5 Months and I'm Doing Great!

Hey guys!

Yep I guess another month has passed by! That makes 5 and I am doing great!

I will have a baptism this Friday. She has been investigating the church since her husband was baptized in December and finally wants to do it herself! It is on Friday because that is her husbands birthday!

This week once again was strange. We are still living with the zone leaders which has its ups and downs. The problem is that they are pigs (Can you believe HUNTER is saying that!). Like I am all about not cleaning as much possible. But they take it to a whole new level! I just have to point something out and they usually take care of it.

We did a talent show this week! Us, the zone leaders, the sister missionaries, and a few people from the ward did a little skit. It was about what would happen if the angel arrived late to a lot of important things in the scriptures. If Abraham killed Isaac, and Laman and Lemuel killed Nephi, and Moroni never showed up in Joseph Smith's room. Guess who was Joseph Smith? The only white guy for miles. That's me. It was really cool! They all loved it!

Sounds like you had a good birthday Mom! I need to shoot Adam an email for Austin!

Sounds like you guys are enjoying your time with Madelyn as well! 

Our combined lesson this Sunday was very strange. The teacher chooses weird topics! It was about every office of the priesthood.

Hey, I learned that we have hangouts with our LDS mail accounts and we are allowed to use them, so if I have the email attached to your hangout accounts I can instant chat with you guys!

Anyways this week was great! I hope you are all doing great! Love you!

Con Amor,

Elder Reese

I Am So Tired It Is Nuts!

Hey Guys!

This week was strange to say the least. 

The zone leaders have been staying with us this whole week. I am so tired it is nuts. We can't help but stay up and talk and joke and what not. The problem is everything is in Spanish and I have to think just a little more to talk. 

I had my interviews with President and Hermana Whitesides on Tuesday last week. It was really good. I went in first with Hermana Whitesides. She knows English but we talked in Spanish the whole time! She said that she was amazed at my Spanish and that she couldn't believe it. She is so cool and very nice. 

I then talked with Presidente Whitesides in Spanish for about 15 minutes and it was a whole lot better! He asked about my family and me and everything I could think of. He is a great guy! 

It is hot here. I am kind of used to it but the problem is that it is really humid as well. 

As missionaries it is our job to make our investigators feel welcome and pair them up with someone. It is a big part of the church and of conversion. I know you might not cook a whole lot but maybe you could invite the missionaries over for dinner! Please do them a favor and buy pizza (RUDE) but I think they could be your friends! Any member that bought me pizza would be my friend.

I believe one of two things will happen to me in transfers. The zone leaders told me that I am going to get an assignment in the next transfer but I don't know if that means here or somewhere else!

OH!! I need to talk to Abby about this but I think she knows a return missionary here in Palmira. His name is Samuel Beltran. He served in Fresno California the same time she did. I haven't got a chance to meet him but I will Saturday! 

Anyways, all is well here I love you guys and stay strong!

Con Amor,

Elder Reese

Welcome to Colombia

Hey guys!!

I have been thinking about Addi all week! It sounds like she came on a Wednesday? I counted really fast so its possible that I'm wrong I couldn't take my shoes off to count my toes!  

As for this week it was fairly eventful! We had divisiones with the zone leaders. They came to our house Wednesday night and slept on our extra mattresses! There are different kinds of divisiones  and they chose to do this because Dominos delivers to our house and not theirs! The hard thing is that we had to divide our area in half and visit people on one half. It was not easy! I was with Elder Castillo. He is also from Peru! Closer to Lima. Elder Vallenas  is from Cuzco. It is right by Machu Pitchu! 

Anyways that was fun and its always a long day because both of you think you need to show each other how good of a missionary you are so you do everything insanley fast. Elder Castillo   is like 6` 2¨ and a little round, but boy he walks so fast and he didn't have a clue where we were going!! 

We taught this lady the word of wisdom because she asked about it and when we were done she told us she had a problem with some of it. We asked her which parts and she picked  up the  flower pot on the table and tipped the flowers upside down and 3 bags of cocaine fell on the table. That was new! So we took them and flushed them down the toilet with her permission! Needless say we won't eat or drink anything from her house!

Also, this week we were in a taxi and we got pulled over by the police. They made us get out and they patted us down  and asked for our papers! Then we just talked to them while they made sure we werent criminals! I thought it was cool!

A new sister missionary arrived in our district and the sisters are now a trio! We thought it was a joke at first but then it wasn't. She didn't have a mattress so the zone leaders took one of ours! We had extras but still! They just put  it on the roof of a taxi and held on to it from inside the car: Welcome to Colombia!  

They then returned  to sleep with us last night because someone  tried to break into the sisters apartment so they switched houses for now!         

I have a baptism 4 of August! 

I have interviews with President and Sister Whitesides tomorrow so that will be my time to talk to them! And yes I can print them off! Also, transfers aren't for another 3 weeks!

I love you guys I hope all is well and thank you for the pictures she is adorable! Stay strong!

Con Amor, 

Elder Reese

New Mission President!

Hey guys!

Sorry I didn't send any pictures last week! My adaptor thing didn't work for some reason but I bought a new one! 

This week was pretty great! 

Wednesday, we had a family home evening scheduled as well as another disembargo! This time it was in the area of the zone leaders! They had every companion take over a part of their area. Me and Elder Vallenas went to an area and he wasn't really up for talking too much so I did it all. I would walk up to people and just talk and he would say his name and I would do the rest. I'm not complaining though! I love my companion. 

The family home evening was the best part. We got there and it was more of a scripture study session! It was at the house of the V family. F is an investigator of 3 years. We all talked and afterwards he was asked to share. He started talking and he is funny and then he started talking about how he knows he needs to be baptized and so he set a date for that Saturday!! His daughter and me both started crying! She has been a member for as long as he has investigated! This man was my very first appointment in the mission field. For some reason he wanted to be baptized! 

Thursday, we got to meet President and Sister Whitesides! They are very nice and suave cito! Me and an Elder Tingey left to go get some breakfast before it started and they were there!! It was pretty funny! 

Sister Whitesides is from Cali Colombia. President Whitesides came back after his mission and then they started writing and got married. He was some sort of accountant for the church and lived 9 years in Bogota, 3 years in Russia, and 3 years in Guatemala! They are great. Hermana Whitesides is very funny and also very spiritual! 

Saturday we had the baptism and it was great! Everything went well! Sunday he was finally confirmed a member of the church! 

I also met a guy that lived in New York for like 24 years and he loves talking English with me but his English is SOOOO hard to understand. I learned that my brain is hardwired to Spanish as well because I answered in Spanish without really trying. Also, all my dreams are in Spanish as well! 

I hope everything is going good! OH! I got one of Grandmas letters finally! I am going to write her back! Anyways stay strong family I love you all and I hope everyone is doing okay!

Con Amor,

Elder Reese

Somehow Missionaries Have All the Answers!

Hey guys!!

This week was pretty good. It was also not too good and I will tell you why!! 

We have investigators that are only available at night like 6 until 8. This week Every night we had some form of activity! I felt so bad there were so many investigators that we didn't get to see!! 

We had a desembargo on Tuesday. That pretty much just means our whole zone goes to one area to find new investigators for the missionaries in that area! It was cool. My companion went with Elder Cadena to a little more dangerous area. I went with Elder Lopez. He is so funny and one of he nicest guys. He is from Guatemala. He is also about 5 feet tall so I knew if something went wrong I could outrun his short strides. 

We had something Wednesday but I don't remember what it was. Thursday we had a family home evening with a lot of people! The message was a video and it was ANCIENT. I think I saw one of the prophets from the old testament. It was 30 minutes long. You know that thing I would do when I had to talk about something I knew nothing about but I would just pull something about of my butt and it wouldn't stink? Yea I do that in Spanish now. They ask our thoughts and we have to answer because somehow missionaries have all the answers! 

Saturday....WE HAD A BAPTISM!! She asked me to do the ordinance so I did. It went fantastic. She was so great. Her husband and her daughters all came and I think her husband will follow her footsteps and be baptized in the coming weeks. All the women brought something to cook. It looked like they all cooked vegetables and accidentally threw a piece or two of chicken in with it. You want to believe I ate it. You would be wrong. 

Sunday she was confirmed a member of the Church. After that she was the first one to bear her testimony. She said that she has always been a member of some church searching for the truth but never found it. One day she got down to pray for help from God and when she said amen there was a knock at her door. On the other side were some handsome missionaries. Elder Reese and Elder Vernaza. She was skeptical to let us un so she let her husband decide thinking he would say no. For some reason he said yes and she was surprised. She then invited us back. 

We were sent to her door. As missionaries we are sent everywhere we go but people have agency. We always have to remember that good 'ol agency that we love using so much. 

As for my mission president I will meet him on Thursday. We have another zone conference. I think I will love him! 

Yes mom I am eating okay. Dominoes is really cheap here! I am pretty sure you can send me clothes. I will ask Elder Robinson he is in charge over all that. My camera works great. 

Wait, who is the new Colonel? I'm assuming its your other boss! 

As for Dad drawing on that hunt, I legit waited 6 years for us to draw on that hunt. If you don't kill something that is gonna be a bummer and for the rest of our lives I'm just gonna say that if I was there I could have killed something! We have a baptism scheduled for August 4th. 

I got sick this week and so did my companion. It was quite terrible. But we are alive right now so its all good.

Also, dad I used my card in various places today. I had to buy a ball pump, lunch ( you will never believe what I ate and it was delicious) I think that is it. 

I love you guys stay strong and I will always be praying for you guys!

Con Amor,

Elder Reese