03-25-13

This was a great week.  WE are working really hard to find people to teach and we are being blessed for it.  I am sick with the flu.  Got it from my comp... Guess I’ll just have to get used to that huh... when my wife gets sick I’m sure the same will happen.  I finally got your package and am enjoying the peanut butter. :) A little bit of the USA in the house. Ha-ha sorry about the wait for this email... the power went out here in minas for about a half hour.  So I was halfway done with my email when the computers went black. The hour of email is defiantly an answer to some prayers right???  I mean holly cow! Half hour was pretty hard huh? 

I got dad’s dear elder dated the 25 of Feb.  Not sure why that one took so long.  Also have some momma recipes to cook up here soon. Mapleen is just maple flavor right?? That’s what I’m looking for so. Let me know if I am wrong.

My scripture studies have been getting really in depth.  I am ABSOLUTLY LOVEING studying in Spanish and then English.  There are so many things to learn in the scriptures!!  I am currently  reading though 2 Nephi and love the use that it has for missionary lessons.  I can use them in almost every gospel principle!! Thankfully God is blessing me in my ability to understand not only the Spanish language, but the scripture language as well..  

Man when those packages and letters showed up... I could feel my families love something fierce.  You guys sure know how to make a missionary smile :)  ha-ha love the little notes on all the things.  SO mom and Chelsea and JJ. :) you guys are so clever. Made the whole house of missionaries laugh and get a little jealous. :)

I cannot express how happy I am to hear about all the missionaries in our ward!!! Joni is such a good friend and I am SO happy that she will be serving a mission! I know she will do great!

I am rocking in the lords work and wielding my sword of truth at every corner and at every door.

YESTERDAY I had the first LEGIT door slam!!! Ha-ha.  We had an intercampio and the door of a house was open so I walked up and clapped outside.  A young woman walked to the open door and took one look... told me she didn’t believe in Jesus Christ and turned around to walk back to her kitchen I assume.  I leaned in the still open door and tried to keep a conversation going as usual, I asked her if anything had happened in her life that caused her not to believe and she got all sorts of angry!!! Yelling saying that she didn’t want anything to do with any (Jesus Christ or God).  I persisted and asked very bluntly if she knew any of her neighbors that ACTUALLY wanted the blessings of Christ in their lives. She walked back to the door, threw out a nasty Spanish cuss word that is oh so well known this far into my mission, and SLAMMED the door with all her might.  :) I yelled through the door (have a nice day) and we took five steps to her neighbors house and clapped once again :) ha-ha

There is so much work to do here... so many families I could help and all I have to do is be obedient and give my very best.... if I do, God will open the hearts of many so that I can teach them the nourishing word of God.  I am so grateful to know this Gospel.  TO have grown up in the church is such an amazing blessing that we all have.  I hope you all are doing FANTASTIC back home and aren’t missing me too much. :) know that you are all loved and that I am doing fine here in minas. Getting cold but should be a good winter. :)

Love you all.

Elder Logan Reay

3-18-13

Man :) yes this was a better week ha-ha

I just received an email from the mission president giving us permission to email for 1 hour, and being able to email friends and recent converts.  Still not supposed to email back and forth like instant messaging but what a blessing huh??  I love the work here and we have some more investigators, working on teaching a SUPPER poor family.  We found them contacting doors, invited them to the classes of English and THEY CAME! So we are teaching them now, the mom isn't really interested but the two youngest boys, (9yearolds) are pretty interested so we will see :)  No micro chip yet, I won't get packages till transfers I think... so that’s another 3 weeks.  But that is ok.  I love getting them all the same :)  This week we had problems with the postal service, so I won [t get any letters till next week sometime, till they get things lined out.  Know that I am LOSING myself in the work, so don [t fret over the little things, I’m finding that God blesses me without fail, sometimes in the long run but ALWAYS blesses me.  :)  Thanks for doing the Plaque for me Mom.  That is something our ward wasn't really good with.  I emailed Josh Stewart today; does he have a plaque too? What about Joni and chandery and Jordan?  Haha food for thought if you are going to be ordering plaques and all. :) My favorite scripture is Alma 29 9 and 13 3 but 29 9 is easier for a plaque, 13 3 is little bit off a life lesson. :) so 29 9 is the one :) ha-ha.  I love Uruguay! Did I tell you that? The blessings are so abundant here! The blessings are certainly MUCH different than the states, but man I am thankful that I have been called to Uruguay.  I am progressing exponentially with the language!!! Kinda hit a breakthrough where I just kinda talk without having to think.  Mainly on the uses of the (tenses).... man that was a killer for me... but now it is coming naturalier, so I am getting to a higher level :)

Spiritual experience was yesterday. Sunday.  :) we had what's called a "chocka de esfuersa" where all the elders in our area, (minas) go into one area (Minas 2B) and all six of us do contacts, tracking if you will, trying to get references for them and find investigators that they can pass by latter that week..  I got to go with Elder Garcia from Peru.  How strong was the spirit the whole time!! Don[t know what I did to deserve that strength, but I was able to talk with 71 people in the 2 and a half hours we had, talking with indescribable POWER AND AUTHORITY.  I have never been able to teach like that, till yesterday, ha-ha. I could describe the lessons simply and powerfully, adapting the methods according to the needs of the contact.  I was blown away at how strong the spirit was.  So thankful that God gave me that experience, I KNOW someone was affected by my spirit yesterday, myself included.  Maybe I was blessed with the spirit super strong for me? for elder Garcia? for a specific contact? So far, I don [t know... but I am eternally grateful for the day. :)

Man, investigators... still not sunny and bright but we have a few that are strong, still have faith that they will get baptized.  Don [t have any right now that are close friends, other than the family taking the English classes.  They remind me of bradie bug and as well as the young kids in our ward, the ghrams as well.  I am studying a lot. A lot alot in first Nephi.  I love the story of this family.  Nephi is my hero. 

Pdays, we clean the house before email.  Today we cleaned for an hour, then headed for the computer lab (If you can call it that.) then we will go back to the house and cook lunch, I will write letters and my comp will sleep. :) Ha-ha we stop at some shops and buy some food for the week, go to the cheep places ya know, but that’s about it... short, sweet and perfect. :) Enough to prepare for the week and write my favorite people. :)

Love you all so much!!

Love, Elder Reay

03-11-2013

Hey everyone!! Well. This week was pretty hard... Saturday, we had a baptism planned, this is the 2nd time we had it scheduled because the first time, she said she was too scared to get baptized.  So Saturday, we passed by her house in the morning to give her some support and make her feel ok.  she seemed all good for the baptism... but three hours before the service we were in the same boat... hearing that she didn’t want to get baptized, she only agreed to be baptized to prove to her grandma that she was worthy... not doing anything bad with her boy friend. She informed us that she doesn’t believe in God or baptism... so we are just going to continue teaching her and hope that we are preparing her for latter missionaries. 

This week has been pretty brutal on the moral... we don’t have very many investigators and our contacts are almost always unprepared.  I have indeed seen many doors shut and many hands wave me off.  BUT. The more important part is the amount of doors opened and arms outstretched.  Even though the numbers don’t compare, even though there is WAY more rejection than acceptation... There is, undoubtedly and thankfully, acceptation.  I love finding a contact that is willing to listen and a contact that I can communicate with and discuss their background.  :::: Our Weekly goals for contacts Per week has been 144.  Since we have so little investigators and we have a weekly activity planned, Elder Ponce and I have decided that this week we will contact 500 people... DO that math, that’s allotted of contacts per day... But :) I am excited to see if we can meet that goal.  haha.  Our weekly activity is that every Tuesday and Friday, we are teaching English at the church.  We have made invitations to hand out and invite almost everyone we talk too.  It so far has brought us 4 baptism dates and hopefully, we will continue to see progression in the investigators.  I enjoy teaching English... sharing my ability with others. :)

Braden is a Cub Scout Champ@@@ winning the First place prize in the Pine Wood Derby???? Dude! Atta boy! You’d better be thanking dad lots and lots. :) I love you Braden. So much.  I hope you are enjoying all this time you get with dad. Make sure you love him lots for me and take him out for a drive in that truck :) when are you going to be the one to drive it>>

 I love you all so much. Hope you don] t miss me too much and hope this email was good.

Know that I love you all and am losing myself in the Lords Work :)

Well, it is back into the field today :) I have 30 or so more contacts to do before the day is through. :) Please know that I love you and know that I am working in the work that I LOVE :) hard or easy... it is worth it.

Love,

Elder Reay