Same Same August 23, 2010

Hey fam!

Well like you already know... 6 more weeks in San Miguel! Man I never thought that i would be in an area this long. I would always hear about some elders being in an area for 6 months and think wow I would die if that happened to me haha. But as of right now im not too bad and im sure I can bare 5 more weeks. Im pretty sure we will be baptising a 22 year old guy named José this weekend so hopefully that goes through! It is stake conference this weekend so all the missionaries will be there in the same meeting and they are reserving the first 2 benches for us to bring investigators. Haha, I think its going to be a bit of a competition to see who can bring the most. The mission really is so competitive it´s kind of funny. This week we are going to have intereviews with president Perez. Interviews always make me nervous ha but it´s fine they are usually real short and president always has great advice and makes you feel good.

Yeah it is still raining here pretty consistantly, which I like. Except lately it has just been raining in the morning and then being sunny in the day so it´s even more hot because it is incredibaly humid. That will be one good thing about when i go to a new area, hopefully i will be able to gain some weight! Sounds like you guys had a good time in Yellowstone! Sorry Mom and Adam couldn´t go.. but sounds like everybody got to have a good time with Reese sleeping over. Tell Danielle i loved getting her email and that i´ll be waiting for her letter to get here!

So the other day i was eating lunch and there was this thing playing called "viajeros de El Salvador" showing all the sweet places here and this guy going to them. wooooow they are some sweet beaches and some awesome places here that i didn´t even know existed! Mom and Dad are going to have to look them all up and just plan out the week that you come here with sweet things to do!

So that´s cool that Ivette added Brooke on facebook! Remember she doesn´t speak english... haha so you can´t get too indepth. Well i´ve got some pictures to send next week, but i love you and and thanks for all your love and support! I´ll talk to ya next week.

Elder Nikko Reid

9 months! August 16, 2010

hey fam,

How's it going guys? Sounds like the same old stuff back at home and that everybody is doing well! Wedensday we have changes which is kind of nice not being on a Monday now because it doesn't waste an entire P day. To tell you the truth I really have no idea what is going to happen... could be anything. Elder Brummond is going to for sure be training this next change so he is leaving, along with his companion elder Canaza. So BOTH the zone leaders will be leaving which is really rare. If I don't leave I will have at least 6 months in this area.... that´s a long tme! To tell you the truth I would be more or less fine with being here another changes just as long as I get a swich of companion. I dont know what is going to happen though, I´ve got a feeling things are going to stay the same way they are right now.

Other than that everything is going well here!! It was really cool yesterday in sacrament meeting my convert Miguel blessed the sacrament. It has been cool that he has progressed a lot and might possibly serve a mission. He is already 22 and would have to keep working at it but he could do it! Things are pretty good in the area, although I feel pretty burned out. I feel like i have knocked every door at least twice.. haha.

Wow that surprises me that Adam Jones in the office! You´ll have to let me know how that goes for him... everybody who is in the office here can´t wait to get out. Which reminds me, Elder Street is now in the office. But yeah keep me updated on him. That´s awesome that Shawn and Nate visted you guys.. miss those boys. Im so stoked that Shawn is going on a mission and SPANISH speaking. Although I hear spanish in the dominican is weird ha.

So thinkin about building a new deck eh? that would be sweet! Im sure josh would be down now that he´s going into high school, bringing over his teeny boppers for some hot tubbin haha. just kidding. (you know it´s true josh) But yeah the idea sounds good to me! Let me know if it happens or not.

Well if i stay here im hoping that I will at least get a different district. Man it´s so weird that so many people are going home this next change... it´s going to be weird for me. Some of my best buds will be gone! Time really does go by quick and when I look back to just a couple months ago. I can always see progress that I have made spiritually, with the language, and just regular life stuff. The mission is good stuff! Tough at times... but good. Well I love you all thanks for your love and support.

love nick

Almost 9 months! August 9, 2010

hey guys!

Well this week has been pretty busy. We had that training thing with president which was really cool. My president is a stud, terrifying.... but a stud. haha but while I was there to my surprise I saw Elder Dennis!! He isn´t a DL so I didn´t think that I would be seeing him but they invited him to come so I'm sure that means he´ll be going up this next change. It was way good to see him, we pretty much just hung out all three days. People came from all of the areas of this side of the country so there were about 24 elders all in my zone, so two other elders stayed in my tiny little house and went out to work with us in the nights. They were both way cool so it was a fun three days and nice to be with some people that I could actually talk to. But I learned a lot from the meeting and had a good time. We learned new ways of teaching that pretty much is competely different than anyone has ever done but i really like it and i think it will help the misson out a lot. I also got the package!!! thanks a ton i loved it! I´ve pretty much already read the book and that pillow is soooooo nice. As well as the food, good choice on the gold fish those tasted good! Other than that the week has been pretty good, nothing too exciting. One week until changes. Speaking of that, changes are now on wendsdays and not mondays just so you know. I´ll be able to write regular on monday. Yeah i wont lie im hoping i get changed, but I could very easily stay here. So I'm not getting my hopes up! Either way it´s all good, time is time haha.

So that guitar is sweeeeet! Man I have always wanted a 12 string I can not wait to play it when I get back. The office looks really good! Hey you should send me a picture of that ipad thing I really want to see it. Im glad everything is ok with Grandma R.. I bet that was scary! That´s awesome that grandpa k is actually gaining wait!! tell both sets of grandparents hi for me and tell grandpa reid that I have been getting his emails and I appreciate them. So why did Leesa have to have back surgery? that stinks... Leesa and staying down for two weeks... doesn´t go together haha. I totally didn´t realize that my birthday is coming up in while.... 20!! man that stinks... I dont want to leave behind the teenage years haha. Don´t worry about what to get me Im really fine with anything and there is nothing really that i need right now but if i think of something i will definitely let you guys know. I can´t believe nate naegle comes home in december! thats nuts.. went by way fast.

Well guys everything is good here and im pluggin along. A lot of my buddies here in the mission are going into their last change so that kind of stinks....I'll miss them. El Salvador is its regular crazy good old self. Still raining pretty regularly in the nights but hot in the day. Maybe I'll get lucky and get sent to a cool area next change! There is one area called Berlin that is sounding preetttty nice. Well love you all thanks for all your prayers and support, I couldn´t do it without them. have a good week!!

love nick

Two more baptisms! August 2, 2010

Elders and Sisters serving in San Migel

Ivette's baptism last week

Ivette's sister, Lorena's baptism (and another boy he didn't name)

The elders working on houses (see the two at the very bottom of the pic!)

Dear Fam,

Well this has been a pretty busy week for the both of us sounds like! Tuesday we went as a zone to do service in a really really cool place. The church is paying for quite a few houses to be built down here. This house is the worst house that i have seen while i have been down here, it was really sad. Well we had to carry down all the materials down a huge steep mountain with huge rocks and cross a river to get the place where the house is going to be built. We carried huuuge pillars of wood that were wet, which made them really really heavy, as well as a ton of cinder blocks. In all, it took about three and a half hours.. needsless to say i was absolutely dead the next day haha. And my shoulder scarred! But it was really cool and the place was super pretty. Im going to send a few pictures from there.

Also I had two baptisms Saturday! The little siser of the girl I baptized last week, and a kid whose family was inactive but we activated them and baptised there son. I went on divisions with Elder Brummond on thursday so he could do the interviews, so that was really fun! In the interview with Lorena, he was just chatting with her and i wasn´t sure if she was going to pass. So they entered after they were all done and the challenge of getting her dad to sign the papers was still there. He said that she doesn´t know what she is doing and is too young. Elder Brummond then said "ok lorena tell your parents what you told me". She then said, "when i was at Ivettes baptism, I prayed and asked God if this is the true church, and when I did God told me that it is and that I need to get baptised too." chills when up my spine! It was awesome because I told her to pray at her sisters baptism and ask heavenly father if it was the right thing for her to do, but I didn´t think she really would. I didn´t know that she had until that moment. So long story short she got baptised and it was one of the best baptismal services I've had. Me and Brummond sang "para siempre Dios esté con vos", or God be with you til we meet again. Needless to say everyone loved it haha.

Well this Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday President Perez is coming to do leader training with all the DLs and trainers from all the zones out here. Im pretty dang scared because there aren´t that many elders that are going to be there so we will be working really close to the President which makes me nervous haha. It will be good though im sure i will learn a lot. Well the package didn´t come at the multi zone... but the ZL's are going to San Salvador tomorrow so im hoping it´s there and they can bring it to me Wednesday! I was way bummed. So i´ll cross my fingers! Well other than that everything is going well here. Changes will be the 18th of August (same day i complete 9 months :) so we´ll see what happens there. I would like to leave but if i dont i at least want a change of companion haha this kid..... somethin different.

Alright well everything is fine here! im feeling pretty good so dont worry about that. I´ll let you know how the training thing goes and all of that.- im going to send a ton of pics!

love nick