Temple Trip

 HELLO!!                                                                                  1/30/18

 What a great week it has been! To start of the beginning of the email I would like to say that I LOVE the temple! We had the chance to go this morning with half the mission and it was wonderful. I love knowing we have a place where we can go worship and receive the necessary information for our lives. I love the spirit that is felt there. I encourage ALL of you to go to the temple! Even if it is to just walk around the grounds I know that peace will come to you and you will find the direction you need for all things!

Sister Miller, Sister Reynolds, Sister & President Rasmussen

As for last week it was really good! Sister Miller and I have seen A LOT of miracles this past week. We have a ton of new potentials and we have two new investigators! One we found on the day of finding. Her name is Jaime and we taught her the restoration. We asked her what her definition of the word 'Faith' would be and she almost exactly said what Alma said in Alma 32, that it is something that you cannot see yet you believe it to be true. We shared the verse with her along with the invitation to exercise a tiny desire to know more and went into the restoration and Joseph smith’s first vision. She kept saying, “I feel happy" or "That makes sense!" IT WAS AMAZING!! The spirit was so strong! We testified of the Holy Ghost and how it would teach her what was true and what was from God. At that she said again, "that makes sense!!" goodness my heart was so happy! We invited her to baptism for March 3rd and she accepted! This was a testament to me that God truly is preparing

Super blurry but I loved it! This is one
of president Rasmussen councilors!
He wanted a quick picture with us! My companion
is the 3rd one in, sister Miller 

people to learn of his gospel. We have

another lesson set up with her and I am

so excited to help her learn more about

the Gospel of Jesus Christ and about the plan of salvation! I love being a missionary!

 So, the other day we had a lesson with Zach, one of our investigators. It was all going just normal and fine. We said our hello’s, caught up with our weeks and had a few laughs. We sat down to start the lesson. The next thing he said about brought me to tears. He said, "So, I guess I should just get this over with now, I am moving." there was a pause and I’m sure my face showed my horror. He said he got an offer doing the same job but in Texas. If he takes it, he will leave Friday for a month to go check it out and then come back for while and then

move permanently. HE WILL MISS HIS

BAPTISM! Then he said, "I wouldn’t even be

back before  you go home sister Reynolds."

OH MY LANTA THESE PEOPLE! WHY DO I

LET THEM HAVE PEICES OF MY HEART?!?! 

We won’t find out till tomorrow to know what exactly will happen so I’ll keep you in the loop. I feel like I was broken up with haha! It will all work out though and Gods will be done. 

 Anyway, I love you all! I hope you have an amazing week! Keep doing all you can to come closer to Christ! 

 Sister Reynolds

Last transfer here we come!

HELLO!!                                                                                  1/23/18

 Goodness I can’t believe the last 6 weeks of my mission are here! We got transfer calls and sister Espinoza and i are being transferred from each other but the silver lining is that we will both still be in Auburn!! I will be with Sister Miller and we still are not sure who A Sister Espinoza will be with but it will be good! 

we we left are mark in the apartment 

re in.... its on the back of a 

Jesus picture so we'll see who

 finds that one lol!

 It has been a good week! We have seen a lot of miracles! We found a new investigator in the Mill Pond ward. His name is Reggie and he is super cool! He just moved here and he figured he needs a church. We talked about the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the Gospel. When we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon he said he would read almost anything people give to him and he said we could come back next week! It was super cool!

 Okay, Yesterday Sister Espinoza and I went to visit an older woman who hasn't been coming to church lately. We went in and we met this sweet frail Asian woman. She was VERY hard of hearing and she had one of those voices that you had to really pay attention to understand what she was saying. She was super cute. It was also sad though, she started telling us how she hadn't seen anyone in a month and how sad she was that the church hadn't been by. She kept talking about a bunch of different things and I was feeling sad for her but then I looked over at my sweet, sweet companion and she had tears PROFUSELY coming down her face. She kept saying under her breath how it was so sad and she couldn't stop crying. Tammie, the less active member stopped in the middle of her story and ask if she had allergies, she said yes, just a little. I started DYING. I promise I wasn't being insensitive but if I didn't start laughing i would start crying too! haha ( I guess I was crying too considering every time i laugh i cry..) anyway, after 5 minutes of this sister Espinoza whispers, " can you really tell I’m crying?" and then she looked at me. Oh. My. Lanta. She was sobbing at this point but also kinda laughing because she couldn't stop. Tammie just kept going but I was about to loose it from laughter. The minute there was a pause i asked if we could come back, jumped up, gave her a hug and bee lined it for the door with my teary eyed companion. I was trying to unlock the deadbolt and i couldn't get it because I was trying to keep in my laughter. I finally got it open, after now snorting because i was laughing so hard, and we booked it out to our car with a last good bye to Tammie. It was one of those moments where i wished i had been able to control my laughter but it happened, Hakuna Matata.

the yummy chocolate cakes from Zach!

 Zach is still doing good and he is getting ready for his baptism!!! We are excited for him and it has been really cool to see his testimony grow and see the light come into his life! He gave us these molten lava cakes from a bakery in Seattle. We have yet to try them, that will happen at lunch, but he said they are the best things he has had! He is very kind :)

 I really am so grateful to be on this mission! I have learned so many things that I know I wouldn't have been able to learn as quickly as I have! I am grateful for my savior and Redeemer! He is my friend and my constant companion! I know the book of Mormon is the word of God and I know that we are led today by a prophet and by apostles of the Lord! I love you all so much! Have a good week!

I TRIED A CHOCO TACO FOR THE
FIRST TIME! IT WAS QUITE GOOD 

 Sister Reynolds

Many Miracles

Hello!!                                                                       1/8/18

 It has been a SUPER good week!! We saw many miracles! I’ll just get right to it then;

Wednesday we had a few super good lessons! One was with the Ford Family. They haven’t been to church in a while and we have been meeting with them trying to help them strengthen their testimony and understanding of the gospel essentials. We went over and read the first couple chapters of the Book of Mormon with them and it was so cool to have them asking questions and really wanting to understand what they are reading, we have been trying to have that happen for a while now!  Later, that evening we met some members who we had just got the records for and went to see how we could help them. We were able to get them in contact with some people and get them support. 

I can’t claim this picture but this is what the temple looked like the night when we went with Zach!

Friday we went to the temple and family discovery center in Bellevue with the Poulsen family and Zach, our investigator! It went really well!! The Poulsens bought us chick-fil-a for dinner and we ate that in the church building before going into the discovery center. Zach brought up the fact that president Monson had passed away and what would happen next. (We hadn't even mentioned it to him yet and he already knew!) So, we went into the center and it was fun to look at our families and where we came from. We then walked around the temple grounds and went inside the temple to the waiting room. The spirit was super 

strong. We showed him pictures of 

the different rooms and he seemed

excited to go inside for himself! Zach 

treated us to some Baskin Robbins after and when we were headed out he surprised us by saying he got Sundays off work so he could come to church!!!!! We were SO pumped!! :) He came on Sunday and stayed the whole time. He is amazing and I am grateful to be working with him and seeing the Gospel change his life.

 I am sad that our Prophet Thomas Monson has passed on, but I am so grateful for all the things he has taught us. I know he was a prophet of God and I know that we will continue to be led by divine inspiration. God is good. He loves us and will not leave us in the dark. If we ever feel like we are in the shadows, we must find a way to listen and look for the light. I know the prophets words are an amazing way for us to do so!

Over all it has been a good week. Sorry this week’s email is short but my fingers aren’t good with typing anymore... :) I love you all. I love this Gospel and I know that it is true. It is perfect and beautiful. I am grateful for my parents and their sacrifice to raise us in the Gospel. I hope you all have an amazing week full of your own miracles!!! 

Love,

Sister Reynolds

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Sister Reynolds, Sister Espinoza It snowed for  Christmas 

 I hope you all had Amazing holidays!! i just love you all so much!! Everything here was great and it was so good talking with the family and spending time with the ward members here!! 

Christmas eve it started SNOWING!!!! We went to the smiths House in Mill Pond ward and we had some super yummy stir fry and then we made ginger bread houses!! We also had a chocolate fondue party thing! They are so kind! They really made sister Espinoza and I feel loved. Christmas day we went to breakfast at a white river ward member’s home. It was STILL snowing and the roads were super slick. It took us a while to get out of our apartment because we are down  a hill so getting up was brutal but the company and food was worth it :) haha! Later that day we went to the Paulsen’s to skype and have dinner!! We had smoked ribs and they were SO GOOD! They also made super good salad and homemade pies! Overall it was a good day!

The Poulsens girls wanted to give us a
Christmas gift so they did pedicures for us!
 it was super cute

 New Years Eve was fun as well! We were at church for meetings at 8:30 and we didn’t get out till 4pm. it’s always a good day when you’re at church all day! haha two wards is a bit crazy but i love the people and working in the areas! We went to the Kendall family's house for New Years Eve! They have little kiddos and another family came over! The kids wanted us to play hide and seek with them so of course we played! Sister Espinoza and I were hiding in the closet right by the kitchen, the parents saw us go in there. We waited for quite some time and the kids never came to us. So we kept trying to hold back laughs as we were whispering about what would happen if we scared someone. All of a sudden the doors fly open and Brother Kendall yells and jumps backwards! He had forgotten we were there and goodness we scared him real bad!! We were laughing so hard we were all crying! It was so funny and it took us all a while to come down from that one! haha! It was a fun night though!

Sister Kendall, Sister Reynolds, Sister Espinoza and Sister Ricks
(with Sparkling Cider)

 Anyway, it has all been good here. We are preparing for our investigator Zach's baptism on February 10th. We are going to the temple and the family history discovery center on Friday with him so that will be fun!! He is learning a lot and i am so thankful that I have been able to be apart of his life!!

Sister Reynolds, Sister Espinoza beginning of the snow

 I encourage you all to think about where you are in the gospel. I have been thinking about my testimony a lot and where i am and where I want to be with it. I invite you all to do the same! A new year is a great way to start fresh, wherever we are or where we have been. The Atonement is our and we should use it to become our best selves possible! i love you all so much! Have a good week!

 Sister Reynolds

Its all a blur...

Heyo!!                                                                                                             12/4/17

 So, I feel like this last week went so fast. I can’t figure out what happened what day so there’s that. Time is going really fast and I can’t believe we are already in December!! Where does the time go??????There are so many houses with their Christmas lights up and their trees and it makes my heart happy :)

 Light the World is going great! i am loving the daily videos and all of the excitement that our ward has for it! They are all so kind and every day we have been used for the families’ service opportunity. Day one, someone gave us 3 freezer meals. Day 2, the family we ate with made sure to pour us a lot of water. Day 3, they openly admitted that they were using us eating at their house for that day’s service! haha! I love it :) we will see if this lasts for all 25 days 😂

 We had zone conference this past Thursday and it was SO good! We talked a lot about goal setting and planning. President walked us through ways to plan effectively and it really helps when we have to plan for hours each week! We also talked about enthusiasm in the work! We read our ministerial certificate and we talked about the authority of our calling. It is cool to think about how the prophet of God called each missionary to their area by divine revelation! We should be so excited about that and even more excited to go out and help gather Israel!!!!! I love missionary work! It is the most rewarding work there is :)

 Sunday was so good! All of the testimonies were amazing and the relief society lesson was on Light. Sister Smith taught and she focused on how we can find the light of Christ in our lives and how we can share it with those around us. I love the hope that Christs light brings into our lives. Even if we are having challenges and trials, Christs light will overcome the darkness!

 I sure do love you all! Keep being amazing! Thank you for your love and kindness and MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS!

Sister Reynolds 

#Lighttheworld

1. I found a new buddy :)

2.some kids in the ward drew us Christmas cards!!

3. we were bored at Walmart.... we found the Christmas section and were there for longer then i care to admit :) 

What a good week!!

 It has been such a good past 6 weeks! i cannot believe that it is almost Christmas!!! I am so excited!! This new transfer is bringing lots of fun surprises. It will come with challenges I’m sure but I am excited about it!

 It was the evening of Sunday December 10th. We were waiting for the calls to know if we would be staying in Mill pond for another transfer or if we would be headed out for a new adventure. Luckily the call never came and we were SAFE! woot woot! We were super happy and we slept well that night. We went about the next day with a skip in our step excited for the transfer ahead of us. We had a good day and came home at the designated time. (9pm) Sister Espinoza went to get ready for bed and I went about working on our never ending 1000 piece puzzle. (I hate this thing BTW) I went to grab the phone to wait for our nightly calls from the District Leader and to my absolute HORROR I saw a missed call from our mission president. I am telling you panic struck me real quick! I love the man but when you get unexpected calls you start questioning everything! So, we called him back and I could hear the smile on his face as he told us we would be whitewashing the White River Ward in Auburn but also staying in our ward! DOUBLE COVERING! We also found out we had to move to another apartment. So after being excited to not have to pack up we found out we both get to pack up and move. We asked when we needed to be out and President Rasmussen said, “you have 30 minutes." there was a silence for a second and then he started laughing and said “just kidding!" haha! We were panicking! So that is our new adventure! Whitewashing AND double covering!

 I am very grateful that I get to finish Training Sister Espinoza! I love her and I am so grateful for all that she does! She is an amazing missionary!! We have some good laughs and fun memories! I am so grateful for companions and the things we learn from each other!!

 Our investigator Zach is on date for baptism for January 13th! We are so excited for him! He has lots of good questions and has so much real intent. I am so grateful for his desire to learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! 

 Everyone, it is almost CHRISTMAS!! I hope everyone has been finding ways to #lighttheworld! I have loved sharing this initiative with those around me! The ward members have really rallied around it and I love seeing their light shine! I love this gospel! I love the things we are promised if we are faithful. I know we can return to live with our father in heaven as we try our best to be obedient. All he asks is that we try to be faithful and use the Atonement of Jesus Christ! I love you all! Have a great week!

Sister Reynolds

Its almost Christmas

Merry Christmas!

 7 days till the greatest holiday! i love this time so much! i am so thankful for the time we have this season to think of Christ and find ways to keep Christ in Christmas! I have seen a lot of tender mercies this season and i feel like i have come to better understand my Savior and the role He plays in my life! I love Him. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father and His willingness to give us the greatest gift of all! His beloved Son.

 We had a Christmas devotional on Thursday which was amazing. in the beginning of the meeting we recited the Living Christ together, we had been challenged to memorize it over the past 2 months. The spirit was so strong as we started to testify that Jesus is the Christ. That he lives and He died for us. I am so Grateful for Him. I am thankful that i have been called to his work here in Washington! it has truly been the best experiences i have had! I love knowing that other people are being given the chance, all around the world, to learn of their savior and know that there is hope!

 Our investigator Zach came to church yesterday for the first time! He has been progressing well and i can see how the Lord has guided him here. After church we got a text that said, " I just wanted to say thank you for not only taking the time to teach me but to help me on this spiritual journey." I am so grateful for the chance to teach others about the truth of the restored Gospel! He is an amazing guy and the ward has truly reached out to him in love and friendship. basically my heart is quite full looking back on the week! 

 Sister Espinoza and I are doing well and! loving having both wards now! it is kinda confusing but we are getting there. Everyone that we have met has been amazing! We had dinner at a member of the stake presidencies house yesterday and it was a lot of fun! they had almost all their kids over for Sunday dinner and their grand kids were running around playing. It made me feel like i was right at home! :) I am really enjoying being here. I love these people and Washington is like home!

 I wanted to share with you a favorite verse in the hymn Away in a Manger,

Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay
Close by me forever, and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in thy tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with thee there.

I Love these words. Away in a manger was originally a lullaby and i love the plea for the lord to be near us, to stay close by us and to help us become the way we need to in order to be in Heaven with Him. I know Jesus Christ wants us to be with him and i know that if we will let him, He will always stay near us. 

 I wont be able to email till the new year but just know that i love you all. Thank you for your love and support over this past year! my heart is full of gratitude for each of you! I hope you know i love you all! I know my savior lives! he loves us and will always stand by us in our times of need!

 Dont forget to #lighttheworld!!

Merry Christmas!

Sister Reynolds

1-2.

a member in our ward let us use her Christmas tree!! 🎄

3. During our move to our new apartment.. our car was STUFFED to the brim!!