Blog Letter 08/24/14

Family, and friends,

How are you all doing? This email is going to be a shorter one, I can already feel it. :) This week has been a really normal week, but I hope you know I am doing great!

We do have transfers, and I will be staying in Nébel which is what I expected, but Elder N. is leaving. My new companion is going to be Elder T. He is from good ole Spanish Fork. He went to Maple Mountain High School, and I new him a little bit before the mission. I am really excited to get to know him more. It should be a great time here in concordia!

We have been working with a couple of new familiess, and also with a couple of older investigators, and we are seeing a lot of progression. Especially with an investigator from a partmember family named M. He has started to open his heart, and really think about Christ. It has been really cool to see. Now we just gotta see if we can get him off the Wine. 

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the thunder and rain storms over there in Utah. 

Just wanted to share Mathew 5:14-16. Each and every single one of you is an example! Always be worthy of being a disciple of christ. Serve, love, and teach others.

I love you all,

Elder Mason Paul Reid

This is a poem that me and another elder, Elder M. from Arizona came up with. 

A dusty road, we´ve been walking for quite some time

This road is long, and we´re getting tired my companion and I.

He looks at me, ¨I can´t go on,¨ he says with a sigh.

I encourage him, ¨What would He do?¨ but his words are mine

¨It´s okay my friends,¨ He says standing at our side.

¨I know the way, I´ve done this before, I´ve given you the strength.

Though it be rough, the way is clear, take your steps with length.

I walked to Cal´vry a dusty road,¨ the Savior replied.

¨There´s a man ahead waiting, for help he has cried.

Without your help, he can not be saved, he needs your sacrifice.

Continue on. Save our lost brother. Tell him I´m the Christ.

Though he knows me not, he will through you. For him I died.

¨Elder, do you feel that?¨ as the last stair we climb.

¨I heard a voice. I feel that we have been led here by

the word of God. He wants us hear. Though I know not why.¨

Lets do His work, walk this road, and be part of the Lords time

Blog Letter 08/19/2014

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the day long wait. Yesterday was a holiday, and there wasn't a cyber that was open. So that is why I am a day late. 

This last week was a crazy crazy week. We had a lot of stuff that we were doing. On top of P-day and Zone meeting that I mentioned last week. 

This week we had a huge district activity, which had 4 branches involved. My companion and I planned the activity, and got everything for that done. It was about the Plan of Salvation. 

We began in the pre-earth life (sacrament room) then we went into the real world and had different activities such as, go to church, play a card game, sports, watch general conference, go on a mission, watch a movie, or just chat. The point of the activity was to show the importance of our actions and the importance of using our time wisely.

After that we gathered into the Spirit world (sacrament room) and we explained judgment. We taught more of the plan of action, we then sent them to be judged according to their works. We had three other rooms set up as the three degrees of glory. In the celestial room there was cake, cookies, soda, and all that good stuff. In the Terestial room there was one bag of chips, and the Telestial room there was nothing but smelly trash. We had a lot of people there, and a lot of good comments from the members that came. It was fun. 

That was pretty much the highlight of the week. I also did divisions with an Elder who is from Chile, and is working in a pueblo about 5 hours from here. He is really cool. I learned a lot from him. 

I hope you are all having a great week! Next week is transfers so I will talk to you all on Tuesday!

I love you,

Elder Mason Paul Reid

Blog Letter 08/11/2014

Well if last week, I didn't have anything new to talk about, this week is completely different. 

We traveled to Rosario to have a meeting with all the other Zone Leaders and President Zanni which is six hours away from here in Colectivo. Then traveled back the same day, which is 12 hours of traveling in a 24 hour time. But, it's okay because I got to eat McDonalds, I even splurged a little bit and got a Mcflurry. :) 

This week was District Conference. Our area does not have a stake, all the congregations are branches so instead of it being a Stake it is a District. We had our District conference and President Zanni came because as Mission president he is the head of the District. It was a good meeting and I learned a lot. President Zanni is really an inspiring man, he teaches with power and authority. I was able to have an interview with him and learned a lot, I feel really good. He really knows how to inspire the hearts of the people. 

We have been teaching a lot lately and this week we did divisions with the elders from Federal. I was with Elder M. he is really cool and helped me out a lot. He is assigned as branch president of Federal. Actually, the first North American to be a branch president in more then 3 years. He is a stud. 

I heard a story and I invite you all to read up on it. I don't know if it is true, but I really enjoyed it no matter what.

It is based in Stanford hospital. A little boy is asked by a doctor if he would give his blood for a blood transfusion to save his little sisters life. His little sister was dying of a blood disease that he had overcome, and she needed the anti bodies in his blood. The little kid breathed deeply and said: "Yes, If it is what will save my sisters life." As he was hooked up and the blood started leaving his body to enter his sisters, he asked the doctor: "When will I start dying?" The little boy had misunderstood the doctor, he thought he would have to give ALL his blood to save his sisters life, he was prepared and ready to die for his sister. 

I loved the story and think it shows the pure love of a brother to his sister. 

Jesus Christ had that same love for all of us. I know he died for us, He is our savior, our friend, and our brother. 

I invite you all to start praying for mission experiences or opportunity's to share the gospel to those around you. 

I love you all!

Elder Mason Paul Reid

"The important things, always begin with a prayer"

Letter to Venturing Crew 1532 for Kodiak 2014

This is a letter written by Mason for a venturing crew he was a part of before his mission. His adviser asked him and some of the other people that were part of the crew, that are on missions now to write a letter to be read on Kodiak. 

Hello Crew, 

I am so happy to be able to talk to you guys through this letter. This is the second letter I have been able to write since my mission began, and sadly also my last letter. My first letter I wrote, I wrote in the MTC. Since that moment, a lot has passed, and I have learned a lot through personal experiences, scripture study, and the Holy Ghost. 

I would like to focus this letter on two things that I personally learned during my time in the crew. 

The First: Personal Preparedness. In Luke 2:52 it says: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and Man." This scripture shows us the areas that we should always trying to improve in, that is, if we want to follow the savior. In other words Christ increased Mentally, Physically, as a citizen, and Spiritually. Those four categories. Which just so happen to be four categories stressed by the venturing program. I personally feel like although I was in the venturing crew, I did not take full advantage of all the great and wonderful opportunities and experiences the crew offers. I invite you all to take advantage, and appreciate the time you have in the crew. There is a phrase I have heard about the Holy Ghost and helping us in our problems. As missionaries we are told that if we are worthy we will be reminded in the moment of the things we should say. That the Holy Ghost would pull feelings, knowledge, and wisdom out of the well that is our lives. But the spirit cannot pull water out of an empty well. We have to fill it, so the spirit can use it. 

The Second: Ambition. I am speaking of the healthy ambition that leads to setting goals, and making plans to accomplish our desires. The world is full of people. As the scripture say: "Many are called but few are chosen." Many of us will be called upon, but in order to become not only called, but chosen we need to have the ambition to develop talents, accomplish goals, and make ourselves better. Multiply our talents. The crew taught me a lot about setting goals, making plans, and accomplishing them. Alma 29:4 I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. God grants unto us according to our desires. Or in other words our ambition. As a member of the crew I learned a lot about leading people, and being a "Go Getter". 

I learned a lot in the crew that helped me prepare for my mission. I am so grateful for all the leaders, and all the people that helped me accomplish goals, and helped me become who I am today. I love you all, I am jealous I cant be there with you. Have a great rest of the week. 

Con mucho amor,

Elder Reid

P.S ¡¡¡¡VIVA ARGENTINA!!!

Letter 8/4/2014

Family and friends

Well it seems to me that mother nature is trying to make me look like a fool, cause this week has been a really hot week. It seems like winter was only about a week long, and now we are heading straight into summer!

This week has been a really good week, but also a really normal week. Nothing too new or exciting to talk about. Just a regular week. 

One new thing that I would like to talk about, due to the new mission president we have had more options in teaching. We can now teach in the streets, and teach in more places. We have been able to reach more people through the scriptures. I love it. The book of Mormon has a special testifying power. It is way more powerful then I could have ever imagined. It truly is the word of god. 

Sorry for the shortness of this letter. I love you all so much! You are all in my prayers!

Love,

Elder Mason Paul Reid

P.S I hope you all enjoyed the photos. Sorry for not sending more.