Richwood: Where the clock strikes hospitality

Hey Mom! 

That's so exciting that Zach and Skyla are having a boy! I'm gonna be Uncle Sam times 3 now. Super cool. I knew he was gonna name him Parley! I like that name a lot. 

I loved your talk Mom! It was amazing. And it is so true. Do you mind if I use that story of me and Jonny in a Facebook post sometime? 

This week has been good! Every day blends together so I'll just cover some of the highlights thay I can remember. 

Thursday was such a great day. We had district council which is always so much fun. But then the best part was in the evening. We had Book of Mormon class and Paul came!! It was so exciting. He read with all of us and had a great time meeting people. He loves the Book of Mormon and says that he understands it a lot better than the Bible. We are so excited for him as he continues to progress. 

Saturday we had a fun ward party for pioneer day! It was a good time and I got to meet lots of people in the ward which was good. I'm in another amazing ward. I'm so excited. After that we had a lesson with this guy named Brandon and his girlfriend Danielle. They are so cool and have a huge desire to change. 

Monday I went on exchanges with Elder Kamerath. We spent the day in Marysville. Elder Paul and Elder Gloschat were together and also in Marysville. It was a great day with Elder Kamerath. This is his 3rd transfer in the field and he is doing great. We met some awesome people. We went to dinner at Bob Evans that day and our waitress ended up being a less active member! We got talking to her and she said that she felt like seeing us was a nudge from God telling hee to come back to church and get her family to come back too. That was pretty cool! She lives in the Sisters area so they will help with that one. Latee on in the day we went up to a little town called Richwood. We were able to get in contact with this amazing family that wants to start coming back to church but they both just work all the time. We are going back on Friday to teach them. They are so awesome and I'm excited. Richwood has a sign when you enter and it says "Richwood: where the clock strikes hospitality" and I die laughing every time I see it. It's such a ridiculous slogan. Oh and Elder Gloschat and Elder Paul taught Paul that evening. He told them that he doesn't want to just be a Sunday Christian, he wants to live all the things we are teaching him. He is so prepared and has such a desire to change! I love that man!

Today we had a fun district activity. We played four square, chair soccer and kickball. I love my district! 

That basically sums up the exciting parts of the week! I love Marysville!!

I love you Mom, thank you for everything! Oh, and if you send a package sometime could you include a few shirts? Preferably shirts that are blank (if I have any of those) and my shirt that has the pocket with the BYU logo. 

Love you!

Your son, 

Elder Collier 

One Year Down!

Hey Mom! 

I'm glad you had a great time at girl's camp! And thank you for sharing that story about Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy. It is a beautiful song and it is so true. We can help people find the light of God's love! 

I'll be able to go to Jared's baptism! I am speaking at it. He moved it back to July 28th because one of the main fellowshipers in the ward (his girlfriend's mom) is going to be out of town this weekend. But he is still getting baptized. 

So I got transferred! I am now serving in Marysville. It's a small town west of Columbus. It borders the Bellefontaine area so I'm near my first area! And since Bellefontaine isn't in the mission anymore that means we are on the border of the mission too. I am the District Leader of this district. It's the largest district in the mission too so that has been a little stressful but it'll be okay. Marysville is a great place! It's still a small town but it is bigger than Johnstown! So that's pretty nice. My companion is Elder Gloschat (Prounounced glow shot). He is super awesome. He just got out of training. He is from Mesa, Arizona. We get along great and this week has been full of laughs and miracles. Also, another crazy thing is that I was serving in the New Albany 2nd ward last transfer and Sister Rolfson was in that ward and both of us got transferred and are now serving in the Marysville Ward. So that was kinda nice to know one person in this brand new district.  

Also my new address is 270 Stocksdale Drive Marysville Ohio Apartment 2A.

Okay so before I get started I have a sweet miracle that literally just happened. So Elder Gloschat and I went to the church to email and shoot some hoops. We went outside to get the pump to pump up the basketball and quickly realize that we locked ourselves out of the church and locked all of our stuff in the church including our keys, wallets, phone, tablets, everything. So we decided to jog to a members house that is pretty far away. While we were running we saw a car with a Utah license plate and they pulled over! It was a summer sales guy and he's a member! He picked us up and took us to the members house. We were able to get keys to the church and then he took us back. It was so cool. The Lord really helped us out on that one. We made a mistake by forgetting the keys but he still provided a way for it to all work out! 

Okay now for my week! 

Thursday we had district council, I got to meet everyone in the district even though it was the first day of the transfer. That was a little stressful to plan but it all worked out. The district is great. The rest of the day was good, I was able to meet a lot of the people we are teaching and get used to the new area. And we had a Book of Mormon class with some recent converts and ward members and then had ward coordination. The Ward mission leader is Brother Birch and he is awesome. His wife is actually from Vancouver! She went to Skyview. 

Friday we had the district leader training at the mission home. That was a good experience and cool to meet a lot of the missionaries that were in the Cleveland mission. We did service for the Marysville food pantry in the afternoon. I love the food pantry in Johnstown but boy this one blows it out of the water. It's huge!! It was a lot of fun to help out. 

Saturday was an interesting day for sure. Just a lot of really weird things happened. It was fun though because we laughed a ton. That night we had a cool experience! We stopped by a person in area book named Paul that missionaries gave a pamphlet to in February. We stopped by and he let us sit down with him outside and we taught the entire restoration! It was so cool. He's such a great guy and he invited us back Monday to read the Book of Mormon with him. 

Sunday was great to meet all of the ward members. I was asked to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting so that was a good experience. Shed a few tears. We went over to a returning member's home and read the Book of m

Mormon with him. He is awesome and has a real desire to go to the temple. We are going to start reading with him every week and helping him work towards going through the temple. 

Monday was a good day as well. We went up to a small town called magnetic springs. It's a run down old town. We talked to this guy that was sitting outside the saloon and we were like "have you been enjoying your day?" And he responded "what do you mean I've been drinking today?" And we said "no, are you enjoying your day?" And he said "I've already had 20. I'm already drunk." It was about noon when that happened. It was a funny conversation but also really sad. But other than that the rest of the day went well. That evening we had such a powerful lesson with Paul. We read the Book of Mormon with him and the spirit was so strong. He told us that he can tell that we are happy and at peace in life and he wants that for himself. We testified of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how he can feel peace as well. We invited him to be baptized on August 18th and he accepted! We are so excited to keep working with him. We only met him on Saturday but I already love that man. 

Tuesday I was on exchanges with Elder Watkins (different one than the one one as serving with in my last district) in the Polaris area. It was a great exchange. One ofnthe highlights was that we texted someone that was in their area book but they said it was the wrong number. We decided to keep texting this person and ended up having a really good conversation and she opened up about how she wants happiness in her life and she doesn't feel like she has any right now. We were able to testify of how God answers prayers. It was really powerful and I'm excited to hear about how it goes with those Elders! 

It has been a good week. I can't believe tomorrow is my year mark. Time flies. This experience so far has been amazing. The people that I have met here and the changes I have seen in myself are incredible. I love Ohio and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. 

I love you Mom! Thank you for everything. 

Your son, 

Elder Collier

Riding my 16th Birthday Present in 95 Degrees and Humidity

Hey Mom! 

I am so glad to hear that the wedding went well. I am so happy for them. And I'm glad that my letter made everyone cry haha! I love you all so much! 

So I was thinking the other day about Jonny getting married to Emily. And I was thinking back to a temple trip that I went on as a youth. Before the temple trip I was able to find a lot of family names to take to the temple to be baptized. When I got to the church to wait to go, Emily was there! She decided to come with our Ward. While we were waiting I decided to give Emily the female names of the family names is she could be baptized and confirmed for them because she was my friend! And now those people that she was baptized for are her family!! Super crazy. (I think I may have already told Jonny that but I can't remember.)

Also, next week is transfer week. My P day will be on Tuesday again. I'll find out if I am leaving on Tuesday and then find out where I am going on Wednesday. I am pretty sure that I am leaving but who knows? 

Well this week was so hot. I have been sweating so much every single day. It's insane. It was a pretty good week!

I was sick on Thursday. I am still getting over it but I feel a lot better! I slept a lot so that helped haha. I still ran District Council (It's call that now instead of district meeting) and it went pretty well I think! But after that I was so drained so I rested until prime proselyting time. Being sick is the worst but I feel a ton better now! Friday evening we rode our bikes in super heat to John's house. That was pretty fun! Most of the ride was on a shaded trail so that was nice. Elder Johnson had to ride a sister's bike because his bike is destroyed from crashing it a few months ago. It was hilarious to watch him ride that bike. 

Saturday there was a parade in Johnstown that we went to and we were able to meet members' friends! That was a good opportunity. I can't even explain how hot it was though. We were just standing there talking for all of the parade and we were dripping sweat. The humidity here is killer but at least I'm not in Florida or Texas haha! Saturday night we were completely out of miles for the month so we rode our bikes again, this time it was a 15 mile round trip! That was a blast. Again, super funny to see Elder Johnson on the sister's bike. I offered to ride it and let him use mine but he was okay with riding it haha. So don't worry, I am getting good use out of my 16th birthday present!

Sunday the mission merged! We now have the Akron, Kirtland and Youngstown stakes in our mission and the Dayton East stake is in the Cincinatti Mission. Goodbye Bellefontiane :(. I am so excited for the new areas and I am excited to stay in this mission! 

Monday I got to be in New Albany with Elder Watkins on an exchange. It was a great time. We taught a couple named Victor and Chi Chi that night. They are from Nigeria. It was an awesome lesson and the spirit was helping us so much. It was a great experience. Also, Elder Watkins is a blast. I had such a great time with him. 

It was a pretty good week. We are still having a party in Johnstown and we are excited for the future. 

I love you mom! Thanks for everything!

Your son, 

Elder Collier 

Johnstown is a Town of Miracles!

Hey Mom! 

I am so excited for Jonny and Emily. They are going to have a fun life together. I'm so happy for them! 

I have been in Johnstown for about 4 months now and I am dead tired. This place has drained me. I can't even explain it. But I love this place to death. The people here are great, the members are amazing. But the work here is so tiring. (And the town is tiny). But there's always miracles. I came to this place and looked at area book and there was only 1 person being taught that was progressing and no one had accepted the invitation to be baptized. It was dead. Flash forward to today: we have 3 people that have accepted the invitation to be baptized and have accepted a baptismal date. JOHNSTOWN IS ALIVE! And here is the amazing thing: none of those people were found as a direct result of us doing something. I fully believe that we were blessed because we were working hard but it wasn't our hard work that caused it. They were miracles. The Lord did it, not us. And that's so cool. So let me tell you about these people!

Jared was found through the members. He is dating a member of the ward and absolutely loves church. He has changed so much and is the most prepared person for the gospel I have ever met. (Okay maybe tied with Jordan and Teilani). He has even seen the change in himself and he loves it. He has come with the ward to help people move twice just because he enjoys service more than anything else! He is becoming so Christlike and it is amazing to see. The grace of Jesus Christ is changing him. We just share the message. 

Ryan came up to us in our apartment complex last week! We didn't say anything to him he just started talking to us. He let us know that he has just recently started to believe in God again and seeing us walking around was a sign to him that he needed to act on his faith. He has a true desire to repent and be baptized. Again, we did nothing, it was all Jesus Christ. We have been meeting with him a lot lately. 

Ash found us through Facebook and another member! It's a crazy story that I think I have already told. But it's still a miracle. She told us this week that she knows everything is true and she doesn't feel the peaceful feeling she has been feeling anywhere except for at church, when she reads the Book of Mormon and when she meets with us. Her faith in Jesus Christ has grown so much. 

I know that this work isn't my work. I know that there is nothing that I could have done these past 4 months in Johnstown to have miracles happen. It is all through Jesus Christ. We are instruments in His hands. He has placed us here for a reason and He has blessed us immensly. I am excited for the future of Johnstown. 

Oh and also, we had an awesome missionary fireside this Sunday. All the missionaries from the mission were there and all the members were invited as well. It was all about member missionary work and doing easy things to invite your friends. It was awesome. I got to see my missionary friends too. I got a picture with Elder Goode (he was in my MTC district) and got to say goodbye to him before he goes off to the Cincinatti Mission. I also got to see my bestie Elder Morse. 

I love you Mom! Thank you for all you do! And I would love for Dad to send me his talk. Have a great time at the wedding!

Your son,

Elder Collier 

The Fine Metropolis of Johnstown!

Hey Mom! I'm glad you are enjoying the beginning of your summer! It should be a crazy start with Jonny getting married next week! I'm so excited for him! You and I aren't very far apart in the Book of Mormon! I read that a few days ago and it was great.

Another week in the fine metropolis of Johnstown, Ohio! I swear I have met every single person in this tiny town. But there's still gotta be more people to find! And it sure is humid over here. I now shower 3 times a day and I'll probably have to start doing 4 times a day pretty soon. It must really surprise people to see two extremely sweaty guys in white shirts and ties standing on their porch. But it makes for a good conversation starter! 

We had a pretty good week this week! Zone conference on Friday was great. We learned a lot and I'm excited to apply it to my missionary work. We learned a lot about listening to and relying on the spirit. 

Saturday we had a ward barbecue. It was a lot of fun! A random thunder storm came in towards the end though and it rained like crazy. We were all under the pavilion outside trying to stay dry. We got to know the ward members pretty well though haha! 

Sunday was a great day! Our investigator Linda came to church! It was so awesome to see her there. She has had really bad experiences with churches in the past so her coming was a huge step for her. She had a great experience as well. We are excited for her! 

Monday evening we had a great miracle. We were walking back to our apartment after a long day and this guy named Ryan starts talking to us in our apartment complex! He came up to us and then basically set up his own return appointment! He asked ifmwe could meet later that night but we let him know we had to be in our apartment for the night so we set up a time to meet the next day. He is so cool. And only a year older than me! (I have surprisingly taught a lot of people around my age so far on my mission). 

Tuesday was my first exchange as a district leader! I went with Elder Barnes. He is from American Fork, Utah. He has been out for about 4 months now. He is a great missionary. I learned so much from him! We had a great day. We were able to teach Ryan in the afternoon and the lesson was so great. Ryan told us that his mind was blown and that he is excited about reading the Book of Mormon and finding out if it is true. Later that evening we went to this Christian brotherhood meeting that our investigator John invited us to. It was a bunch of men from local churches in the area meeting to have food and talk about Christ. The food was amazing! And the conversation was great as well. Elder Barnes and I were able to bear our testimonies of Jesus Christ and it was a great experience for everyone. The Christian world needs more of things like that. People coming together to talk and not trying to divide each other. I also met a man that was there that told me his son lives in washougal and his grandson just graduated from washougal high school! Super small world! 

I love you mom! Have a great week! 

Your son, 

Elder Collier 

It Was A Week!!

Hey mom! 

That is so crazy that school is ending soon. I graduated high school a year ago... weird. Time flies for sure. I'm so excited to hear about the musical next year. That sounds like a solid cast. It will be great! Tell K-Rich and Ms Evans I say hi and that I miss them!

This week was probably the strangest week of my life. 

Thursday we had district leader training in the mission home. It was great! Anytime I get to see President and Sister Stratford is a good time. I learned some great things and felt more confident being a leader. We had two lessons later on that day and they went great. We are meeting with this lady named Linda and she is so nice. She has been through a lot. At the end of our lesson she said "all of my neighbors keep saying that you are atheists. But don't worry I set them straight." I thought that was hilarious. I don't know how anyone could think we don't believe in God. But there's still people that do! 

Friday was my first district meeting. I was so nervous. The Zone Leaders came as well. I wrote on the chalk board "welcome to district meeting." I thought it was so funny because I used a period instead of an exclamation point. Elder Watkins thought it was funny too. Anyway, the actual meeting went alright! The Zone Leaders said it was really good but I'm not entirely sure. I didn't have enough time to get through everything I planned but that's alright because I can save that for next district meeting! The rest of the day was good! 

Saturday was a longggggg day. The zone leaders came and helped us out in our area. We tried by every single person in Johnstown that has ever been taught a lesson. That was exhausting. It was fun to be with the Zone leaders though, they are way cool. Sunday we finished up trying by everyone. We still have a few more people to contact. 

Monday was a rough day. Our lessons fell through and it was raining a ton. We had a chapel tour scheduled with the family we are teaching and we got there and the church was being deep cleaned! So we had to cancel our tour sadly. On our way out of the building Elder Johnson said "Nice hat, dude" to the guy that as vacuuming and the guy must have heard "Nice tattoo" because he said "that's not even my best one. Wanna see my back?" And before we could respond he had his shirt off and showed us this huge back tattoo. And we were so confused why he showed us his back because Elder Johnson complimented his hat. It was hilarious. Not what I was expecting at all. It was good to get a good laugh in.

Tuesday. So this day we had a strange experience as well. Most of the day we did service but in the evening we were walking down the street and this car starts honking at us a lot and pulls up next to us and this guy gets out of the car and he is choking!! So Elder Johnson does the Heimlich maneuver and stops and he is still choking so I take over and do it and then he coughs up his piece of steak! Then he thanks us quickly and drives away. That was the strangest experience of my life I think. But we saved his life! God placed us in the right place at the right time! 

That's been my week! Strange stuff in Johnstown. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It has brought me lots of comfort the past couple days. I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He helps me through everything. 

I love you Mom! I'm glad you get to begin your summer!

Your son, 

Elder Collier  

Miracles in Johnstown!

Hey Mom! 

Happy anniversary to you and Dad! 34 years, that's amazing. Thank you for being such great parents.

So this week was full of miracles, it was a blast! 

On Friday we had exchanges with the Zone leaders in Newark. Most of the day was training me to be a District Leader. We went over my responsibilities and also how to conduct baptismal interviews and things like that. But the evening was full of miracles. I was with Elder Stephens (who trained my buddy Elder Morse) and it was so awesome. We get to this area and we talk to this man and woman that are having a yard sale. We find out that they are siblings and the man actually lives in Johnstown! We had a great conversation with him and set up a time for me and Elder Johnson to meet with him in Johnstown. It was quite the miracle that we were able to find a new investigator in Newark! Then the rest of the evening was so great. We talked to so many people and the spirit was so present in all of the contacts. Elder Stephens and I were both wishing we could have been out working longer! That evening we got to watch the church's Be One devotional and it was so great. I highly suggest watching it if you haven't had the chance to yet. It was incredible and the spirit was so strong. 

Saturday morning we got up early and left Newark to get to our church building to play soccer with some members and an investigator. The investigator's name is Jared and he's so cool. Super good at soccer too. In the evening on Saturday we met this amazing family! We talked with them on their porch and they are looking for a church. The first family that I get to teach on my mission. I'm so happy and so excited. 

Sunday we had church and Jared came. That was sweet. That evening we had a lesson with him in the Argyle's home. It was amazing and he accepted a baptismal date for August 11th. We are so excited for him. Member missionary work brings miracles. 

Monday evening we had a great lesson with that family we are teaching. It's Scott and Andrea and they have 3 kids. We were able to teach the first lesson and it went great and we built a really good relationship with them. Braxton is their oldest son and we shot hoops with him for a bit after the lesson. They are so awesome and I already love them. Words can't describe how happy I am to be teaching a family. 

Well those were the highlights of the week! It was a pretty good one. On Friday I am doing my first district meeting so prayers would be appreciated! I am excited though. I love you so much mom. Thank you for everything!

Your son, 

Elder Collier