Ballin' in South Youngstown

Hello!

This week has been pretty good! Things are going very well here in Youngstown, I hope I never leave. Elder McInnes and I are having so much fun being companions! In interviews with President Stratford yesterday, I told him that I would not mind being here for 6 months and being companions with Elder McInnes for 3 transfers. That's how much I love this place!

On Thursday, we had the opportunity to go on exchanges with the Assistants. I had the great opportunity to go with Elder Winland. He is a fantastic missionary and I had a great time. The highlight of the day was when we were in South Youngstown which is a pretty sketchy part of town. We started talking to this group of guys that were walking around. We taught part of the Plan of Salvation to this guy named Jonny and he really enjoyed it. He told us that this part of town needs better influences. After we were done teaching him we balled up with him and his Squad. It was a lot of fun and Elder Winland is very good at basketball. After we played with them they told us that we have a g pass, and that they will make sure no one messes with us in South Youngstown. I have never received a g pass before so I feel pretty accomplished.

Tyler and Amanda are doing very well! They are getting baptized next Friday evening and we are very excited for them and they are very excited as well. They have sacrificed a lot to keep God's Commandments and it is very awesome to see the change that is taking place in them. They used to be confused and lost but now you can see a light in them and they are filled with hope that comes from Jesus Christ. It is very cool to see and I love them very much.

Yesterday Elder McInnes and I got to tour some apartments that the mission is considering placing new missionaries in. We are very excited that there will be another set of missionaries in our area next transfer! We have been scrambling to teach all the people in this huge area so another set will be very helpful. They will cover the Pennsylvania side of our area most likely.

I love this area, I love these people, I love this work, and I love this gospel! Things are going great.

I love you Mom! 

Your son, 

Elder Collier 

Lives Are Changing

Helloooo

This week has been such a good one. I was able to go on two exchanges this week. I went with Elder Reed on Thursday and Elder Oettli on Monday. It was good to see Elder Oettli again. We were in the MTC together and he served in both Marysville and Johnstown. So that was a lot of fun to be able to talk about those places. He is a great missionary and a great district leader in this zone. I'm very happy he is here. 

Saturday was a really big day! PAUL GOT BAPTIZED!! I got to video call in and "attend" the service. I was able to talk with Paul and he is so happy. I miss that man a lot. He is the reason why I served in Marysville. I'm so happy for him.

Tyler and Amanda are doing amazing. Meeting with them is my favorite. They are so excited to be sealed together as a family after they are baptized. It was such a wonderful experience for me to testify of how I have been blessed because I am sealed to my family. They attended church on Sunday and loved it! Their two little daughters loved it as well. Every time I see them running around I smile. I love this family with all my heart. There is a trunk or treat and chili cook off at the church this evening and they are all going to attend. It's gonna be a lot of fun. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. Through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ people can find hope and peace in this world that is increasingly hopeless and chaotic. I am a witness to the miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have a front row seat right now and I am loving it.

I love you Mom! Thank you for all that you do. You're the best. Thank you for raising me and teaching me to have faith in our Savior. 

Your son, 

Elder Collier

The Book Of Mormon Is True!

Hello!

So first of all, transfers were in Thursday. I said goodbye to Elder Dixon and hello to Elder McInnes. To answer your question, yes we are both Zone Leaders. It is a lot of fun! Elder McInnes and I are very similar. He is from Twin Falls Idaho. He likes all the same music that I like. He's a huge twenty one pilots fan, and a huge Hamilton fan. Needless to say we are getting along super well. 

This week has been so good! General Conference was absolutely wonderful. I know that President Nelson is a prophet of the Lord. This conference really solidified that testimony for me. Did you see how fast he got out of his seat when he first spoke? A 94 year old man should not be able to do that! It's amazing! I really loved his talk about the name of the church. To be completely honest I was a little hesitant when they first announced the emphasis on the true name of the church. But I was called to repentance and I realized how important it really is. We should NEVER take the Savior's name our of His church. I have already had awesome opportunities the past couple of days to explain the importance of the name of the church to people that have called us Mormons. I know as we follow the counsel of the Prophet then miracles will occur. 

We met with Tyler and his wife Amanda on Saturday in between sessions of conference. It was such an amazing lesson. They accepted the invitation to be baptized on November 3rd. I am so excited for them. On Sunday we texted Tyler in between sessions of conference and he told us what his favorite parts were from the first session and he also let us know that he was reading the Book of Mormon out loud to his wife and two daughters. That made me happier than I can explain. This man was having family scripture study in between sessions of conference! This family is the absolute best. I love them a lot. We are meeting with them again tonight. 

Elder McInnes and I councilled this week about what our focus should be this transfer for the Zone. After prayer and discussion we came to the conclusion that we need to emphasize the Book of Mormon as a zone. Specifically finding people to teach using the Book of Mormon. This revelation we received was confirmed when Elder Bowen gave his talk about the Book of Mormon and its purpose to gather scattered Israel. We implemented this focus on Monday and miracles are happening here. I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with Elder Michels yesterday and we made sure that in all of our contacts we taught about the Book of Mormon and how it testifies of Jesus Christ. We handed out all of the copies that we brought with us and found 3 new people to teach. It was a miracle of a day. I know that as we follow the counsel of the leaders of the church and on personal revelation we receive from the Holy Ghost then miracles will happen in our own lives. It happens in missionary work and I know it can happen in our personal lives. 

I love you Mom! Thank you for everything.

Your son, 

Elder Collier 

Another Transfer in Youngstown!

Hey Mom! 

Tomorrow is transfers and from the subject of this email you are probably assuming that I am staying for another transfer. If that is the case then you are correct. I am staying another transfer. 

Elder Dixon, on the other hand, is not staying another transfer. He is being sent to Hilliard Ohio to be one of the Zone leaders over the Columbus Zone. I'm pretty bummed that I only got one transfer with him but that's the way things go! 

My new companion will be Elder McInnes. I don't know him at all but I hear he is a really good guy so I'm excited to meet him! It should be good. 

This week has been a pretty good one! I'll give you a few updates. 

So Letricia finished the Book of Mormon! It only took her 5 days. She loves it and She knows that it's true. She is the best. She will be baptized pretty soon! We also started teaching some other people that live in her apartment complex. 

Do you remember me talking about a guy named Tyler in my first email since being in Youngstown? Well on the first Sunday of me being here we met this guy named Tyler and taught him about the restoration. He loved it and the spirit was so strong in that lesson. He had been searching for God and was happy that he was finding Him. We set up a time to meet with him that upcoming Thursday. We had been in contact with him over text and he was reading the Book of Mormon but then Thursday came around and we texted him and he blocked our number. So we stopped by anyway for our appointment but no one was home. We were pretty disappointed about that but Elder Dixon and I both had the feeling that he would reach out to us sometime. We tried contacting him here and there throughout the transfer with no luck. But then on Sunday one of the members of the ward asked us if we taught a guy named Tyler! And we said yes! Turns out he had met Tyler and his wife the day before and the subject of religion came up and Brother Clark told him what church he goes to and Tyler asked if he knew the Elders! Brother Clark said yes and Tyler told him that he had met with us and really felt like he finally found the truth but then right after that his phone broke and he lost all his contacts and had been trying to get a hold of us but couldn't figure out how to. And so Brother Clark gave him our number and now we are in contact with him again!! It was a miracle! The Lord led them together so we could get back in contact. We are going to be meeting with him and his wife tomorrow and I am so excited. Great things are happening here in Youngstown. 

We have a few more people we are teaching that are progressing toward baptism. We have also faced some opposition lately with people showing us Anti Mormon things and stuff like that. I was able to bear my testimony very boldly of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and that I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Jesus Christ called him to do that. The Book of Mormon is true and has brought my closer to my Savior, there isn't anything that someone can say that can convince me otherwise. 

I hope you have a great week! I love you! 

Your son, 

Elder Collier