The SUN IS SHINING!!!

Attention everyone!

 not sure what kind of tree this is but i like it a lot ❤

The SUN IS SHINING!!! Man we have been so blessed here in Washington! After weeks of no sun we have been graced by the presence of the sun for the past 2 days! it is still cold outside, which I don’t understand, but it is nice to wear your jacket and stand in the sun as long as possible :) The trees are starting to bud and flowers are coming up everywhere! I am so excited to see what all these seasons have in store for me! it’s a whole new world! I don’t know if you knew this or not but life isn’t just brown and lighter brown!! it is AWESOME! Ha ha! I really do love AZ and its own beauty but it is a nice change :) 

 We had a mission devotional last night in Renton. Every month the mission holds a devotional that we can take our investigators to and missionaries come and bear their testimonies. Recent converts get up and share their testimonies as well! I am in the choir so sister Skousen and I get to go to them! It is a super special opportunity and the spirit is very song. Through testimonies music and videos, we share the message of the Restored Gospel! last night some amazing people bore their testimonies. It reminds me of the necessity to continue to find confirmation in this gospel. I truly believe that we should be strengthening our faith by asking God to help us have another witness that it is all true! ITS SO AMAZING! Being on this mission has brought me so much joy and I have realized that there is so much to learn about our heavenly father and Jesus Christ and their plan for each of us! I wouldn't trade this experience for the world!

some people like glitter everywhere, we like mormon.org cards. ( note to self,
never leave the lids to the pass-along cards open...)

 Well, we are on the last 2 weeks of this transfer. I have been in this ward for 5 transfers, my whole mission. If i had it my way i wouldn't go anywhere! Ha ha! I hope that I will be able to stay for another 6 weeks but if God needs me somewhere else I guess ill go ;) I'll keep y’all updated on that as time goes on. 

WELCOME TO KENT WASHINGTON!!!!

 We got a new investigator this week! His name is Kyle. he is on date for baptism for April 29th! We are super excited for him. He has had a rough life and is looking for peace! Good thing he has found the Gospel! Peace for days!! His father isn’t aware that he is meeting with us and we don’t think he would be too happy if he found out. We hope all will go well and that he will continue to progress in the gospel. I know that he will have a hard time with somethings but through the atoning sacrifice of our Brother and Savior we can overcome everything!!

i ran into sister Taylor at the doctors office!! love her!

 I sure do love you all! I am so blessed to know such amazing people! Your testimonies really help me and I’m so grateful for the chance i have to read them each week! Keep being awesome! I love you so much!!

Scripture focus: Jacob 1:17-19~ we each have callings from God in our life. When i read this I realize the importance of magnifying my calling, all my callings! The lord will qualify us to the work that we are called to! I love you all! And so does your Heavenly Father!

 Sister Reynolds

Eagles and Ducks

How are my favorite people ever?!?! 

 I really hope that you all have had an amazing week! mine has been busy and man I am tired but busy is good when you’re on a mission! This past week we had Zone Training which was awesome. Members of the missionary department had come to our mission and toured it and spent some time with the leaders in the mission. The Conference was based on what they had been taught. It was exactly what I needed! INSPIRED! We talked about prayer and why it is important to have meaningful prayer. We also talked about Doctrine and Covenants 4. We dissected it and it helped me to understand what it is that I quote every day! I am so grateful for the knowledge that we can gain as we follow the promptings we receive from the spirit!

Seattle Washington Temple

 We had interviews with president and Sister Rasmussen this week too! They are truly amazing people! i sure do love them and I KNOW that he is meant to be the leader of this mission. He has helped us a lot and he expects A lot from us which is always good. While in my interview I talked to him quite a bit about missionary work but then he got off subject and started talking about the plants that are all around Washington. we talked about it for about 5 min before someone knocked on the door and we realized we had been in the room for 15 min! haha! He is a funny guy!

our duck friend

 So at our cottage, we live right on the lake. We have acquired some new friends lately! We now have ducks and geese EVERYWHERE!! They are funny to watch. There are these 2 ducks that will come up to our porch and get right next to the door and wait until we open the door to give them bread. They are a bit too trusting if you ask me... stranger danger! (But being a missionary, that rule goes right out the window!!) Anyway, as we were observing the nature that exists around us one day, Thursday to be exact, we saw a bald eagle circling the water. Nothing good happens when one circles.... especially water. In a split second this eagle went down at the water and flying like mad trying to catch the ducks!! The duck dove under the water and missed the Eagle by milliseconds! it was insane!!!!!!! It was like watching National Geographic or something!! 

 So I wanted to share some random facts that I have learned in the past couple days, I thought they were cool..

 - In measures of time, one million is 12 days, one billion is 32 years and one trillion is 32,000 years.. BLOWS MY MIND! It makes me realize that I exaggerate a lot.. But ya’ll already know that. 

 -When Ramon noodles fall into the stove top thing, GET IT OUT ASAP! It’s a good thing we live right by a lake and have access to a lot of water.. All I will say on that one.

 -Members in the YSA ward believe that you’re a match maker and that is your first role as a missionary. HA I tell them it’s false. (Little do they know in my head I have matched them all! so I guess it’s true..)

 i apparently fell asleep while studying and trying to stay warm...
thanks sister Skousen for the pic! i look like a caterpillar

some wonderful man gave us free kettle corn! bless him!

 Anyway, I love you all and I’m so grateful for all of the support you show to me! i am so grateful to be here in Washington serving the Lord even when the days are hard! I learned today from our local chiropractor some food for thought. He talked about Pain and how it is a gift from God. It’s interesting to think of pain in that way, a Gift. But when you think about it more, you can realize that when we have pain we can recognize that something has to change. WE have to change. It isn’t always easy and sometimes we try to hide the pain of mask it but pain is good! We can learn and grow to become better and take better care of the bodies that God our Father has given us! I thought that was such a cool thought. Hopefully it makes sense to ya’ll! I love each of you so much! I hope you have an amazing week!

 Sister Reynolds

LAUREN WAS BAPTIZED!!

Buenos Dias!

Family and friends, HELLO!!!! I sure do love you all! It has been a super good week and there have been many miracles and b

lessings that i have seen here in Washington! For one, LAUREN GOT BAPTIZED!! I am SOOOO happy for her! She was beaming when she came out of the water. The spirit was so strong in that room! She bore her testimony at her baptism and told everyone how she came to know about the gospel and the missionaries. She said a little something like this, "So I started sitting in with my sisters lessons with one set of missionaries. Then the elders in Skyway found me. Then I went to my friends farewell talk in this YSA ward and the sisters said that they were stealing me from the elders." Everyone got a laugh out of that and i guess it is pretty much true! haha! :D I love her and I am grateful that we were able to 'steal her'. It truly is a privilege to help someone better understand the gospel and how it can influence their lives for the better.

 We had the chance to do lots of service this past week. We helped at the Bishops store house and the food bank. We also helped Brother Carter, our neighbor and owner of the cottage, with some yard work. It felt weird to be in Jeans so many times in a week! I might never want to wear anything but a dress/ skirt when I get home! (That isn't the whole truth... ;) 

 So Washington is doing some weird stuff with its weather. Some days, it’s raining and then the next day it is sunny! Today it started out sunny and now it is snowing. Help me please. I don’t understand how I should dress in the morning, for sun snow or rain. I basically keep a change of clothes in the car for anything that might happen! It’s crazy! It almost makes me miss the constant heat of Arizona... Almost.

 Nothing else really happened this week that needs to be mentioned really. We tracted, taught lessons and got rained on. That’s pretty much the usual but it still was a good week! I'll try to remember what happened throughout the week so i can give you better updates! i love you all and I hope that you’re week is amazing! Never forget that god loves you and that our Savior and Brother are there for us each and every day!

Love Sister Reynolds

Just a few pictures of us and Lauren! The group one is missing two of the missionaries who had taught her! She had quite a few!