Monday, March 21, 2011

A new place


Everything is going great! I am back in San Salvador, in Cuscatancingo.
It is nice and cool here- at least to me! Everyone says it is hot, but I am just as happy as a clam. I have a new comp- Elder Marinero. He is really awesome, I have been waiting my whole mission to have comp like him. He is a good teacher and is just a good person. We get along super well. So, it is going to be a great change. I hope President will let us be together for 2 changes. I am really happy here.
We are working super hard to find new people because of some struggles with the last missionary. So we are totally changing that around and working double hard to make up for the lost time.
Oh, I got my second Christmas package and it was like it was Christmas all over again, it was so awesome! I love all the candy and everything,. I think I am going to make the pancakes for a district meeting. [Colin is still the District Leader] Something funny- my district is me, my comp, and a companionship of sisters. That is all. I have never had sisters in my district before so this is going to be a new experience. But I am happy because I already know them, and they are good hardworking sisters, but mom, I think I am going to need more money to buy refreshments for my district meetings, so they won't get mad at me for not having refreshments.
Things are going great, working hard and being happy. Pray for us to find new, good investigators. I love you.
Love
Colin

Tsunami update


Well, we are safe and everything is good. Nothing even happened except that we lost all of our appointments for nothing =( Kenia still came to church, so that is great. She is our investigator that found my blog- hahaha!
We are hard at work, but sad because Kenia will probably get baptised this weekend and it looks like I will change areas on Wednesday. I hope I don't have changes though. I just want one more change here because we are about to have a lot of success with the people we have been teaching for a long time. It is a bummer, but oh well. I am sure everything will turn out for the best.
Things are great here. It is still really hot.
I love you so much mom, thanks for everything that you do for me. I am so grateful to have you and dad for my parents. Being here has really helped me to see how special you guys are to me.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Tsunami Watch


As I was getting ready for my seminary in-service meeting I heard on NPR about the terrible earthquake in Japan, but it was early and I was trying to be on time, so I was doing more listening to reports that thinking about the consequences of the quake. Then, after class, I noticed a call from an unfamiliar number. Thinking it was my nephew, I called back and heard a familiar voice-had I called Evan by mistake? No! it was Colin! He asked if we were safe and affected by the tsunami. I hadn't even thought of that. He then proceeded to explain how he and his companion and many of the members were evacuating to a city where the Zone Leaders lived which was a safe distance up the volcano. I felt so dumb! Of course Colin would be in a tsunami affected area. His apartment is just 2 blocks from the ocean! Then I thought of others; Michiko and her family in Japan, my friend's mother in Hawaii, my sister-in-law who lives just half a mile from Huntington Beach. Colin remembered my friend Michiko, what a good man to think of others. And what a great son to call and tell us he was safe.

It was so wonderful to hear his voice-it has quite a native way about it and "si" would sneak in quite often. He told me about how strong his current investigator was, and how a young woman that was baptized in his first area, has had 8 of her family members join the Church of Jesus Christ. In another area, 2 families that he found and taught have now been baptized. He is seeing some of the fruits of his labor. What a blessing, as that is not the case for all missionaries.

He wanted me to give his love to everyone back home. I know we all send our love right back to him.

P.S. We are so grateful that Colin is not in danger. But in Japan, thousands and maybe millions of our brothers and sisters are suffering. We pray that they will be strengthened and sustained through this horrific disaster by the grace of God, and from those of us who are safe, generously doing and giving what we can.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Hello

Hello!

The best thing that happened this week is that Sandy's mom came to church and really liked it, so that was great. Also a member took us to this place called Las Tunas- it is a little beach village and there are a few restaurants on the beach so he took us there. It was way cool.
The week went by sooo fast that it is hard to believe my mission is almost over. Four and a half months is not a lot of time.

I was thinking this last week about a missed opportunity I had right before I left on the mission. One day after teaching swimming lessons at night time, as we were leaving I went and sat on the benches by the pool in Eastgate park and then everyone else came and sat by me. They started asking me what it was going to be like and what I was going to do and what i was going to teach on my mission. Frankly, I didn't know what to say. I started to say something, but it wasn't very clear and I basically choked. But now I know exactly what I need to say and exactly how to say it. The sad thing is, I will never have the 7 of those people together ever again; wanting to learn, wanting to hear what I had to say. Now I have to go and look for them and then teach them what they need to know, because now I know how to put into words what I need to teach them.