February 24, 2016

Hey so what happened is that it was transfer week so that means that my pday gets changed to wednesday:) 

About the transfers, Elder Laxton went home.....It was super cool to have the opportunity to work with him and to learn so much from him. I am now with Elder Prens, just the two of us. Its gonna be great:) 

So this week has been just amazing. So many people soooo prepared have been put in our path and we are now finally seeing the baptisms come from the hard hard work that we had done the last 4 weeks:) Jorge Ferreira should be baptised this saturday and then the next 6 weeks there are multiple baptisms each week:) things are just splended:)}}

That expierience is the coolest ever!! its amazing to me how the lord sets things up to just fall into place:)

sorry but i dont have much time..........but i love you:)}

Elder Collins

February 16, 2016

SOOOOOOOOO this week has been just splendid as always!! and obviously really jam packed as 

well!!! But really its been a solid week. I can truly say that i have felt the lord use me in oportune moments to extend a hand to lift someone up. We have an investigater from Brazil that just moved here like 20 days ago his name is Jorge Ferreira. He IS AWESOME!!! we have taught him pracitally everythign and he has come to church since we found him and also comes to every actividty that the church has!!! he will be being baptized next week and its just such a tender mercy to see how he has changed his life on his own and how the lord prepared him for this moment to have the gospel:)

Ill send some pics of him:)

Other than that theres been a lot, a lot of planning for the transfers next week and a lot of miriacles:)

I love the work and love the temple. your story mom that you sent me is so amazing, it touched me and made me feel like i need to focus more on the little answers the lord gives me instead of just hoping for the big wow moments. Its incredible how if we go and lood to the lord he will take care of the rest:)

So awesome, Love the work:)

Elder Collins

February 9, 2016

Soooooooo these weeks are unbelievably fast.....i feel like i was just writing you yesterday.....but this week and the weeks that are coming up are just going to be faster and faster!! we have been finding sooo many new people, and truly new people that are ready to be baptized! as of last night we have 9 people with baptismal dates before the 18th of march! and they are truly golden!!! and in these last 3 weeks we have found more new investigators than in my whole mission added up! litterally, as we have been teaching and preaching repentance people litterally are begging us to be baptized in contacts and we just show them the way instead of teaching them it. ITS INCREDIBLE!!!!:)

Its been really really hot but even though its hot, the work is just better and better:) There are no excuses to not have success, that is somethign i have been realizing. If we want sucess, we have to make it happen, its not just going to come! THe lord is incredible:)

Thank you for everything mom, and everyone:)

I love you

Elder Collins

February 2, 2016

This week has been just absolutely fantastic:) I have felt super good! The lord has been showing me things that i need to change and better, and has been guiding me to my divine potential. I am learning so much from my companions, like really though. They are sooo different, like one is just crazy happy all the time and super talkative and the other is really quiet and more sincere and patient. I am just kind of in the middle, i am the balance of the companionship and im learning sooooo much:)

I cannot tell you guys how much i miss snowwwwwwwww. In my ward now its us 3 elders and 2 sisters and the two sisters (are like sister assistants to president) and they are from idaho and so theres a lot to talk about when it comes to snow hahah they are snowmobilers also haahha. but you guys should send me some pics of the new machines and how the snow is right now!!:) Id love to see. because its about 90 degrees here with the burning chilean sun....but i guess thats life ahhaah:)

Thats awesome that experience you had, really. I have been thinkin alot on my life experiences and how i have gone through a lot and have seen a lot of miracles come from little things. I have been contemplateing on the moments in my mission and how they are going to help me in my future to create a family and progress:) Its going to be awesome:)

I love you

Elder Collins

ps. no pics becuase i forgot my cable.....

January 26, 2016

Busy busy week! so first off we had a visit by an Area Seventy named Elder Spitale from Argentina. So There were 3 conferences that we had to go to and had to teach and be there at 7am, which means we had to get up at 5 everyday haha. Its been insane:) But was an experience so special to be at his side constantly recieving tips and counsel from him, was just awesome:) I could just feel his spirit! He got here and had asked us to teach the mission with im about how we can increase the new investigators that the mision is finding, and as a result how will our baptisms go up:) And he practicaly just went to town on the missionarys saying that our focus really just needs to be Teaching Repentance and Baptizing Converts, its really just that simple. It was really interesting because there was a worldwide transmisison by the apostles teaching about Repentance and Baptism and how us as the assitants like a few weeks ago had felt the need to teach these two principles and we recieved our answers that its really what the lord has planned for us:) 

Thats awesome that Jorge Soto wrote you!! that family will always be in my heart:) they were my first lesson as a missionary and now Rosa (jorges wife) is getting close to baptism:) its been awesome to see that familys progress:) Forsure you will get to meet them:) until this moment in my mission, there are 2 families that i need you guys to meet when we come back down:)

Really thank you for all that you guys are doing for me:)

Elder Collins 

HEy so today i had to buy some new shoes, so i used my card:) my ECCOS have died.....hard....ill maybe send a picture next week so you can see how beat they have gotten:) but now i got a good new pair thatll last the rest of my mission:)

:)

January 19, 2016

Hello my beloved family:)

So this week has truly ben a week just full of lots and lots of stuff to do. haha i have never been so spiritually uplifted in my life and at the same time more tired. I can see how the lord truly gives me the strength and the energy that i need to be able complete all of the tasks that there are to do. I have been thinking and i finally understand how dad was as a bishop, how he was working at full speed always and not sleeping very much but he always had the necesarry to complete with everything:) I love to see and now make those connections. I love to work so close to president and see the revelation he is recieving for the mission. i know that the lord is preparing me for something more along the road in life:) 

So you asked me what a typical day is like for me...so first off usually we have to get up about 2 hours earlier than normal to be able to get to the office, or go do exchanges, or go to presidents house for a special assignment, etc. then after those tasks we go to work in our area the rest of the day (so far this week, only 1 day we have had a normal day where we study and work in the sector haha) but always about at 5ish we are in the sector working. But thats something that i am working on changing, because truly we should have more time to be in the area working so our area can be an example to the mission. We are working on that. but then at night we make 3 calls each to missionarys to see their progress and to give them support:) and then plan and plan our meetings and go to bed. Its really really busy all of the time and i just love it:) not gonna lie, its kind of stressfull but its so worth it:) I love it:) 

The people at this moment that we decide to teach are those who accept the invitation to be baptized in a contact, becuase there just isnt much time to "beat around the bush" so we just really focus on those who have truly been prepared and are ready to do these sacred covenants. by doing this, we are seeing so many miracles:)

I Love that Elder Laxton is super excited always! and his desire to work, work, work.

I love that Elder Prens is like me on Love Love Love, and always looking the revelation of god:)

I love you:)

Elder Collins

January 13, 2016

SSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO my beloved family, as you guys obviously know, something happened and i wasnt able to write you guys yesterday! it was literally the longest day of my mission yet ahahah so what has happened is that i have been transfered to the part most north of the mission (really really rich) and have been called as the new Assistant to President. So yesterday i had to get up almost 2 hours early to travel from the area at the most south of the mission(super ghetto) to the most north of the mission and as we got there we had to right away finish announcing the transfers and make those arrangments then start to train for 10 hours all the new missionarys that came in and then we got to our house finally at 10 at night:) and then we had to plan the training meeting that we are going to do right now and had to help the old assistant pack up and wow. long day!!!:) but the best day!!! really though, my new comp(s) are Elder Laxton and Elder Prens (my old zone leader) we are in a trio. Me and Elder Prens are new to the assignment so Elder Laxton is training us in his last transfer. But i dont really have much time to write but everythig is good!! i will write more next week:)

Love you:)

Elder Collins

January 5, 2016

Why hello there! Long time no see:) haha

Awesome that you guys are goin on a cruise! i have been talking with some other elders on how much i truly love to go on cruises haha really though, they are just the best:)

My world is just going round and round to be honest! This week has probably been the hardest but most progressive week of my mission. I have had some really tough experiences where the lord really put me to test. but what i have realized is that by just saying "i cant do anything about it" i am automatically losing and am a creature of circumstances. But if i just look and say okay, lets go! i have found that i have been sooo much happier and dont feel down or anytying:) i can go to bed each night and be at peace knowing that i have truly done all the lord needs of me and that he doesnt need me to be perfect, just perfect and trying no matter what the circumstances:) Its been a great week. really though. 

About coming back for thanksgiving thatd be cool as well, im down for whatever:) as long as i get to come back:) ahah

here is a message from the Mission to you mom

 "Elders and Sisters, We need to tell our families should not send packages by the company FEDEX. Arriving packages to Chile or office, it is required to pay a large amount. Then tell their families to start sending packets for normal companies like USPS (US Postal Service) or DHL or normal postal service of their own country.

If our families sent us packages FEDEX missionary receiving the package you will have to pay the required amount.

Thank you for everything they do!"

Also for the birthday package one thing came to my mind that id love, UNCRUSTABLES:) hahah today i was making a pbj and just remembered how good they are and just thought hey, that could be something cool to recieve:)

i love you so much:)

Elder Collins

pics, zone activiity at a sweet riv witha white elephant gift exchange:)