Aloooooooha!
Pues, somos muy bendicidos aqui! Hemos tenido muchos cambios, pero se que con Dios, podemos tener la fuerza y la direccion para seguir adelante, y para encontrar los que estan listos para recibirnos! (Well, we are very bendicidos here! We have had many changes, but that with God, we have the strength and direction to move forward, and to find those who are ready to receive us!)
Good hearing from y'all!! It has DEFINITELY been a week, both here and there, it sounds like! Lots of things going on in both places - activities, and the like! Quite a few changes here, too! Oh, and before I forget - I forwarded that letter to you, Mom, and was wondering if that was something that you can print off and mail to me? That way, I can read it. That would be great!
Sounds like there has been a lot going on this week, especially with all the fundraisers! It's really fun to hear all about how everyone is doing - Kristin seems to be doing really well, especially as she provided the entertainment for the fundraiser all by herself! Even playing upside-down, too! And wow, Kaytlin really seems to be taking on a lot - she needs to teach me her time management techniques, because I'm really lacking in that area right not (so much to do, not nearly enough time to do everything! I wish there were times that I could just freeze time, finish up what I need to finish up, and then unfreeze it!) What topic did Justin speak on on Sunday? Do you think it would be possible to get a copy of his talk, just to read? And how did he get home from school that day when the blue van wouldn't start? (Good to see that it's still running, though - Definitely a Toyota!)
How are things going with school right now? Getting close to finishing everything up? Or do you still have one more semester before graduation?
Things here have been CRAZY! Well, I guess not super crazy, but it feels like we're opening up the area again. At transfer meeting, our area was divided into two areas: Houston 8 West (us) and Houston 8 East (Hermanas/Sisters Sorenson and Harper). The Sisters have the area that we worked most often, so now we're embarking in 'new territory.' That has been an adventure! Another adventure is that we have now become a bike area. There have been a lot of blessings from that. One of the greatest is that, although it can be difficult sometimes, we have the opportunity to talk to A LOT more people. From those experiences, we learn what we are doing well, and also what we can improve to have more love for the people and a greater desire to share the gospel with them. It has given me some more time to think and ponder over the experiences we have out here, and things that I need to sort out. The only bad thing about that is if I get SUPER DEEP into think and don't see the big curb right in front of me...but as of yet, that hasn't happened (knock on wood!).
We've been trying to work a lot with someone named Nefi Deras. He's 13 years old (I think I've mentioned him before), and his mom and brother are members. His brother is serving in the military, but served a mission before that (Justin! You can do BOTH! But I'd challenge you to serve in the Lord's army first. There really is no greater call!). His brother will be coming back on the 7th, and we're planning on having Nefi's baptism on the 10th. He needs a lot of prayers in that aspect, because his mom isn't 100% supportive. She wants him to learn a lot more before making the decision to be baptized. It's been a little bit of a fight there, but we're hoping that his brother helps him out with the desire to be baptized, and then to have his brother perform the baptism.
"A mission is a strange experience. It's a trial and a test.
A mission throws at you the worst, yet teaches you the best."
I don't know if I've sent you that poem yet or not, but it is one of my favorites. That's only the beginning, but it talks about some of the experiences and emotions from the mission. I've been learning so much, and even though I've been studying, off and on, the Atonement throughout just about my entire mission, I feel like I'm just barely coming to understand it. I feel like every time I'm going through a low point, whether in studies or during the day or week, or even in our companionship, the Lord places something in front of me or a thought in my mind that helps me to keep going. Sometimes, this "animo" just seems to come from nowhere!
An important part (one of the key reasons) of why we're here is to grow and learn, to have experiences, both good and bad, that will eventually lead us again to our Heavenly Father. If this was all that there was - if there was no life after death - yet we still have that firm faith in our loving Heavenly Father, that brings up a question: Why isn't everyone happy? Because if this is all that would be, this life here, our Heavenly Father would want us to be happy in every moment, and would provide the means to do so. But we're not 100% happy in every moment - Sometimes we have sorrow, pain, and trials. But because of that, we can know that there is something greater. We can know that if we follow our Heavenly Father's plan, and share that plan with others, one day we'll leave this "valley of sorrow" and enter into a "far greater land of promise."
I know that this work is true. It's tough. Sometimes it's a trial. But at the end, we will "rest from all our labors." We will be able to live with those we love. I'm so grateful for the knoweldge of this plan that we have. How great the importance to make these things known to the entire world!
I want to challenge everyone who can to begin preparing now to serve a mission. It really is one of the greatest times we have to come to know our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, whom He sent.
Thank you for all your love and support!! Los amo, a infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Week 91 - Magdaleno's Baptism & Elder Christofferson Speaks
Hoooooooooola!!
It's good to see how everything is going! And AWESOME to see the Spanish, mom! Google Translate has gotten really accurate!
It sounds like this week has been a good one! And THANK YOU for the Valentine's package! You'll be happy to know that I didn't eat all of the candy at once! But there is definitely a lot less candy in there than when I started...And the pole vault, huh? That'll be really cool! You have to send me pictures - that's always interested me a lot!
Sorry to hear about the people who passed away this past week. I don't think I knew them very well, but their names sound familiar, so I think I've at least met them, probably...
This week...where to start? It's been interesting. P-Day wasn't my favorite, like I talked to you about in my e-mail, but it improved. I think a lot of times we are given expereinces that either draw us closer to God and let us learn, or we distance ourselves from Him and we have to be taught the lesson in a different way. I don't think I was learning what the Lord wanted me to learn in the beginning, but towards the end, I hope I was more humble and teachable, more receptive to His will.
Wednesday was the day when things really started to change here. We were in a lesson with Magdaleno, and we received the impression to change his baptismal date from the 25th of this month to the 18th - just 3 days away. We talked about it after we left the lesson with Magdaleno, and then made the decision to follow through with the prompting we had received from the Holy Ghost. From that moment on, our focus was on preparing Magdaleno for his baptism on Saturday. We were blessed with the opportunity to have his interview that night at Mutual, which went well. We called him again on Thursday to make sure everything was still good. Friday we went by again and began filling out the baptismal form. We made the last preparations, and scheduled his baptism. Saturday...
We got the chance to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson!!! He came and spoke to the 3 Houston missions, because he was down here for a Stake Conference. It was amazing to be there, in the presence of one of the Apostles of the Lord. He promised some really great blessings on the work and even on our studies here. It was a great boost as we prepared for Magdaleno's baptism that night.
That afternoon, we had to make some changes in the program, because another ward was going to be having their baptism at the same building at the same time. So we were able to stagger the baptisms and tried to let everyone know about it.
Elder Duran then baptized him that evening. It was a little tough because the water wasn't at the level that it should have been at, so they had to figure things out in that way. But in the end, Magdaleno was baptized, and confirmed the next day by Bishop Rovira. He bore a great testimony, and was just all around the happiest we had seen him!
I definitely know that this work is real. I'm so grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave me to really pray as if everything depends on Him, and then going and working as if everything depends on us. The heavens were opened, and we were able to see the blessings rain down. It's really interesting, seeing just how many ways the Lord blesses us in our lives, and how "All these things [give us] experience, and shall be for [our] good."
Well, it's about that time to get going! We're not being transfered - we each have at least one more transfer together here in Houston 8, but it looks like there is going to be a lot of people moving around in the mission. It should be a great transfer meeting tomorrow!
Thank you for all your love, support, prayers, and care, especially during this time!! Los amo, con TODO mi ser!
A infinidad, y mas alla!
Con MUCHO amor,
Elder Devin Collins
It's good to see how everything is going! And AWESOME to see the Spanish, mom! Google Translate has gotten really accurate!
It sounds like this week has been a good one! And THANK YOU for the Valentine's package! You'll be happy to know that I didn't eat all of the candy at once! But there is definitely a lot less candy in there than when I started...And the pole vault, huh? That'll be really cool! You have to send me pictures - that's always interested me a lot!
Sorry to hear about the people who passed away this past week. I don't think I knew them very well, but their names sound familiar, so I think I've at least met them, probably...
This week...where to start? It's been interesting. P-Day wasn't my favorite, like I talked to you about in my e-mail, but it improved. I think a lot of times we are given expereinces that either draw us closer to God and let us learn, or we distance ourselves from Him and we have to be taught the lesson in a different way. I don't think I was learning what the Lord wanted me to learn in the beginning, but towards the end, I hope I was more humble and teachable, more receptive to His will.
Wednesday was the day when things really started to change here. We were in a lesson with Magdaleno, and we received the impression to change his baptismal date from the 25th of this month to the 18th - just 3 days away. We talked about it after we left the lesson with Magdaleno, and then made the decision to follow through with the prompting we had received from the Holy Ghost. From that moment on, our focus was on preparing Magdaleno for his baptism on Saturday. We were blessed with the opportunity to have his interview that night at Mutual, which went well. We called him again on Thursday to make sure everything was still good. Friday we went by again and began filling out the baptismal form. We made the last preparations, and scheduled his baptism. Saturday...
We got the chance to hear from Elder D. Todd Christofferson!!! He came and spoke to the 3 Houston missions, because he was down here for a Stake Conference. It was amazing to be there, in the presence of one of the Apostles of the Lord. He promised some really great blessings on the work and even on our studies here. It was a great boost as we prepared for Magdaleno's baptism that night.
That afternoon, we had to make some changes in the program, because another ward was going to be having their baptism at the same building at the same time. So we were able to stagger the baptisms and tried to let everyone know about it.
Elder Duran then baptized him that evening. It was a little tough because the water wasn't at the level that it should have been at, so they had to figure things out in that way. But in the end, Magdaleno was baptized, and confirmed the next day by Bishop Rovira. He bore a great testimony, and was just all around the happiest we had seen him!
I definitely know that this work is real. I'm so grateful for the opportunity the Lord gave me to really pray as if everything depends on Him, and then going and working as if everything depends on us. The heavens were opened, and we were able to see the blessings rain down. It's really interesting, seeing just how many ways the Lord blesses us in our lives, and how "All these things [give us] experience, and shall be for [our] good."
Well, it's about that time to get going! We're not being transfered - we each have at least one more transfer together here in Houston 8, but it looks like there is going to be a lot of people moving around in the mission. It should be a great transfer meeting tomorrow!
Thank you for all your love, support, prayers, and care, especially during this time!! Los amo, con TODO mi ser!
A infinidad, y mas alla!
Con MUCHO amor,
Elder Devin Collins
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Week 90 - "...the Joy of Christ"
February 13, 2012
Buenooooos dias! Feliz dia de amistad y amor!
Sorry, this is getting out a little bit later. Lots to do today, not too much time to do it all! We're going to be having our Zone Activity today over at the new building where we have church, around 2:30, so we'll see how all that goes. I'm excited! We'll be playing soccer and decorating sugar cookies, and speaking of that...I'm kind of hungry.
This week has been a really good week. We had a stake devotional yesterday, and it was a really big turnout that we had! The room was completely packed, and most of the missionaries had to stand out in the hall. In total, there were 15 investigators there! Way cool!!!!
Magdalino is doing well! He's working on dropping coffee completely, and he's making some really good progress. There's a lot to do, but with the Lord's help, we know he can do it! He's been working on switching out his coffee for hot chocolate and some soda, and he seems really content and happy, especially with the love and support of the ward members.
Elder Duran is doing well. He's making the adjustment a whole lot better, and he's doing especially well with the Spanish. It hasn't been easy, and people's comments about, "Oh, you don't know too much Spanish," haven't made it any easier, but he's doing really well. Just this past Sunday, a member told him that his Spanish is sounding a lot better! He looked really happy about that. We've been getting along well, although sometimes I think that there are things that may bother him, and he doesn't want to say them, so I think we need to work on developing that more open relationship. It's been good, though: I've been very blessed to have him as my companion. He helps to keep me going and a reason to be excited about the work...well, more excited. He ran the area for the first two times this past week! He did really well, too. Both days didn't go exactly as they would have liked, but I know he really did give his best, and the Lord knows that, too.
I'm really grateful to be serving as a missionary in the GREATEST MISSION IN THE WORLD!!!! I love the THSM!! Some days are tough, some days, the blesings just pour from heaven. But the greatest blessing is to preach the gospel to those who don't have it. Seeing that happiness in their eyes is worth all those bad day sand rough times - Because I think as we go along, as Alma said, our sorrow becomes swallowed up in the joy of Christ.
Thanks for all your love and support!! It means the world to me, and I hope one day, everyone in the family will be able to spend time in the service of the Lord and see just the intense amount of happiness it brings!
Les amo, a infinidad, y mas alla!!
Con MUCHO amor,
Elder Devin Collins
P.S: We might be getting the opportunity to listen to Elder Christofferson this Saturday!! And then later, the Elders of Houston 4 North have a baptism scheduled!! The blessings of the Lord are pouring down!
Buenooooos dias! Feliz dia de amistad y amor!
Sorry, this is getting out a little bit later. Lots to do today, not too much time to do it all! We're going to be having our Zone Activity today over at the new building where we have church, around 2:30, so we'll see how all that goes. I'm excited! We'll be playing soccer and decorating sugar cookies, and speaking of that...I'm kind of hungry.
This week has been a really good week. We had a stake devotional yesterday, and it was a really big turnout that we had! The room was completely packed, and most of the missionaries had to stand out in the hall. In total, there were 15 investigators there! Way cool!!!!
Magdalino is doing well! He's working on dropping coffee completely, and he's making some really good progress. There's a lot to do, but with the Lord's help, we know he can do it! He's been working on switching out his coffee for hot chocolate and some soda, and he seems really content and happy, especially with the love and support of the ward members.
Elder Duran is doing well. He's making the adjustment a whole lot better, and he's doing especially well with the Spanish. It hasn't been easy, and people's comments about, "Oh, you don't know too much Spanish," haven't made it any easier, but he's doing really well. Just this past Sunday, a member told him that his Spanish is sounding a lot better! He looked really happy about that. We've been getting along well, although sometimes I think that there are things that may bother him, and he doesn't want to say them, so I think we need to work on developing that more open relationship. It's been good, though: I've been very blessed to have him as my companion. He helps to keep me going and a reason to be excited about the work...well, more excited. He ran the area for the first two times this past week! He did really well, too. Both days didn't go exactly as they would have liked, but I know he really did give his best, and the Lord knows that, too.
I'm really grateful to be serving as a missionary in the GREATEST MISSION IN THE WORLD!!!! I love the THSM!! Some days are tough, some days, the blesings just pour from heaven. But the greatest blessing is to preach the gospel to those who don't have it. Seeing that happiness in their eyes is worth all those bad day sand rough times - Because I think as we go along, as Alma said, our sorrow becomes swallowed up in the joy of Christ.
Thanks for all your love and support!! It means the world to me, and I hope one day, everyone in the family will be able to spend time in the service of the Lord and see just the intense amount of happiness it brings!
Les amo, a infinidad, y mas alla!!
Con MUCHO amor,
Elder Devin Collins
P.S: We might be getting the opportunity to listen to Elder Christofferson this Saturday!! And then later, the Elders of Houston 4 North have a baptism scheduled!! The blessings of the Lord are pouring down!
Week 89 - The Blessing of the Plan of Salvation
February 6, 2012
Hoooooooooola!!!
Wow, sounds like a really eventful week! A lot happened, and it looks like this week is going to be pretty good, too!
Well, I'm down to about 20 minutes, so I'll try to write as much as I can about this week (it's been a pretty full week, even though it hasn't been quite as successful as we would have liked)!
We didn't have District Meeting this week, but we did have Zone Meeting on Friday. It went well, and after that we went on exchanges - Elder Duran went with Elder Sheridan in Houston 4, and I stayed in Houston 8 with Elder Stoker. At the Zone Meeting, I received a letter I really didn't like - It's called the "Sprint to the Finish" paper. It talks about going strong up until the end, and giving my best effort "In this last chapter of [my] mission." It's weird to think that I'm already this far in, but I'm trying not to think about it.
We also went to a funeral on Wednesday. It was for the baby of an investigator that the sister missionaries are teaching. But surprisingly, she didn't seem quite so distraught as I would have thought. The other people there seemed more destroyed by it. I think it is because she has been attending Church for some time, and understands that this isn't the end, and that her baby isn't condemned, but saved by the Atonement of Christ. It's a huge blessing that we have, to know about the plan of salvation!!
When we first got there, we had to wait in the entry, because not everyone had arrived yet. To tell you the truth, I felt so weird there - that place gave me the heebe-geebes! But as we were out at the burial site, where Bishop Rovira of our ward directed, I felt so much more at peace. I just felt like things were all in the Lord's hands, and that there wasn't too much need to worry. I also understood the importance of teaching the plan of salvation and the Atonement at these events, because people are so much more prepared to learn about and understand them!
We also set some goals that are really going to make us stretch for the month, that are really going to lift our vision. We're still working with Magdalino, but he seems to be improving, and is more open. We're also working with Nefi, but we'll have to see if his mom (who is a less-active member) will want him to get baptized. Lots of prayers, and lots of work to do! Missionary work is so interesting!
And mom, thank you so much for getting that scholarship info in! I was going to say actually, you didn't need to put that in about District Leader and training, not because it's bad, just...I don't know. But thank you so much for getting all that in! That's a HUGE help!
Well, I've got to go. Thank you for everything you do, and all your prayers and support!! I love you SO MUCH!!
Les amo - A infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
Hoooooooooola!!!
Wow, sounds like a really eventful week! A lot happened, and it looks like this week is going to be pretty good, too!
Well, I'm down to about 20 minutes, so I'll try to write as much as I can about this week (it's been a pretty full week, even though it hasn't been quite as successful as we would have liked)!
We didn't have District Meeting this week, but we did have Zone Meeting on Friday. It went well, and after that we went on exchanges - Elder Duran went with Elder Sheridan in Houston 4, and I stayed in Houston 8 with Elder Stoker. At the Zone Meeting, I received a letter I really didn't like - It's called the "Sprint to the Finish" paper. It talks about going strong up until the end, and giving my best effort "In this last chapter of [my] mission." It's weird to think that I'm already this far in, but I'm trying not to think about it.
We also went to a funeral on Wednesday. It was for the baby of an investigator that the sister missionaries are teaching. But surprisingly, she didn't seem quite so distraught as I would have thought. The other people there seemed more destroyed by it. I think it is because she has been attending Church for some time, and understands that this isn't the end, and that her baby isn't condemned, but saved by the Atonement of Christ. It's a huge blessing that we have, to know about the plan of salvation!!
When we first got there, we had to wait in the entry, because not everyone had arrived yet. To tell you the truth, I felt so weird there - that place gave me the heebe-geebes! But as we were out at the burial site, where Bishop Rovira of our ward directed, I felt so much more at peace. I just felt like things were all in the Lord's hands, and that there wasn't too much need to worry. I also understood the importance of teaching the plan of salvation and the Atonement at these events, because people are so much more prepared to learn about and understand them!
We also set some goals that are really going to make us stretch for the month, that are really going to lift our vision. We're still working with Magdalino, but he seems to be improving, and is more open. We're also working with Nefi, but we'll have to see if his mom (who is a less-active member) will want him to get baptized. Lots of prayers, and lots of work to do! Missionary work is so interesting!
And mom, thank you so much for getting that scholarship info in! I was going to say actually, you didn't need to put that in about District Leader and training, not because it's bad, just...I don't know. But thank you so much for getting all that in! That's a HUGE help!
Well, I've got to go. Thank you for everything you do, and all your prayers and support!! I love you SO MUCH!!
Les amo - A infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
Friday, February 3, 2012
Week 88 - Church Tour with the Molina Family
January 30, 2012
Hello!
Well, after the scholarship part, (Thank you for sending me that, by the way - I hadn't even thought about it!) here's a little bit of what's been going on here in good 'ole Houston!
We weren't able to have Magdaleno's baptism on Saturday. He drank coffee last onday, so we had to move his date to the next week. It's possible that we could have it this Saturday coming up, but he's going to need a lot of prayers to go strong. When he came to Church on Sunday, we weren't able to ask him if he drank coffee the day before, so We're just really hoping that he hasn't. He wants to get baptized, but the coffee part has been really hard for him.
Elder Duran is doing well. He's been focusing a lot more on the work, and has really been going out of his way to talk to people. He's doing awesome! I definitely need to focus more on him, and help him feel more confident and comfortable in his calling as a misionary, but overall, he's doing well.
We had our district meeting last week, and it went well! I'm excited to see the fruits that come from it, and how the blessings are going to come in. The district really needs it.
Man, I'm already running out of time! I still need to e-mail President Saylin! The week has been going great, and we've been blessed with more families to teach. We had a great Church Tour with the Molina family on Thursday, where Sister Molina went through and explained every aspect of Church to her sister-in-law! And she explained it exactly to the needs of her sister-in-law, so she really enjoyed it.
I went on exchanges with Elder Sheridan last week, and I learned a lot about loving people, and our true purpose of sharing the gospel be to bring happiness to others, not to simply bring them to Church. It's been really interesting - I've been out here for a while, but the Lord is still teaching me a lot of the basics!
Well, I'd better get going. Hopefully, I'll be able to write a little more, but if not, I LOVE YOU! Have a wonderful week!
Los amo, a infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
Week 87 - Called as a District Leader!
January 23, 2012
Buenos dias!! It's a great day to be a missionary in the greatest mission in the world!
Sounds like the week went very well! It's good to see that y'all got back from the trip alright, even if it was a little late. And it looks like it was super fun! Scuba diving, shopping, Moped riding, and a little bit of zip-lining and flowriding (It's good that you didn't 'fall cool,' though!
How was the week for Justin, Kaytlin, and Kristin? It sounds like it was definitely an adventure! I'm excited to see the pictures from the cruise and hear about all of the fun adventures back at home!
As for what I was going to tell you about, the District Leader part was it. Just letting you know. We're going to be having our first district meeting of the transfer tomorrow, so just keep in your prayers that everything goes well, and that the District can pick up the excitement and the faith to continue forward and see even more miracles! We definitely do have the best district in the entire world!
The ward is doing very well! It's still very small, and people are still coming over from other wards, but it's growing. We do have a baptism scheduled for this weekend: Magdalino! I'm really praying that he can keep away from the coffee and obey the word of wisdom so that he can be baptized on Saturday. It really would be a miracle baptism, but that's just how the Lord works sometimes! We're going to be putting a big focus on him this week, so that we can do all we are able to do to prepare him for baptism, and so he can enter into that covenant and start on the path to return to our Father in Heaven! I love being a missionary! There are some tough days, yes, but I love how the Lord watches out for us, and that the things we pass through in our lives always work together for our good, even when we have no clue how they will help.
We're also working with someone named Nefi - Yes, Nephi in Spanish! He's a great guy - His mother is a member, and his brother served a mission to 3 different states (I'm not sure how that worked, but somehow it did!) Nefi has a baptismal date for the first weekend of this month coming up. It really does look like he's getting ready for it, but we're going to need a lot of blessings from the Lord to make sure he makes it to his date okay.
Well, time to get going. Time flies when you're e-mailing! I'm looking forward to hearing about how everything goes this week, and hopefully Kaytlin feels better soon!
Les amo - A infinidad, y mas alla!
Elder Devin Collins
Picture: Elder Duran and I
Week 86 - Training a New Missionary
January 9, 2012
How are are y'all?
I hope everything is going well! Mom, Dad - How was the cruise? I hope it was awesome!!! How has everything been going with preparations for school and everything? School starts up next week for Butte and Chico State, right? Kaytlin and Kristin - How has school been going for you? And you're in seminary, right, Kaytlin? How's that going? Who's your teacher? How have the dances been? I hear Justin was going to DJ the one this past weekend! How's band going, Kristin? Are you learning any other instruments? You're practicing trombone right now, right? How is that going? Have you built any more cool legos? How are you doing, Justin, you big 18-year-old, you! Mom said that you did really well in your classes this past semester! You need to teach me some Japanese, like how to write and say something simple. Like Nihao...or something like that...
Things down here in the South have been pretty mixed up and crazy! We had that huge rainstorm about a week and a day ago, on Monday, and that just about filled up all the...I don't know what they're called, I think the reservoirs. And the rain didn't even last the entire day, just until around 1. There was a LOT of water. It looked like the roads were all liquid, the rain was coming down so much. I didn't explain myself very well, and told Elder Lyman, "Wow! Look at that! It looks like water!" He just laughed. Oops.
So, in terms of other things that are happening here, the Lord has asked me to train again. Right now I'm training Elder Duran! He's from North Salt Lake (And a little bit of this I included in the letter I'm sending out, so it might be a little repetitive), and is an AWESOME missionary! His companion is serving here in this mission, too. He is originally from Queens, New York, but moved to Utah in 2006. He said that it was a really big adjustment! He's making the adjustment to missionary life here, and he's really putting in the effort to learn the language and speak it with a lot of people. It's been a struggle, but he's doing really well. Even after the first day in the feild, his prayers in Spanish are getting better, and he's able to communicate more effectively. It's really cool to see his progression, and I really want to see the day when he can communicate 100% effectively and confidently in Spanish. He's going to be a great missionary! He loves the gospel, loves Hispanic food, and wanted to learn the language, so this is the place for him! And actually, on his first day, he was able to set a baptismal date with someone! It was an interesting lesson - we went in, not really knowing if he would accept the date or not, but Elder Duran invited him, and Jose Luis Raigosa accepted for the 18th of February! Definitely a cool lesson! It's been even cooler to see when he can really focus on those we are teaching, and testify in near-perfect Spanish, and confidently as well! He's awesome! (I need a stamp that just says, "AWESOME". That would be...awesome.)
Well, it's getting close to that time! I hope the week goes well, and that this past week was great! Thank you for all your prayers and all your support, especially during this past week. It means the world to me!
Les amo...a infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
P.S: We should be back on normal e-mail schedule this coming week, so that should be good.
P.P.S: I forgot to take a picture this week, but I'll send you a picture next week of Elder Duran and I!
P.P.P.S: Have an awesome week! I hope the cruise and school were great!
Oh, and there's something else that I'll let you know about next week. Just something that I thought was interesting - just remind me about it, if you remember. Hasta la proxima!
How are are y'all?
I hope everything is going well! Mom, Dad - How was the cruise? I hope it was awesome!!! How has everything been going with preparations for school and everything? School starts up next week for Butte and Chico State, right? Kaytlin and Kristin - How has school been going for you? And you're in seminary, right, Kaytlin? How's that going? Who's your teacher? How have the dances been? I hear Justin was going to DJ the one this past weekend! How's band going, Kristin? Are you learning any other instruments? You're practicing trombone right now, right? How is that going? Have you built any more cool legos? How are you doing, Justin, you big 18-year-old, you! Mom said that you did really well in your classes this past semester! You need to teach me some Japanese, like how to write and say something simple. Like Nihao...or something like that...
Things down here in the South have been pretty mixed up and crazy! We had that huge rainstorm about a week and a day ago, on Monday, and that just about filled up all the...I don't know what they're called, I think the reservoirs. And the rain didn't even last the entire day, just until around 1. There was a LOT of water. It looked like the roads were all liquid, the rain was coming down so much. I didn't explain myself very well, and told Elder Lyman, "Wow! Look at that! It looks like water!" He just laughed. Oops.
So, in terms of other things that are happening here, the Lord has asked me to train again. Right now I'm training Elder Duran! He's from North Salt Lake (And a little bit of this I included in the letter I'm sending out, so it might be a little repetitive), and is an AWESOME missionary! His companion is serving here in this mission, too. He is originally from Queens, New York, but moved to Utah in 2006. He said that it was a really big adjustment! He's making the adjustment to missionary life here, and he's really putting in the effort to learn the language and speak it with a lot of people. It's been a struggle, but he's doing really well. Even after the first day in the feild, his prayers in Spanish are getting better, and he's able to communicate more effectively. It's really cool to see his progression, and I really want to see the day when he can communicate 100% effectively and confidently in Spanish. He's going to be a great missionary! He loves the gospel, loves Hispanic food, and wanted to learn the language, so this is the place for him! And actually, on his first day, he was able to set a baptismal date with someone! It was an interesting lesson - we went in, not really knowing if he would accept the date or not, but Elder Duran invited him, and Jose Luis Raigosa accepted for the 18th of February! Definitely a cool lesson! It's been even cooler to see when he can really focus on those we are teaching, and testify in near-perfect Spanish, and confidently as well! He's awesome! (I need a stamp that just says, "AWESOME". That would be...awesome.)
Well, it's getting close to that time! I hope the week goes well, and that this past week was great! Thank you for all your prayers and all your support, especially during this past week. It means the world to me!
Les amo...a infinidad, y mas alla!
Con mucho amor,
Elder Devin Collins
P.S: We should be back on normal e-mail schedule this coming week, so that should be good.
P.P.S: I forgot to take a picture this week, but I'll send you a picture next week of Elder Duran and I!
P.P.P.S: Have an awesome week! I hope the cruise and school were great!
Oh, and there's something else that I'll let you know about next week. Just something that I thought was interesting - just remind me about it, if you remember. Hasta la proxima!
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