Fourth Floor, Last Door......

Elder Coletti's Letter 10/3/2016

Wow! What an incredible week! The Fourth Floor, Last Door (Uchtdorf)  is real!  Whenever your faith is down, or you feel like nothing is going right, be reassured that God with deliver you.  Don't just hope he will, know he will. Have a firm belief that he will, because God always does.

The week started off really slow.  We had lots of investigators that couldn't meet, or we couldn't find members to help out, or we had investigators who completely rejected the message.  It was getting really discouraging.  From Monday to Saturday is was really tough.  I remember telling Elder Moss that it was going to be alright.  We just needed to keep the faith.  Then we met with an investigator named Peter.  He is 9 years old.  His mom is already a member but she has been less active for awhile.  She's just starting to come back to church and decided to bring Peter with her.  When we started the teaching process, it was really tough.  Peter is nuts.  I don't think I have ever seen him sit down for more than 5 minutes!  He honestly reminds me of myself when I was around his age.  I remember my mom trying to hold down my brother and I when we were children. We were crazy! Love you mom:)  Peter wouldn't listen to the teachings and his mom wasn't sure if baptism was right for him.  She felt like he was too young to choose for himself if he should be baptized or not.  Also, Peter's father hates church.  He doesn't want his son to be baptized, but will let him come to church.  Throughout the teaching process, Peter has gotten better and better.  This Sunday we had a lesson with him, and he remembered everything we have taught him!  I guess he was listening the entire time! Peter remembered all 10 of the 10 commandments!  The mom was flabbergasted!  She told us that Peter is so well behaved now.  He is listening to his mom, and just last week he turned down his teachers offer to give him milk tea, knowing that it was against the Word of Wisdom!  Peter told us that he really wants to be baptized, and his mom also wants him to be baptized.  The only struggle now is the father.  He's not really budging right now.  As we were saying the closing prayer, Peter said, "Heavenly Father, I have a question.  When can I get baptized?  Please help my dad to let me be baptized."  It was the cutest prayer ever.  Peter was awesome this week, which was a huge answer to our prayers.  Please keep Peter in your prayers!  We are shooting to baptize him on the 12th of November.  He's going to make it.

No matter how bad your day feels, realize that God is only testing how truly committed we are to him.  God needs strong disciples to fight against the temptations of the devil!  If we can't take a little bit of discouragement, then how can we face the devils temptations!  Tests of faith are for our benefit.  Peter helped me so much this week.  He helped me realize that God is preparing people.  God is also preparing us.  Who's on the Lord's side?  Choose what team your on, and stay on that team.  Don't switch teams in order to get a bigger salary.  Stay on the team that your going to win the championship.  I love Peter.  I love him because I can see myself in him. I am reading Jesus the Christ and I love Peter the Apostle.  He struggled with staying on the Lord's side at times.  However, when he got to a certain point,  he stood his ground.  Christ left with the church anchored on Peter's foundation.  Through Peter discouragement and mistakes, he became an incredible disciple of Christ.  Are we preparing ourselves to allow Christ to anchor on us?  To trust us?

Be Captained by Christ.  Don't let the winds of misfortune blow you away.  Don't let the waves of struggle pull you down.  Remember your Captain, and remember what he needs from us.  He needs us to be anchors, to hold down the ship from the Satan's tempest.

'How Firm a Foundation' 7th Verse.  Sing it.  Shout it.  Live it.

Elder Coletti

The Accident

Hello to all!  What an incredible week in DanFeng!  This week we saw a lot of progress in the ward.  We have been working with some LA and Investigators, and they are starting to come to church!  It was a really good Sunday seeing people at church and seeing people feel the Spirit.

I have a HUGE miracle to share with you all!  I've already shared the situation with my parents and I have resolved any health concerns.  I am completely fine, but I want to share a little bit about spiritual experiences I've had through this accident

It was about 9 o'clock at night, and we were heading home from LinKou on ShouShanLu.  From XinZhuang to LinKou is a really big hill.  It is by far the biggest hill I have biked up in Taiwan (probably 2-3 miles steep uphill). Elder Moss and myself love biking downhill:)  We were coming down the hill, going about 60 km/m (nearly 40 mph) and we came up on a turn.  All of a sudden, a moped comes out of nowhere and I slam on the brakes fearing I was going to hit it. My front brakes stop pretty well, but the back tire started to come up on the left and wasn't stopping! it ended up tossing me off the bike and I fell on my chest/wrist (spraining my wrists, really sore collar bone, hip, bum and thigh). I bounced and rolled a couple of times into the other lane of traffic. I looked up behind me and saw Elder Moss was now coming at me.....fast!  He ended running over my left shoulder and my left jaw with his bike!   Elder Moss ran over me!!  Why is the son running over the father?!  It was I'm not hurt from Elder Moss running over me.  I promise I am okay, and I know that I am extremely blessed and lucky.

Last week during emails, my parents sent me some really nice letters.  They always do;)  At the end of my Dad's email,  he said to be safe on the bike and that he's praying for my safety. After getting back to the apartment after the accident, I remembered his email and what he had said. It made me chuckle out loud for a second. I realized the power of prayers for missionaries.  My parents mentioned that they were praying for me, especially for my safety.  Lo and behold, I get in an accident that could have been extremely bad.  I could have been hurt a lot worse.  It could have been my last day as a full-time missionary!  But because they said prayers for me, it saved me.  I am still here right now, writing you this email because they prayed for me. Remember to pray for others.  Missionaries need your help.  Friends need your help.  Family needs your help.  Always pray for the safety and comfort of others.  I have first hand witnessed the power of praying for others.  It saved me!

Something else that stood out to me from this experience, was something that I learned in football, but it didn't hit me until this week.  We had a saying in football: "Play Every Play, Like it's Your Last."  Of course in football it made sense.  You never know when it really is your "last play".  You might get injured, or you might be done with competitive football. It never really clicked until this instance. In a matter of seconds, this "play" could have been my last.  I could've been done as a full-time missionary.  However, because of the grace of God, I am still here.  I still have some "plays" in the mission field that I can participate in.  But, I also know how fast the end is approaching.  I also now know how fast the end could have approached. Make every "play" your best.  Don't ever waste an opportunity to make a "play".  God has thrown us into the game.  We never know how long we will be in.  Take advantage of every "play" you are apart of.  Because "What You Do In Life, Echoes Through Eternity" ;)  I have gained a firm testimony of not wasting our time here on Earth.  We must repent and we must become better.  Do not procrastinate.   Before you know it, your going to lose your "play" to do it.

Remember to pray for those you love, and remember to "Play Every Play, Like it's Your Last." 

Elder Coletti

Faith

Elder Coletti's Letter 10/18/2016:

Long time no see!;)  We're going to the temple today, so that is why our p-day is on Wed. This week was truly incredible!  I loved it.  We had interviews yesterday with President Jergensen and they were great!  I love President Jergensen.  He is such a wise man and is truly an incredible role model.  He is very faithful.

Faith is so important.  It should be in everything we do.  It should be the reason we do everything.  I have learned on my mission that through our faith, miracles are brought to pass.  It is through our faith that God blesses us.  We must then have hope.  Hope is knowing, not expecting, but knowing that God will give us an answer.  That everything will work out in the end.  Have the faith to put everything on the line and the hope that God will be on the other side.

Think of how you can develop your faith.  Whether it be through big or small ways.  Remember to say your prayers!  Make them meaningful.  Ask God in faith to help, then have hope and know that He will.

Love you all!

Elder Coletti

Change is good!

Elder Coletti's Letter 10/9/2016:

Good morning from Taiwan!  How is everyone doing?:)  Today is a really happy day!  This last week was a really good one.  There are lots of changes going on, which is always fun:)  I find that with changes that are occurring on the outside, that is when the biggest improvements are going on inside of us.  If you ain't changing, then you ain't utilizing the Atonement of Christ!  Strive to change;)

I am still here with "my son" Elder Moss in the XinZhuang District.  Elder Lloyd is staying in our area, but he now has brand new missionary, "a son"!  Elder Hooker is his son's name.  And then, the big news!  We are opening another area in the DanFeng ward!  In addition to Elder Moss and myself, they are sending two additional missionaries, Elder Faulk (from Sweden), and Elder Rhoton (A brand new trainee from Utah).  We are so stinking excited for the addition of another companionship here.  The ward has been on fire lately with missionary work, and we feel that another companionship will help double the work here!  It will also help get the members really excited about missionary work!

I want to talk a sec about my incredible companion, Elder Moss.  Watching him grow is so much fun.  Seeing who he was the very first day in the field to who he is now is incredible.  He is a completely different person.  Elder Moss is gaining confidence, and is waxing stronger and stronger in the Lord.  Watching his development is a testimony to me that God does help us.  There are times when we are in sticky situations, or places that we don't feel comfortable. God is always there.  He never leaves us. Sometimes we don't realize how far we have come or how much we have grown.  Sometimes I don't see how much I have changed, until someone else points it out, or says something about it.  I see this in Elder Moss.  His development is from God.  God is transforming him into the person that God wants him to be.  The person God needs him to be. Whenever we are in tough spots, remember that God is there and he is changing us.  Sometimes we just don't realize it.

Conference was amazing this week.  As I was watching, I was overwhelmed with a  feeling that I know this church is true.  We have living prophets, seers, and revelators leading our church today.  I don't know how you all felt while they were talking, but I felt like they had incredible power while they were speaking.  I felt like no matter what they were saying, it was true.  We are so stinking fortunate that God has provided us with such incredible leaders.  Why wouldn't we want to follow such amazing disciples of God?  The biggest thing that stuck out to me, was preparing for Sacrament Meeting.  Sacrament is supposed to be a spiritual experience.  If we aren't feeling something, than we must be doing something wrong!  Prepare for it.  Prepare and expect to receive answers and feel the spirit.  Also, they talked a lot about doing missionary work!  Members are the greatest missionaries.  Don't let an opportunity slip away to change someone's life.  Why does God need to appear when he can manifest his work through us?  We must always confess that Jesus is the Christ.  Keep being missionaries my Brothers and Sisters of God!  God is good!

Love you all!

Elder Coletti

TWO Baptisms!

Elder Coletti's Letter 10/2/2016:

What an eventful week!  It started off with a REAL typhoon!  My prayers have been answered!;)  There was straight up horizontal rain!  I thought several times that our window was going to shatter! It was awesome and so much fun! :)  However, we were stuck inside all of Tuesday! The highlight of the week was Saturday!

On Saturday we had TWO baptisms!

The first baptism was in the North Zone. On May 20 (I was in DanShui at the time), I went on exchanges with the Zone Leaders in ShiLin.  We were without bikes, so we walked for a little bit to a place that they had never gone finding.  We start talking to some people, but they were not interested. The one new investigator we found was a 19 year old boy named Zhou Jia Quan (or Adam), but even he wasn't super interested.  He was hanging out with 3 girls, and was pulling the "I'm too cool to talk to ya'll" approach.  He was pretty nice though.  He would laugh at our jokes and he was at least willing to set up for another visit.

Later I went on another exchange with the Zone Leaders (around June).  We start teaching a lesson and I have no clue who this person was that we were teaching.  He looked familiar, but I don't know where I have seen him before.  Then.......in the middle of the lesson, it hits me!  It is that Zhou kid!  After the lesson I look at the Zone Leaders, and ask, "Your still teaching him?!"  They say  "Yes!"   I left the North Zone and came to where I am now in DanFeng.  One random day I get a call from Zhou Jia Quan saying that he is getting baptized!  Conversion is real!  Adam started off not really being interested in listening to our message, but he eventually decided that he wanted to be baptized and obey the commandments of God. He wanted to be cleansed.

Then the second baptism was in DanFeng.;)  Her name is Qiu Yu Ling (or Angela).  She first saw the missionaries around May of this year in a place called MiaoLi.  She was already Christian and thought missionaries were super cool!  She came back to DanFeng (which is where she was living at the time) and met with the previous DanFeng Elders.  After meeting with them, her friends in a different Christian church told her not to keep meeting with the Mormons.  She trusted them and said goodbye to the Elders.  Elder Anderton left and Elder Lloyd and myself were companions for a week.  During that week, we received a call from the NeiHu Elders with a member referral.  Her name was Wang Pei Hua.  We met with her and she was super sweet!  Elder Moss came and our second Sunday together, an Angela walks into sacrament meeting.  I had no clue who she was, but she walked up and said she wanted to meet with me.  Of course I said yes.  The following Wednesday she approached us after English Class and asked what she needed to do to be baptized.

That following Sunday, I ask her why she decided to come back to church. She said she had a friend that said the Mormons are awesome!  She told Angela to go and check them out. I ask her where this investigator that referred Angela lives, trying to see if she wanted to meet with missionaries as well.  Angela says that she lives in LinKou (which is part of our area).  I then asked her what is her friend's last name.  She said  that it was Wang.  I ask her if it is Wang Pei Hua (the sister above).  She screams out loud and says YES!  Wang Pei Hua had met with Elder Lloyd and myself!   She was in contact with Angela and invited her to check out the Mormon church again! Angela was baptized (by Elder Moss!!!!) and she is super, super great!   Once again, conversion is real.  It is never too late to change.  Angela initially stopped investigating the church, but then one day come back all by herself.  She didn't need the missionaries to remind her or ask her or anything!

The work is amazing.  Being on the Lord's errand has changed my life.  I know that we can all change peoples lives.  And while we are changing people's lives, the Lord is changing ours.  What a great deal!;)  Always look for ways to serve.  Everyone deserves a chance to be served. 

加油

Elder Coletti