First E-mail

Dear Family... (and friends, I know my Mom loves to forward these things)

It hasn't even been a week at the MTC, and I've learned and grown so much. Everything James told me about the MTC is spot on. The first day seemed like a week, the second seemed like 4 days. But as I got into the swing of things, my third day only felt like 2... :) Elders have an obsession with neck ties, and the food here is pretty amazing.

But the most amazing thing here is the Spirit. All of the companionships in my District are so INSPIRED, it's so heart warming, and such a testament to how Companions are put together. The slower learners always are paired with the faster learners... the more mature, paired with the "less mature" Missionaries, as to keep them in line, and so on.

My Companion is Elder Hilton -- from New Mexico -- an outgoing Missionary who will do wonderful work in Korea. Our Companionship is so strong, and we are so similar in so many ways. In terms of teaching styles, they're very different, but they fit together like puzzle pieces, to help teach with a full picture (hopefully) of the doctorine, that is able to connect and meet the personal and Spirtual needs of our "investigators." Quote unquote.

I am the oldest one here... no surprise. But it did surprise me that I am older than my TEACHERS as well. But in the language, they are my elders, even though they hold the title of Brothers.

I tried to keep hidden the fact that I was in a band. But as all teachers ask what we did before the Mission, it did come out after four days.

To my surprise, when the Older District found out, three of the Elders had not only heard of the band, but "Black Night" is one of the Elders "FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME!", and one of them put "Broken Bodies" on repeat when playing the video game Tony Hawk's Down Hill Jam. I'm never boastful about my experiences touring, they were truly wonderful experiences. But I learned that I should at least be open about them, and not try to hide them. My story, and what I've sacrificed truly inspired some of those Elders. I am sure they won't be the only Time Again fans I run into.

To leave you with a Spiritual experience I had, a couple of days ago, as I was about to say my morning prayer. I was thinking of praying that my companion and I could finish learning to pray in Korean. But as I said my prayer, my thought's were directed by the Spirit, and I prayed that " Elder Hilton and I may learn to pray in Korean so that we may TEACH the Korean people how to pray."

When I finished my prayer, I turned to my companion and asked him, "Why do we need to learn how to pray in Korean?" To which answered, "So we can learn to speak the languagebetter." I explained, "No, it came to me as plain as day, that the reason it is so important for us to learn to pray in the language, is so that we can teach the Korean people who don't know how to communicate with their Heavenly Father."

When we are studying for the benefit of others, and not ourselves, the work is easier, more fruitful, and done with the assistance of the Holy Ghost.

"You are able to perform any what?, where?, how? or when?, when you know why."

My thoughts and prayers are with you, and I can feel the love of the Holy Ghost at the mere thought of your prayers for me...

-Elder Reyes