Rhett

Whats up Fam!

It was another good week. We had lots of stuff to do. We were in Cuidad Del Este doing divisions with some missionaries there and for a zone conference. So that was cool. I got to work with some elders that came with me here in the mission, so that was super fun. We had some awesome lessons together and set some baptismal dates with a few people. It's been cool being able to work with the other missionaries and help them get them fired up about the mission and also getting to learn new ways to teach from other missionaries. I feel like I have become a better missionary because of it. The zone conference was also so awesome. Prez Svec and Hmn Svec went all out haha. We went to the store and bought 2 shopping carts full of a bunch of food and snacks to make stockings for all of the missionaries. Haha everyone in the store were looking at us like what are these fat boys doing buying all those chocolates...haha that was a cool experience though, the zone conference went well and you could feel the Spirit of Christ.

On Saturday we had another Christmas devotional in Encarnacion for the zone that we are actually in. That went pretty well and we were able to be in the choir for the members and investigators there. Another cool thing, during the mission I have been learning to play the Ukulele and have actually learned how to play..haha never knew I could learn music...But I was able to play a song there at the devotional with some other missionaries in front of all of them, and it actually went really well. I have never sang or played an instrument in front of anyone before so that was an interesting experience. Mom, you would be so proud!

When we got back to our area on Thursday we also had lots of stuff to do. We worked in an area called Trinidad to get it ready to open up a church there. So we worked there and were able to find a bunch of awesome people. This past Sunday we started a group there and had the first sacrament meeting. It went super well. One of our investigators came who hasn't been able to attend church in Obligado in a few weeks because she lives in Trinidad which is about 30 minutres from Obligado. But she was able to come and it was a great experience for her. She has been progressing so much, she loves the church. I am super excited for the work there because now the people will be able to come to church! Wow...it seriously is so great to see the work of the Lord move forward. I can see the Lord's hands in it, and we get to be instruments to bring people unto Him. This week I also had the priviledge to baptize one of the investigators of the sister misionaries in our area. That was a super cool experience for the branch here in Obligado. It was a little girl that got baptized and it definitely brought the Spirit of Christ to the members. I feel like it is bringing their missionary spirit up and they want to start doing more missionary work. I just want to finish off saying that I know that this church is true and that Christ is the head of it. He invites us all to follow Him! I love you all, Merry Christmas!! I hope you all have a great one!

Elder Reilly

Baptism that the sisters had this past sunday

-We donated some blood to help a members daughter who was super sick

Trent - #LighttheWorld

Hello Everyone!

This week was great but a little crazy! There were some emergency changes and I'm now in a different area! The contract for our apartment expired and they didn't want to renew it for two more years because it has a lot of problems so they moved us to the apartment of the assistants in Limay which is still in the Neuquen Zone. We are also now in a trio with Elder Esplin and Elder Jeffries because the companion of Elder Jeffries finished his mission! We have a new area with three weeks left in the transfer. We're just gonna contact like crazy and work hard. We have permission to go back to our old area and help Jennifer and Laura and Jorge get baptized. Unfortunately it's looking like Jorge and Laura aren't going to arrive to their baptisimal dates but Jennifer is doing great! She will be baptized the 30th of December! She is progressing very well. She came to church this week and the last and came to the Christmas devotional last night, which was awesome! There was an amazing choir and some great messages! They shared a lot from "The Living Christ" a document that the first presidency of the Church released a few years back. It is so perfect. It describes Christ in a perfect way and you can't help but feel the Spirit when you read it! I invite you all to read it!

I love the Christmas Season and I love Jesus Christ! No one else can bring the peace and comfort that He brings. He is the ONLY one! He is the light and the life and the hope of the world! With His light we can light the world! Compartamos la luz! iluminemos el mundo!

Love you and miss you all! Till next week!

Trent - Ilumina el Mundo!

Hola Everyone!

This week was so great. A 70 came to speak in the stake conference in Neuquen and he was a beast. All he talked about was missionary work and he fired all the members up. This Friday we have a Christmas dinner activity and the bishop invited us to sing Christmas songs there because he wanted our missionary spirit. His counselors and him are going to go two hours before the activity and invite everyone in the street they can find! It's gonna be sweet. I love when members join with us in the work. We don't feel alone. We feel supported and like we're all a team. I just love this work so much and I love the Christmas season. Estamos invitando a todos a iluminar el mundo! What a great initiative the church is doing. It's such a special thing to be able to invite all to come unto Christ and follow His example and serve. I love it. I hope we can find all the humble in heart and all who are willing to take the "yoke of Christ" upon them and ACT and be baptized. Because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 

I have been studying the Book of Mormon a ton in my studies and I LOVE it. It enlightens my understanding. I found this awesome verse this week that has never hit me so hard. 2 Nefi 2: 8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

So true! Its SO important to make the Gospel known unto all the Earth. The MOST important! They need to know their Savior. :)

All the members out there who read this please help the missionaries and invite! All those who aren't members, please listen to what the missionaries have to share. I know its true! Love you and miss you all! Chau!

Elder Reilly

Rhett - Roadtripp

Bae Chiepa!

Espero que todo bien. This week was a little bit crazy not gonna lie. We had a ton of stuff to do it being December and close to Christmas. The whole mission is planning Christmas devotionals and "Open Chapels" to bring the Spirit of Christ and help people learn more about the church. This week my comp and I took a 6 hour roadtrip to a place called Saltos Del Guiara which is at the border of Brazil for a devotional. We went in the minivan of the mission. Haha it was super weird, I felt like we were on a roadtrip from California to Utah except for the fact that we were jamming out to some nice hymns and didn't have any sunflower seeds to eat on the way down. We weren't able to manage to watch The Breakfast Club on the way down either...hahah.

But it the devotional went really well. While the zone was practicing before the devotional, my comp and I went out and starting inviting everyone. We weren't a part of the singing for the most part so we got about 400 cards with invitations and just starting talking and inviting everyone. It was so great, I don't think I've ever talked to so many people in a day in my life haha. In about an hour we had given out all of them. Then later that night before it started, we went out again to invite. As we were inviting my comp entered into a computer place with a guy working there. We invited him and asked him if he wanted to come to the devotional and walk over with us. He said yes, closed his store, and went with us. That was super cool. We got talking with him and it turns out that missionaries when he was little came to teach his mom but he never knew about the church. I sat next to him during the devotional, and as the missionaries started to sing the Spirit was so strong. During about the second song he started to cover his eyes and it looked like he was crying. He stayed there for the rest of the devotional. We talked to him afterwards and he told us how he felt something defferent inside him that he had never felt before. After a lady came up to us and and it turns out that she knew the guy and was related to him and hadn't seen him in years. They were so happy to see each other. He said he liked it a lot and that he would try to come to church. It was just a great testimony to me about how there are so many people out there that are waiting to be invited and need a change in their lives. If we can just have the courage and willingness to invite others to come unto Christ others lives will be changed. I invite you all to invite! Love you guys so much, I hope you are feeling the love of Christ this Christmas season!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Hola Familia!

I hope you all had a great week and a great thanksgiving. I hope you all kept the tradition and did the yearly turkey bowl. Unfortunately here nobody knows how to play football soooo it was a little tough. We did manage to play some volleyball though. Not gonna lie...I got some big spikes in over here...haha.

This week was a little crazy. We were pretty much all over the place. We were in Argentina until Thursday planning transfers with Pres and on Tuesday and Wednesday receiving new missionaries in the mission. That was a cool experience. Haha I remember my first day when I got off the plane and basically couldn't speak a word of Spanish, now I'm basically fluent. Talking to the new Americans in the mission was classic. They couldn't understand anything in Spanish, but it was cool to be able to be there to help them and tell them that everything will be ok and they will be able to speak fine real soon. It made me think a lot actually looking back about how the gift of tongues is real. I remember trying to learn Spanish in high school and it was one of my hardest subjects to learn. I was so bad, I could hardly ask to use the bathroom. But after coming here and doing the Lord's work, I was able to basically speak fluently in 5 months or soo. It just shows how much the Lord is there when we need it and when we are doing His work.

Something cool that happened yesterday... We were able to start a group in Maria Auxiliadora. We went there during the week, picked a place where the church could be, set things up, and yesterday we had the first sacrament meeting. There is a member living there that has seriously been begging to open up the church. When we told him we would be having church there this Sunday he was so happy it was amazing, and he seriously invited the whole city haha. On Sunday 9 investigators came for the first time and 18 people came in total. It's incredible to see the Lord's work growing. The Spirit was so strong. Me, my comp, and Elder Sweet were able to give talks and help them understand more about the church. The member family that was there also gave talks in Guaranee. That was also an awesome experience as they were able to testify of the church in the Paraguayan language. Awww maannn, when church ended there was such a good spirit there. The Church is true! We were also able to teach some lessons in our area this week and one of our investigators Sandra is really progressing. She gets super excited every time we come by to visit her, it is awesome. She came to church again this week and loved it! It is so great to see the happiness in her and the change taking place through following Jesus Christ. Sorry I wrote a ton, but I love this work. I know this church is true and that Jesus Christ is at the head of it. He leads it, this is His work. Thanks for all you do. Love you all, have a good week! #lighttheWorld

Trent

This week was better that the last two. My comp and I get along well and we're already great friends. He seems like a really good missionary, he teaches well and knows the scriptures and doctrine. We are still zone leaders in Neuquen. The Elders and Sisters in the zone are great and they all work very hard with the exception of one companionship haha. But we're helping them out! We only are permitted to do splits with the district leaders and they do splits with the elders in their district. 

Everything is going well here in Neuquen. We're gonna go eat all you can eat pizza today and go on a hike and it should be fun. The mission is very difficult but I love it and it's changing me so much. We are helping our investigator Laura stop smoking. She is cutting down little by little and we have the goal to help her stop smoking completely the 21 of this month. PRAY for her so she can have the strength to do it! Also we have Jorge who has a date for the 23 of this month. He just needs to leave the world and make the firm decision to get baptized. He knows everything is true but he doesn't want to get baptized because he doesn't want to fall back in with his same old habits after. We got him to committ to the 23 and we're just gonna keep strengthening his faith and see if he's ready. Unfortunatly the family of Paraguayos aren't doing too well. They keep partying on the weekends and getting drunk and they don't listen and don't come too church unfortunately. We have some new people too named Alfredo y Lea. Pray for them so they can receive an answer to their prayers.

The mission is honestly flying by faster and faster every transfer and even though it's hard, I love it. It's really changed me. I'll keep working the hardest I can. Love you and miss you! Till next week!

Trent

Hola Everyone!

This week was great. We worked hard and talked with everyone as usual. Transfers came and I'm staying here in Neuquen for another six weeks. My companion Elder Meteer left and I'll miss him. He's a really hard worker with great faith. My new companion is Elder Eslpin from Ceder City, Utah. He has 15 months in the mission and he seems like a hard worker too. He arrived just a couple hours ago. The whole morning I was waiting in the terminal to be with all the missionaries that were traveling to their new areas. It was fun to be able to see a lot of missionaries that I hadn't seen in a while!

The work is going well. We have Laura that we are helping quit smoking. She is progressing well and is cutting down the number of cigarettes that she smokes every day. We are also teaching a lot of Paraguayos but they haven't been fulfilling their commitments even though they are very nice. If we could just get them to church they could feel the spirit and difference in their lives when they are keeping the commandments. We are also teaching a great family that is a reference from a member family here in Neuquen. They are progressing very nicely. They recently lost their child which is very sad, but I love the hope the Gospel brings to those that have lost loved ones! We will be able to see them again!

When we're not teaching the investigators we have, we are out in the street talking with everyone or visiting members to help them share the Gospel. This work is very hard but very fulfilling. At the end of the day you just feel good and happy. I get to enjoy the constant influence of the Spirit. And when I'm serving these people I'm in the service of my God!

Love you and miss you all! Till next week!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Hey guys!

Sorry I have like no time to write. But I'll just say that this week was great. We had lots of stuff to do but when we were able to work in our area we took advantage and have some great things happening here. We have a lot of progressing investigators that are really prepared for the gospel. We have seen some great miracles. 

We had a lesson with Marissa this week for the first time with her boyfriend who has seemed like he hates the church. He didn't want anything to do with us. But when we talked to them this week about the importance of the family and the gospel and how God blesses us so much in families, to make it short they now want to get married and have a baptismal date for December. I am super happy and pumped for them.

I just want to end off saying that I know that the family is important and the when we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ our families will be happy and one day be able to rest with God. I love you all have a great week!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Hola familia y amigos!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are all enjoying a nice turkey feast right now.. I'm kind of missing that over here right now honestly. The turkey is super expensive here so we don't have a chance haha. But I really do have so many things to be thankful for. I am so grateful to be blessed the family I have especially, a family centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I couldn't ask for more than that.

This week was another bit of a crazy week. I'm still adjusting to this AP thing haha but am very grateful for the opportunity I have to serve and help the mission. This week we had to go to Argentina for some zone conferences on Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday we were able to go back to our area in Paraguay. When we got back, we worked like crazy. It was honestly one of my favorite weeks in the mission. I feel like my comp and I have the same vision it is honestly so fun. There is a love for the people and the gospel that we have been talking with literally everyone we can. I have been able to see how Lord is preparing people for us to teach and putting people in our path as we open our mouths. In the time we were able to work we were able to have a lot of lessons and help many people come to accept a baptismal date. I honestly feel so happy to be here right now. I feel like the Lord is really helping me be an instrument in His hands. I love this work and invite all who maybe don't know much about the church to come and see for yourselves. If missionaries come by, I invite you to let them in and share this message we have to share. I know it will bless you life. I love you all and am grateful for the influence you have all had in my life. have a great week!

Elder Reilly 

Trent

Hola familia y amigos!

This week was great. The whole week Elder Metter and I were killing it. We were teaching lessons like crazy and and finding new people and working with the members and teaching their friends. It was awesome. But, in the end, only one investigator came to church on Sunday and that was really sad. But we just keep working!

We couldnt find Jose Ventura this week and that was also sad! He received a great miracle and chose not to act on it! We will keep trying to help him and see if we can get him to church and then in the baptismal font. We are working really hard here in Neuquen and I'm confident that some miracles will come!

Love you and miss you all! Thanks for the prayers!

Rhett

Hola Familia y amigos!

I hope all is well. This week was super crazy. A lot has happened here. I don't have much time but on Wednesday of this week President called me and told me that because our mission has 2 countries we will now have 2 Assistants to the President and that me and another Elder named Elder Barrios are going to be the Assistants in Paraguay. Basically what we are asigned to do is help out President and all the missionaries and motivate them to teach repentance and baptize. We will be traveling a lot which will be crazy to do divisions with other missionaries and conferences and stuff but it will be great to help the mission out get them pumped up to be great missionaries! I had to go to Argentina the next day to learn how to drive a stick shift truck!

To end off I just want ot share a miracle that happened recently in our mission. So this week we had a Conference with all of the mission in Argentina with 2 seventies that came, Elder Brague and Elder Cristenson. When President Svec told us about it about a month ago there was a huge problem because a bunch of the missionaries in Paraguay had Visa problems and wouldn't be able to cross without paying a huge fine. President and Hermana Svec told us that the mission wouldn't be able to pay for it eiter and it was pretty expensive. So the whole mission picked a day to fast and pray so that all the missionaries could cross to Argentina and so that we could have this giant confereence. At first there were 38 missionaries that couldn't cross. It seemed almost impossible that they would be able cross without paying. But to make it short the last Sunday the whole mission fasted and prayed, and when the day of the conference came every missionary crossed in the mission without paying anything. Wowww...what a miracle. It was incredible. The power of fasting and prayer is real. God is listening and I know he answered many prayers this week with the conference. The conference was incredible, the whole mission was there, and the Spirit was so strong. I love this work. I know it is truly the Lord's work! Love you guys, have a great week! 

Elder Reilly 

(A couple excerpts from Rhett's dad's letter too)

Elder Brague and Elder Cristenson came and talked and it was amazing, the Spirit was so strong. I feel like it really motivated the whole mission to really open our mouths, and find those people that are prepared for us. He used the example of Peter and Cornelius in Acts where Peter was led by the Spirit to find Cornelius who was had been praying and fasting and was waiting for him just days before. We can all have our own Cornelius we just have to have enough love for these people and open our mouths! I loved it, it was awesome. I'm little nervous but feel very grateful and excited to be able to lead the mission and help save our bruthas and sistas! Love Ya!

Trent

Hola Familia y amigos! Les quiero mucho y espero que estén bien!

This week was actually a REALLY tough one, but I'm not letting it get me down. We had committed many investigators to come to church, but very few came and that was a little sad. I only desire the best for these people and I know that if they keep the commitments that we extend to them then they will be so blessed and so much happier so it's sad when they don't keep them!

This week a really cool miracle happened. We have been teaching a man named Jose Ventura and he has a really tough situation. He is separated from his family and he has been living in the street without a job for about 3 weks now. We talked to him early in the week and he commented to us that he no longer had the energy to keep fighting and that he no longer wanted to live. His last opportunity for a job had just fallen through and he was super bummed out. We were able to comfort him by sharing this scripture(it's not exact I don't have it memorized in English), "My son, peace be unto thy soul. Thy suffering and thy afflictions shall be but a small moment. And if thou endure it well, ye shall be exalted on high." The moment was just so powerful. He bagan to cry and so did I because I just felt the love that God had for him. We were able to give him hope and help him keep fighting. We were tools in God´s hands! How special. The next day, Jose began to talk with a less active member of our Church(he didn't know at the time) in front of a public bathroom and tell him his situation. That member gave Jose a place to stay for one year without charge. The next day Jose found a job! God blesses those who persevere! 

I have no more time but know that I love and miss you all. Keep persevering!

Elder Reilly

Rhett - Trick or Treat

Hola Familia y amigos!

Espero que todo este muy bien. I don't have much time to write but it was another busy, great week. We were able to see some great things happen. Rosaly, her sister, and Marisa all came to church this week. Marisa has really gotten to know the members now and there is a new light in her when she comes to church. She just seems like such a happy person now, it's been awesome to see the change in her. Also, Rosaly has been reading the Book of Mormon a lot and feels really good about it. This week she invited one of her friends to the lesson so that we could share with her too!

We have been working with the Rojas family who is also progressing a lot. The husband has told us multiple times how much he really wants to change and help his family come closer to God. Life has been a little bit tough for them and I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ will help them to have that change. I am very excited for them, and I know it will bless them so much. One thing I have learned from this week is about faith and commitment. Heavenly Father has so many prepared blessings for us, that if we just have the faith and are commited we can recieve. When we are truly committed and show our faith to follow Jesus Christ, that is when the change takes place AND that is when we can feel the joy the Gospel brings. I think it is great to know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and has provided a way for us to return to live with Him and have all that He has. That sounds like the greatest plan ever to me! That's because it is.. I know that that's true and am here serving the people of Paraguay because of it. I love you all y espero que tengan una muy buena semana!

Elder Reilly

Trent

Hola everyone!

It was another great week. We are teaching many people and we got a few of them to church this week so that was great! I think we found the secret here! We just have to find all of the people who aren't from Argentina and then they're really nice haha! We're teaching a really awesome family from Paraguay and they're honestly so nice and loving. When we started teaching them they were so respectful. They just let us in and they give us so much respect because we're "people of God". They're so humble and they desire to become closer to God. I love people like that!

The whole mission has been really struggling with baptisms but our mission President shared a really awesome email with us today. He shared with us the story of when Jesus came to the apostles and told them to cast in their nets on the other side. They didn't understand and they said that they had been fishing all night and hadn't caught anything, but they obeyed anyway. They caught so many fish that their net broke. The natural man can't see what the Lord has in store! Then he shared D&C 4. The field is white and ready to harvest! Metemos la hoz! I love this work! I know the Lord's got some crazy miracles in store! It's gonna be sweet!

Love you and miss you all! Have a great week! Let your light shine!

Elder Reilly!

Trent

*Excerpts from Trent's dad's and mom's letters because Trent said he didn't have time to send a main one this week!

Everything was great this week. My new comp and I are killing it. We found a really cool family from Paraguay and there's one kid named Federico that is so cool. He's 19 and he's like my best friend. I feel like I already knew him. We are going to baptize him this month of November!

The ward here is so awesome. I pretty much know them all. The ward is really well run and the members are really nice and hard working. They always give us lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal here. They eat dinner really late so we never eat dinner with them. I love this ward and I'm really excited to work with them!...My comp and I took the third hour with permission from the bishop and talked all about missionary work. We shared a really awesome video. Its called "Ill go where you want me to go". It was great. All the members are excited to get to work. We finished up the ward mission plan and now we're just moving forward!

I'm glad everyone is doing so well! That all sounds so fun! I'm glad that all the family is killing it in sports! Can't say that I'm too surprised!...That's crazy about the world series! Thanks for giving me the info! That kid on the Lakers is the same kid from that high school in California? I'm glad they're doing well. They'll be back on top when I get back. That's so sweet about Morgan and Beau and Trevor! 

I can't believe that Drew has a kid! That's crazy! That sounds really awesome! We are so blessed to have a family with good priesthood men!

The mission is so awesome! I'm loving it. I really feel like I'm just getting everything down and that the Spirit is working through me. I am confident and I don't have fear and I have the faith that God will help me have success! Till next week! 

Elder Reilly