Winter Wonderland

Life is Good:)! So everything is covered in snow here in Spokane! Mother, I just went and bought some more winter clothes. A big poofy jacket and some snow boots. It's really hard to focus on the work when you are freezing cold:) Yeah, but now I have all the supplies I need to keep me warm.

Aww man....the Elders here are crazy and hilarious but I just laugh secretly inside.  I am kind of a Nazi about Sisters interacting with the Elders. I was like that in the MTC.....I barely associated with the Elders. Then I went to Temple Square where I served with a bunch of Sisters and now I am serving with Elders again.  Sister Ledoux makes fun of me all the time because I am so awkward around the Elders. She says just talk to them like they are normal people but I CAN'T! We walked into a meeting and this Elder fist pounded Sister Ledoux and then he did it to me and I just walked right past him!

It is just grand being in an area where people actually know your name! The members in the ward actually know me! YEAH!

OK so this week we started teaching a family and they great! They are so sweet! We have been using the restoration cups for families! The Kids love it! They are a good Christian family and have come to a lot of activities. Mother, could you send me those little cut outs you use for the Plan of Salvation? We like to use visuals or have little games for the children. We have been working with lots of families.

This last week we met with "Sandra"  and she said she received an answer about the Book of Mormon. She says she believes in the Book of Mormon but thinks she already has the power of God in her heart and that there is no need for the priesthood.  We explained about believing the Book of Mormon as a whole and all its teachings , and that by knowing the Book of Mormon is true that Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. We taught about the light of Christ and priesthood a lot but it is just not clicking for her.  She still wants to keep studying though, so that's good.

I feel like we have miracles every day. When someone invites us in or when someone says yes to learning more, it's all good!  We would all do well to look for the positive and not focus on the negative.  Life is so much happier for the person who recognizes his/her blessings and sees the tender mercies of the Lord each day in their lives.  “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”  As you recognize and record those tender mercies in your lives, you will begin to see how much the Lord loves you and is blessing you.

I do have a comment about my experiences on Temple Square  vs. outbound and that is that Temple Square is the harvesting mission and outbound is the seed planting.  People  would always tell me how Temple Square is just a seed planting mission but I saw so much success there. There is success here but the work is much slower.

We officially moved in with the Wilkinsons this week. They are great and its fun living in a mansion.:)

Mom and Anne - I cannot wait to run a half marathon with you when I get home! So here is the song I wrote for Temple Square's zone conference right before I left.

Love you all! Hurrah for Israel!

-Sister Reynders

Fill my mouth with words indeed!

Dear Family,

Sorry for the lack of detail...there is just too much going on to write it all and I feel bad because my journal has been lackluster at best....so many of my experiences are not  getting recorded! Here are just some random tidbits of information.

*My companion, Sis Le Doux, is from Cedar Hills UT but her family just moved to Virginia. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. Ya'll would think she is hilarious!

*We bike, walk and drive. I love to bike but my rear end hurts on that little bike seat.  What is the deal with bike seats anyways........I mean ...really...a little triangle! I don't know whose rear is actually the size of those pathetic seats. Yes, my skirt gets caught in the back breaks but I have figured out how to just tuck the bottom of my skirt into the bottom of my leggings...it has a nice bubble look:)  We usually drive to an area and then take off our bikes and bike, bike, bike. I really don't have a testimony of tracting....but I am trying.

*We cover 2 Wards but President said within a year there should have enough missionaries to have one companionship per ward. On Sundays we go to both wards... and we go to their ward councils.  Bishop Lake of the Mika Peak ward has a daughter that I serve with on Temple Square. Kind of cool.

*We had zone conference this Halloween and it was great! Afterwards we went and had dinner with the district.

*The area is Super conservative....and I think I plan on raising my family here. The members are awesome! When they have referrals it is great! I just love the families out here!

*Tomorrow we are moving again...never a dull moment! Also we are going on exchanges because they have a traveling Sister that  goes out on exchanges to see how the Sisters are doing.

 So the other day we go up to a door and talk with this Latino looking guy and once again I make a fool of myself. We  had already introduced ourselves and when we were done visiting I ask, "Its Alejandro right?"  He says, "Uh...no...its Adrian. Its because of the color of my skin huh?."  I sputter, "No, no...sorry.  I really thought that was your name!"  After we walked away I turned to Sister Ledoux, "Grrrr....fill my mouth INDEED! The Lord didn't provide the words that time!"

 "Sandra" came to sacrament meeting yesterday, and it was fast and testimony meeting so I was a little nervous about what she would hear, but it was really good and she said she really enjoyed it. I bore my testimony. Most the time when I have born my testimony in sacrament meeting  I have felt I should just because it's a good thing to do. But yesterday I truly felt what people say when they are sitting there and they just HAVE to get up. It was good to feel the spirit so strong. I feel like my testimony has grown so much lately, especially of the Book of Mormon. Its true!

Transitioning from Temple Square to being out in the field is kind of settling in. I just feel so strong about building a relationship of trust before preaching to someone but it seems like no one out here does that. Anyway, I am trying to figure out what is expected of me. All is well.

Hurrah for Israel!

Sister Reynders

Santa Clause

So Scott - Minnesota! HELLO BEST ACCENT EVER! I talk to my companion all the time in a Minnesota accent...taught to me by the one and only Janna Blair. Seriously Bugs, it's going to be great! I am so glad you are going state side! I knew it! It's going to be so grand.  I am excited for you to learn and grow. You are going to be a great missionary and asset to the Lord. I Love you Bugs!

Crazy story! Last night we went to Sister Mulloy's house for dinner....and she had us look at a picture of  her family. There sitting in the family picture was one of my best friends Cameron Adamson! I was so shocked! I was in the home of Cameron's mother! It  was so crazy. (His parents are split...hence the different last names.) Anyway, his family was so fun and they knew I knew Cameron and they were so excited to surprise me! It was great.

I love being with the members! They are great examples to me of what I want for my future family. It was fun being at church yesterday because although I have only been here 2 weeks, it was great to walk through the hallways and see familiar faces and actually be able to say hi to people that I knew!  I haven't had many opportunities on my missions to meet people and then actually get to see them again:)

I feel like we are working hard, but we just don't have a ton of progressing investigators. I don't really know what needs to change! I feel we are trying. Last week I asked if anyone had any advice..but I got nothing from all you  return missionaries in the family...I would love to hear your ideas and advice.

It has been great to go to a regular ward again. I love going to Sunday School and Relief Society. Yesterday I was so overwhelmed by the sweetness of Jesus Christ as we studied 3 Nephi 17, one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. Jesus is the sweetest man that ever walked this earth.  I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and it's account of the Savior. I usually don't get bothered too much when people put down the Book of Mormon...but yesterday a man we contacted on the street got to me. He said, "Believing in the Book of Mormon is like believing in Santa Clause." I feel bad I let him get under my skin but I pointed my finger at him and said, "No No No! I can't believe you just compared the Book of Mormon to Santa Clause! The Book of Mormon is an account of real people with real lives, people that witnessed seeing Jesus Christ and of his miracles. If you want to understand Jesus Christ, his plan for you and his character read 3 Nephi chapter 17." He had a Book of Mormon so I gave him a sticky note with the reference. The Book of Mormon is true! I know Jesus Christ is real. I know he loves me.  I am glad he is my friend and he is NO SANTA CLAUSE!

  

OK. My time is almost out and I haven't written President! I Love you!

-Hurrah For Israel!

Sister Reynders

Help Wanted!

Hello!

Well Sister Reynders is feeling very "new" out here in the Mission field! ATTENTION: Calling all return missionaries to send me some ideas on how they found people to teach when they were serving. I could use some ideas so send them my way!

  

Honestly things are great! So Sis. LeDoux and I are serving in 2 wards here in the Liberty Lake Stake. The members here are amazing! Are the members this into missionary work everywhere? I don't think they are back home...or maybe I just wasn't paying attention.  The work would be a lot slower if the members were not so committed to doing missionary work - they are fantastic!  We don't have a ton of progressing investigators, but we are meeting with  *Sandra (*name has been changed do to privacy) tonight.  We might drop her if she doesn't truly want to change.

  

I have such a desire to do all the Lord wants us to do.  If there are changes we need to make in the area I want to do it. If there are certain places we need to be, or things we need to say, we want to do it! I just hope the Lord is happy with the work we are doing.  We are trying our best to align our will with His.  This week I want to focus more on planning more with the spirit and how I can incorporate divine revelation into our planning so we  feel confident that we are doing what the Lords wants.

So did I tell you last week we drove off a cliff....yeah...don't worry. I was the heroine and kept everyone calm. It was  raining and we had no cell phone coverage. We are good  but the car got a little messed up but that's a story for another time.

Did I tell you that I get freaked out sometimes walking and biking at night? It is ok though because it hastens my work! I want to be on lighted door steps talking with people because that's where I feel safe!...haha I am sure my companion thinks I am crazy because I am like, "Come on Sister! We have to knock this house!"  My companion: "What? What are you doing?" .....Me: "I think that cars following us!"

Elder Bugs Reynders is definitely going state side and I think Salt Lake City. (That's not a joke...I am dead serious!!) Today we are going winter clothes shopping because don't have the stuff to keep me warm. 

I love these verses I read this morn in Mormon 3.

 2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared.

 3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.

The Lord has called me to declare repentance whether these people accept it or not. It is my responsibility to throw agency into the equation and give these people the "Chance" to repent.

Life is good! Hurrah For Israel!
-Sister Reynders