of course they noticed. but as we left and i said thanks our investicator said well what i heard was in perfect english he said you are welcome here anytime. im pretty sure he doesn´t speak any english. :) hahaha ya gift of tongues. after elder urias and i were walking home and i just let it all out and started crying because i was just sooooooooooo happy. I AM SO HAPPY. i was just crying because of how much the hand of christ is at work in the world. its incredible how much people are changing when we teach them. the promise in my patr. blessing about people responding good to my testimony is true!!!
but seriously this is the happiest/most stressful/rewarding experience ever. wow. and only my first week. it is just incredible. when i first got in the field i was like stressing about what to do and stuff because i didn´t really know what we SHOULD be doing. but luckily i remembered all of my mtc stuff and slowly started applying it. and boom we just took off. were doing sooooo good. we´re going to do even better next week. i love seeing peoples eyes go from this dull glaze to lighting up when we begin speaking. its incredible. the most improbable people are willing to listen. its soooooo good. thats why we need to talk with every person we see. cause everyone needs it. they just dont know it.
ok cool i saw jared today. we looked for him in puerto mon for like 2 hours cause he gave us directions cause its p day but oculdnt find him. but we gave up and ate and he came in where we were eating!!! hahahaha. but i eat all the weird foods put in front of me/fruits. (thank you kenna for forcing me to eat things at firehouse becuase i would probably be having a really hard time right now without that) but ya. everything tastes really different. like especially milk and butter.
mornings are nuts cause i can see my breath where we live its that cold. like i shower and its that cold. its crazy. haha its all like you think. fressia is awesome. there is like barbwire fenses everywhere and TONS of dogs just wandering around. its crazy. umm ya thought id say that. be grateful for warm houses and hot water. i will send photos!!
but i try my hardest everyday to not waste anytime. i try to push myself to where i cant do anymore...and then the lord takes over. :)
i love you family!!!!! and friends!!! but i gotta go! we dont have much time today!!
chao!
ELDER REEDER

come esta po?!‏

well honestly i don't know what to write today.... umm. hmm. well crazy things are happening. 1. i learned how to roll my tongues two days ago, i haven't been able to do that my whole life... so that is nuts. but i still can't do it with sound yet and sound normal. it is interesting but i am learning. 2. my spanish is getting awesome. como muy excelente es maravilloso. como santa baca es loco!!!!! pero si es muy bueno a ora. estoy muy feliz sobre eso. pero..... ya its nuts. 3. i've been praying about rolling my tongue and the gift of tongues AND being able to memorize words just recently. yesterday i memorized 50 words. and i remember all of them. NOw thAT is NUTS!!!!!!!!!

the other day i played piano for all of sacrament. i had to play some weird goofy spansish songs that had a really weird rhythm. but i prayed and during prelude music i played sight read like 20 songs no joke almost perfect. so ya. that was pretty sweet. PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!! no matter how silly whatever you are praying about is.

SPEAKING OF MUSIC I GOT SELECTED TO BE IN THE PRIESTHOOD SESSION CHOIR!!!!!! DAD LOOK FOR ME ON TV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! we practice a bunch. during class too but i guess choir comes first in priority so that is cool.

umm i've been doing some tricking since i've been here. its fun. elders go nuts its funny. they're like do a backflip and i do a gainer flash or a cork and they go crazy. its fun.

and a sad story. elder williamson has a really loud voice. you know like when someone just talks loud??? well all the elders were like commenting on how this new hermana was cute and i was like ya she is pretty cute you know no big deal shes cute. BUT elder williamson is really loud and everytime he sees her hes jokes "Hey look its reeders girl' not thinking she can hear. but like 70% of the time i'm positive she is within hearing range and i guarantee its freaking her out hahahaha.... sooooo ya awkward situation and i have like nothing to do with it. haha ya i feel bad and like a creeper because of that and i don't really know what to do.... so ya theres my awkward moment. i feel really bad. like he is sooooo loud when he talks. ummm ya so advice would be good.

i started the book of mormon last friday. i'm in the middle of mosiah now. it is the bomb!!!!!!!!!!! i can't think of anything more for now sooooooo i'm going to get off. i still have 15 minutes though. so write me back real soon today and i can reply.

si

elder reeder

Colin and Addy at the MTC

September 14, 2010

Ok this letter is for everyone to say what is going on.

Where to start..... Ok i'm getting a haircut today i will send photos. i'm really sick right now it stinks but whatever the lord probably wants to answer my prayers in some crazy way like humble me so i can learn more... so i'm fine with that. it is hard but the atonement was hard and i am a disciple of christ so why should it be easy for me? exactly. i'm turning into a planning freak. okay not freak... but i get the greatest pleasure checking off goals and setting and completing and executing. i probably sound crazy. well ya planning takes stress away. i started the bom again on friday. i'm at the end of 2 nephi already due to hours upon hours of study time. it is so awesome. it is true. i LOVE IT! READ IT!!!!!!!!!! Erin that is way cool your going to do ldv. i'm so happy. i'm looking forward to packages and stuff!

i'd like to say some things from my journal about the atonement. the enabling power of the atonement give the righteous the abilitiy to be god like in certain moments of their lives. aka miracles. to do things normal mortals couldn't. like receive extra strength, or anythign wrought from prayer. whether it be preparing to sing or play piano. ANYTHING! any miracles. christ will help us through our struggles. he has felt our frusturations in life and he will give us strenght accordingly. ex. me learning spanish. the more i struggle and work to learn he feels that and he helps me through it by giving me the gift of tongues. he feels our frusturations in the moment and helps us.

i can't wait to get to chile. when i think about someone somewhere struggling thorugh life, looking for meaning i just makes me tense up and my stomach sick and makes me shake and get ansty. i can't stand it. and i won't let me not preparing in the mtc be the cause of me failing to speak to someone or failing to know a scripture etc... or having the spirit. i just can't. i won't. i'm setting the bar at the sons of mosiah and alma. thats what i want to be. i'm willing to sacrifice everything for that. even if its just one person i need to help someone through their life. and see the change. READ THE BOOK OF MORMON. a man will draw nearer to go by reading it says jospeh smith than with any other book.

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Reeder