Be of good cheer and do not fear!

Hello my dear family and friends,

Wow! I am going into my 3rd transfer! The weeks seem to be going faster and faster.  This morning was super stressful, well actually last night was. I could not sleep because I knew at 6:30 am I would find out who my new companion would be and what my new assignment would be. Well I found out! I am with Sister Galuvao. She is Polynesian and she is from California. I don't know details about her because I won't become her companion until Wednesday, but from what I've heard about Sister Galuvau she's hilarious.  I don't have to move apartments so that's nice and my roomies are staying the same.   They are actually my Zone leaders now!  It is kind of weird that I will be living in the same apt as my Zone leaders.

So one of my new assignments  is to be the "announcing" coordinators.   You probably don't know what that is but we are in charge of the announcing after "Music and the Spoken Word" on Sundays.   After the program  is finished we have every language represented meet by the flag pole. They all have signs with their language on it. They all stand out there and we have a mic and say a little something about welcoming all the visitors to Temple Square and then offer them a tour in their language. It's really fun to watch and see.  Maybe I'll take some pictures of it sometime.  My new zone is South 2.  I am glad because I get to be in the South Visitor Center for the summer which will be so nice. The South VC  is our headquarters and where all the offices are so its convenient:)

Oh, also the departing Sister missionaries get to go to "Music and the Spoken Word" on their last Sunday and Lloyd Newell spot lights each of them.  Well  being the companion of a departing Sister I got to go too...and  President Monson was there again! So I felt all tingly inside when they announced the Sisters leaving knowing that the Prophet was looking at me! ( hahah..I know I am silly).  I can't believe my traumatic experience in the MTC when I thought I was never going to see the Prophet!

This Last week we  had zone conference at Pres. Gillettes house! It was way fun! The Gillettes are so warm and loving! I am glad they are here:) Their house was so homey, but it was one of those secretly huge houses! ....It was nice to be in a home:)

The Baptism on Saturday was great! Isaac and Lin Lin are so great! Their story is great!

  

The Book of Mormon is great:) I wish I could just sit and read from it for hours! I love it with all my heart! My favorite lately has been 3 Nephi 17:17-23. This is probably the sweetest message in the Book of Mormon. I love my savior Jesus Christ. He is such a sweet man. He really does care for all of us very much.

I am loving the Work! I am loving the Weather! I am Loving the spirit! I am loving the city! I am loving the Sisters! I am loving the "friends" on the square (aka guests)!

Anyways life is good! I'm leaving my trainer so wish me luck!....I mean pray for me;)

-Hurrah For Israel!

Sister Reynders

                   Strawberry cheesecake I made all by myself!

Easter

Hiking Ensign Peak

Fruits of Our Labors

Isaac and Linlin are getting baptized! Isaac is what we call golden! Two Saturdays ago I was in a big rush because I was so hungry and all I could think about was getting across the Square to eat lunch. I was avoiding eye contact with people because I just wanted to go to lunch and I didn't want to have to take a tour .  But despite my poor attitude a Family History missionary came right up to S. Kleine and I and said, " Will you help this man? He's looking for missionaries." "DANGIT!" I thought.  My lunch had already been put off twice because of tours, but I smiled instead and we talked to him. He said his name was Isaac and he had moved around a lot and had missionary lessons in a few different areas, but that he was now trying to find a place to live in SLC and he wanted to be baptized! When he said this sadly my first thought was, "Ya...sure...that's what they all say," but we took his info and sent it through to the missionaries. We taught him  every day this past week....and we found out he was living with his fiance Linlin.  Well Linlin had also been investigating the church and she had already ready the B of M. On Sat/Sun we fasted as a Zone for all those that could potentially be baptized by this next Saturday.  Well Isaac was on that list....and yesterday evening we got a text from him saying that he and LinLin would be getting married and Baptized this SATURDAY!!!!! TWO BAPTISMS! We will get to attend their baptism because it is in the Salt Lake City mission!!! YEAH! He did say we might sing at his baptism too!

I honestly just feel so blessed! I don't know why the Lord keeps blessing me.  I mean, come on, let's be honest.....my attitude was so bad last Saturday....and I all I wanted to do was eat lunch! But the Lord placed  Isaac in our path despite my poor attitude.  I just feel real humbled that's all! The Lord is so willing to bless us if but have faith in him and work hard!

I got to sing in sacrament meeting yesterday! It was 3 sets of Sisters that sang. S. Kleine and I found the sheet music on LDS. org. and  it sounded awesome! It was so fun to participate in.

S. Kleine is leaving me after this week to go home to Germany. I don't know what I am going to do! I feel like I am starting my mission all over again! I don't know how to be a missionary without her! JK....kind of... I am just nervous! I know  it time for a change!  I need a new companion to learn from! But I sure love sister Kleine! She has been so great! We laugh a lot:) Where in Germany is Jaron serving?

 I finally feel like this whole mission thing is real life. I am not going home any time soon....and I've been out a good chunk now and I have forgotten my  previous life...hahah.  I just feel like this is my real life now.

It was so great to hear Scott sing! I LOVED IT! I wish I had a CD OF HIM! I am so proud of you Bugsy Boy! We shall sing together soon!  Hey mother I would love a CD with some of my Nauvoo YPM songs:) I also wouldn't mind the CD I made before I left. Any other music would be great too! If Bugs wants to compile some of his "Dragon Heart", "Lord of the Rings", "Enya", "How to train a dragon", "Star Wars" junk he listens to , that would be great! 

I am excited to work with my future cousin in law Ariel in June. I could be her trainer!! I just want all my extended family to know....(if you read this) that I love all of you! Even all you Uncles and Aunts I don't talk to all the time! I really do!!! And guess what, I do think of you!  I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have all of you in my family circle and you have made a difference in my life! For example...Uncle Steve Thorley....He probably has no idea....But I think about how it was his testimony that he bore one time when I was younger at the cabin that was the beginning of my testimony of the Atonement!  He bore his testimony of the HOPE the atonement brings to him.....and I have never forgotten it. It is those little experiences that I have had with all my extended family that have blessed my life so much! So thanks! And I love you!

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

-Sis. Reynders

P.S. Yeah for Emily's WEDDING!!! I love you Emily Thorley!

Zone Conference

                                                    Zone Conference in the Tabernacle

"Spit Fire!"

So the blessings of conference are still pouring in! Man, I am seeing so many miracles from the referrals the saints gave during conference! I am so proud of my friends specifically who gave us referrals! Brett Mortimer, for example, gave a us a name of a kid from high school and we are now teaching him and he's going to meet with the missionaries! So far the referrals have been keepers!

So the other day on the square we visited with some members who brought their friend. We ask all their names and the friend says in all seriousness, "Spit Fire....they call me Spit Fire." Let me give you a visual......about 5 foot, frizzy fire red hair, purple eye shadow,  65ish, 3 inch heels, and southern. Well we get to the "Handcart Monument" and I tell her that it was made after a man name John Rowe Moyle and the next thing I know this lady has jumped up onto the monument and has her arms around John Rowe Moyle and is posing with him!  At this point I feel like I am going to pee in my pants... maybe I did.  She is up their chilling and just going on and on about how she believes she is related to this man (pretty agile for a 65 year old lady if you ask me).  I tell her that we can look up her family history at the computer and then she tells me how she is not allowed to touch computers because she has so much energy running through her body that she blows up computers if she touches them!  In the end she tells me about all the dates she goes on and about this man who tried to kiss her the other day and she told him, "Never ever shall a man kiss these lips unless he's sitting across from me at the altar!"  Anyway, it was a very entertaining  tour - what a blessing;)  She used to be a Baptist preacher.....and I am pretty sure her makeup bag weighs at least 10lbs!

I saw Janna, Aunt Sally, Uncle Adam and Bailey this last week! It was so good to get a good laugh from family....awe, we have the best sense of humor:) I got great family! At first when I had visitors that I knew it was throwing me off my groove, but now it happens so often it's become  part of my mission. That's just the way things are.  I see friends and family and it doesn't really throw me off anymore. It is good to see family and friends! Its reminds me of why I love the gospel so much! It is because of the gospel that I am associated with all these lovely friends and family!

Yesterday was Easter right, so S. Kleine and I decided it would be a good time to hit up "Music and the Spoken word."  It really was a good idea because guess who else decided to show up? The Prophet...............and his wife...........and Richard G. Scott!  It was AMAZING!   I am so anxious to hear conference! I still haven't listen to it...I don't know when I will.

So family, it sounds like EFY was awesome! I would love to see a video of Scotty bugs singing or something! Sounds like everyone is still playing dominion! Sounds like a blast

 We are hiking Ensign peak today !!!!!!!! woot woot!!!!!! So excited! We are going as a zone!

 Give me some ideas this next week of what you want me to tell about. I knew letters home were going to be a struggle for me on the mission..........I don't know what to tell you. Too much stuff to write and not enough time.

Love you all! The mission is the best!

--Love  Sister Reynders

General Conference

WOW!!!! THIS WEEKEND WAS POWERFUL!!!!

I think I just had the best experience of my mission thus far!

Conference was a time of miracles! So, Saturday, we were on the square by 7:10 am, all prepped, ready to go! (Pres. Gillette even told us we all had to look good for conference..haha)....so anyway, our Zone met, we prayed, and then we were off! Our mission goal was 7,162 referrals.

We went strait to the conference center and just started contacting like crazy! I was nervous a bit because I had such a desire to be successful and to reach our goal of 70 referrals this weekend.  Well it hit about 2 pm and we were already at 45 for the day, so I knew things were going to be good this weekend!

The weather was beautiful on Saturday and everyone had an extra light in them! People were everywhere  laying on the grass relaxing with there families! It made me soooo happy! It felt good that so many members were willing to help bring others unto Christ!

It's funny to see the nonmember "guests" that visit the square during conference.....I am sorry, but they stick out like sore thumbs....haha....they just wander aimlessly around....with confused looks on their faces....hahaa

• We don't give tours during conference, we just contact.
• We have 2 - 20 minute breaks in the day to eat lunch and dinner.
• We go home @ 9:50 pm.
• My feet ache :)
• SOULS ARE BLESSED!

Sunday morning came around and I was pumped because it was my first time going to a session in the conference center! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir did so well on Come Thou Fount eh???!!!!

I MET SO MANY PEOPLE FROM FRESNO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOAH!!!!!! I thought I'd see some .....BUT IT WAS CRAZY!!!!! But this is a shout out to all those that knew me that I met, THANK YOU FOR ALL BEING DILIGENT MEMBERS OF THIS CHURCH WHO TRY TO SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH ALL YOU CAN!

I am not kidding! I was so amazed because all those people I met that I knew, most of them gave me numbers to call, so I could start sharing the Good Word! Brother Spiel gave a man named Billy that he taught on an airplane for me to call, and he's already going to be meeting with the missionaries! So referrals do and can make a difference!!!

Brother Spiel (on the left) and Janet in action.

Sunday was a lot harder because it was sooooo cold!!!! I guess there is always a visual that the mission makes for the missionaries, to be able to see how the work is going during conference. Our theme for conference preparation has been "Cast Your Nets and Follow Him" - so over the past few weeks we all had personally chosen certain things we were going to give up so that we could be a better focused missionary and draw closer to Christ. Anyway, for our visual we had this boat and around it different boxes of candies with the amount of candies that equaled the number of referrals we needed to get to make our goal.  Well at 6:00 pm Sunday night we still had like 2000 left! The sisters were WORKING SOOO hard on Temple Square! Man we just prayed and knelt to be able to find the right people to contact and that they would have open hearts to want to share the Gospel!

Well , 8:30 pm Sunday night we had our final meeting in the tabernacle to see if we made our goal! It was so exciting we got 7,541 referrals/souls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In the end we got 133 with in our companionship!

I KNOW that as we work our hardest and TRUST in the LORD, MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN!!!!!!

hah MAN! The Church is True! haha!

(Funny story)

So, I call so much over the phone right?....so....I went to leave a Voice mail and this is what I said as a closure " well, I hope to hear from you soon, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen".......I Laughed really hard..

ok So short on time! I have to go!

Sister Reynders

Sunday Morning Session