September 13, 2016

Well, he made it!!

We were so excited at the airport that we forgot to take a picture of him with our sign:(

He served so well and is now a powerful force for good.

Jared, WE LOVE YOU and will always cherish your mission experiences with you!!

September 6, 2016

Wow, that is a heart breaker to hear about Deondre.......I would love to be able to visit their family next week. I was able to have a good relationship with him back in highschool, it would be special to visit them. I will keep them in my prayers constantly. Send them my love please.

The bike trip sounds like a blast! no i never did that trip, but lookin at the picture hahahaha Brian is getting chubby:)) hahahahha #thatmarriedlife He may be able to beat me in a "sumo wrestle" hahahaah nah just messing around:)) 

well, so first off it has been an incredible week, it has been super awesome for me to be able to reflect on the progress that our ward "La Dehesa" has had in these last 8 months. To arrive and have all the ward council just against us as missionaries and to be able to see that as we continued striving to involve them in the work how things have been turned completely around. This last sunday we had 141 people attend sacrament meeting (generally its 95-100), 20-30 of them that have been reactivated families in the last few months and with 7 investigators again:) The bishop gave his testimony and just testified on missionary work and thanked us for all that we do and he invited all the members to reach out and continue to help our ward grow. It was super special to see the difference:) It makes me feel very at peace knowing that i have been able to take part of the growth of this ward, and also in this asignment in the mission. As i have been talking with the amazing missionaries that i have been in thier circle of influence throughout their missions to see the changes made just makes me feel super happy. Within the next 2 months there will be 4 couples getting married and following that there will be more than 10 baptisms that come from that! 

I will never forget the wonderful miracles that i have had the opportunity to observe and the lives of people be changed. I know without any doubt that this gospel is real, Christ is at the head of this church. I am eternally grateful for the wonderful people i have met. It breaks my heart to leave this mission and embark on a new one, especially with all the progress of those in the area and also the zones and the direction that we are heading......but this is how the lord would have it. 

I am excited to see the fam and be able to continue building the wonderful relationships that we have:) See scotts football games, late night talks or drives with rachael, sleep overs with brian and kinsie and also Steph and Vince. PPI's with dad, and running errands with mom. Its going to be incredible! It breaks my heart to be ending my missionary service and those who i have come to love so dearly here in chile.....but i know that it is what needs to happen and that i have more who love me back at home and i have a greater work to do there. 

I love you guys so much, 

See you on Tuesday:)

Elder Collins

August 30, 2016

Wow, Wama.......that is super scary....but that is truly a blessing that dad went out to be with her, i will forsure be praying much for her and clearly will join the family in the fast. I have come to gain a true testimony of fasting....truly one of the strongest ways to recieve divine help. 

Lots and Lots of things have happened this week, first off in our area we are having TONS of success with working with members in all phases of the work! Its interesting how as we worked more with the members, consequently we had 7 investigators that attended church and are becoming truly converted!:) its funny because in total there were about 15 people there in the sacrament meeting that were parts of incomplete families that we had invited! There is this family we found this thursday that was INSANE!! so i was on exchanges with a Zone Leader and we were heading to an appointment and we had 10 minutes before the lesson and we saw an middleaged man on his patio with his grandson playing and i felt the strong impression to contact him and as we started talking he didnt seem so interested....but we asked if we could enter his patio and talk with him for 10 minutes and he said yes, and the first thing we did was gift him a book of mormon and testify on how it is the book would change his life and he paused and said "i think i have one in my house" and went to look for it and then he came out with a huge picture of his daughter and son getting baptized in our church!! and then as we entered his apartment he had pictures of missionaries and thier familys on the walls that were 20 years old! as we asked him if he had ever been baptized he responded no but that he went to church for years and years with his wife and kids but didnt remember why it is they never were baptized him and his wife.....then all of the sudden his wife "nelly" walked in and as she saw us this light just lit up in her eyes and she then shared with us all her amazing memories of the church and then explained she was never baptized because she wasnt divorced yet with her ex husband at the time...but now is! and all she has to do is get married now and with out us saying anything she looked at "Juan" (Her husband) and said "Hey! we gotta get married and start going back to church so we can be sealed together!, Elders when is the next ward activity and what time does church start on sunday?" we were just in shock.......we told her how the following day there was a Ward Family Home Evening and she said "WE WILL BE THERE!!!" and to our surprise she was there with her son and grandson and aswell sunday!!! It was incredible how the lord truly means when he promised that the "Feild is white all ready to harvest" we are just to thrust in our sickle and it was super cool to see how this family is super prepared and will be able to achieve many things in thier lives:) 

I am so grateful for the tendermercies of the lord:)

Love you!

Elder Collins

Photos: August 27th (two year mark) lunch at Applebee's:)

today at our zone activity, the cutest little 2 year old chinese girl and her mother wandered in and i got to play basketball with her as my comp and two other missionaries spoke with the mother:)

August 23, 2016

WOW School has started once again?! how nuts is that!!! Funny to think that rachael is a senior now....and scott  in middle schooll........wow how time has really flown!! But the pictures look great, scott is repping some sick socks and vans (i dig that style) also rachael looks wayyyy more mature that i would have imagined and she just needs to be careful not to draw the eyes of the guys too much because she cannot even imagine what damage that does to the guys and where their thoughts go to! i just say, be careful and take care of those who are around you....even if you dont realize it, you are always being observed.

Powell sounds like is was a killer experience!! Im pumped to hit it that first week:) gotta put some color on me;) haha but as far as plans that i have.....just getting home the 13th....maybe on the 18th if there is anytime, go to a little get together with some missionaries from the mission to celebrate the chile independance day...but we will just have to see haha:) i just know that after powell i have to get right into working, and a calling in my ward...but other than that nothing is planned haha

These last days have been an eye opener. On saturday night as Elder Young and I were planning, we were fixing our goals and they were elevated and i just thought to myself "what does this goal serve if we dont have a plan to complete it and work diligently to do it" and so i shared my thoughts with Elder Young and we made specific plans...and the next day we were able acheive the very elevated goals that we had made, the lord made all fall into place thanks to our diligence in working. We were running around working miracles.....one of the most satisfying days of my mission and it made me reflect on myself and i strongly felt the need to really be as diligent as i possibly can and even more so that elder young can have a good high level to keep living up to once i go and him and his new companion can really achieve much more.

Our investigator that is Jewish.......has a baptismal date now!!:) he is wow......the book of mormon really was written to convince the jews and gentiles that jesus is the christ! The ward is really taking charge on helping him capture really everything and he totally has a testimony now:) Sad that he will be baptized after i am at home, but i will be able to take part in his preparation and also for Valeria.....she completely recieved her answer from the Book of Mormon as well this week!!!! she now has no doubts on being baptized but she just has a little bit of fear of water....but that will be overcome:)

Really things are just amazing, working my little tail off until i cannot more:))

Love you

Elder Collins

August 16, 2016

So first off about Victor (the guy who wanted to get married in the temple), turns out he lives litterally on the other side of the road outside of the boundries of our ward.....so he is going to have to attend the other ward and be baptized there with the missionaries there, but that doesnt matter! whats important is that he is going to get baptized:)

YEAH! i remember sister Weichers, and also Todd Pennington haha how funny that they are married! hahahaha super cool to hear!! 

Braeden braeden braeden, that is amazing to hear, really though. I am super glad that he is doing well! and that his mission was the greatest time of his life, i cant wait to just sit down and talk and talk about our wonderful experiences that we had. But really, braeden has been an amazing example to me always, and i am grateful that he became that missionary that the lord would have him become:) 

Time is short, very short.....two years is just a glimpse into the eternities. This morning i had the opportunity to go to the temple and we got there early and we were the first ones there for the session and it was a super surreal experience seeing all the temple workers talk and communicate to eachother in such a loving and real way (i could feel the spirit with everything they did) and it gave me this glimpse on how the Celestial kingdom will be like. We will all be "temple workers" and will be lights to all those who are around us. I could feel the approbation from the lord on my service as a missionary and could feel the weight on my shoulders seeing what the lord has instore for me in these upcoming years of my life. I cannot say that i have been the WORLDS GREATEST MISSIONARY, but i can say that i have come to understand my purpose, eternal purpose in the plan of salvation. I have come to know my savior for who he is and have learned how i can work with him to become more like our father. These two years have been short, but have prepared me for the eternities to come:)

I love this gospel. It is the Truth.

Love,

Elder Collins

August 9, 2016

Soooooooooooo yeah Elder Young is having some health problems, but all is well:) We are still seeing the hand of the lord in all things:) And as for Bryan, he is doing great actually today we talked with him and he is reading the book of mormon and is praying to ask the lord for help to be prapared for his baptism the 10th of September:) He is incredible:))

Wow seth is home!? Golly i hope that i wont be like a deer in headlights!?! But im sure that he is killing it, id imagine him being an incredible missionary and also will do great in applying all he learned at home:) Great to hear....also braeden gets home tomorrow......wow Give him a HUGE hug for me, really i miss that ol' chap haha :)

I am super super up for the family temple trip!! I have the goal to find time on a weekly basis to visit the temple, so that is totally in my plans:) Its going to be spectacular:)) That really just touches my heart hearing that about scott and his fast, really wow, he is so much more mature than i was at that age.....i didnt do a true real fast until i was here in the mission......he is going to do so many great things in life (even though physically he is small, he is a giant spiritually) :)

As for news this week, we have been able to really see the hand of the lord in all things. With it being transfer week we only worked in our area Saturday and Sunday and so it was very little but in the end we still had 5 amazing investigators come to church!! And also a new guy who just showed up with his Mormon Girlfriend saying "hey im getting married to her this saturday, so what do i need to do to be able to get sealed for the eternities?" Elder Young and i just looked at each other with our jaws dropped and we explained the process of baptism and everthing and he was like yeah i know its all true, lets do it! hahaha The lord really provides the way when we are looking for his help and completeing that which he has called us to do. I know that the lord is the head of this wonderful gospel and he will not let us fail if we do what he asks us to do:)

I love you so much:)

Love, Elder Collins

P:S: here are some Super 8, the 4 different styles #iminheaven:)

August 4, 2016

My beloved family,

First off, sorry about not writing yesterday like i had told you guys that i would....after we finished the training of the New missionaries and their Trainers we returned to our area and Elder Young was super super sick and so he went to bed and was out cold the rest of the day, therefore thats why we couldnt write yesterday..... :)

Awesome to hear that the Girls Camp was super great!! What a cool experience to be able to take part in those programs and see the lord work in their personal progress. Also makes me laugh imagining mom camping....haha!!:) 

 Thats super cool that you guys have now gotten your motorcyle endorsments:) i was just thinking and i am going to have to get that when i get home!! Alll over again!! haha but that sounds like it was super fun:)

Wow, those experiences are super special that Sterling had on his mission. I love to see and hear how the lord really is at the head of all things and makes things work. As long as we are doing all we can do to what the lord would have us do he puts all the peices together:) Im super pumped to sit down with all my buddies and talk about the sweet experiences that each of us had experienced:) 

Awesome that scott is enjoying football and trying to become as i am;) hahah

Well as for this week its been super fun! It was super super packed with lots and lots of things to do....but we were able to finish well the transfers and now all is ready for this upcoming transfer:) The New Missionaries this transfer are super prepared and really are going to work many many miracles! In our area the coolest thing happened, we visited Carmen and her Son Brian, Carmen is an eternal investigator that just comes to church every once in a while but hasn't gotten married yet...but her son recently moved in with her (we was pretty addicted to drugs, but has been changing tons) and he was so touched by the spirit and in our lesson he asked us if he could be baptized and so now he has a date!!:) He is super repentant and wants to change his life completetly:) 

Things have been soo good here:) 

PS: we are going to baptize a jew....that lives in a hobbit home!:) Ill send pics...