Week Number 6!!

Hey Mom! 

So yes I have my bike but I have not used it at all yet! We have a car and our area is super spread out so we are always driving. But it looks like it will work haha! 

That's sad that not many people are joining choir. I loved choir and I already miss it a ton. Easily my favorite thing about high school. I'm so glad I was able to do that with you and make all the friends that I have made! Thanks to you and Iverson it was great. I can't wait to email Iverson about how much sol feg has helped me on my mission. 

That is so crazy that everyone is gone! Vancouver must be so quiet without the founders of titan country. But I trust Aaron and Cassidy to lead the way this year. 

So my week was probably the typical missionary week! You meet lots of people and you make connections with them and then.... no one comes to church. 

Tuesday was a good day! We had the mission activity and that was super fun. My zone won the tug of war competition. That was sweet. It started pouring down rain but that wasn't gonna stop missionaries from enjoying the day! Then we came back to Bellefontaine and met with some investigators and had some interesting conversations. People in Ohio are a lot different than people in Washington I'll just leave it at that. 

Wednesday we had interviews and district meeting! I love President Stratford. He is such a good guy. He truly loves all of the missionaries and I can feel that. It's so cool! District meeting was good too. It's nice to have a couple hours to be with other missionaries so you don't feel like everyone in the world hates you. Speaking of feeling like everyone in the world hating you... that's kinda what the rest of Wednesday felt like. We were teaching our investigator Josh and he was actually interested and asking questions but his mom was sitting there too with this sour look on her face. Finally she just popped and yelled at us and said "you need to leave right now. Go read the bible more and leave right now" and Elder Ames asked what specifically in the Bible she would like us to read and she just said "Just leave. Get out now." And Josh said sorry and then we left. It didn't feel to good. I went through 18 years of people being okay with what I believe in. I didn't feel like anyone hated me for it. But for the first time someone actually hated me for something that means so much to me and I'm not gonna lie it hurt a lot. But I know that's gonna happen quite a bit the next 23 months so I'm not gonna let it get me down. And it is definitely not gonna make me want to share it any less. I know the joy that it brings me and I want other people to feel that too. After that whole thing we went and visited a less active member and we had a really good conversation with him and it reminded me that not everyone in Bellefontaine hates us so it's okay. 

Thursday we had exchanges! I got to be with ELDER HENRIE. That's right my MTC companion! That was a blast. I don't know why they trusted us to be alone in Bellefontaine together but they did haha! We may have gotten lost a few times while I was driving but we survived! We had one lesson but the rest of the day we just knocked doors. We didn't find much success but it was fun! We did gain one new investigator so that was really cool. It was so fun to be with ELDER Henrie again. He's doing great.

Friday we exchanged back and then me and Elder Ames went to Don's downtown diner. I had the best burger I have ever had. It's the best. We will definitely have to go there when we come back to ohio. We taught the restoration to our investigator Davion! That was super cool. He's a cool guy.

Saturday we visited Dawn and we had a good lesson about the Plan of Salvation and we read the Book of Mormon with her. She is really interested and her granddaughter is 8 and she really wants to get baptized. They are a great family and I love talking with them! In honor of BYU's first football game me and elder Ames got a taco twelve pack just like when me and Patrick and Woodson would watch the games. It wasn't really the same without being able to watch the game but it was still good! That night we went and saw Christian but he was drunk so we couldn't really talk to him that much. He is really lonely and needs a friend so he loves when we stop by. We told him that we would come back the next day. 

Sunday was good. No one showed up to church so that was disappointing. But it's okay you just gotta keep working! We had lunch with the Coleman's and dinner with the Escue's. When we had dinner with the Escue's, Sister Escue took a bite before we said prayer and she says "oops I'm definitely eating before prayer" and her five year old daughter goes "so am I!" And takes a hand full of rice and puts it in her mouth. That was so funny. Sister Escue was like "I'm such a bad example" hahaha. We tried to meet with Christian but he wasn't home so we left him a plan of Salvation pamphlet with a note on it.

So that was my week! Oh and yeah brother Wahl fed us last Sunday! I'm glad you got to see the picture! 

I love you mom thank you for everything! 

Your son,

Elder Collier (Sammy not Jonny)

Another Week!

Hey mom! 

Sorry that yesterday wasn't my P day! We have a big mission activity for half the mission today in Columbus for our P day! It should be fun!

This week was good! We tracted a lot! I am slowly coming out of my shell and getting used to talking to strangers. It is tough I'm not gonna lie, but I know that I'll get better. I know that there would be no possible way I could be out here this long and that I would be able to talk to people without the Lord's help. I have felt His help in my life for sure. 

We actually got 8 new investigators this week! 7 from tracting and one from a referral. That is usually not how it goes haha! I'm very surprised that tracting was so successful this week! We found most of them on the same street on Thursday! And so we met with 3 of them yesterday! We talked with Rachel and her husband and they don't really have a belief in God but we told them that if they listen to us and read the Book of Mormon they can gain  a belief in God! They were very interested so they let us teach them! They are very nice and open to listening to us but they have lots of questions, which is good! You need to ask questions in order to learn! We had a good lesson with them and we are going to see them again next week! We also taught an 81 year old named Patricia. She is Catholic and wasn't very interested in our message but she just needed someone to talk to. So we talked to her for awhile and she kept telling us about her family and we asked if she had ever done family history and she said that she has not but she wants to! So we told her that our church has the resources and that we can get her in contact with a family history consultant! So she is really excited to do that! I thought that was really cool! And then later last night we taught Christian who has had a really rough year.  So we just talked to him and gave him a Book of Mormon! He said he would read it and we are gonna see him again later this week! I'm really excited to keep on teaching these people. I know that God loves His children and it is really cool to feel that love as I teach. 

It was cloudy here so the eclipse wasn't very good. It get a little dark and then it got light again that's about it. But I've heard that it was cool in other places! 

I love you mom! Thank you for everything! Have fun with Jonny in a few weeks! I can't believe he's gonna be home soon. 

Your son,

Elder Collier (Sammy not Jonny) 

PS... I saw some Amish!

First P-Day in the Field

Hey mom! 

I'm in Ohio! My first area is Bellefontaine, Ohio. (Pronounced Bell fountain) it's an interesting place! It's in the Dayton East Zone. I'm on the western edge of the mission. My companion is Elder Ames! He's super cool. He's from a town close to Manti, Utah. He goes home in November so I'm his last companion! 

It's been quite the week! Elder Bednar came last Sunday and that was super cool. I also gave a blessing for the first time on Sunday night. That was a really cool experience. 

So Wednesday we left the MTC at 3:30 in the morning. I called you and dad and then  I got on the plane and headed to Detroit! We landed in Detroit and then flew to Columbus! President and sister Stratford picked us up from the airport and then we went to the Ohio State institute building and had some training there! It was mainly just rules and stuff but we did some contacting too! I met a woman who her and her husband were actually currently looking for a church to attend! So that was nice! So we gave her a copy of the book of Mormon and promised if she read it and prayed about it she would come to know that it is true. After that we drove to the mission home and had dinner and a testimony meeting! 

The Rain made it feel like home!

Funny sign!

Shortest Street in the World!

Jump Shot USA!

Thursday was transfer meeting. I got assigned to the Bellefontaine area with Elder Ames! So we went there and had a good day! I had dinner at a members house and then  we had our first lesson that night! It was with a lady that actually came to  church all on her own last Sunday. She had been talking with a guy in Australia about the church since January through words with friends and then decided to come to church! The Lord really works in mysterious ways and prepares people to learn about His gospel! It's cool! We taught her about the restoration and I invited her to be baptized! She said yes! So hopefully it all works out. 

Friday we did service in the morning and then went to Elder Ames' last physical therapy appointment because he dislocated both of his knees awhile back. So I got to stay in normal clothes for most of the day so that was good! Then we had a lesson with a kid named Josh and set up an appointment for next week! 

Saturday we had a really cool experience. We received revelation through role playing. We role played during companionship study and I asked Elder Ames what it would mean to him to have a prophet of God on the earth today? And he said something like "I don't really know, but I think it would be cool. Like really really cool." And then I bore my testimony about President Monson being a prophet of God. Then we had a lesson with a new investigator named Dawn. And during the lesson I asked what it would mean to her to have a prophet of God on the earth today. And she said THE EXACT SAME THING ELDER AMES SAID. It was so cool. So elder Ames bore his testimony of President Monson. The lesson went really well and I invited her to be baptized and she said yes! It was awesome. We are meeting with her again tonight.

Sunday was interesting. The Bellefontaine branch only has about 25 active members. So sacrament meeting was small. A lot different than what I am used to. But it was cool! I was asked to bear my testimony and so I did and they was cool! 

So here's some interesting things in Ohio:

When people say sweep the floor they mean vacuum. They can vacuums sweepers.

People say warsh not wash. So I am from "Warshington"

There are drive thru drink places everywhere. It is the weirdest thing. It looks like a car wash but there's fridges on both sides and you just grab drinks and buy them. They are everywhere and it is so weird.

Well that's been my week! I love you so much! And it's okay that you painted the bonus room. I think I can accept it haha! And I hope you are able to see the mountain! 

Love you!

Elder Collier

PS...

Oh and by the way my P day is on Tuesday next week because we have a big mission activity where we are playing games at a park and stuff. So I will email next Tuesday! 

Also Elder Gifford Nielsen is coming on Saturday and I'm super excited! I was the only one that knew that he was a BYU quarterback haha! 

I love you!

Elder Collier (Sammy not Jonny)

Jump Shot USA Lives on... Ohio checked off the list. Only 41 more states to go!

Last P-day Here!

It was a good week! It is my last week of being a zone leader. I got to meet the new missionaries on wednesday again. 4 of them are going to Billings! I thought that was cool! It definitely hasn't been as hot as your week. That is insane! I am very glad I am not working the fair. 

I have only not seen Avery one day and that was on Tuesday. I haven't had a chance to get a picture with her but I will try before I leave on wednesday! It has been really cool to see her around and hear her talk in chinese. I saw Emily Reid here too! I saw her yesterday and that was way cool! 

This week we just had classes and things. We had infield orientation all day yesterday. That was really long but it was helpful! It is crazy that on wednesday I will be in ohio! I am not sure what time I am supposed to call so just stay alert all day on wednesday haha!

Planning Priesthood and sacrament meetings was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We got it all done! I can't wait to pass down the zone leader responsibilities to the new missionaries on sunday. They'll be freaked out about the job like we were but then realize it isn't hard at all haha!! 

Everyone in my district has been getting sick. Including me and Elder Henrie. I've been taking medicine and I'm getting better but still not great. At least it is happening in the MTC and not my first week in the field! 

We leave the MTC on wednesday at 3:30 in the morning. Our flight is at like 7:00 I think. We have a layover in detroit. I can't believe I am leaving already!!

I read a scripture a few days ago that really stood out to me. It is D&C 1:27 it says "That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers." I am definitely weak and I am definitely simple but it is my call to share the fulness of the gospel to everyone. The Lord qualifies those that He calls and I know that He will be with me every step of the way. 

Check out my tie!

Sammy's Scripture!

I love you mom! Thanks for everything! 

Your son,

Elder Collier (Sammy not Jonny)