1 month in!

Hello!                                                                                      September 19, 2016

It has officially been a month since I’ve left the valley of the sun and began this crazy adventure! It is crazy to say that because it only feels like it has been two weeks! i hope that is a good thing and that it will continue to feel that way! haha! I’m trying to think of things to write about and there is so much but so little time! So ill begin by first saying thank you again for all the emails! Seriously it makes my week to hear from each of you! Sorry if I’m not responding I wish I could every time but I only have a little time to write so I spend a lot doing this one.  I will write to everyone as soon as I can! y'all are the best!!

The weather is super nice! starting to get rainier which is kind of fun! i love it here! we are the only ones in the cottage and near our area. we are lucky!

Cottage I live in

View from Cottage

We had a meeting with this guy named Andrew on Friday. We were super surprised he contacted us because the last time he talked to the missionaries he was avid about not coming to our church and telling us that our beliefs were wrong and that we couldn’t send him to hell for not coming to our church. I think there was a miscommunication somewhere in his first couple appointments but I wasn’t here so I will not take the blame for that one... haha... kidding... but not really... anyway he had been texting us asking when we could meet and was wanting to know about institute and FHE and all of these things so we were super excited to meet with him! We set up a time and a place, Taco Time to be exact, his choice not ours. When we got there we were looking around for him and there he came. Bounding towards us with burrito in hand, we prepared ourselves and started to talk to him about his day and such things like that. Hospitality is key in teaching I have come to find out. Andrew though, wasn’t very receptive. So I tried testing some of my new found knowledge on him… how to begin teaching. So I asked him what he was wanting out of these lessons. He quickly told us he didn’t even want to meet with us but that he was here to tell us some more about how we cannot steal his spirit and condemn him. Sister Taylor and I sat there not knowing what to do and trying to hold in laughter as he became very animated about the whole thing. We finally were able to teach him a little and end out lesson, if you can call it that, with a quick prayer. He told us he didn’t want to speak again and we agreed that that would be okay. Later that day he texted us again and was asking more questions, and so it is still going on. Classic Andrew with his crazy questions each day and us poor sisters stuck on the other line with nothing to do but laugh and respond.

 We have this investigator named Chris. I can’t remember if I talked about him or not so bear with me. He is a super cool guy. His cousin is a member who lives in California and his brother is some sort of teenage minister. I finally meet him on Saturday night. We had an appointment set up but he showed up late so instead we roped him into coming to the adult session of stake conference. We are sneaky little missionaries. :) Anyway he stayed the whole time and seemed really into it. He even asked me for a piece of paper and he started to take notes on the talks! I mean come on who does that if they aren’t a member?? I am a member and I hardly do that! We talked to him a bit after and he was able to meet a few ward members and he said he really liked the whole meeting. He kept saying that it felt good to be at the church and loved it when the choir sang. I’m so grateful that he had that experience. I think it planted the seed of faith in his heart which is so good! We have plans to meet with him soon so I’ll keep you guys up to date on that!

Sunday was super good. It was stake conference and we were able to hear from a member of the seventy. The whole conference was about missionary work and how important it is, to be member missionaries. Friends and family, I would have to agree with him. I cannot tell you how important it is to be willing to do missionary work in the wards we are in. Going out with the missionaries and giving them referrals is vital to the work. We have had problems trying to get these YSA members to come out and work with us or give us referrals and because of that we haven’t been able to have the success we should be having. I ask all of you to try harder to work with the missionaries! Ask them if you can go out with them, give them referrals and you'll see the blessings that will come from it! I know that missionary work will bless your life. Members are the most important part of this work. Without the fellowship of the ward members those who are investigating will not have someone to turn to. Being baptized into our church is like coming to a whole new culture. it can be scary and a lot of them will feel out of place or lonely. the members are the people who can lift up their spirts and can help them become acquainted with this new culture that they've become a part of! Do all you can to serve with the Elders and Sisters! You will have countless blessings come into your life! Even if you don’t have a physical badge to wear, write one in your heart! Every member is a missionary!

I truly am grateful to be here serving. t has been hard and exhausting but it is so worth it! I love this gospel! Let it fill your hearts and your life! God is pouring down his blessings and we need to be willing to accept them. I know that this gospel has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that the book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that the atonement is there for EVERYONE! Use it! Take advantage of that great blessing! i love you all so much! Thank you for all the support!

Love,

Sister Reynolds