Either Way, Someone Is Getting Baptized

Hey guys,

So this week was good. I have a lot of stuff going on here. 

So I have been pushing real hard these last few weeks and now we have a good pool of investigators and it makes me so happy to know that I am leaving this place in good hands. 

So this weekend Monica and Martin are probably going to be baptized. Well I know that Monica will but Martin is waiting to see if a friend is coming to baptize him. So either way someone is getting baptized this week! 

One of the best feelings as a missionary is looking at your agenda and seeing appointments that just make you excited. Like knowing that you are teaching people that are being converted to the gospel and will know what you say is true. Being in the house of people like that is so fulfilling. 

I will get my temple recommend renewed this week! It will only be for 90 days but that is just fine! 

Also, next Monday I will have like 5 minutes to write just to confirm everything with you guys! Nothing more.

Today we ate at Rodizios and I won. I was there the longest. The server was a little annoyed that I got every second of my ¨All you can eat¨ 

I will make a final recording for you guys this week and send it to you next Monday in my 5 minutes as a last hoorah so stay tuned.

I gotta go though because I have a FHE so I gotta cut my time a little short! I love you all and I appreciate the support! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

I Down It While I Hold My Breath!

Hey guys,

So this week was pretty great! 

Martin and his wife accepted a baptismal date for the 9th of February and they attended church!! The bishop was totally on top of things and scheduled a FHE in their house for Wednesday! So all is going to plan with them. 

Marias kids are supposed to get baptized this Saturday so we will see how that goes. 

We went to the trampoline park as a zone today and I started a game of tag and Elder Castro fell like 30 times and it was funny to watch. 

This lady Elbia we have been teaching literally ALWAYS gives us juice and it is terrible! She gave us this Guayaba juice with milk last time. I just have to down it while I hold my breath. 

I cant believe I am gonna miss the Superbowl by 1 week. Finishing with sacrifice I guess. 

A couple of ex companions/missionary friends have told me they want to go to my homecoming talk so keep that in mind! I dont know which or all that but just for future notice. 

Next week I am going to buy the jerseys. If there is anything specific someone wants then let me know by next week! 

This crazy lady stopped us today while we were playing soccer in the church and she wanted to go into the church. I told her we didnt have keys to the gate in the front and that she would have to around back. She responded ¨I thought the Mormons were nicer than that.¨ Immediately I did not like this woman. In the end she accepted the fact that she had to around back. 

When we walked into the chapel I told her that is where we took the sacrament and she shushed me. SHE shushed ME. Then she stole my water bottle out of my hand and started drinking out of it. 

Then she got mad because I couldn't go all the way to the other side of Cali to go to her house. Later I made like a dumb joke because that is what kept me sane. She told me I was saying dumb things. I told her that she probably says a joke or two as well. Then she karate chopped me multiple times in like a playful manner. Keep in mind this lady is well over 80 years old! 

We just kind of left her at a bus stop. She was crazy!! 

Anyways, that is about it! Love you guys! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

I Found a Rodizios!

Hey guys,

So as you saw the pictures we had to baptisms this week! They are 2 kids that I have known since I got here to Floresta. It was really rewarding to finally see them take that step. 

We are continuing to teach Martin and Monica. They have a daughter in the mission so they are really curious as to why she just left haha 

Martin is a BIG guy. I honestly don't know how we are going to baptize him. Or where we are going to find his baptismal clothes. 

We also had zone conference this week. President usually only puts us in charge of lunch but this time we were in charge of lunch and dessert and everything in between which was kind of crazy because we have a lot of things going on in our area and it hurts me every time I have some executive thing to do. 

We ordered 22 Domino s pizzas and 130 Subway cookies. I literally didn't have a confirmation on anything until the day before so that was a little scary. In the end everything worked out. 

The best part is always ordering a little extra because it is for us! 

Also, this week we had a family home evening with Martin and Monica and their house was FULL of people. We had to leave pretty early because in the ¨Short Message¨ every member wanted to bear a testimony. Happens literally every time. 

Today we played soccer with another zone and it was pretty fun. We won when we played zone on zone but then we split up and we started losing pretty bad. But that is okay. Mission soccer is a lot different than home competitive club soccer. 

Then we went and ate some wings at a mall. I also found where I am eating next week for my last pday...it is called...Rodizios Brazilian grill!!! THAT'S RIGHT! I found one. I will be enjoying the meal and will also be very sad haha but I will make the most of it. 

Anyways, everything just kind of blurs together right now but I am trying to just push forward! I love you guys and I pray for you everyday! Talk next week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

I Took The Cake!

Hey guys,

I just got at copy of my Itinerary and it looks like you and my church leaders received a copy as well so no more complianing!

As a missionary when you have an inventory with your companion you use the hamburger method. Top bun, what goes in the middle, and the bottom bun. 

Top bun is a compliment. Something they did good. That way they don't start off with negative feelings, only positive. Then you give constructive criticism and let them know you are on their side and maybe what we can do different, and once again finish with another compliment so that the final feelings are also good. That way they here more positive than negative and feel that way as well!! 

Do I have to go to the Branch? I do not want to go to church at 12. That sucks.

I would be happy for all of my grandparents to be there! I am going to shoot Grandpa Luckey an email so he doesn't have an excuse if he doesn't come.

This week we were able to talk with Martin and his wife so that was great! It has been a little more rainy here this week which I love! That means it is not so hot. 

Today we went bowling as a zone and I took the cake with a whopping' 129 points! I was getting way better when we started the next game but the time went out! 

Also, we tried out the trampoline place too. It was pretty cool. I learned that Latinos don't have as much background experience with trampolines. 

Anyways, that was pretty much it for this week! Love you guys have a great week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

Two Dorky Chauffeurs

Hey guys,

So I didn't write yesterday because MYLDSMAIL was down for a long time and I couldn't log in so President told us to write today. 

This week was pretty great! 

We met Elbia who we contacted in a park and visited her and it turns out she really needed some help. 

Her son was killed by 3 guys that liked his gym bag so instead of asking they just stabbed him 13 times and took it. He was the father of a little girl. 

She told us that ever since she was little she had just thought that reincarnation was what happened after death. Then we explained that that was not the plan. 

My favorite part of teaching is knowing that they got it. And she did. As she listened to me testify I could see her eyes tear up and I know the spirit told her that it was true. She got it. Now she knows she will see him again but she didn't come to church!! WHYYYYYY? I don't know. 

Also, a couple weeks back this guy contacted us outside a super market (Martin) and told us he had a daughter in the mission and he wanted us to visit him. 

I don't know if I wrote his info down or he gave it wrong but we could not find him! I was so frustrated! I felt bad too. He literally had a daughter counting on us doing the exact same thing and we couldn't do it. So what was my other miracle of the week? 

Waiting for church to start (late of course) I see big man Martin walk in followed by his wife, 3 kids and his mother in law. I could not believe it! I was so excited! Then I remembered that it was very likely he thought that I just never tried to contact him. Sure enough he blamed me.  I agreed to disagree. 

This week we will have the first lesson with him and I am so excited! 

I met the 2 new missionaries we have here in our zone. One is from Otavalo which is this place in Ecuador that has some traditions with clothes and also never cutting your hair. So he HAD a ponytail until HE CUT IT ALL OFF YESTERDAY!!! I was so disappointed! 

The other one is from Guatemala and he is super cool. He is a big guy with a big heart. 

Any news on a soccer team? Also, just take my clothes out of storage and I will go through anything else and take it out if I want it. I just need clothes. 

I took out more money because I gave 50000 pesos to a kid in our ward going to Africa because he is pretty poor. 

PLEASE PUT ME BACK ON THE INSURANCE. I know you will be too stubborn to let me drive because of some so called law about having insurance and I don't feel like going back to junior high with 2 dorky chauffeurs called mom and dad! Or a bike because I know that is what you were thinking of responding! 

Other than that all is well and I hope you all have a good week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

There Was A Donkey That Looked Like Bugs Bunny

Hey guys, 

So this week was pretty great. Mom is gonna be mad because we had the Christmas conference and I didn't take a single picture. I didn't take my camera out of my bag. Others took pics though! 

Regarding what I want to do when I get home - I would be happy to help you finish the upstairs and also just kind of see my options. I don't want to do that for too long but I have no plans to get home running to college because I can't, haha. I would actually appreciate it if you guys could reach out to some old soccer friends for me and see if there will be any indoor teams I can join.

I am totally fine with the white Hyundai. It has a hitch on it which makes it more useful to me. And it is AWD. 

We have 3 investigators who will be getting baptized before the end of the month. They are doing great. Also at the moment we are contacting 20 people or more during the day everyday right now as a goal and I really like it because it opens up a lot of options. Obviously not everyone will make it to the end but some will. 

The Christmas conference was good because we got to watch Coco!! The Disney movie. It was a great movie! I realize that you guys have all seen it and moved on but I dont get to watch movies like you do so it was special! 

We did a Jeopardy separated by zone and there were 5 zones in total. Who`s zone won? Thats right MINE! I was so happy about that! My zone is like a little family. We were the only zone that sat together at lunch and I didn't even tell everyone to. I sat down at a table and everyone sat down there and we just had a great lunch. I love em all. 

This week we also had a Christmas dinner in our ward and Elder Saavedra and I helped the ward out a lot and it is pretty cool. I have really connected with the members in this ward and I hope president leaves me here for my last transfer. The bishop and his family are really good at giving the example which is great. 

In the ward Christmas dinner we watched the primary do the nativity and there was a donkey that looked like bugs bunny and a lamb that looked like a cloud it was pretty funny haha but it was good. The best part though was when they opened the curtains and a full on mariachi was on stage! Then they offered their hats for pictures and I stood up pretty quick because everyone else was embarrassed. The only problem is that after my brave act of going first I put the hat on the wrong way 3 times so I still ended up looking kinda dumb, hahaha.

Also, I didnt get my package. What is the tracking number? 

Anyways, that is all for this week! Love you! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

PS Mom did you get pictures this Sunday sent to your Facebook? From Omaira Millan?

 

Me Rambling English Words Under My Breath

Hey guys, 

So this week was great!! The FHE's started and my ward is doing great! My Bishop is really good at what he does. 

You know you can tell someone is called of God if you just pay attention. He is a convert of about 16 years. He did not serve a mission but that has not slowed him down. One of the most interesting things I have seen in the mission is what the Gospel requires. It is not time, it is dedication. You can be a baptized member from 8 to 100 and that will not get you a spot with God. You have to ACT. And God always chooses his servants that have the ability to act. 

I met an English teacher this week in a FHE and he did NOT speak English. It was SOOO uncomfortable because he kept talking to me in English and I couldn't understand him so I didn't know how to respond him but the son of the member family was his student so I didn't want them to know he didn't speak very good English. The result? Me mumbling random English words under my breath that would require the gift of tongues to translate. It was fun. 

We had interviews as well and they went well. President thanked me for all the work I had done with my companion (who is a great missionary) and with the zone. He said all the new missionaries said that I was always good to them. It was an interview like all the rest. At the end he said that he was just going to pretend like this wasn't one of the last ones haha. 

This week was also Candle Day here in Colombia which I will try and send pictures of (No pictures yet). It is a strange holiday, but oh well.

Probably the coolest part of my week was the temple dedication in Barranquilla here in Colombia. Elder Oaks did the dedication but there are always talks before. One thing that Elder Oaks said while they were putting mortar on the corner stone was when he invited 2 kids from the crowd to participate saying ¨This temple will be here for this rising generation to use it up until the coming of the Lord.¨ I am going to let you translate that how you see fit but I know what I think.

Anyways, thank you for everything! I love you all! Have a great week and let me know about the Skype call! 

Con amor, 

Elder Reese 

PS I haven't gotten my package yet!

I Have Enough Women In My Family...

Hey guys,

So I miss snow. It is crazy for me to think that basically nobody here has ever even touched snow. Ever. Snow is useful for a lot of things. It makes driving a car a lot more fun. It is like God putting life on expert mode. It also creates a softer landing while doing whatever activity. 

Here they are listening to Christmas music but it is not very different from the music they listen to all year round. It just mentions Jesus a lot more. I miss my Christmas music. 

So my Bishop got ahead of the game and scheduled all of the FHEs this month and we will start with the first one tonight at his house. The Church has honestly given us a great way to use Light the World and it will just require a little work!! I am so excited. 

I have not gotten my package yet but I am not worried about it. It will get here when it gets here and I won't open it until Christmas. Might have my comp look through it and fish out my hair gel though haha

So this week we had a mission wide conference which has not happened since April of 2017 when I had literally less than a week in the mission field. When President asked those who were there to raise their hands there were only 10 of us. It was a sad moment. I am basically like old news now. 

It was really cool though. President gave a very strong testimony about temples. He worked in the Salt Lake temple for years and he said that he has had experiences that can only be experienced in the temple. But he was so firm about it. It was awesome. 

I also realized that basically all of the sisters don't like me because I avoid them like a plague. I have none in my zone and I just don't really see the need to talk to them. There are a lot of missionaries that are a little tooo friendly with the sisters. That is weird. So basically all they see is me having to boss everyone around because President asks me to. I have enough women in my family to worry about why add on more problems? 

BSU usually chokes when it comes down to it. It is sad? Hey when is the superbowl? I hope I make it. With my luck it will be the Sunday before I come home. 

I asked Presidents permission to do bumper cars with my zone and he said yes so today we did. It was so much fun. We looked like little children and screamed and laughed it was awesome. I will try and attach a homemade go pro video and a pic! 

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great start to their Christmas season! I love you all and wish you the best! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

It is Like Eating At Home

Hey guys,

I did not go black friday shopping if anyone was wondering. 

On Wednesday my pensionista told me she wanted to cook me turkey for thanksgiving but that she didn't know how. So I told her I would help her if she got the turkey. 

She got it and on Thursday morning we went over and I helped her clean it and prepare it. 

It took a while but we had some good turkey and everyone loves gravy! I put a little too much flour in it though but it was still good! 

So I had a thanksgiving lunch with part of my colombian family which is the best I can get for now! 

We have a lot to do right now because there is going to be a FHE every day in December and we have to let all of the families know because no one else has time apparently. I don't even know half of the people on the list. 

Also, with that happening our ward councils have turned into like 1 and half hour nonsense. Which includes all of the ward leaders suggesting food options for events that they know I don't like and then look at me and then have a 10 minute discussion about how strange of a human being I am. It is like eating at home. 

So the plan was to baptize Alfredo this Saturday BUUUUT we are going to have a stake conference and he can't be confirmed so that means it won't happen which also means he won't be able to participate in the temple dedication which makes me wanna punch someone. But I won't. 

Do temple dedications take the place of sacrament meeting in the states? Because on Sunday the 9th there will only be the temple dedication nothing else.

Anyways, I am doing great I hope that everyone had a great thanksgiving and that they enjoy the Christmas music! #iluminaelmundo

COn amor,

Elder Reese 

I Only Have Two Transfers Left...

Hey guys,

So today we had transfers and as all of you know my companion was finishing his mission which pretty much assured my spot here in Floresta for another transfer. And I was right! 

I am now with Elder Saavedra who is also from Peru and the weird thing is that I was at the airport when he got to the mission and everything. So I have known him since day 1. Also, just a side note, like a year and 2 weeks ago I started my time in the offices. Isn't that crazy? 

They have sent 2 more new missionaries to my zone and that means we have 5 areas that are training out of 7. That is a big ratio. 

I said goodbye to Elder Flores this morning in the office and also Elder Sarnowski who is finishing as well. That one was a lot harder. We were in the offices for 7 months together and before that we were in Palmira and Pasto together for 6 months so we have spent over a year of our missions in the same zone. Or house. 

Then I went and picked up my new companion who is a zone leader with me this time which will be fantastic! 

I am a little bummed because the odds of me training just shot way down because I only have two transfers left and usually President wants people to train for all 12 weeks. I will be happy to finish here though if it comes to that. 

Thanksgiving was good! The gravy turned out really good! I was very surprised. I just kinda winged it like I do with most things in life and it came out great!! The Latinos loved it. It doesn't exist here. 

There is a temple dedication in Barranquilla in December. I really want Alfredo and Yamileth to get baptized before then so that they can go to the chapel and watch the broadcast because only baptized members with a recommend can go. I am also super excited for that.

I showed up in the system for my itinerary to be bought but I told Elder Whiting he could wait until after transfers to request the flights. But it should be here in like 2 weeks. Tops. So no worries. 

OH! I don't know if you are doing this in our ward but part of light the world this year is having a Family Home Evening every day in the ward in a different members house from December 2nd until December 22nd. Who are the only people allowed to attend all of the FHE's? That's right. The missionaries. We planned it all in ward council and we are ready to light it up. 

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday! Love you all! 

Elder Reese 

He Just Kinda Is There Like a Traffic Cone in the Road

Hey guys,

It is my companions last pday and he is SOOOO ready to go home. In church he takes his suit jacket off after sacrament and then when we contact he just kinda is there like a traffic cone on the road. 

Just a tip to any missionaries or future missionaries or priesthood holders: The first sign of laziness in the gospel is not buttoning up your top button of your whiteshirt. Literally every missionary I know that struggles in the mission doesn't do that. It seems so little and it is but I promise that it makes a difference. 

This week was kind of rough. Not because of my companion haha. I love him and he is a good guy. The biggest upset was Alfredo not being able to be baptized because he is getting thrown out of his house this Wednesday. If he can't find a place he is thinking about going back to Venezuela which would break my heart. 

I just know that he needs to stay here. I know God could make it happen. I know that for a fact. I just know that he can't take away Alfredos agency. I hope that a good offer comes up so that he will stay. 

On the other side, Yamileths husband had a huge change of heart and we went to go get them married and they had problems with some papers so we will have to go back this week again. So that will result in a baptism! 

We went to a desembarco this week in a different area which was kind of weird. Usually you go out with the ward and contact new people but this time we contacted 3 members and then it was over. So I just contacted close to the church until everyone else came back but the member ditched us. 

We should be having a thanksgiving dinner this week as a zone with President Trochez which should be fantastic. They asked me if they could play christmas music and I said heck no that is a sin. I explained to them that no one can listen to Christmas music until after thanksgiving. 

Also, President Trochez was given an american visa this week because he will be in Utah in March so I will definitely be lookin for him!! 

Anyways, thanks for everything! Have a good week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

This Week a Bird Pooped on My Shoe

Hey guys, 

This week a bird pooped on my shoe. Which is half a blessing because a step behind the shoe was my head so i guess I should be grateful. 

This week Alfredo came to church all by himself again and he FASTED!! He also paid his fast offering all by himself. He should be getting baptized this Saturday so we will see what happens. It should be great because we will have his brother baptize him. 

I had 2 baptismal interviews as well which is what happens when you are going to be baptized. The only thing was that the lady I interviewed was a lot crazy. She sees spirits every other second. During the interview she would look at the door and just start to cry because the burnt spirits were there and they scare her. I am not saying it isn't possible. For some the veil is thinner that it is for others but I think a lot of it was loose screws. Nevertheless I passed her because she has a testimony and knows the commandments she needs to keep. 

Also, she is almost 70 and her husband is like 59 and they had just gotten married that day. So when I asked her about the law of chastity she explained it to me and I just wanted to give her and example so I said ¨For example you and your husband couldnt keep the law of chastity before today because you werent married correct?¨ 

To which she responded ¨Actually we have been keeping it because my husband has been a little sick.¨ 

That is the grosest thing she could have ever said to me. 

I got some really good news this week about Yamileth. I dont know if you remember but she has been an investigator for years and has never been able to get marrried and finally her boyfriend has had a big change and they are talking about getting it done this week and that would result in a baptism the following Saturday. Not for me but for A LOT of missionaries. 

I did not just have transfers though. Transfers are the 18th of November. We still have 2 weeks left. 

I am glad that BSU is still holding on to that BYU title. Sucks that Middleton lost to Hillcrest though. Out of all of the schools it had to be HIllcrest. 

Something that has really caught my attention this time around reading the Book of Mormon is that not only were Laman and Lemuel total dweebs but throughout the entire story the Lamanites use the actions of Laman and Lemuel as an excuse to be dumb. They use that example and believe it to be correct. The crazy thing? WE DO THE SAME THING. Maybe not what our parents do but maybe we see someone else that claims to be righteous do something wrong and look for the right in it. When good people make bad decisions it doesnt make it a good decision and we sometimes look at it that way. 

Anyways, if I try for more wisdom it wont come out so smoothly haha. Love you guys! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

We Helped Cut Talons off 2000 Chickens Feet

Hey guys! 

I met Alfredo through his brother who is a member from Venezuela. He is a really good guy! He has had a pretty wordly past but he has slowly gotten over those things. This Sunday he came to church all by himself without his brother and that was a big step. 

My camera is currently locked up in the chapel but I will try and send pictures really quick tonight because this week we helped Alfredo cut the talons off of like 2000 chicken feet. Why? Because they eat those here and put them in soup. He was really grateful for the help though. 

Good news from today is that we had a visit from Elder Falabella who is our President of our area and also we had Brother and Sister Homes and Durant who are part of the young men and Sunday School presidensy. 

Brother Homes had this awesome class about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how simple it really is if we just focus on what we need to. He told us that the fuel to keep living the Gospel (Faith, Repentence, Baptism, The Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.) Is the Word. 

Which means any way that we are able to recieve the word of God. 1. The scriptures 2. Through Prayer 3. Through the spoken work (Going to church). 

He said that if you can find a rythym in life with those things then the Gospel will be a lot easier to live. 

Brother Durant talked about how simple it really needs to be to share the Gospel with others. That there are a lot of things we do only because it is routine. He showed us some ideas and techniches about how to contact. 

We also had an activity this week in the chapel because we loaned our chapel to the goverment for an activity they wanted to do and so we decided to contact all the people we could. 

It was a very cool experience. The only problem was that it was an all day thing and most of the missionaries got tired. A lot of them were a little scared to stop people from leaving to invite them to come participate. So I just started grabbing random missionaries and forced them to contact with me. 

In the end of the day all went well and we got a lot of references for all of Cali. 

The highlight of this week was receiving these pictures of two of my conerts in Prado, my first area. 

They went to the temple to get endowed this week and it was probably one of the most fullfilling moments in my entire mission. 

Anyways, thanks for everything! I love you guys! 

Con amor, 

Elder Reese 

PS If you havent sent my package I would love some more gel!!! My good gel. If you could send 2 that would be great

I Am Super Proud of Grandma Reese!

Hey guys,

Sounds like everyone had a good week. I hope Summer sticks with Volleyball. She could do great. 

I am super proud of Grandma Reese r and I knew that my prayers got all the way over there even though I am here. She once told me my prayers counted as double (Oh Grandma) haha

Out of all of the memories I have from home the ones that I cherish the most are memories from Copper Basin or from other family activities. I am super pumped! 

Ricky (One of Hunter's best friends) will be a great Dad even though he will have some growing up to do in the process. I am super happy for him! Ashlyn is a great girl as well so no worries there.

I cant believe Tyson is getting married. That is so strange. It has been 11 months. I have no plans on beating him on that one. 

The travel arrangers on Salt Lake won't let you know until 3 months before I come home so you should get it (I have been watching for Hunter's flight information when he comes home) in about 6 weeks.

As for me this week, every area in my zone has a baptismal date! WOOHOOO! Including us! For November 10th. His name is Alfredo and he is one of my best friends. I have really enjoyed teaching him. I have seen his desires slowly grow as we have taught him. He is from Venezuela and a super good guy. 

We also had a speacial broadcast with President Nelson and Elder Stevenson. It was super good! He said that 3/4 of the convert baptisms a year come from the Americas. He said that we should be so grateful for the call to serve in this part if the world. 

Today 2 of my missionaries got taken out of my zone and it was sad. Now Elder Hodges is a district leader and that means we will be able to do splits which will be epic. 

Anyways, the recording I made is not working so that will be for next week! Love you guys! 

Elder Reese 

There Is a New Gringo In My Zone

Hey guys! 

Well it was really nice for dad to buy me a new truck it is actually something I never expected....Mom you can keep your car. Anyone who has seen The other guys with Will Farrel and Mark Walhberg know the quote about your car. 

Dad please send me a picture from inside my truck so I know what it looks like!

So this week we had transfers and Elder Saboya is gone and I am here in Floresta as the only zone leader with my companion who goes home this transfer

Elder Hodges is training and he is doing a great job. He is a very obedient missionary. There is also a new gringo in my zone who is not talkative AT ALL. I am running out of gameplays. 

Alfredo finally came to church so we have a progressing baptismal date for next month. WOOHOO!! We had like 4 unexpected people come to church this week.

I took the zone to the zoo today which means I planned the trip. President Whitesides says that everyone has to participate or we can't go so I had to sacrifice and go for the THIRD TIME. I took a total of one picture. The coolest part was this ex missionary from Utah came with his wife and President Trochez came and it was fun to talk with them. His name is Taylor Armstrong and he offered me a job in San Diego installing solar panels. Nice guy. 

E and B have been having a rough time. B's son is rebelling in a big way and she doesnt know what to do and there was this HUGE storm in Aguajira (which is where Esther is from) and her house was 100% destroyed. It no longer exists. The worst part is she doesn't know. They don't know how to tell her. I feel terrible. It is so hard to watch people you care about as a missionary suffer and not be able to do certain things to help them. The gospel will always be the strongest tool but sometimes it requires more. 

Anyways, this week I will make a recording for everyone. I love you guys! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

I Couldn't Be Prouder!

Hey guys,

Conference was really powerful this session. I don't know if you could guys could tell, but the 2 hour change is to serperate the weak from the strong. The idea is to use that ¨extra¨ hour in your home strengthening your family. If you don't, your family will not be strong enough to take what is coming. Please don't take it as a chance to breath and relax. It is the exact opposite. 

The messages have gotten more and more direct because there is no time to speak softly anymore. I really loved it. You can tell that there is power behind everyone of them that spoke. 

It sounds like this week was not a good week for any football fans in Idaho or Utah. What a shame. 

As for transfers.....I stayed here in Floresta!!! WOOHOO!! That is what I wanted. The surprise was that Elder Saboya was transferred and my new companion is an Elder that will be finishing this transfer, but they sent him as a normal junior companion and I am the only zone leader in the companionship and in the zone. President talked to me in the terminal explaining that it is a special case and that I will receive more instructions about it later. Either way I am happy! 

There will be three new missionaries arriving to my zone as well which means there are three trainers as well! Elder Hodges will be training a new missionary and I couldnt be prouder. I love that guy. Elder Hernandez and Elder Warr as well will be training. 

I went to the office to go say goodbye to Elder Eldredge today because he goes home tomorrow and he was one of my best companions. 

When we finally had to say goodbye he hugged me and told me that he had learned more from me than from anyone else in the mission. It made me feel really good. I teared up but I didn't cry because I know everything will be alright. 

I will make a long recording this next week for everyone! 

I will be happy with whatever the family decides to do but I refuse to go on a trip if not everyone that goes will be happy about the decision. (We are planning a family trip when he gets back) There will be no complaning or arguing. That is my only request. Feel free to tell that to everyone so that they plan the trip in that way! If not well you can go without me! 

Anyways, I love you guys! Be safe! Have a good week. 

COn amor,

Elder Reese 

We Had A Baptism!

Hey guys,

This week we had a baptism!!! WOOHOOO!!!! Esther Herrera got baptized! I will try and attach pictures!! 

We were running frantic to get her ready because Monday she couldn't and Tuesday she couldn't and she had to have her baptismal interview on Friday! So we were doing our best to teach but without just hurrying through the lessons. 

This week we visited a member that is going on a month long work trip to this place in Colombia where there are no missionaries. It is just farmland. So he asked for pamphlets to be able to share the gospel while he is gone. He is a really good member. So we took him pamphlets and I gave him a tie and my companion gave him an oil thingy for blessings. It was a good experience! 

We had splits this week and I went to another area with a missionary that is finishing this transfer. He is from Lima Peru. It was fun because he is a cool dude. The downside was we had 1 appointment the whole day that was confirmed. We contacted the entire day! 

Then it started to rain. So it was just a great day. We made the most of it though. There was this crazy guy we contacted that just told stories about all the times people have tried to rob him and he has just repremanded them in the name if Jesus of Nazareth and they always run away. 

Its always funny when someone opens the door and all you do is say hi and then they just shake their head and say no and shut the door. Like aren't you just a little bit curious about what we do and who we are? 

On Saturday night this crazy drunk dude started telling us about his current problems. His girlfriend dumped him and his other girlfriend dumped him and then later his boyfriend dumped him. Bummer huh? 

He then told us about this great Idea he had. To just kill himself. Then he said he had an even better idea. Kill everyone in his house and THEN himself. We tried our best to counsel him but he wasn't very coherent. 

I also gave a baptismal interview this week to a 9 year old girl named Lauren. Her parents went inactive for a little while and she was 7 and now shes 9 and the missionaries need to baptized her. 

She was obviously nervous. So for 10 minutes I asked about her and showed her a picture of my family and my dog and we laughed and she was all better. She passed her interview and she got baptized on Saturday with Esther. She is a good little girl. 

Anyways, trnasfers are next week so we will see what happens. There are going to be some crazy changes I think. We will have to see how it goes. 

I love you guys! Thanks for everything! 

Con amor, 

Elder Reese 

I Can Take His Bed and Bathroom

Hey guys,

So I sent the recording to moms Gmail acount so that might be why you didnt get it!(I found it and will get it posted :) )

I am glad Dad had a good Birthday! I forgot to tell him happy birthday last week but I will tell him this week!

A lot of Brazilians have a good background in English (We have a missionary serving our ward and his from Brazil). The Brazilian accent is pretty bad though. I don't like it at all. God called me to speak Spanish because he knew I couldn't speak Portuguese. 

It sounds like Abby has a lot of opportunities coming her way and that makes me super happy! I have a lot of faith that she will do great. 

It sounds like Middleton is doing great in football! That makes me happy. We have the best kicker in the country so woohoo!! 

You guys got rid of the bed with the outlets in the headboard thing!! (We are rearranging and getting rid of stuff we don't need, but we didn't get rid of his headboard) That bed was awesome! Where am I going to sleep now? Oh well. The mattresses here are terrible. I am kinda banking on my companion to get transferred so I can take his bed and bathroom. That would be the ideal transfer. 

I have a recording about a super cool experience that happened this week so I will attach it for all of you! 

Most of my week is in my recording so that is about it! Love you guys! 

Con amor, 

Elder Reese 

God Always Provides a Way

Hey guys,

So, I sent a pretty long recording this week so I hope there are some that can enjoy it (We haven't gotten the recording yet, but if it's a big file, I'm not sure we will get it)! 

I pretty much explained the whole week so hopefully my mom can get it uploaded! 

We have interviews with President and Sister Whitesides tomorrow so that will be fun! I love interviews. 

Elder Hodges is slowly pawning my companion into doing splits so that he can come to my area with me and order food from this restaraunt that he really loves. We will see if he can get the job done. 

We are currently in week 4 of transfers. We will have transfers again on October 7th. 

I went to the offices the other day and Elder Whiting was kinda stressed out. I helped him get some work done so he could go proselyte. 

We should have a baptism coming up here on the 29th of September. She is one of my favorite people ever and I am so glad she wants to get baptized. She lives in the amazons but is here on a visit. 

She speaks spanish and a different language called guaya so that is pretty cool. 

We were really worried though because the closest church to her house is far. Me and Elder Saboya didnt know if we wanted to baptize someone that was not going to be able to partake of the sacrament. 

I fasted twice for that. Nephi clearly said that God never gives his children commandments without a way to keep them. I knew God had a way but we just had to have enough faith to find it. 

This week we found it. Beatriz received a picture of her friend that lives there getting baptized. She spoke with her and her friend was so excited to take Esther to church when she got back home. 

God ALWAYS prepares a way for his children to keep the commandments. So now we will move forward with the baptism. 

Anyways, everything else is in the recording! I love you guys! Have a good week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese 

They Smoke Weed By The Way

Hey guys,

So this week is mostly in that recording, but it sounds like Middleton will be two stakes when I get home and that is kinda weird!

Our new downstairs neighbors have a terrible smoking problem and it comes straight up to our apartment. They smoke weed by the way, not cigarettes.

I have really enjoyed handing out those sour candies you sent me in the package. It is the best part of everything. Yesterday in Stake Conference I gave them out to this huge family in our ward and they all almost gagged. Classic. 

We still haven't finished all of the left over soda from the conference. 

I enjoy Sundays because it is my day to cook and I always go all out. Yesterday I cooked 3 chicken breasts with teriyaki noodles and it was delicious! I also found a store that sells Mountain Dew so I bought like 20 bottles. 

I really wanna learn how to cook some things from here so I can cook them at home. There is this lady in my area that cooks this chicken cake thing and I love it! Also, empanadas are super great. 

I was reading the Book of Mormon this week and I came across a part in Mosiah that talks about how those who refuse to give a part of what they have to someone who doesn't have anything because they think that they will misuse what is given.

It says that it is not our job to decide what they will do and what they won't. God is the only one who can judge in such a way. So, those who choose not to give are sinning. If you have more than enough of something what are you gonna lose anyways? 

So, here in Cali there are a ton of homeless people and they always ask for money. Before, I said no. Now, everyday I take a handful of coins out of my box of coins and when they ask, I pull out one coin and let them do what they want. 

We may know someone for a druggy or and alcoholic but I know for a fact that people can change. Maybe with a little money someone can finally decide to make something of their life. Who knows? 

Anyways, just a little thought. I love you guys! Have a good week! 

Con amor,

Elder Reese