"THE BIG NEWS!"

July 20, 2009 -
"Hey Amazing Family!!!
The BIG NEWS... I don't think I should tell you until you get the letter... But hey, I can't wait any longer either... The Big News is... Monday last week (6th July), I was still in Iquitos and we were as a zone in the big zoo of Quistochocha looking at cool animals and taking pictures... Suddenly, the Zone Leaders came running with their cell phone telling me to hurry up and answer it... I was so afraid that I was going to answer and that on the other line, there was going to be some bad news, or that I was going to be in trouble, even though I hadn't done anything... Come to find out, it was President Pérez on the other end of the line… He asked me how I was doing and how I felt and how Iquitos was. I told him that everything was good. He then told me he had a favor to ask of me… A favor? What could possibly be this favor when he is in Lima, and I am in Iquitos?... This is the BIG NEWS… PRESIDENT PÉREZ CALLED ME TO BE HIS PERSONAL SECRETARY!!! I was at a loss for words and couldn’t believe he was asking me to be his Personal Secretary… He told me that I would have to come two weeks before the next change and be trained by the current Personal Secretary… I said yes… He told me that it is going to be a great privilege to have me in the Offices with him. I said the same and thanked him for this opportunity… That is why I am now in Lima. I AM IN THE OFFICES!!! Being the Personal Secretary, I do basically everything for the President, and all the missionaries. I make flight plans, hotel reservations, take phone calls, handle the important documents like Passports and IDs, help with the changes, make the packets for the missionaries that are going home, call the parents of the Gringos that are going home (which means I talk in English!!!), help the foreigners get their Peruvian IDs, and I get to hang out with the President a lot of the time… Mom, I cannot honestly put into words how happy and excited I am. Please do not worry about me for nothing. I am right where I need to be. I know Heavenly Father was listening to my prayers. Being in the Offices, we work on computers and do all of our work in the mornings, and then we leave in the afternoons to go out and preach the Gospel. My area is a hard area, so I will probably not be seeing as many baptisms, but I know that I am going to be so happy… I will be here in the Offices as a minimum amount of time, six months… That means that I am going to celebrate my Birthday, my 1-Year-Anniversary in the Mission, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with President. I am so excited and I am going to have so much fun!!! :) I know that for Christmas, we spend the day with President in his house and we get to eat a huge meal with him and his wife… I am so so so so so excited… So that is my BIG NEWS… I hope you are all fine with that… I couldn’t be better… I know I always say that I am fine and could always be better, but I think right now, I am perfect. The only thing that could make everything completely perfect would be to be with you guys…my family… Elder Nemelka is here as Assistant to President so I get to have a fun couple weeks with him before he goes home… He came back from interviews in the jungle and brought back some huge ants called Ziquizapa for all of us in the Offices to eat… These ants are huge… They find them in the jungle, cook them up, and serve them, just like the suri… I was totally prepared to eat it and thought that I would just soar right through it… But, it was disgusting… It was fine at first just crunchy, and then the juice came out, and I about threw up… But I conquered the Ziquizapa! And to take the flavor of the ant away, I ate some of my Tootsie Rolls…Family, just so you know, I am doing perfectly fine… I am without any worries. I can’t even put into words how good I feel… Keep up the good work at home… Enjoy the hot days of summer… I am living in winter weather right now, and I feel kind of like it’s Christmas time, wearing my sweaters and jackets, but Christmas still isn’t for a couple months… Honestly I am doing fine. Don’t worry about me. I hope you like my Big News… I am really happy… Have fun and enjoy summer!!! I love you guys so much… Love, Colyn"

"I will go where the Lord wants me to go"

July 13, 2009 - "Hey Amazing Family,
I'm not going to tell you why because you guys are going to receive a letter in the mail this week from me that explains everything... But I'M IN LIMA... I'm not in beautiful and hot Iquitos anymore. I flew into Lima last night and right now, it's winter, so it's a little cold and I've got my jacket on... Don't worry about why I'm in Lima. Just know that the letter will explain everything...Don't worry, I'm not sick... I am completely fine and am super happy right now... I will explain more on Saturday after you have already received the letter that I sent you... :)
I had a baptism on Saturday. I baptized Diana Maria Bicerra Saavedra. She is so cool... My last baptism in Iquitos with Elder Llacsa... :)
I had a group of people send me off in the airport in Iquitos: Yolanda, Anthony, Mishel, Diana, Angelo, Jair, Karla, Analiz, and the grandma of Angelo and Jair, Isabel... They were so nice to travel all the way to the airport just to see me off... :) Mishel gave me some photos that I have to give to her when I come back and visit... It's like a treaty that makes me have to come back... We are definitely going to come back to Iquitos... Yolanda was crying... She cried during Church yesterday, and then at the airport. When I went through security and had to say my last goodbyes to everyone, I also shed a few tears because I am really going to miss them… I have a family in Iquitos… On Friday night, because she knew I was going to be leaving, Yolanda threw me a surprise going-away party. It was such a special night. She invited all of my converts, and my good Member friends… Some of my converts shared their thanks and testimonies. My companion, Elder Llacsa also shared his testimony, which got me a little worked up, because I have lived with him for 3 months… Then it was my turn to say a few words… I couldn’t even get two sentences out and I was already in tears… It was a special moment to thank all of them for being my family from Iquitos… I have so many friends that I am going to miss…
I have to admit that yesterday, there were a few moments when I wanted time to stop and I couldn’t stop it… I was so wanting to just spend a few more moments with Yolanda, Anthony, and Mishel… I know that I always want the time to keep passing, but I have now realized that it is passing too fast… I am loving the mission… I have had the moments of wanting to stop the time; but, just like I can’t speed it up, I can’t stop it either…
I love you guys so much and I pray for you guys every night and please know that you are always in my heart…
I can’t wait for you to read my letter… A BIG Surprise is waiting for you… Know that I am totally fine… I miss the jungle, but just like Nephi, I will go where the Lord wants me to go… I love you so much… Take care and go have fun and enjoy summer… I love you. Love, Colyn…"

"Two more children of God brought to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ"

July 6, 2009 - We had 2 baptisms this week! I baptized Carlos Martin Bonilla Tenazoa. His two sisters are already members. He is 19-years-old, and I hope that he will start to prepare to go on a Mission...The other Baptism was Angel Manuel Orosco Montes. He was baptized by his uncle Ricardo, who we baptized May 30. Yes, Ricardo is already using his Priesthood to baptize... it was a sweet moment to watch recent convert Ricardo baptize his nephew Manuel. He had to baptize Manuel three times because he is a little bigger and his whole body needed to go under...The Bishop joked that he had a lot of sins that he needed to repent of and had to be baptized three times... :) No, it is that Baptism has to be done the right way... Two more children of God brought to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ...
I missed being with you guys on the 4th of July...I thought all day how amazingly blessed we are to be citizens of the greatest nation on earth--the United States of America!!! Never forget that we are soooooo blessed to be Gringos.....
Yesterday we had lunch with Yolanda and her family... After lunch, we just hung out with her, Anthony and Mishel.... We looked at photos, talked and laughed, and just had a good time... It was so enjoyable to just spend a few hours with them... Anthony is the cutest kid, and I don't want him to grow up because I want you guys to see him how he is....Wow, I think I'm turning into a parent...not wanting a kid to grow up..... :) I love this family and I am so thankful to be here for the time that I have been here; to get to know them and grow to love them even more..."