Blog Letter 4/27/2015

Hello Family and Friends!!

How are you all doing! This week has been another really good week. We are working on a lot of things, and we have a lot of stuff we need to get done. 

As a mission we are starting to focus on finding families to teach and to bring into the Gospel, so far we have been finding and having a lot of success. 

One thing that I am loving about being here in Feliciano is seeing the conversion of the branch. They are becoming more united and more loyal. It's amazing to see. 

I can't think of anything extraordinary to tell you this week, but next week I will have more stories to tell! 

I hope you are all happy and doing great! I love you all so much!

P.S Next week is transfers so I will be telling you guys if I got a new companion or not. I am almost 100 positive I will stay here in Feliciano....knock on wood.

Love,

Elder Mason Paul Reid

Blog Letter 4/20/15

Hello family and Friends!

This week has been a really good one. It has been a challenging one full of new experiences, and full of a lot of learning. I am enjoying my time here, and having a lot of fun. 

We had a conference with President Zanni, I went back to Paraná. It is always an interesting feeling to go back to one of your old areas, its different to be assigned to an area. Honestly the time, and the place you are in an area is inspired, and when you are assigned an area to proselyte, and look after, its a big responsability! 

The Conference was great! I learned a lot about responsability, the consequences both good and bad if we fullfill and magnify our calling as missionaries, or if we dont. We also had interviews with Pres. Zanni. It was a good interview. I cant imagine how hard it would be to interview, and look after 240 missionarys. 

This Saturday we had a big activity. It was the Last activity of the Elder and Hermana F., they are senior missionaries working on a cow ranch here in Feliciano. They leave to there houses today. The new missionarys just got here. Elder and Hermana M. they are from Portland Oregon. They are really nice and good people. They lack the spanish. But they know more then I did when I began. 

I love you all so much! Remember to pray for missionary opportunitys and to study the General Conference Talks. 

Elder Mason Paul Reid

Blog Letter 4/14/2015

Hello Family and Friends!

How are you all doing? I am doing great!

It has been quite the week here in Feliciano! 

Monday:

After Ciber, I cut the hair of a member. It was a lot of fun. I have learned how to cut hair in the mission, I even have my own hair clippers. I also cut my own hair believe it or not. We also had a really fun Noche de hogar with some member and investigators!

Tuesday: 

There is this one family, it's HUGE. They all live on the same block and they all have houses on this block, but they all go to the same place to sit outside and watch the street. Every time we go by to teach them, we always meet and teach someone knew. But, they always let us pass. It's interesting to see the different people in the family. In the afternoon we taught M. who was to get baptized on Saturday. I had to do an interview that night, and we ended the night teaching are very loving family, they need to be baptized, but they wont stop working on Sundays. 

Wednesday: We had to do divisions this day. So I went to La Paz and our District Leader came down to Feliciano to do the baptism interview...and M. passed! We taught a couple of lessons, but we spent a lot of time contacting. Our last lesson was with...well I am almost positive he is a drug dealer. But a pretty cool cat. 

Thursday: We spent the entire day in La Paz for Zone Meeting. It was honestly weird to not be in charge or lead the meeting. It was my first zone meeting in ten months without being a Zone leader. Then we took our bus back to good ole Feliciano.

Friday: A great day. We taught another family. They have a baptism date for the 2nd of May. They are awesome! They lack knowledge and comprehension still, but they love the gospel, and the things we teach. We had our ward family night. It was awesome! A couple of members brought a less active that hasn't come to church in years to the activity. It was amazing. It's just proof of the power of members in missionary work. 

Saturday: We taught guy and he is programmed to be baptized on the 2nd of May as well. We spent most of the day preparing the baptismal "font" It was a lot of fun...you will see why. I had the opportunity to baptize M. It was amazing! I love baptisms!!!. 

Sunday: Fast Sunday was great! I found out and developed a new technique...I call it: "going fishin" It's when there is a gap in the meeting....and no one is giving there testimonies. I look around trying to make eye contact. I have found that if I make eye contact I can convince them to give there testimonies. I caught me a couple of fishes last Sunday. :):) We taught some good lessons, including two contacts that we taught. But the last contact was interesting...he is a pretty vile man. His only pleasures and desires are...well not good ones. He was drunk...and smoking. But he boasted of knowing more in the scriptures then me. So, I decided to challenge him. I told him that on Monday (today) I would be back. And that we would see who knows more in the scriptures. But that I would only talk to him if he was sober. It was a direct challenge...we will see if he can stop drinking for a day. 

I love you all! you are all so wonderful!

Elder Mason Paul Reid

Blog Letter 4/6/2015

Hello Everyone!

This week has been so wonderful and I hope you have all felt the wonderful love of our Savior throughout this week! I honestly have. 

Monday 30:

Last monday we cleaned out the office in the church, and we got all the stuff we had to do done. We also had a Noche de Hogar with a member here everyone calls Abuela and her two grandsons. They are such great people!

Tuesday 31:

I had a couple of interviews in the morning and then we wen to Hermano E´s house to do service we helped put the roof on a shed that he was building. That was pretty fun. In the afternoon we taught some good lessons, the people here are really open. We also taught a mission prep class in the evening. 

Wednesday 1:

April fools...but I will be honest I didn't do anything for April fools, so I guess I am the fool. We did have a great lesson in the morning with a new investigator family that is awesome.  We also taught a member family. I also held my very first Branch Counsel, it's weird to have to run things like that. We taught our last lesson that night to a kid who is awesome and going to get baptized this Saturday!!

Thursday 2: We only taught two lessons this day. I spent most of the day trying to fight and get internet fast enough for General Conference...but it worked we were able to watch it here in Feliciano!! Aguante feliciano!!

Friday 3: On Thursday we left to go to La Paz, then we came home Friday afternoon after doing district meeting in La Paz. We had a really fun activity later that evening!

Saturday and Sunday: I am going to smash these two days together. It was a great time. A lot of people came to the church, and we had a lot of fun. The people here are so awesome! I also loved the conferences. I had a lot of questions and the Lord answered all of them. We only had one problem with the internet and that was for the priesthood session. It had rained super hard. A huge storm came in and just destroyed the internet. But we watched it Sunday morning before the conference seeing as the conference starts at 1 in the afternoon here. Next time I will share some of my favorite talks. 

I feel impressed to tell you all that I know this church is true. And just like Elder Holland shared when we feel we are falling, when we feel we are slipping on sand, the Lord will grab us. Don't ever give up, don't ever let hopelessness sneak in, and if it has. Kick it out with the light of christ, and the truth that he will never leave us. I know that the atonement is real. I know that through Christ even the darkest hours will become bright as midday, so continue on. Because the battle isn't over. Our general has sent in reenforcement. 

And to those who feel hope, and love, Please look for someone who needs help. 

I love you all!

Elder Mason Paul Reid

Oh, and Elder Uchtdorfs tie for the first Saturday session wins the Best Tie of General Conference 2015 award.