01-28-14

Well, tomorrow is change day and there is only ONE person changing out of my district.  Hermana Young is leaving.  That is the only change. ;) I’m quite content.  Even though there are some difficulties between my companion and me, if I had been transferred, I feel like these difficulties would have stayed that way forever.  Now I have another 6 weeks to get things in order and get our area back up and running. ;)

I am still with elder Parker, we are working on getting some more activity in our area, the other two gringos that live with us are still going to be here, one of them is going home this change... valiente.   Hermana Coon will be here for ANOTHER change.  I thought for SURE she was going to leave, seeing as this is her area of Oro, where she started her mission 6 months ago!  Haha, But I am very thankful that God has kept us in the same district and I hope to learn even more from her during this change.  This will be our 3rd change together.  Can’t remember if I told you or not, She was trained by the only girl in my group, Hermana Ahern (I think.... not a hundred percent.) so that is where allot of her AMAZING missionary skills come from. :)  She has an investigator named Kholo and I interviewed him this week for his baptism.  Well, it was the first person that I have decided to change the baptismal date on (Man that is hard to say in English... not sure if you understood. ha-ha.)  In the interview I felt he was unprepared and needed more time, due to many impressions and many answers that he gave me.  I have not told hermana Coon the whole reason why he cannot be baptized but we will have to keep him in our prayers if we want him to be baptized, he needs the repentance process really bad.

It seems like EVERY pday here is a rainy day.   Ha-ha.  Last week, it rained HORRIDLY hard, with wind and everything.  Our power went out this week and boy howdy, that was an experience.  The power went off at about 12 midnight and I wok up at about 12 30 dying from HEAT!  Without fans, we die... when I woke up, I realized we didn’t have power, so I figured there were two options, one, the main breaker outside went off or two, the whole manzana (Whole Block) was without power.  I grabbed my flashlight, put some shorts on and looked over at my companion’s bed... to find it empty.  Ha-ha. He had woken up from the tremendous storm and was trying to sleep in the living room where there seemed to be more air flow.  I went out side in the drizzling rain to find that the breaker was untouched and that we were out of luck... I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t due to the humid HUMID heat and the pasty mosquitoes that attacked me all morning long.  That was one long night. ;) Ha-ha.  So many experiences like that that is only learned/experienced on the mission.  So many experiences like that that I haven’t shared yet. :) Ha-ha.

I am glad that you all got my letter!  Love hearing everyone’s replies and reactions.  I have another one to send out tomorrow when I go to Malvin.  

Love you all so stinkin much!
Elder Reay

1-21-14

I found a song that I really love; hopefully you can find the sheet music for me. ;) I think it is called "Cottonwood Lane" but I’m not sure because it doesn’t have any info on the song on my thumb drive.  It goes like this in the beginning, "Ieleen (EYE-LEAN) lived in a little brick house, she and stanely bought in 1952, 415 cottonwood lane is where they planned to make their dreams come true"  Hope you can find it. :) I love to sing it. Is Braden still singing??

This is Estela and her niece and grand child.  Estela was the only one to get baptized but we are working on the others. ;)  What a beautiful day it was!  So thankful to my Heavenly father for all that he has done for me here in Uruguay.

We didn’t have Pday yesterday because President Newsome called an emergency mission wide meeting.  He called us all together without telling us why he needed us to come, so we all got on a bus and made our way to Montevideo.  When we got there, I hooked up with all my good friends!  Elder Macavilca was there, elder Powell, Elder Ha, Elder Gardenier, Elder Barlow, Hatch, Oliveira, and so many more!  ;) What a great thing it was to see them all again and have lunch with them.  Then we started the conference and we had a great choir that sang wonderful hymns.  After that, came the big news.  President Newsome stood up at the pulpit in front of the whole mission and began to cry.  He couldn’t get one word out to begin with... After he gathered his thoughts together, he looked out into the silent crowd of elders and Hermanas and choked out the words, "Tendremos que regresar a casa." ------- "We will have to return home."  After that he told us that his company back home is having financial and legal problems and he along with his family are going to have to return home.  -----We all remained silent and the rest of the meeting was full of tears and emotions... It has been a long time that I have cried.  To be honest.  But yesterday there was just no holding back.  I couldn’t do it.  I love President Newsome as well as his wife and son.  It is sad to see them leave but we have great plans for this month, in order to send them off with 130 baptisms in the mission.

Not sure who is going to be the next president but as soon as we know, we will let you know. 

I love you all so much!  Keep me and my companion in your prayers.  We are struggling a bit, working on some of the difficulties.  ;) I’ll pray and fast for you if you pray and fast for me. ;) Ha-ha.  Love you all so stinking much!

Love, Elder Reay

1-13-14

Man.. Let me tell you.  Being district leader is hard but OH SO REWARDING.  Today we had a meeting with the zone leaders.  All the district leaders were there and we talked about the zone in general and the needs of each area/companionship.  My district is doing the WORK in this zone.  Man.  ;)  Hermana Coon is showing EVERYONE up in the entire ZONE!  We are super excited because we have lots of plans for the following weeks.  Hna. coon had a baptism Saturday, we have a baptism this coming Saturday, and the other hermanas, Young and Montenegro have baptisms planned for the following week!  WE are looking good this week.  My comp and I are getting along better and better every week.  He is achieving some of his goals set with the president and we are seeing progress.  ;)  I love being district leader!  There have been some changes in the mission and it is making things a little harder, but I love giving everything I have!  I am seriously giving a hundred percent.  I am tired and beat, but there is still so much to GIVE!  haha.  I feel a little bit more like mom, she was always running around, getting things done even if it took a miracle.  I have seen many miracles here in my area and they just keep coming.  We had a dry spell there for a while, the beginning of this change was hard seeing as we had one white wash, two greenies, and some problems with disobedience.  But we are getting to the point where we start to thrive.

My little sisters are emailing my and I love it!  Keeping me informed on what they’re up to, seeing as before mom would tell me, "I’ll let the girls tell you about..." and then never getting an email from "The Girls" ;) haha. Now we are talking about communication!  ;)

This week I learned a very valuable principle pertaining to "Work".  Specifically when talking about missionary work or Priesthood or member callings.  -- The TITLE means nothing... BEING a missionary, or HOLDING the Priesthood means nothing... The value comes in how we PERFORM in our calling.  If we are LIFTING WHERE WE STAND. Doing all that we can to serve.  When Christ came to the earth, he had the Priesthood POWER, he was the greatest Missionary/prophet to walk upon the earth, but we remember Him for what he DID while he was here.  He came to be our savior and SERVE...  I have come to Uruguay to Serve.  There is no other reason.  I didn’t come just so I could some day tell my children that I served a mission, I didn’t come just to say I did, I didn’t come to PROVE anything!  I came to be a servant of the Lord and help Him in His purpose.  I am thankful for that and for all that God has given me as one of His servants.

I love you all so much!  Keep helping our ward and if you could, send me our bishop’s email, ;)

Love,

Elder Reay 

1-14-14

Maicol and his briefcase full of our folletos and books. :)

Maicol and his parents, Maicol, Me, and a member that helped us teach them.

Maicol and I.  How BEAUTIFUL!  :)

 

My comp, our Ward Mission Leader, and I.  Right before the baptism