All the things I needed to know...I already knew!

November 24, 2012

Hey family!

 

 

How is it there? Sounds like everything is going well. Anyway, this week has been great. I have grown a lot. I have learned a lot about myself and the inner purposes of life. Schedule wise, this week has been kind of uneventful. We had the opportunity to go and tract around the temple and up the street. It is very fun and sometimes very humbling. This week I have really learned about how I need to be an example to everyone. I noticed that whenever I joke around in class the whole class jokes and when I study hard the whole class studies, but I am grateful for the opportunity to set an example.

 

 

I am not quite sure why this kind of stuff happens but yesterday I had a cool experience.   A missionary that I have gotten to know pretty well came up to me and said, "I need a pep talk tonight." I was like, "What does that mean?" About 30 minutes later I found him and asked him what was up. He said he had been praying about some issues and problems he had been having in the MTC.  When he prayed to ask who he should talk to he got the answer that he needed to talk to me. I'm thinking, "What can I do for a missionary like this?" I have problems myself and I can think of many better missionaries for him to talk to, but we sat down and talked for about 30 minutes or so.  I shared many scriptures with him and afterward he said, "I now know why I needed to talk to you." I felt the Spirit so strongly. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a tool in the Lord's hands. It is the best feeling and this is also the work of the Lord.

 

 

I want you guys to know, especially all the moms who have missionaries out, that it is not only a privilege to have the Spirit with you while you are a missionary but a promise if you are worthy of the blessings. I know that that is the only reason the church can confidently send missionaries to some of the most dangerous places and we can walk down allies in the middle of Guatemalan cities and know that if we are worthy we will be protected.

 

 

Thank you guys so much for the support.

It is amazing and I can't wait to be 'in the field' in a little over a week! It's crazy.

 

 

Pray always and remember Him.

Love you,

Elder Reinhold

 

*The blog editors (mom and dad) love this email. It is so great to watch your kids 'grow up' and watch them learn experientially the things you try to teach them all along...be an example, love your brother, do what you know is right, have faith, etc. I'm going to ignore the implications in the message to the mothers about the allies of Guatemala and the need for protection. Surely, he must have just run out of things to say.

Hola!

Hola Familia,

Como esta ustedes? Everything here is good.  Thank you so much for the letters everyone.  They are really so great to read and also it is great to hear what is going on in the States.  Thank you Mosers for the packages and the letters!  I wrote a letter in Provo but I never had a chance to send it, so thank you very much.  Dad, to answer your question, no I have not received the first package yet but I will let you know.  Also when you get a chance, maybe for my Christmas package, can you send me a new mp3 player?  Mine got stolen by these little kids who come every three weeks and clean our rooms. I pray every night that they may feel Gods love for them and that they may feel the Spirit with the music that was on it.

Well I really do love it here.  I could see myself living down here.  I have lost about 10 pounds and I don't know how.  I have not even left the CCM.  Anyway, this week we had the opportunity to do our bus tour.  It was great!  We went to a market and then we went to a really modern mall.  The mall was so nice it was like an indoor version of City Creek but like 4 times the size.  I had my first meal from outside the CCM.  I had to pick McDonald's just because I had to live up to the American reputation.  They had some really cool stores but it was expensive.  We were not able to see some of the stuff in the city because they said that there was some riots going on.  I wonder what it is about?  It was really fun!  We were out on our own. I learned a lot!  First of all, that I need to work on my numbers in Spanish because I had no idea how much people were saying things cost. I can't wait to get in the field because we can go preach the gospel and not have to report back to the CCM.

Last night I had the opportunity to stay a night in the hospital with one of my district members who was passing a kidney stone.  We were taking shifts to go and stay with him.  It was good because I had the chance to do a lot of reading, but it was really hot and boring because he was asleep the whole time and I had nobody to talk to. He is doing fine and is back at the CCM now.

My Spanish is coming along.  It is just a very long process.  I am to the point where I can understand almost all of it, but I can not speak it very well.  I have a gift for hearing it, but I need help speaking.  I am not behind in my group.  I am just not excelling.

Yo quiero ustedes saber que yo se que soy agradacido por la oportunidad ensenar la gentes de
Guatemala. Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es las palabras de Dios. Yo se que familias son eterno y soy agradacido para mi familia y todos ellos ir para mi. Yo se que Jose Smith fue un profeta de Dios y el traducir el Libro de Mormon para nosotros. Por favor siempre orar y leer las escrituras diariamente. Es muy importante porque podemos recibir mucho bendiciones mediante estes cosas.

Well my time is up, but I love all of you so much and love hearing from you!  I am so excited!  I only have 2 weeks left until I am in the field.
Bye!
Elder Reinhold

Earthquake, Tracting, Dogs, and Inspiration

Hey guys!

I am sure you heard about the terramoto (earthquake).  It was quite an experience.  Here in Guatemala City it was not too bad but it was weird.  We were just sitting in the lobby reading the Book of Mormon and all the sudden the ground felt like it was going in circles.  I was confused at first then I walked outside and the trees were swaying and cars were moving around.  It was not bad enough that I had to sit down.  It only lasted for about 30 seconds and then they started to evacuate us just in case.  Our building is okay.  Somebody told me that the church uses 4 times the rebar as the code mandates.  I don't know if it is true but we are fine and I got a good taste of Central America.  I
could actually pay attention to what was going on around me.  It was an eye-opening experience but the people that were killed were in my mission in the city of San Marcos.  I heard the damage there was pretty substantial. I am continually praying for the people in my mission who were effected.

We had our first day of tracting (knocking on doors) this week and I loved it!  It was a great experience. One thing that surprised me is how receptive people are to the gospel message.  They are truly an amazing people.  In 2 1/2 hours we gave 4 Books of Mormon and they have to be very interested to give them a Book of Mormon.  We had 4 good investigators and 8 referrals.  They just dropped us off in this area about the size of our neighborhood.  It was a small area and this was our first taste of how these people live.  We saw some people who were lucky to have a tin roof and some who do not have any cement and we are still in Guatemala City. It is actually very hard for me to think about how blessed I am because they have nothing.  I love these people already. And now I know what they were talking about on blogs when they said there are perros dogs everywhere.  It's true.  It is a bit weird and even the Latinos are scared of them so they make the gringos go first.

Anyway, we walked all the way down into this canyon and started taking to people.  You don't have to knock doors because most people don't have doors. So we started talking to some people and I realized it did not sound like Espanol so I look at my Latino companion and he says "?Intiendo Qui che?" and I said "No, no intiendo Espanol."  He said, "Do you understand Qui che?"  I said, "No, I don't even understand Spanish?"  How am I supposed to know Qui che when I can't even understand Spanish?  He was from Mexico so he did not speak it either.  So, we had to go back up to the city part of the town where there was Espanol. Let me just say Qui che looks and sounds so hard with how hard it is to learn Spanish. Qui che not being Latin based must be impossible but with the Lord nothing is impossible.  It was a great experience and I will never forget it. 

This week I had a very spiritual experience.  I have been looking for an answer to some things in my life and my teacher showed us this video that just hit me like a ton of bricks.  If you guys have a chance watch it.  It is about missionary work but it applies to all people and situations.  It's called something like Missionary Work and the Atonement or Through the Atonement.  One sister said it was on YouTube. It has Bednar and Holland speaking and it is so powerful.  Every recorded talk they have from the MTC is mind blowing.  This week it was Elder Holland about missionary work and he is just doing what Holland does.  The talk was given 4 hours after those missionaries died last year.  It was very sad.

Well time is up.
Love you guys and I will talk to you next week.

Elder Reinhold

Guatemala Earthquake

We received a report from our Bishop that thankfully all the missionaries in Guatemala are safe.  Our hearts go out to the people affected by the quake.

Hey Family!

How is everything going up there?  Can I just say that I would not mind living in this city.  It is incredible but we are in the Beverly Hills of Cuidad de Guatemala. Sooo until we go out that is my opinion. Speaking of that, Monday is my first day of proselyting.  We are going to go out and knock doors and walk on the streets by ourselves.  I am so excited even thought my Spanish is not the best. 

This week has been pretty uneventful.  This past week I have really been focusing on the gospel and trying to build my testimony. Every missionary wonders if they are being led by the Spirit so we watched this talk by President Bednar about recognizing the Spirit and he talked about how most of the time he does not feel the Spirit tell him things he is just worthy to receive it and the Lord knows he is obedient. 

He told a story about himself and President Packer I believe.  When Bednar was a missionary he was the AP and he received a call from President Packer saying that he needed to be picked up at the airport.  He said he picked President Packer up and dropped him off at a train station, gave him 20 franks and never thought about it again. Well, little did he know, years later after he was sustained a member of the 12, he would see President Packer again.  He said the first day he was in the temple for a meeting he asked, " President Packer, do you remember when I picked you up from the airport and took you to the train station?"  President Packer said, "Do you remember picking me up and taking me to the train station and giving me 20 franks?"  President Bednar said it sounded familiar.  Packer said that 20 franks saved our lives.  He said when they approached the Berlin Wall they were checking passports and Packer's wife had a passport extension which they did not believe was valid.  If you did not have a regular passport they would kick you off the train and put you in jail. The official checked it and said they had to get off.  President Packer was arguing with the man and he just so happened to feel the 20 franks in his pocket.  He took it out and put it in the passport and the guy took the passport to the back of the train.  He came back and said they were cleared.  When President Packer told told him this Bednar's jaw dropped.  He was blown away.  He did not receive a voice saying to give him 20 franks, he just was worthy and obedient.  When I saw this talk, I started to think of my MTC experience and I realized that that has happened to me at least 3 times.  Because of this, I feel much more qualified as a missionary.

I want you guys to know that I know that this Church is true and that I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows and loves all of us.  I love you guys so much and I think about you often. If you have not read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, please do and pray about its truth and I know that you will recieve a witness through the Holy Ghost of its truth. If you don't have a Book of Mormon, ask my Mom and I am sure she will get you one. I love you guys.

Elder Jakob Reinhold