04-16-13

This is me and my  new comp.  Elder Gardanier.  The kid in yellow is
one of the funniest kids i know in URUGUAY, his name is JOEL and he
loves me to death.  His family are members and he is super fun.

Man!!! I can hardly remember what I wrote in those letters ;) But I am sure glad that you all liked them. I will be sending off some more mail through the URUGUAYO mail system today. Please tell me if that letter got to you. I want to know if I should continue to use it or just stick with pouch.  I am going to write you guy a good letter today and hope and pray it gets to you :) 

My new companion’s name is Elder Gardanier from Utah.  He is short and full of the spirit.  I am learning allot from him.  EVERYONE in the house is relying on my knowledge of the area and boy howdy... I have GREAT since of direction due to my experience in the woods but I CANNOT remember road names to save my life... so they all ask me where so and so lives and I could walk them right to it but EXPLAINING It ----- nope. :) Ha-ha.

This last Sunday was stake conference and WOW! The spirit I felt was in describable.  I am so grateful to my heavenly Father for the experiences t hat I get on the mission.  They are priceless and life changing.  The second councilor of the stake presidency was talking about missionary work and what a spirit and testimony he has. He was about to conclude his talk but he stopped and thought for about 5 seconds... . Then he addressed the congregation once again and asked EVERY brother that had NOT served a mission to stand up . . . . . . . over half the congregation was apron their feet. . . . . . He addressed them saying, ¨You promised your Heavenly Father before this life that you would accomplish certain goals.  One of those goals is to fulfill your priesthood deity by TEACHING the children of God.  Young men, who are approaching the age of a mission, GO ON THAT MISSION. If you don’t, you will be BREAKING that promise to GOD.  Brothering who have now passed the age or never had the opportunity to serve, you too have promised God something.  You all promised him that certain families would be brought to the Gospel though your testimony. Don’t break your promise.  Be true to who you are and find those people you are destined to help.¨ He then invited them to sit down and preceded with his testimony.  manhow powerful was his spirit.  IT was amazing!"!!!!!

Well, there is a beautiful spiritual experience that I hope you all can follow.  I can’t convey the feelings or things I saw through email but I wish I could. :)  I love you all so much and pray for you daily.

Know that you are loved and that I am lost in the work, searching for those lost sheep.  I love you all so much.  Please search for missionary opportunities and help the missionaries in our ward, share the Gospel.  Share The Gospel!!! :) It is true... every bit of it and WE know it!!! Now we’ve got to testify of it! :)  Spend lots of time on your knees, but don’t forget to GET UP after and WORK for the blessings you have asked for. :)  One of the many lessons I have learned here, prayers are a WONDERFUL resource, but.... without action, without faith, they are just words.... I testify that they are NOT just words.  They are HEARD by our heavenly Father and we owe it to him to get up off our knees and WORK. :)

Love you. All.

Love

Elder Reay

4-9-13

Man what a week! General Conference was flipping amassing!!!!!!!! I got to watch it in English.  Elder Craynor and I sat in the clerk’s office where the technology closet was and watched it on the little TV:  What power! Every talk spoke to my heart and I’ve never been so spiritually fed in my life!!! The prophet is so powerful and I’m so grateful for the chance I had to listen to our beloved prophet.  We all watched it at the same time!!!  You were all there at the same time.  It was just 1 pm here. Ha-ha Saturday at 11 o’clock we had lunch with the branch president. Then at 1 conference started, when it got over, we procilited in our area about 15 minutes away.  ...Conference was in the stake center about the distance of our house to g'mas...  The second session started at 5 and when it finished, we did some contacts around the stake center for the elders of Minas 1.  Then studied Spanish while eating some cereal for dinner.  Priesthood started at 9 and ended at 11. Man what a day!!! My notes are full and my heart has been touched. 

Tomorrow I will get anew comp and 2 new elders in my house.... I will be the ONLY one that knows ANYTHING about our area... so ha-ha I get to train everyone, taking them around and showing them investigators and such.  My comp will be the district leader and thank goodness!!! I love learning from the leaders. I think God is preparing me for some callings in the mission.

Questions I have.  Is Ryker planning on going on a mission_ did you get to send me the Blue Card Reader_ Can I use 2009 First class stamps.  .44 us flag.  They say USA44 on the front.  Doesn’t say anything about ¨forever¨

04-01-13 - No April Fools

Hey family!!!  Long time no see right ahah.

A couple of questions... Is Taylor Wood looking at getting married??  Heard you guys spent the night with his family... how is everyone??  Can you send me the Gray SD card reader that works?? The one with the blue light.  I have just been using the camera cable for pictures and haven’t been able to move files on my sd cards.  It would be nice to move mom´s Grandma Song onto the master music card that I am using.

So today I will send off a letter directly though Uruguay mail.  Momma’s "I’m failing with jus a 2/3" got me thinking... so I’ve Gotta take care of my momma and get her some mail!!! I am thoughouly enjoying the packages that I got and you wouldn’t believe how nice it has been to read all the wonderful wonderful letters you all sent to me!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness!! JJ May spoil me with some letters from the cabin! My momma gave me some uplifting thoughts and man!!! Your voices on that micro chip were BEAUTIFUL!!! I loved each one of me!  I have a total of 83 stamps now.... they just keep coming and coming :) ha-ha so God has blessed me ha-ha. 

Man... I could use a massage from my dad right now... wearing a backpack everyday all day is killing my shoulders :) ha-ha  As I was listening to my Father’s message on the sd card... I could hear the click of his blue G2 pen as he most surely was sitting at his computer desk with a couple of bullet points scribbled onto a scrap piece of paper he pulled out of his trash can :) ha-ha. Similar to what I am doing now actually.... I’m sitting at a computer, reading off the bullet points I have gathered throughout the week in my planner of things I want to say in this email :) ha-ha guess I learned from the best right??  I cherish every attribute I have learned from you dad.  It was beautiful to hear from mom how much she has leaned on you this week.  Makes me supper happy to hear that my strong father is taking care of my lovely mother.  Thank you. :)

JJ May was the FIRST one to call me a Fartknocker!!!!  I have been Fartknocker free for 4 months until my loll sis made me smile from ear to ear as she signed a Cabin Written letter to me. :)  I loved to hear JJ epic battle to take down all powerful DAD in a game of Texas Holdem :) I know exactly what you are talking about J.  It is quite a feat to do something like that :) ha-ha.   I love you and thanks for the mail.  JJ. You wanted to know about the youth in my area.  I could really see the youth’s testimonies this week.  This week they went to EFY. Each one that went came back with stars in their eyes and they all had such a strong testimony.  :) EFY is one of the BIGGEST things they have EVER done in their lives.  How I took for granted those times spent with such a choice group of members.

I am loving up the Grandma Song, played it all day yesterday and all day today :) ha-ha. I have no idea if listening to your voices is against the rules, so for now I just kept it on the down low so no one asked questions.  I got to listen to each one of em. :)

I love you all and am so grateful for all the strength you all give me.  Please know that I love you all and am working my BUTT off trying to find people to help.  If only I could work this BELLY off :) ha-ha.

Love Elder Reay