Monday, May 30, 2011

5-30-11


Dear Family,
 
First of all,  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DAD, KATIE, AND JACK!!!!!!!!  I hope you all had/have an awesome birthday!!!  (And Katie, I didn´t forget, I just didn´t realize it was so close... sorry.)  I love you lots! And you will get birthday presents in Oct. 2012...
 
This week was super fast again.  I cannot beleive it.  This week was a stresser but it was good. 
 
I´ll start with the worst part...  We spent the whole week preparing a lady for baptism.  We went every night to help her.  We got really excited that we were finally going to have a baptism.  So we organized the baptismal service and filled up the font.  We went to her house to pick her up, and she said, ¨NO! I don´t want to be baptized!¨  We tried talking to her and everything, but she is firm in her decision...  I guess sometimes, Satan wins...
 
Since my companion and I both speak English, we decided to start teaching English!  Its really pretty fun.  Before his mission, my companion was an English Teacher.  So really he does all the teaching.  Ironic, I know, but its pretty cool.  Its way more successful than the mission work here...
 
Today, we went to the house of the zone leaders to have a BBQ.  It was pretty cool.  We ate a whole bunch of meat and possibly broke the Word of Wisdom.  But they told us that almost the whole zone is going to be transfered...  No one knows who is going, but a lot of people are...  We find out tomorrow, so we´ll see.
 
I don´t have much more to say.  Have an awesome week!!!  I love you all!!!
 
Love,
   Corey

Monday, May 23, 2011

5-23-11


Dear Family,
 
This week was pretty good.  Not a whole lot happened...  But the weeks are starting to feel like days.  It really is crazy how fast time goes by. 
 
So I think I told you on the phone a little bit about an investigator that we are teaching.  She is the one that is going to fix my shirts...  Her name is Isabel.  She is like 70 years old and Catholic.   I think it is safe to say that she has nearly perfect faith.  I love going to her house.  She gives us food, juice, and tells us miraculous stories.  She has had 2 sicknesses that almost killed her.  But through her faith, she was healed!  2 times!  She once was carried by the spirit away from danger.  She always shares really cool stories with us.  Now you may be thinking that she is fooling us... But she isn´t.  But what she has done, is helped me learn and helped my faith grow.  Also, I have learned a valuable lesson...
 
I have learned that I need to have an open mind about other people´s beliefs and religions.  Why?  I read a quote by Joseph Smith that said that he studied all the books from other religions and that he would have died for any religion or any belief.  So now, I pay more attention to others and their beliefs and I truly have come a lot closer to Christ.  There are only 3 things about our church that is better than the others...  1. It is the Church of Jesus Christ himself.     2.  We have the FULNESS of the Gospel.    3.  We have the ordinances of Salvation.   These things are super important and we know our church to be the only true church.  But that doesn´t give us right to critisize the thoughts and feelings of others.  There is even an Article of Faith about this.  And the quote by Joseph Smith goes on to say that other churches have some correctness and we need to study and learn and discern these things for ourselves.  ¨and by the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of ALL things.¨   So... we need to have an open mind!
 
Now part of the reason I am saying this is because we had Ward Council yesterday.  Ward Council here is a freaking joke...  the leaders just laugh and boast at other people.  They are good people and all... But the problem is they are all really young.    They started to critisize our investigators and their beliefs.  It was a circus, and I came out feeling really bothered about all that.  
 
So that is what I am learning right now...  Not a whole lot new, just the same old danger, rejection, spiritual experiences and stuff.  I realized that I have been gone for like 8 months, and I paniced a bit.  The time is going way to fast...  
 
Oh and we might have a baptism this week!  We´ll see...
 
Love you all!  Have an awesome week!
 
Love,
    Corey
 
P.S.  sorry for all the spelling errors... I know that I made them, but I don´t remember how to fix them...

Monday, May 16, 2011

5-16-11


Dear Family,
 
This week was super fast! I really can´t believe how fast it was... 
 
Its kinda tough to work here in Medellin because we work and work and work and our numbers are really low...  We now only have 1 possible baptism scheduled for this month.  We are hoping and praying for more opportunities and we know they´ll come, but it is hard to be patient. 
 
Despite the hard work and everything, I have learned a ton.  I know speak spanish very comforably and I learn a lot in my studies and best of all, my faith is growing.  For some reason my faith grows really slow and plummets really fast.  So its really good to feel like my faith is growing a little bit.
 
We finally got a version of the Book of Mormon in audio for Nicolás.  It was way cool to see.  We put the CD in and he just sat and listened to it.  He would ask us questions like Who is Nephi? and then he would go back to listening intently.  He really likes it and we are starting to see that his life is getting better. 
 
I was just thinking today how some things that are normal here that are pretty outrageous back home.  There are many... but the one that stands out most to me is that we hear gunshots in the streets everyday various times throughout the day or night.  We hear about lots of killings and robberies and all sorts of stuff.  Its always sad, but its normal... And I don´t like the fact that its normal. 
 
This week, Medellin forgot to rain... So its been fetching hot.  I might die when I have to go to Cali... (cause Cali is fetching hot.)
 
I don´t have anything else to say... I´ll try and do better next week.  Love you all!  Have a good week!
 
Love,
    Corey

Monday, May 9, 2011

5-9-11


Dear Family,
 
It really was so good to talk to you all!  You all sound good and happy. 
 
I got a lot of comments from you about our blind man.  Thanks for all of them.  They all have helped me a lot.  I talked to Pte. Bolivar about him and asked him what I should do to help him and also to help me.  I decided that a big part of my problem is with me.  I don´t believe in myself enough to do it.  I don´t believe that I have enough faith to do it.  Pte. Bolivar said to just keep visiting him and be his friend.  Do what you can to help him.  Don´t focus on healing his eyes but focus on healing his heart.  And realize the ¨little¨ miracles in your life.      All of these things put together have really helped me.  My faith has grown a ton.  Nicolás is happier and I think we are all starting to progress.
 
So my companion taught me something funny.   ¨TIC.¨   It means This Is Colombia.   We say this when we see ridiculous things happen.   It is the answer to everything.  Why does everyone drive like a maniac?  Why do the gangsters have guns, grenades, and rocket launchers?  Because THIS IS COLOMBIA!   Don´t get me wrong... I love Colombia.  But we see a lot of ridiculous things.
 
Now just to ensure something.   I am very very safe.   We don´t do stupid things.  We don´t go to the dangerous parts (unless the spirit tells us to...)  And we truly have divine protection.  So please do not worry!
 
Mom said something interesting in her email to me today.   The death of Osama bin Laden is like closure for all the victims.  That is why there is celebration.  While I may not have been very old when they attacked us,  and maybe it didn´t affect me directly,  I, as an American, have come to feel like a victim.  So the closure of all of this is what has made me happy.  And man alive! It really does seem like a way awesome movie!
 
I don´t have anything else to say...  I love you all!  Have a great week!
 
Love,
  Corey

Monday, May 2, 2011

5-2-11


Dear Family,
 
I just have to say that I am very happy to know that Osama Bin Laden is dead!!!  Usually I wouldn´t be happy with the death of a person...  but I believe he was an exception!
 
This week was good.  Not a whole lot happened, but we have had a few experiences. 
 
First of all, the danger in Medellin is escalating.  We don´t see very much of it, but there are quite a few parts of town that we absolutely can not go...  Apparently the guerilla is supplying local gangs with automatic weapons and grenades and stuff...  The sad part is that it is all for drugs and all gangsters are just kids.  Its really sad to see.  The other day, we were making a call in the street.  I looked at a group of kids who were smoking marijuana.  I was thinking about them a bit because they are a group of kids of about 14 to 18 years old.  Then we were in the house of a member when they told us that we were in the 3rd most dangerous part of Medellin and these kids are the killers...  Don´t worry, I am very safe.  They are scared of us... 
 
On Wednesday night,  I was the sickest I have ever been in my life.  I was up all night throwing up and almost dying...  It was horrible.  I don´t really know what did it but the symptoms I had are undescribable.  Then at like 5 in the morning, I asked my companion for a blessing and was pretty much healed.  I got to sleep 1 hour and a half and then we went to Zone Conference.  The next day was rough, I was tired and a little bit sick all day.  But Hermana Bolívar took care of me and bought me food and stuff.  I am fine now...  I just have bruised ribs from throwing up...
 
Well this week was another week of rejection.  We have some good investigators but not enough to keep us busy all day everyday.  So we get a lot of chances to knock on doors.  We have taught a few people who are from various churches.  I don´t know the names of them in english... but we teach them everythings all good and then they say that we are wrong and of the devil and lots of things.  One guy yelled so hard his face turned purple.  And all we said is the name Joseph Smith...  I don´t know why the people here are so hard but every missionary that comes has the same trouble.
 
Anyway, despite all of this, I love Medellin, it is beautiful and cool and everything.  It has its problems but I don´t care!  I am learning a lot and I think I am getting close to being 100% fluent!
 
Ok so I am going to call this weekend!  I didn´t know we were so close.  But I have to call on Saturday.  I hope its all good with everyone and I really hope to be able to talk to everyone.  I am not sure what time though...  But Saturday is the day. 
 
Love you all