This is the Place!!

Hey Mom!

Jonny and new companion Elder Dumont

This place is awesome! I'm so excited to be serving in the Currituck Branch! This branch absolutely LOVES missionaries. And I love the people here already so it's gonna be great! I'm gonna miss Poquoson so much, but I'm really excited to be here. 

Mother's day is coming up and I'm really excited! What time is your church? My church meets from 10 to 1 here, so that's 7-10 for you guys. We need to set up what time we're going to do that call! What time would you want to do it? I'll find out where we're going to do it over here, but I'm pretty sure we're going to Skype! Maybe even Face time but I dont' know yet.

The branch on Sunday was a lot of fun. We meet at 10 in the morning, in an old baptist church haha! It was converted to look like an LDS church on the inside, but the outside is just this old brick building. I have some pictures of the outside of it! THe chapel is really small, and then we split it up with curtains to make the classrooms. We probably had about 50 or so people there on Sunday. It was so fun! They had me bear my testimony right after the sacrament, and I guess Brother Huggins tried to record it... haha! So many members in this branch are just the best! I talked to a member of the branch named Brother Etheridge, and he asked if I was related to someone named Zach Collier... crazy right? Apparently they're on the same facebook group titled "Book of Mormon Archaeology". Tell Zach I met someone he kinda knows haha!

Our area is HUGE geographically! We cover all of the Currituck Peninusla and part of the Camden peninsula. Our area goes all the way down to the bridge to the Outer Banks, so that's pretty cool! We never really get a chance to go down there because we don't have enough miles... Our miles are pretty low so we've had to be pretty good planners to use those effectively. It would probably take us about 50 minutes to drive from the southern end to the northern end of our area!

My companion Elder Dumont and I get along really well already! He's from Riverton, Utah. I know... another Utah companion haha! He's the district leader here, and it's his last transfer so I'll be "Killing" him hahaha! It'll be weird! Our district is the two of us here in Currituck, and then there are English and Spanish Elders over on Nag's Head! I got to go to Nag's Head on Friday for a District Meeting! We drove through Kitty Hawk and that was so cool. I'll get to go to Nag's Head on exchanges pretty soon so I'm excited about that.

We live in a trailer... haha it's pretty cool. It's something I've never thought I'd do! But it's actually pretty nice! There are two full bathrooms so we each get one, and we don't have to worry about neighbors above us or next to us! WE do have to get water delivered to us though... OUr tap water is pretty gross. But other than that it's great! 

It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun this week! Good luck at State! You'll do awesome. And I hope that Grandma and Grandpa are still happy. I love them so much, and I pray for them all the time. I think that a gratitude journal is a great idea for her!

And yes I did get my bike fixed! It was a LOT cheaper this time so that was good! Hopefully it will last me longer than the other one did.

That's about all that's new with me this week. New area, new companion, and I'm so excited. There's so much good to be done here in this area, I just know it. I just have to serve with all my heart, might, mind, and strength and exercise that faith. My ponderizing scripture for the week is Ether 15:34 (I just finished Ether today) "Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen." I really liked this verse today, because I know that no matter what happens on my mission, no matter how many baptisms I see, all that really matters is that I worked my hardest and make it to the kingdom of God. I haven't been able to see anyone I've taught get baptized yet, but I'm glad that I know that I have worked hard so far and I will continue to work hard! I just want to continue to get better as I'm out here. I love being on a mission!

Thanks for everything you do for me Mom! I love you so much and I'll talk to you next week. And over Skype in a couple weeks!!!!

Love you so much.

Your son,

Elder Collier