November 10, 2014

ummmmmmmmmm about the shirts, i could probably buy them here, but i just dont know where...so maybe its better you send some unless thatll be expensive, cuz i could probably just find some somewhere idk. ha what ever works:)

okay about the adress, the one that i sent you last time is the one to use. the other one will not work pretty soon, so make sure to change to the new one:)

the turners!!! dang i am sad that i never was able to say goodbye to them:( give them my love!!

Congrats Rach!!! except im pretty sure i got 100% as well but we can give her the glory if she wants;) 

WOW!!! i cant even imagine how amazing that temple is!!! i want to go now! but i guess i get to go to the temple this wednesday so thats still cool:) haha after my mission and when i am old and loaded with $$ i want to travel the world and go to everytemple in my lifetime!! i think that would be the cooooooooolest experience:) (Washington DC temple)

oh and the thing about dad answering tracy`s moms questions, litterally once or twice a day i will think of some weird doctrinal question that i want to know and want to ask dad but i just gotta ask a couple young dumb missionaries;) haha i need to start writing them down to ask him!! one of them is this, so with adam and eve, God gave them two commandments right? to multiply and replenish the earth, and also to not partake of the fruit. so he gave two commandments that they could not keep. it says in the book of mormon that god doesnt give any commandent that we cannot keep. So all of us elders have tried to come with anwers for it and i thought i had one but today when Elder Russel M. Nelson visited us, in his talk it proved my theory wrong......so Run this question by him and let me know what he has to say about it:)

Speaking of Elder Nelson, today i had the amazing opportunity to shake his hand listen to a prophet of god talk about pure doctrine. Easily one of the coolest experiences that i have ever had. The spirit that was in that room was incredible and also its funny because we often look at him like he isnt like us, but he is the same. like he was joking around and all this stuff it was sweet!! so when he first walked in we were standing and i was on like the 4th row and he turns and sees all of us 456 missionaries and said "¡oh my goodness!" like he litterally was in shock and taken back by it haha. it was amazing!!!!! also after the whole thing ended when he was walking out (this was quite becasue he didnt have the microphone so only us in the front heard it) but he said to his wife, "oh....i really dont want to leave......."then he turns around and said to us "I Love you guys" and walked out. when he said that.....i nearly broke into tears. i guess i never before understood that he litterally loves me. and i jsut had a moment where i could feel his christlike love for me personally. Super special. AMAZING way to start off my day!!!!

Also another thing that happened crazy this week on a less spiritual note.....our pension got robbed while we were sleeping.............Nuts right!!!! its actually kinda funny because i had a dream that we got robbed and there were four guys in our pension and stuff but i just thought that it was a dream...but aparently it was real! i had woken up and seen them and tried talking to them half asleep and that probably scared them and they left! but they didnt get very much. pretty dumb criminals. so all they took were my nike freerunners:( and Elder workmans 3 soccor jersies and a plant ha if they were smart they would have taken my money and camera that were on my desk, elder stewarts GoPro Hero3 that was on his desk and like idk anything more! but yeah we got robbed while sleeping so now i set up a ghetto security system haha but nothing has happened since, so we will see! anyways so since i dont have anyshoes anymore, i am going to have to buy some more this next week. so if its possible to see if i have money on my card that would be great:)

anyways about the spanish, so i have a question for dad. when he was here did the people always add "po" to the end of everything and also not pronounce "s"? so appàrently chili is known for their bad spanish haha and apparetnly peru is known for their perfect spanish haha so looks like i am going to talk like a gangster and braeden is going to talk like a proper latino haha 

so this work is going super good and i am loving everyday more and more! im glad to be out here doing this for the lord. and i can tell already that he has prepared me long before the mission for the things that i am going through and will be going through. like only after 4 weeks im basically the senior comp and doing all our planning and our area book and keeping us going haha but i was born to do this and take the lead when it needs to be done (thanks to dads high expectations:)) 

I love this so much and am so excited to each up coming week!!!

Obediencia con Exactitud.

Elder Collins

October 27, 2014

Hello my dear sweet mother:) and family of course;) To start with anwering your email, so about the family pics, just a size that could fit in a picture book. and i kinda would like a picture book sometime in the future cuz itd be nice to see the fam at times and people always ask to see pics and i dont have any! 

second, I am soooo jealous that you guys get to enjoy this cabin!!! i want to gooooo ahah but this work here is more important for me to be doing so its all good:) looks good though!!!! 

SCOTTTTTTTTT look at you!!! you are a natural!! already goin to championships?! i remember when i got to those and they were so cool!! scott when you are out there just think of me and you will play better;) hahaha

 Wait, rachael had to get braces?!?!?!?!?! why have i not seen pics???????????? why would she need them??? you gotta let me know! thats coo how they are not see able! 

oh the manti temple is my faaaaavvvvv i am sad i wasnt able to go before the mish! but  ill have to go afterwards:) sounds super cool!! 

30 years......30 years young!;)

 thanks nina!!!!!

hah yeah i am working on keeping it and yeah my pants are getting loose!! speaking of pants, so in my first two weeks almost all of the hemming came undone on all my pants and so i only have 3 pairs of pants i can wear....so i am getting them fixed finaly because i found a guy to do it but yeah maybe let adam know about that.

oh speaking of jaqueline.....we invited her to this baptism (the story to just inviting her is incredible but no time to write it..) but she came and afterwards she said to us, "elders, i have made a decision. december is the month" i was going nuts!! we were so shocked!! but are so proud of her that she has recieved her answer. all that needs to happen is she needs to give up a couple habits and she will be good!! soooo pumped:) And another investigater, rosa(the mom of fernanda, the girl being baptized in december) we invited her to an other baptism yesterday and she came and afterwards she to said she now feels like she wants to be baptized!!!!! one thing is she and jorge arent married...so we will need to talk to them about that tommorow. but such a great week:)

food package!? you just know how to please me mother:) yeah that is going to be perfect!! so we have an oven, stove, microwave......thats about it.....so what ever can be made with those options id be willing to try!!!:)

Yeah this is just second nature, i absulutely love everysingle day!!! you may thing im overexaderating, but for reals. it really is just so amazing. I love every aspect of the misson so far and cant believe its been two months!!!!!! its already going fast!!! anyways. i love you and pray for you guys every night. i hope that you are all doing well! keep it real. 

Elder Collins (the one and only)

ps. our WML has a grandson and he was called to the boston massacheusettes mission!! 

p.s.s. which years was dad here? and what areas did he serve? because there are a couple people that think they may have served with him. like bishop Arevelo. idk let me know:)

p.s.s.s. I truly miss costa and all the missionaries tell me everyday how much they loved it and to tell pops thanks;) really though some sweet pork right now......soooo good:)

okay bye:)

October 13, 2014

Alrighty then!!

Hola mi familia en los Estados Unidos! 

Sunds like you guys are having a great time like always! Cruises and stuff, while im down here working my tail off to bring people the salvation of their souls;) haha estoy Bromiendo, Let me start off with explaining my teacher situation, so she told me that she was going to do it and stuff but then after i had written you guys and couldnt tell you guys differently, she tells me that they created a new rule where they cant deliver mail for us.......so i still have them in my possesion....sorry about the confusion! oh and stephanie,,,,thats crazy.....hope she is better now! and USU? thats so cool!! i cant wait till she gets married, i know that she wants it so bad and i am praying for her to find the right man for her that will be her perfect other half. Awesome:)

Well havent these last 10 days flown right by!! i feel like i wrote you guys yesterday!! wierd how thats how the mission is going to be! so yeah im no longer in the CCM. and am officially in the feild teaching the people of chile the gospel of Jesus Christ. Im gonna start off telling how my last week went in the CCM. so First it was a normal week until thursday, we went out street contactin, and that was sooo hard because i only know spanish about the gospel and my comp doesnt know any spanish so it was an awful 2 hours....but the next day we were able to go outon splits!!! we went to the south mission and i was hoping that i could be paired up with corbin, but nope....i was with a latino and he has been out for 13 months. we did tons of street contacting and it was AMAZING! it made me soooo pumped for the field! 

It was kinda hard to say goodbye to all the people that i had become so close with and would never see again! but its all worth it because now its not about us at all. its solely about the lord. 

Alright, conference. one word "UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE" i was able to watch it in english and every single talk was just soooo perfect for teaching me little things that i need everyday out here in the field! I have to say that my Favorite talk over all was Bednars. He was talking directly to me, and the people that i am going to teach in just a few days and i just felt the spirit soo strong that whole two days! i wish that we could have that on a weekly basis! but hey in november Russel M. Nelson is coming to chile to talk to us! so thats suuper sick!!!:) 

Okay, now for the new stuff. THE FIELD! Oh my gosh i love it sooooo much!! it is so much better than the CCM and is so much better than anyone ever said! My comp is Elder Silva from brazil, he doesnt speak any english which is good! because now i am literally forced to learn spanish or just be mute haha The gift of tongues is really coming and i can feel it when i am talki8ng to people. oh and Pres. wright, he is THE BEST!! i had the oportunity on my first day to do a practice lesson with him being the investtigator! i Learned tons, but it was hard because i was nervous...but it was good:)  He is awesome and his wife aswell! 

On My first day we went to visit a family for the first time. Neither of us knew them. It consists of Jorge(Less active) Rosa(Non member) and their two daughters Fernanda(9) and Violeta(1). They are so amazing! we had a great lesson even though there was tons of distractions.....kids crying, ice cream flying, soap opera blaring, neighbors screaming, ETC. But the spirit was still there. They told us that they want fernanda to be baptized and she told us she wanted to be also. They asked if i could baptize her! of course i was stoked to say yes! but in the end i hope that we can make it work out to where Jorge could baptize her, and also that Rosa will be ready also. She has shown interest. I feel that she will be ready aswell:) The work is reall and has only just begun!!! 

So everyday we have a lunch with a different family in theward. they give us soooo much food! but it is super good! even though its a lot of food, its like the perfect amount with how much walking we do it is a perfect balance so we have energy the rest of the day:) The people are so amazing and i already love each person i meet, i just see such great potential in all ofthem! i want each person to accept the gospel!! haha funny story, so we were visiting this member family and got talking about music and she asked if i liked Queen and of course i said yes! so she puts her CD in and is blaring Bohemian Rhapsody, Fat Bottom Girls, Another One Bites The Dust, Bycicle race, etc it was awesome:) 

Our house is pretty cool, its decent in size but is sooo cold. there is onlyone window that brings in light and its solid concrete everything, freezing! and its so dirty.......nappy gross. I am loving it here and am so glad that all is going well at home and you guys are being the amazing family that you have always been:) thank you for your support and know i pray for each and everyone of youeach day. I lover you so much. until next week!

Elder Collins

sorry i didnt adress some of your questions, my mission office is 20 minutes away haha but yea his spanish is super good! but no english... haha oh well! He is the DL but is really sluggish and i am having to get us going and stuff but it will get better! I will send pics of my apartment next week and my area is pretty small its called Alicahue and there is 1200 members, but only about 80 are active.... lots of reactivation!!! no one plays the piano.....if i practiced a little i could be able to but i just dont have any time......

SCOTT!!!! I LOVE CHIPOTLE!!!! hahahahahahaha i started laughing sooooo hard!!!!! love you man!! look up kendama tricks on youtube to see cool stuff:) 

Thell the marines that im busy;) 

oh good!! the letter got there!! the other one for lyss will probably never get there... so dont worry about it haha 

BRETS GOING TO MICHIIGAN!? THats AWESOME!!!!!!!!! Tell him kthat i am soooooo stoked for him and that he is going to LOVE it!!! love him tons!!

yeah that package will get to me, but here is a better one

Misiòn Chile Santiago Este

Cristòbal Colòn 6824

Casilla 27.144 Las Condes

Region Metropolitana

Santiago Chile

its the misson homes direct adress:) either one works though:)

 

November 3, 2014

Goll those pics of the sabatical are soo sweet!!! that marlin is huge!!!!!! i miss the sabbatical haha its weird to see all the benifets that i enjoyed and took for granted growing up, and now to see what everyone else in the world does. its really a whole different world. An eye opener, i love it. makes me appreciate everything so much more:) WHALE SHARKS?¡ thats sooooooo cool! i will have to do that when i get back, if i can remeber how to scuba dive;) hahaha 

Congrats scotty boy!! im glad that you are now enjoying football! hopefully he will like to do it every year, and he can get as good as i never was;) haha i hope he realized that all those days of practice he hated was worth it in the end when he won that championship and all the games make it worth it! 

Wow those braces are super cool!!!!!!! wish i could have had those instead of my lame normal kind ha maybe i would have had more girlfriends in middleschool;) hahaha they are super cool tho!

Yeah i have a menos activo that said he will do my hemming on all my pants for like a total of $25 and he is tailoring them to be more of a euro style. im gonna look flyyyyy;) hhaha I need to buy some more short sleeved shirts soon, because i only have the 3 and thats not enough ha 

im lookingforward for the food package! so are all my roomates so i can start cookin for them. everyone kind of mooches off me. kinda annoying but its whateves haha 

yeah its the ward mission leaders(general authority) grandson. he thinks its spanish speaking but isnt sure. itd be super cool if they met the same people! small world

thanks for dads info, i will ask the people if they served with him haha that would be super cool!!!

Rachael looks like a wierdo...hahaha i wish i could have made fun of her for that;) scott looks like a straight boss!! good job scott:) (Halloween costumes)

Hunter Dahl......are you serious.....yeah i knew him. we had talked a couple of times...he was a laccrosse player and was pretty cool. that hurts me to hear that....his family will be in my prayers...its lauras son right? soo sad...but there is a plan, and this is part of it. we dont know the reasons, but its part of it.

okay 

for my week, 

so first the misson office came out and told us the address to send mail to. so here is the one that they offically told us:

6824 Cristobal Colon

Las Condes, Santiago

Region Metropolitana

Chile

now for some funny things that happened, so i dont know if i ever told you this but i had forgotten to bring a towell on my mission from home, so i went the first 2 months without a towell and using just a little hand towell haha fun fact;)

also we had halloween this week and its not like the same here as it is in the US but we still have it. but our ward had a party in the chapel(litterally the chapel, they took the chairs out) we had a DJ hired and there was this sick light show and smoke machines and everything. like no joke, this was a full on party that is like what me and my buds would go to in the states, so it was a dance party that had some super sick bumpin toons and i wanted to dance sooo bad!!! but the rules are rules.....haha i just sang to a couple of songs, i think this kid in my ward filmed a bit and tagged me in it on facebook. so maybe look to see if he did! but there were quite a bit of bad words that were said in the English songs but none of the people could understand what they were so they just danced haha weird!! but halloween was sweet:) ooooh and thanks for the halloween package!!! its was perfect! i love the ring, and the batteries were very needed! thank you thank you! and the skeleton is hung up in our door way and we are always putting it in weird formations and stuff haha its funny:) we love it! and all the candy!!!!! i have barely even touched the candy but i give it to little kids during the days and stuff because they dont have smarties here and they love them:) oh and the blessing, i was meening to ask for that for a while, you just read my mind:) thanks:)

Okay we have gone on divisions twice now and they are so fun to do! first i went with our zone leader Elder Mamani from peru, and he is so cool and the way he does things is so sick! he is an incredible missonary. learned tons from him. but when we finished divisions we had to take the bus back to my area and we accidentally got on the wrong bus and ended up in the heart of santiago like an hour away from where i live haha so we didnt get back to the pension till loke an hour late at 1130 haha it was super funny:) also i went on divisions with elder stewart, we are both new to the mission at the same time. my comp(district leader) said he was going with elder workman and that us newbies would be together haha so i lead our sector and it was actually a good day! we set up a family night with jaqueline and set everything up for it and the night went perfect. it helped her with alot of her fears and doubts. but it was cool to be leading my sector and that my comp would trust me to do that! haha 

so an update on our investigators, so the soto family, fernanda is still getting baptized on december 7th and her mom is going to be baptized aswell, dont know what day for her yet because they need to get married first but we are workign on it! and for jaqueline she accepted the day of 20th of december!!! that day is extra special because its an activity our whole zone is doing where everyone is having people on that day and having a big massive spiritual baptism service called "blanca navidad" its gonna be super special:)

thats pretty much this week. everyday my spanish is improving and the work is getting better and better!! love you guys:)

Elder Collins

October 20, 2014

Goll you guys just decide to have the times of your lives right after i leave dont you;) haha its cool i guess;) I wish that it was cold here!! it is hotter than haites down here!! Its so hot that its like impossible to get through the day without dripping in sweat!!!!!! all of this walking and heat has made me lose a few pounds...............your never gonna believe this....but i have lost 20 pounds....i weigh like 185 right now.....I am just watching my muscle slowly diminish and i am trying so hard to work out to keep it all but its just not possible!! im gonna end up like brian;( hahaha Anyways yeah i sent the letter to you guys its in a yellow envelope and has letters and stuff in it! Well jake and steph are cooled down...thats really surprising to me! but im glad that she is making the tough decisions. 

Oh yeah Elder silva is great! except like he doesnt teach me how to do things so i am teaching myself how to do most things, like for our first week we didnt even touch our area book and i didnt know why then i decided to just look in it and figured out all this stuff that we have to fill out so i am doing that all now he has been out for 8 months now and is pretty funny. We cleaned the pension today so its really good now:) ill send some pics haha Oh but yeah the date for her baptism is December 7!!! so pumped:) Oh i would love to recieve their letters that would be great! Hey i miss mine and rachaels little night talks about life..:( but we will continue after the mish:) 

Alright about this week, So first of all our area. It is called Alicahue and our ward is Tobalaba 2. My sector is suuuuuper ghetto. There are so many "Flites" (Gangsters) and they are pretty insane!! but it is nothing like i was told it would be like, yeah there is one part of our whole mission that is rich and nice but the rest is super ghetto!! like my shoes if i shine them in the morning they wont last 10 minutes till they look like crap.... But the ward is absolutely amazing!!!!!! i love all the people!! Our ward mission leader was a General Authority! he has cool storys:) 

Also we decided to buy this food called a Churrasco and its like a burger but with flank steak as the meat, its super good! but the one we bought was the size of a basketball!!! it was crazy!!!!! also completos are pretty good too:) Oh i had mate! i dont know why but it is super good!! you gotta add a little sugar though, but i enjoy it:) Speaking of food, if its possible, could you guys send me some recipes of stuff because im getting tired of the same thing of cereal or eggs...itd be nice to have some recipes:) 

Okay soccer, it is life down here. There are these two teams Colocolo and La U, and its like BYU and Utah on steroids!! They played eachother on sunday and there were fireworks everywhere people running around shooting shots in the air and just screaming and fighting and it was nuts!! super funny to see though:) 

So for a cool experience this week, we were teaching one of our investigadores Jaqueline and she has been meeting with missionaries for the last 10 months and isnt progressing so i told my comp that we should just start over and treat her like a new invesitgador to find out what her doubts are about the church so we went in and started talking about the restoration and how josé recieved his answer and she said "elders, how do i recieve an answer? what is going to happen?" i was shocked! after 10 months of missionaries no one taught her how to recieve an answer!? also we found out that she prays, but in the way of catholics....that no one taught her how we pray! so we taught her and hopefully now she will be able to get her answer and accept this gospel in her life.

I am loving this sooo much and it truly feels like i have been doing this my whole life. like idk why...but it feels so natural:) i cant wait for the future and to see all that is in store:) love you guys and am so glad youre all doing great:) 

"Si en su búsqueda, usted hace su mejor. Él señor es ahí hacer al resto."

Nos Vemos, Cuidase

Elder Collins

October 7, 2014 picture of Corbin's group:)