Thanksgiving is Strange in My Mind

Hey guys!

Just another week here in the office. This week is kinda my slow week. I had finished all of the travel stuff for the new missionaries and now I am waiting for other stuff for the ones that are coming. 

I actually do remember that Filipino lady. She was super nice. They had a lot of food but I wouldn't call it all good! (We spent Thanksgiving with our daughter in Oregon and one of their co-workers ha an annual potluck that we attended; Hunter went when he was here two years ago)I have learned to eat some things I don't like but I have to just tell people I don't eat much so then I get less of what I don't like. 

So D's baptismal date got moved up one more week because he couldn't go to church, but he said he is never going to accept jobs on Sunday ever again, which is great! 

Here in the offices we are doing a Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday with the mission home and President and Hermana Whitesides. We are all bringing our own dishes and we will have a turkey and everything. Thanksgiving is strange in my mind.

We all take a day out of the year to be sincere and tell people what we are thankful for. Here in the mission I have tried to get into the practice of just letting people know how much I care for them or what they mean to me or just how grateful I am for them. 

Christ did so many miracles and he often got no thanks. He didn't obligate people to do anything in return, he just did what was right. In the story of the ten lepers only one came back to thank him. It doesn't say in the scriptures but I can imagine that Christ was grateful. 

As a missionary when people tell me things that are nice or make me happy I feel good and I use it to keep going. Just a thought as this holiday has come and gone, just maybe if we all tried a little harder we could make everyday a day of thanks. 

Anyways, we met this family last night that let us in for a 5 minute lesson. We started talking about the restoration of the gospel and we had been there for about 30 so I said I didn't want to keep taking time away and that we could come back but they said that we couldn't leave without explaining the rest. That made me so happy. I have really high hopes for this family. 

I am super happy Reese (a two year old nephew) remembers me! It will be a while before I meet all my new family members but it will come. 

I have no idea when I am going to do my Skype call but I will definitely let you know! Also, food is more expensive in Cali so I am spending a little more. I also am going to send a package home but it will be really small and I am not putting in things that are expensive she said it should cost no more than 30 dollars to send. 

Other than that my week has been alright. I love you guys! 

Con amor,

Did President Double Check With God?

Hey guys,

I got a lot of emails this week that I never thought I would have! 

I am learning a lot here and it is actually really funny to see how everyone reacts. I just hope that I can live up to what people and more so what God expects from me! 

I had my ¨Welcome to the office¨ interview with President Whitesides. I asked him a little more about why I am here. He explained to me that at one point in the mission the office was a place where the President put all the disobedient missionaries to keep an eye on them but then a Seventy told them that it is not ever supposed to be like that. He said that he thinks the office missionaries are the examples as to what a missionary should be like. That when other missionaries see the missionaries here that they should see servants of the Lord. 

So I guess somewhere along the line God told President that I was one of them. I actually asked President if he double checked with God to make sure it was me. He just laughed and said it was an undeniable feeling. 

As for this week. I have learned a lot about what I do. I have gone to immigration twice to deal with these things called cedulas. It is like the Colombian version of a drivers license/ID.

I have gone to the notary as well to get some passport papers stamped and signed and learned a lot of new words that I have never had to use in the last 8 months or really my whole life. 

I spend all my time in front of a computer or updating physical files that we have here in the office. 

This week I have to call all the families of the missionaries that are going home to make sure they are okay with everything. 

I was going through the list to see who I will have to call and I was reading their countries: Peru, USA, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil.....BRAZIL. They speak PORTUGUESE. 

I am now taking little crash courses of Portuguese to be able to talk with Elder Costas family this week so wish me luck. 

The investigators are great. We have a baptismal date, His name is D. He has had a rough go at things as of late. 

He had problems with alcohol and his wife kicked him out and sent him on a potato truck to Cali from Pompayan which is about 3 hours. He got here with just the clothes on his back and an electrician background. He has stopped drinking and he just goes around asking people if they need help with their things and that is how he is earning money. 

We went to his house 2 days ago. It was the first time I had been there and it was about the size of a small classroom in a school. The floor is not even cement it is just rock. We sat down and he said ¨Hey can I buy you guys some bread and a coke?¨ We politely declined and he did it anyways. He took this 5000 peso bill and left. 

As we were talking we asked how his work was going. He said ¨I know that with time God will help me in the part of my life but I made 5000 today.¨ 

The bread and coke we had just drank got a lot heavier in our stomachs as we realized that everything he made that day he just spent on us. All of us had tears in our eyes as we realized how much he was willing to sacrifice just to know God. 

Now we have to wonder if we can do the same. 

Anyways, he should be baptized the December 2nd. I will keep you updated on that. 

Uncle Scott did email me and I am very grateful. Who knew that he still speaks Spanish huh? 

Love you guys! Have a great week!! 

Con Amor, 

P.S. That goes on all my emails now. Please don't call the mission!

The Lord Called You to be the Presidents New Secretary!

Surprise! I write on Saturdays now!

There are a few big changes now! I was District Leader for like 2 days so that was cool but now I am something much different! 

We did not have transfers this last Monday because of this Paro. Although, it ended Monday so we had transfers on Tuesday! I got a nice little call from the Presidents Assistant at 10 o'clock on Tuesday and he said ¨Elder Reese how are you?¨ Then he made small talk for 30 seconds and after he said ¨Elder Reese the Lord has called you to have a new assignment in the mission.¨ So I told him to lay it on me! He said ¨The Lord has called you to be the Presidents new Secretary!¨ 

What does that mean? I'll tell ya. It now means I am in Cali at the mission office everyday. I am the Presidents personal secretary. I handle every flight of all the missionaries going home and every passport/identification material of every missionary in the mission. I take all the new missionaries through migration when they get here. I work very closely with President Whitesides and schedule all of his meeting and flights as well. 

When I got here on Tuesday night I asked him why he choose me and he told me that he didn't choose me but God did. He said God only puts the missionaries in the Offices that he and President Whitesides can trust the most. 

We have a lot more responsibility but also more freedom. We have a higher level of trust. There are 3 other secretaries. One handles the finances of the whole mission, one handles all the materials like the houses and the packages, and one handles all the baptismal forms and references. 

I live in a huge house with all of them and they are all gringos except for 1 of them. My new companion or well companionS are Elder Eldredge from Texas and Elder Aragon from Utah. 

Elder Aragon is training me how to do my job because I can't mess up or a lot of things can go way wrong! He will be with me for this whole transfer helping me with anything I need to learn. 

Elder Eldredge will stay with me after that and we will be companions until one of us gets switched. 

There are perks though. We have a maid!!! She washes all our clothes and and cleans the whole house everyday and also cooks us food! It is great! We just throw our clothes by the washer and when we come home at night they are all hanging up ready to be used! 

The downside is that I am sitting behind a computer screen from 10 in the morning until 6 at night. We only get to proselyte for 3 hours every day and my P days are now on Saturday! 

We have already found like 4 investigators of gold since I have been here! Not to say I am the reason that we found them but they just got found! They are neighbors and they had a bunch of questions that we answered together. 

As missionaries, we try to avoid the coffee and alcohol question until later in the lessons because we need to explain that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he received the revelation for the Word of Wisdom. But, sometimes it doesn't quite happen that way! 

We were teaching these awesome investigators on the street and they asked this question. Me and Elder Aragon had been teaching most of everything and Elder Eldredge hadn't said much. When they asked that question I whispered to Elder Aragon ¨On the count of three both of us just look at Elder Eldredge¨ So we did and he scrambled very fast and it was very funny because he wasn't paying a whole lot of attention but we worked it out! 

I also go to the airport to see missionaries off and when the new ones come in! So I sent home my first missionary on Thursday. Her name was Hermana Solorzano. She was from Ecuador and she had a twin sister in Bogota serving the mission. They both wanted to get home on the same flight so I had to call Elder Johnson who does my job there in Bogota. We coordinated very well to schedule everything perfectly! 

Wednesday the missionaries' mother kept calling President and she wouldn't pick up when I called but FINALLY she answered me and I talked her down and told her how everything was going to go. 

That is a great tip parents. One call to the mission president is okay but unless it is an emergency you shouldn't bother him. Call the office! I get to deal with the crazy parents now! 

Anyways, Hermana Solorzano called me and asked me a favor on Wednesday before she left. She wanted me to bug Bogota to call her sister to see if she was going to wear the outfit they had picked out together. I was blown away. That is one of the dumbest questions anyone has ever asked me. I politely told her it might not happen but that I would try.  (I don't think he tried)

Alright, you all have extra time to get your emails in for next Saturday! Love you all hope you are having fun! Stay strong! 

Con Amor,

Elder Reese

I Bought a Captain Jack Sparrow hat with Dreads and Everything

Hey guys!

This week was interesting! 

That family that we have been teaching didn't have time for us this week so we were a little bummed. Then we were going back to the house and the whole family was there at our door. This was a surprise because we don't tell people where we live. They had seen us earlier and figured that is where we lived. 

Turns out they wanted to play basketball with us because my companion told them that he would love to. We had no confirmed appointments so we did. I imagine I was a pretty big let down as a gringo that cant play basketball. It turned out to be really good to get a little closer with them!  

As for transfers. There is this thing in Colombia called paro (strike), which means that no buses are available for as long as it lasts because it doesn't have a set time! The last one was last year and it was three months long. How dumb right? Luckily it ended already. It really makes no sense. For now I am with stinky feet until they tell us otherwise. One thing they did tell me is that I am the new district leader so that is cool! 

Why did the whole family show up this weekend? Was there a special occasion?

Halloween was interesting! We spent some time with a new convert and his family that we are teaching! I bought a Captain Jack Sparrow hat with dreads and everything. It was pretty great! Didn't take pics though! Sorry. 

I should have a lot more students this week in my English class though! I am excited! 

Anyways, That is about it! Love you guys! Have fun at the coolest temple in Idaho that they couldn't build before I left!! 

Con Amor,

Elder Reese

You Really Shouldn't Complain About the Stairs

Hey guys!

This week was great!! We had interviews with President and his wife! We also put 2 baptismal dates for this next transfer. I hope I stay just for that reason. I could handle another transfer with my companion to baptize some people. 

 

It sounds like the temple is going good! Mom you really shouldn't complain about flights of stairs unless you want to get made fun of. When Grandma and Grandpa Reese complain they have valid reasons. It makes you sound really old!! Just saying!!

That thing I wanted for Christmas is called an alpha smart and it would everything easier!! Also, I thought about somethings that I haven't got yet. There are these things called gardettos and they are really good. Do you remember that HUGE bag of chips I bought at winco? That is what they are and if you cant find them just ask Tanner he knows. Also, flamin hot munchies! 

I won fantasy my first year and that was it! I miss fantasy it was a good way to trash talk.

As for Jorge. He didn't have time this week but we should see him next week! We gave this family their Books of Mormon and I am excited to see what happens with them. Some of the daughters are a lot more interested than the family. We are going to keep working with them! 

Anyways, my interviews were way better this time. They were all amazed at how much my companion loves me. I didn't know he did. OH! President Whitesides was in charge of all the temples in Idaho so we figured out he knows Robert (This is Bill's brother)! He told me to tell you guys to tell him hi! I honestly have no idea if I am going or staying this transfer but if I don't email next week it is because I am on a bus! 

So, I don't know if you guys remember Elder Kelley, my companion from the MTC, but his younger brother gets to my mission this next transfer! I thought that was pretty cool! 

Anyways, not much more to report! I love you guys! See you soon!! 

Con Amor,

Elder Reese