Monday, October 15, 2012

10-15-12

Dear Family,
 
 Well... This is it. I can´t believe it´s here. I have tons of
 mixed emotions but I am really excited to be back. I have had a good
 week. We baptized a lady named Rubiela! It was amazing to be able to
 see her be baptized. It is an amazing story and I will share it in my
 homecoming talk. So be there!
 
 You may be pleased to know that this week was considerably less
 intense haha. Don´t worry... I am still fine. Just a great story to
 tell.
 
 We started the goodbyes yesterday. It´s not easy. They all cried and
 made it pretty tough. I love Colombia, I love Colombians and I
 wouldn´t trade the experience for anything in the world.
 
 This week will be interesting. Tomorrow is my last day in my area.
 It will be crazy running around trying to say goodbye to everyone. I
 don´t know how I am going to do it. Wednesday I will be with Elder
 Shelley and Elder Kutterer (from the MTC) making the last few errands.
 Friday, I am with the Pres. all day long in interviews and dinner
 and stuff like that. Friday.... I come home. It´s gonna be a crazy
 week.
 
 Just a few notes from this week. We made no-bake cookies... We
 didn´t get jumped by a gang... I said a few goodbyes... We didn´t
 have water or light for 3 days... The mission gave me some parasite
 evacuation pills (tons of fun)... It was a great week!
 
 I want to take a minute and thank you all for everything. I couldn´t
 have ever done this without your prayers and support. I love you all
 and can´t wait to see you... ON FRIDAY!!!!!
 
 I know that this church is true. If there is anything that I have
 learned on the mission, it´s that. I know without a single doubt that
 this is true. I love the Lord and I know He loves me. I want to
 continue to help people know this for themselves. I have changed a
 lot on the mission and I think it has been for good. I have grown a
 lot. Still got a long way to go but the mission helped me get
 started. I know I haven´t shared my testimony/spiritual experiences
 very much... But I have had them. Every single one of them has
 shaped my life substantially.
 
 Thanks again for everything!!! I love you all!!! I will see you on
 FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!
 
 Love,
 Corey

Monday, October 8, 2012

10-8-12

Dear Family,
 
 This week has been great/very interesting...
 
 First of all... sorry for the boring letter last week. I think this
 one will be considerably more interesting...
 
 So, last Monday, after writing to you. After eating lunch we went to
 the center of Medellin to buy some stuff to bring home. We hopped on
 the metro train and headed in there. As the train arrived to a
 station near the center, it stopped and they told us to get out. So
 we did... Then, over the intercom they told us that there was a
 public disturbance going on in the center. We didn`t think too much
 of it (because we are in Medellin...) and decided we would walk to the
 place we wanted to go. We soon realized that everything was closed
 and no one was around. We looked down the street and BOOM! Startled
 but intrigued, we went to take a better look when BOOOOOM! Then people
 start running and screaming. Followed by gunshots. A cop comes over
 to us and asked what we were doing there. Then told us to leave or we
 would get in big trouble (actually he said some pretty strong spanish
 words...). Then BOOOOOOOM and more screaming. So we left.
 Turns out, public disturbance was a huge understatement haha. It was
 a full scale riot. Some protesters were pretty mad about a new
 regulation or something.
 
 Pretty interesting, huh? But wait! There is more!
 
 Later, after returning to our area to work, we ate dinner and headed
 on to another appointment we had. So, we hopped on the bus. Now,
 this story might make you worry. So to start out... I just want to
 say that we are fine. We were the only ones on the bus and so we
 decided to take a quick picture out the window. After a few minutes,
 about 3 motorcycles frantically stopped the bus and before we knew
 what was going on, we had been jumped. About 5 or 6 guys had gotten
 on the bus and were yelling at us and demanded all our stuff. They
 started hitting us and beating us and taking our stuff. Then, they
 got off the bus. But they were still blocking us off. After a few
 moments, they got back on and started giving our stuff back.
 Apparently they didn`t want to rob us... they just thought we were
 police or something taking pictures of them. Talk about paranoia...
 We are fine. We were definately protected seeing as how, after
 talking about it together, we hardly felt the hits to our heads. We
 both commented on how they hit like little girls. But, it was super
 interesting to have that kind of experience. So that`s what it is
 like to be ambushed and assaulted by a Medellin gang...
 
 
 On the brighter side of things... Conference was amazing. I really
 really liked it a lot. I really tried to see what they were trying to
 tell me, and it worked. I loved every single second of it. I can`t
 wait to read over the talks again. I particularly loved the talks by
 Elder Oaks, Elder Holland, Pres. Uchtdorf, Pres. Eyring, and as
 always, Pres. Monson. It was a great conference.
 
 I am excited to see you all! I can`t believe the time has almost
 arrived. I love you all and can`t wait to see and hug you all! Have
 a great week!
 
 Love,
 Corey

Monday, October 1, 2012

10-1-12

Dear Family, 

This week was really good. I can`t believe how close I am to being done though. I guess I am excited to be home... also sad to leave and kind of worried about what to do after, but excited to see all of you. 


I seriously cannot believe I am so close. It still seems unreal and unreachable. I see it as life after death. I know it exists but I can`t imagine it. I want pancakes or waffles or something when I get there! I am happy and content with everything that is going on. 


Honestly, I don`t have much time to write. I am planning on writing a good letter next week. I know that this is a lame letter, but I don`t have much to say. So... sorry. Love you all and hope you have a great week! 


Love, Corey 


P.S. My companion`s family is asking about my homecoming... What is the direction to the church and what time is it at? stuff like that. Thanks!

Monday, September 24, 2012

9-24-12

Dear Family,

This week was another great week.  I love my area, my companion, and everything is going really great.  We have really gained a lot of trust with the members here.  Elder Smith and I made a goal to be really good friends with ALL the members.  So we are doing it and they love us.   It is so fun to go to church and activites because we are like superstars.  All the kids want to play with us and the parents love us.  We started making no-bake cookies with them too, which they love.

We are trying to find some new investigators.  Which isn`t a super easy task.  The people here are really catholic, which means they are afraid of us.  But we are plugging along, little by little.   

But, like I said, things are going great.  I am freaking out a little bit about going home... but I am really excited to see you all!  I love you lots and hope you have a great week!

Love,
   Corey

Monday, September 17, 2012

9-17-12

Dear Family,

This week has been really good.  I am having a lot of fun.  We kind of struggled through the work week, but we are happy.  It is a lot of fun to have an american companion.  

So, to answer the popular question of the week......   Taco Bell no longer exists in Medellin...  We searched and searched, but it was all in vain.   So we decided to go to Panda Express!!!  Which, as it turns out, is NOT Panda Express....  So yeah, we kind of failed last week.  So as a result, we decided to make up for it all this week!  So, today we got out of the house at 10 and headed out to a place called Santa Fe.  It is a big mall that reminds me of America.  The have a lot of cool stores and a lot of restaurants.  So today, we ate at Cinnabon, Subway, and Crepes and Waffles!  We are officially satisfied!  

Also, this week, we decided to make some no bake cookies with some members!  They turned out really good.  It was nice to have a real dessert.  The desserts aren`t very good in Colombia.  

It looks like I will be getting home at about 10 30 pm on the 19th.  So get ready to party!

Well, sorry, but I am about out of stuff to write...  I know I am really bad at writing, but get your questions ready so that when I get home I can answer them all!

Love you lots and hope you have a great week!!!

Love,
    Corey

Monday, September 10, 2012

9-10-12

Dear Family,

This have been going really well.  I love my area and I am really enjoying my companion.  He is a really good guy and we are having a lot of fun.  Today, we are gonna set out on a search of Medellin looking for Taco Bell.  We heard a rumor that it exists so we gonna go look for it.   

We had a baptism!!!  We baptized Sara Henao.  She was super prepared and ready.  She will be a really great convert.  We see her as the future relief society pres.   Funny story from the baptism.  So with both of us being american, we usually get requests to sing in english, so we did. Kind of.  We sung a verse of I need thee every hour in spanish, then we were gonna do one in english then another in spanish.  So we started well.  We got to the first line in english and blanked...  We could not remember the words.  Everyone made fun and laughed and thinks we are dumb cause we don`t remember our own language haha..  but other than that, the baptism went really well.  Sara`s family is now interested in getting baptized.

It is really funny to have an american companion.  You should see how people look at us in the street.  Everyone stares and many have their mouths open.  But, i think one of the funniest things (and also a bit frustrating) is that no one beleives we speak spanish.  They speak really slow and use lots of hand motions.  And then we can rattle off a few lines in spanish and they catch on.  

So I am sorry my letters are lame.  The truth is, I am kind of tired of writing.  I feel like I can just share all my experiences in person here pretty soon.  So, sorry.  I will keep writing, but don`t expect too much.  

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

Love,
    Corey


P.S.  I don`t have flight plans yet...  but they say I leave the 19th at like 7 or 8 in the morning.  We go to Miami and Chicago, and then to Salt Lake.  So expect me to be home really really late that night...  

Monday, September 3, 2012

9-3-12

Dear Family,

I had a really great week.  Tons happened and I don`t have a ton of time to share it all... but I will do my best.

I had a pretty good birthday.  It was nice to know that Elder Christofferson came to see me for my birthday haha.  The conference was really good.  It was super spiritual and nice to see an Apostle so close.  It was cool because he speaks spanish really well.  So no translator and we got to hear his actual voice.   He talked about a lot of stuff.  Remind me when I get home to share with you what he said.  It was amazing.  

We had a giant zone conference and it was really cool to see everyone there.  Lots of friends and people I haven`t seen for a long time.  We played soccer and I got sun burned pretty badly.  Actually, all us white guys got burned pretty bad.

I think I told you that I have a new companion right?  Well turns out he is super super cool.  I am glad to have such a good companion to finish with.  I am really excited to work with him for my last transfer.  So my new comp. is Elder Smith.  He is from Layton and was called to Barranquilla and got sent here to Medellin with the mission split.  He goes home a transfer after me.  We are really enjoying ourselves and speaking a lot of english.  We actually talk so much that we have a hard time getting to bed on time and focusing during our studies.  But things are going really well.  

I hope that next week I will be able to tell you more...  But I love you all and hope you have a great week!!!

Love,
    Corey