Week 84 - Miracles in the Mission

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLA!!!!!!!

Definitely, AWESOME talking to y'all this past Christmas day! And you know, for some reason I felt like I should have asked more, or said more, and now I know why: There's been SO MUCH that has happened! And with Elder Nore and his first baptism already - Way awesome! It sounds like he's loving it out there!!

Wow, after reading your e-mail, I don't even know where to start! I'll definitely keep Ethan, Peyton, Dave and Christie in my prayers - this has got to be a really tough time for them right now. I hope things get better soon, and that Ethan is well.
Before I forget (Because after I write it, I want to forget until I need to stress over things in that half of the world): THAT WOULDS BE SO COOL!! The four of us rooming together at BYU-I! Does Justin have his track yet? I can't remember if you told me that they'll let him know later on, or soon after he received his acceptance letter. But yes, that would be rank!

Wow...wow, wow wow...Matt in the Army? When did he go into boot camp? And then with Alexis, and what happened with Timmy Card, and that Mig Jernigan's married, Nathan and Theo on missions, Ryan a few weeks ago and Brother Nelson now...It all just blows my mind! I hope all goes well, and that everyone is able to have the peace that they need, especially around this time of year.

Okay, so I'll try to let you know a little more about what's going on around these parts. On Saturday at mission conference...wow, it was great! We had steak, salad, corn on the cob, and a lot of other great food! Just before that, we watched a great movie called "17 Miracles." It's about the Willie-Martin Handcart company, and there is actually a missionary serving in our mission (And his name is...Elder Willie!) who is a descendant of them. It shows a lot of the miracles that happened on the trail to Zion, and how they were able to make it to the end. It's a great movie...Not a dry eye in the house. You've got to check it out one day! We did a gift exchange after, and heard some skits and musical numbers (Yodeling was...very interesting), and had a good testimony meeting before all the Christmas activities. Sister Saylin put together a book of miracles - miracles that missionaries e-mailed in - and we each got a copy. I'll have to take a picture of the book and then send you a copy (It looks a lot like the Book of Mormon on the cover). Really neat to see all the miracles that are just all throughout the mission.

Then, Sunday I think I told you about. A certain number of members went up front and shared their favorite hymn, why it was their favorite, and then we sang a few lines from it (Oh, and the organ we have here plays by itself - All you have to do it hit the keys to keep the tempo!). It was a very good Sacrament meeting - one where I could really feel the Spirit there. Just a really unique experience.

Monday - A day of a lot of phone calls! After planning, and after we had visited a few people (and had some good lessons with them), the assistants texted us and asked if we could help them out with something, but that they'd call us later on. When they did call, they asked us if they could move us out of our apartment for a little while and move some Sister missionaries in there, because that day (Actually, I think someone said that this happened on Christmas day), the member they were living with went crazy and kicked them out! (When we talked to the Sisters later to give them the keys, they told us that they brought in a Christmas tree without asking, and gave her some gifts...) So they stayed with some other sisters for a night, and yesterday when the assistants called, they had us go home and clean up a bit. An hour and a half later, it was loking pretty good! This morning, we packed up our suitcases with enough clothes to last us for about a week and a half, our study supplies, our bikes, and went over to the apartment of the Houston 4 ward elders, Elder Banks and Elder Stoker. So, all four of us are going to live there until the assistants can find another apartment for someone, either the Sisters or us.

But that wasn't the end of it! The assistants called us back later that night and told us that President wanted us to go on a 48 hour exchange with the Missouri City elders. They had us call them, and we set up the exchange for Thursday evening. I'll be staying here, and Elder Lyman is going to Missouri City, almost to the area where he started his mission. It's definitely going to be an interesting week! And right before we started getting all these calls or finding out about everything that is going on, Elder Lyman said, "There's never anything interesting that goes on in my mission - no emergency exchanges or anything." Well, now there is! It'll be really interesting to see how we do everything, and to see how things turn out in the end!
Elder Lyman in general is doing pretty well. He seems a little homesick, but that should pass in a few days, if all goes well.

I think this is about it! It has definitely been a full week, on both ends! Could you possibly send me that Christmas Newsletter, if it's not too much to ask? It's really cool!

Again, it was super great to talk to you on Christmas!! I hope New Year's is great, too, and that everyone is doing well!
Have a WONDERFUL week!!

Les amo - A infinidad, y mas alla!!

Con MUCHO amor,
Elder Devin Collins

Week 83 - Christmas Mission-Wide Devotional

Aloha!!!

Good to see that everyone is doing well! I hope the Christmas spirit has caught hold of you, and that you're excited for this great season!! It's definitely caught on down here (Here's a picture of the Christmas tree we have up in our apartment!)

Last week went pretty well - We had a devotional this past Sunday, for the entire mission and their investigators! Jose Luis went - And they had translation, too, so at the very end, he was able to find a headset that works and listen to what President was talking about. President Saylin and his two counselors, Presidente Del Aguila and President Quinlan, both spoke. The entire chapel was packed, and they had to open the overflow! It was definitely a good turnout, and President said he was surprised to see so many people there. Guess who I saw there? Elder Black! We're still working out when we're going to be companions, but i guess that'll come with time...if the Lord says that it's OK.

And now...I'm not sure what else to write...There might be a Christmas-related article coming your way, but...it also might get there a little late. So maybe it'll be the '2 Days of Christmas!'

Umm...yeah. It was really good to read about how Elder Nore is doing! Sounds like he's really enjoying it down there. I'm excited to hear his portuguese one day! And it sounds like there's a dialect down there, too? Wow! Lots to learn!

Well, I'd better get going before the computer boots me off. Sorry it's so short today...but hopefully, I'll be able to make up for it when we all talk on Sunday!!
Les amo - A infinidad, y mas alla!!

Con mucho amor,

Elder Devin Collins

Week 82 - The New Chapel

Hellooooooooooo!

Well, this week hasn't been too eventful, but it has been a good week! We had exchanges on Wednesday, which went pretty well. I was over in Elder Bank's area for the day, and we were able to go and teach a few people, as well as do some good finding. Elder Banks and I came out together, so it's been interesting. When everyone talkes about how old he is (Mission-wise), I join in and throw in my opinion. And then everyone says, "Hey! But you're the same age as him!" It's been fun.

Wow, sounds like a busy week! And sounds like things are going to get busier still! I'm excited to hear you, Kaytlin, and Kristin playing the piano, trombone, and clarinet! And has Justin heard back from any other schools yet? How are his finals going? How are the preparations for Christmas going? How's Ryan been doing? Is he using his walker?

Thanks for all the Christmas wishes and things! It's weird to think that this is already my last Christmas in the mission...time goes by too fast.

We started at the new chapel this past week. It's VERY new!! It's raised up, so they can't put a baptismal font in it, but everything looks great! I don't even know where to start, but I'll try to take some pictures when we're over there for our district activity. The library has...drum roll...plasma-screen TVs! I've never seen those in any other building! There's a wood-floor gym in the middle, and I've heard that it looks almost exactly like the church buildings in Colombia or Venezuela. I guess we have another taste of the Southern America culture here now, and it's great!

Interviews with President Saylin went well. It was good to just talk to him, especially about studies. I got the chance to talk to him about the Atonement, and as we talked, he's given me some good things to study and think about. Studies have been very cool and very fun - They're the best when I'm really trying to feast on the scriptures, not just 'nibble at the appetizers' like President has talked about sometimes.

I'm trying to think what else has happened, but I think that's the most of it. It's been a good week. I was talking to Elder Lyman about this a little earlier, but it's really cool to be serving among the Lamanites here.

OH! So, this past Tuesday, we had a pretty cool lesson with Walter Cuc. We had studied the Mighty Change of Heart in the scriptures for two days after he asked about it, and then when we went to teach, we just basically had a study session. And his cousin from Guatamala called and took a big part in the study, even saying the closing prayer, all the way from Guatamala! It was really fun, and I learned a lot from it.

Well, that about does it! I'm looking forward to talking to you soon! I hope that finals go well, and that everything slows down a little bit after the holidays!

Con mucho amor,
A infinidad - y mas alla!

Elder Collins

Week 81 - "We Saw Miracles"

Hola!!! How y'all doing today?

CONGRATULATIONS, JUSTIN!!!! That's awesome!!!! I'm excited to hear
about how things go with BYU-I!! Especially about which track, and
about what you'll be studying...have any ideas yet?

Well, this has definitely been an interesting week! We've been working
hard, and have been seeing a lot of blessings. We're especially
excited for the wekend in white coming up, and we'll really be doing
all we can, "earnestly striving" as is the Standard of Excellence, to
find and prepare the family who the Lord has placed in our area for
baptism. Right now, we have a family of two or three, as well as their
neighbor, who have the capability to be baptized. They still haven't
been to church yet, but the church building, starting this week, will
be just three streets down from their house. We're excited to see them
progress! We still have other people who are preparing for baptism,
but they are the only family (The Dastro family).

This weekend, we also saw miracles. We were able to visit a
less-active member, who has been less-active for most of his life.
He's gotten into some things earlier in life that haven't been good,
but as we talked to him, he told us that he was really looking to come
back to church. He also told us that his friends were planning on
going out later and drinking and that he didn't want to do it, but
that after we left, the tempation became very strong. So we invited
him to come out and teach with us, right then and there. He said
"Okay"! From 4:00 that afternoon (and it was a miracle to find him at
home, too!) up until our last appointment at 8:30, he accompanied us
to lessons, even getting in to teach a less-active family that we had
been trying to visit for a long time. The next day, he got up in
sacrament meeting and bore a powerful testimony of the Church and the
power of example (He has a little sister who is a member as well -
She's been a big example for him to fight to come back to Church
activity). In all honesty, this has been one of the most spiritual and
filling experiences of my life!

The ward is doing pretty great, and the sister missionaries are
working hard as well. It's great to have them as part of the ward. As
for the Christmas phonecalls, we're still kind of looking for a member
who has a landline that you can call to, but almost everyone has cell
phones. By next week, though, we'll have calls and call times set up.
It's really weird that it's come up so fast! Time really does fly!! We
actually have a dinner appointment with the Bishop on Sunday, so
that'll be pretty exciting. We've been getting fed pretty regularly,
which is good, but rarely (except in the case of part-member families)
have there been investigators there who can be taught. We're working
on it, and I guess we'll see how it goes! We have a calender filled
out for most of the month, to go by and visit people. The ward is
coming together, and it's great to see all the work people are putting
in to improve and help out, especially because there is so much work
to do!

Things are going well - there have been some days when we get food a
few times in a row - and all within 3 hours. I've been trying to work
on the Tongan crunch, but haven't quite gotten it down yet. I'll have
to work on it, just in case.

We'll be having our Christmas devotional for ALL of the mission
(instead of just half one day, half the next) on....drum roll....the
24th!!!!!! It's going to be so cool!! We're all going to spend
Christmas Eve together as a mission!! And then the next day, we'll be
able to spend time together as a district, just having fun, talking,
maybe having an activity, and just enjoying the Spirit of Christmas!
It's going to be great!! How are the plans for Christmas going in your
neck of the woods? Another Christmas Eve dinner of pizza and sparkling
cider? Hey...that's actually a good idea!! Maybe we'll do that, too!
I'm excited already!!

I'm trying to think of what else has been going on here...We have some
people who we're working with for the Weekend in White, and President
Saylin, in the last Ebenezer (mission newspaper, of a sort) gave a
talk about not letting discouragement get to you. It's a great talk,
and really helped to lift me up. This is going to be a great Weekend
in White - because we're all looking for families in white!

Well, I've got to go. I love y'all SO MUCH!!! Have a great week, don't
be too hard on Ryan, and I'm super excited to hear about all the great
things that are going on this week!!

Les amo, a infinidad, y mas alla!!!

Elder Devin Collins : D