The Lord's Team Always Wins

Hey guys,

So I started training the missionary that is replacing me! His name is Elder Whiting and he is from Arizona. He was actually from the first group I received as a secretary. I have been in the office his entire mission apart from the CCM.

He is a super good missionary. I am glad he is my replacement. Teaching someone how to do all of this stuff is very tiring. At the end of transfers I was super tired because I had to do everything I normally do AND teach someone else how to do it.

The good news is that this means in 5 weeks I will definitely be leaving the office!! I will have 5 transfers left to be a normal missionary! You know that saying that goes ¨Hell hath no fury like a women scorned.¨ Well, heaven hath no fury like a missionary cooped up in an office for 9 months and finally gets out. I made references to the office like it is a zoo because I have this big window right in front of my computer and my desk and when other missionaries come in they just look at me sometimes like a caged animal. They aren’t that far off either.

This transfer I had to say goodbye to two of my best friends in the mission. One was Elder Stucki who was a secretary when I got here and the other was Elder Wright who was my companion and the assistant for 7 and a half months. They were two of the best missionaries I have ever met.

Also, this transfer all of the flights got delayed for everyone so I had to make emergency phone calls to all the families and stake leaders because everyone’s itineraries changed. That was an unexpected mess.

We made some really great progress this week with the Collazo family. They have already expressed their desires to get baptized but they aren’t married. Fernando expressed that he didn’t feel ready because he wanted to get better in a lot of things but we explained that baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost are two major tools that help us become better.

He thought about it and realized that we were right and asked us what he needed to do with his marriage. He said he was just going to have to go get it done at the notary one day and not worry about a big wedding.

The best part was when he told us he really wanted to do it so that he could get sealed to his family which is a topic we had barely talked about. We are going to go back to their house on Saturday and see what date they have chosen.

I learned that there is an Elder From Idaho Falls coming to this mission in October and also one from Eagle and one from Meridian. There is a good chance that the one from Idaho Falls still doesn’t have his call so we don’t wanna ruin that surprise!

Also, the other day we were in the office and we heard this crash and looked at the window and this dude had rolled his car basically on our porch. The car was upside down and I saw this little pink blanket on the ground so I ran down the stairs and it turned out it was some idiot that stolen a car and was the only passenger. I was very relieved to not see a child in that car.

We helped him flip the car back up in its side (before we knew it was stolen) and then he got in it and tried to start it. That is when I realized he was kind of dumb because he tried to start an engine that had been upside down. Anyways, he got arrested and they got the car of our porch.

Funny story, when we went to the airport the lady at the check in desk was a little too friendly but that is just how most the women are in this country. Then when I got all of the papers back she had left me her phone number and address. What did I do? I gave the information to the missionaries that are assigned to her area and they are going to teach her the restored gospel. The Lords team always wins.

Some of my favorite times with President Whitesides is when I can get him to start making jokes and everyone laughs and I keep making comments to encourage him to keep going and then Sister Whitesides gets mad at us both! Now sometimes President will whisper something funny to me and then tell me not to tell Sister Whitesides he did it haha

Dad as for your talk, in Preach my Gospel there are tons of things that talk about how to receive blessings from the spirit and promptings. In order to minister you HAVE to have the gift of the Holy Spirit and you HAVE to know how to act on the promptings he gives you. 

Ministering is planning to teach something and upon the arrival of your visit you change according to the needs of the people. 

Arriving to someones house that is in the middle of unpacking and you prepared a lesson on tithing and you continue to teach that lesson you are failing as a minister. You need to act. You have been baptized and confirmed in order to ¨Feed the sheep of Christ.¨ John 21:17 

Your calling in the church does not set the bar on your ability to minster. Bishop, Presidents, pianists, quorum leaders, or people without a calling are limited only by themselves. You don't have to wait for the relief society president to tell you to take dinner to your next door neighbor who just had a kid. You do it as soon as you know it needs to be done. That is your calling as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

We are no longer home and visiting teacher because God trusts us as his children to not need a handicap such as a coordinator who has to nag on people and try and get them to do all their visits. Do you think my Mission President calls me and every other missionary in the morning to see who we will visit and what time and what we will teach? No! That would be stupid. He knows we are set apart to teach repentance and baptize converts. So he prays for us and gives us council and knows we will do it.

That is a little piece of ministering. 

The next transfer is the 16th of July. 

Anyways, That is all for me! Love you all! 

Elder Reese