Church tours...they are absolutely fantastic

Hey everyone!

We had a great week this week. We started something that has been a thing in our mission since i got here but that I haven't used much as a finding tool. Church tours...they are absolutely fantastic. This week we gave 3-4 of them and they yielded some pretty cool results. One of them a young man named Josh came with us. We had found him, taught him a couple of key principles around the Restoration and the return appt that we set up was a church tour. While giving the tour you focus on being children of God. So we share two scriptures. Romans 8:16, and Galatians 5:22. Right before going into the chapel we read the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians and Josh walked into the chapel after being invited to pay attention to how he felt and he said, "I feel something in here...I don't know how to describe it. I've never felt so good in my life." He then came to church and He's on date to be baptized in two weeks. What a cool experience for him!!

On Saturday we had a really cool experience. We were out knocking a neighborhood that we hadn't knocked before but was right across the street from a place that I've knocked probably 4 or 5 times in the last 7 weeks. We had a feeling that we needed to go knock on someone's door across the way and as we walked we saw a woman sitting in a chair tanning. (It was 95+ degrees so lots of people were out.) She looked Hispanic and since I don't speak much spanish Elder Turley and I both weren't going to say anything...but we both walked that direction and I said Hello. She sat up and began talking to us and mentioned that she had been attending the Mormon church in Delaware but that she was never baptized and that she had to leave immediately because of a family situation so she lost contact with the church but that when we showed up she looked up and said that we were angels in her path. I have a huge testimony of reading the scriptures to become worthy of the spirit in your life so that you can be guided in the correct paths and be able to help others to find their way to their Father in Heaven.

Some really cool experiences this week with investigators as well as with my companions! I love it out here. It's weird to be the one that will be saying I'll see you in a few weeks soon but...I will soon! Either way I love you all! have a great week this week!

Love,
Elder Reynolds

Transfer Day Pictures

Being Genuine

Well this week was a good one. It went by way slow but way fast at the same time. Having a new companion always shakes things up a little bit but we are having a ton of fun. We have 2 missionaries that are going home in 5 weeks and then Elder Anderson and I in our companionship! It's a lot of fun because we are all experienced missionaries and we are able to get out and work. This week we saw a lot of success through finding. We have a focus each week for mission goals and this week was about finding New Investigators. So we focused on it and found a lot of cool people.

I read a talk this week given by President Uchtdorf titled "On Being Genuine." He talks about how we need to have our heart in the right place in order to receive and have the blessings come for what we are doing. Then in Elders Quorum at church we talked about the same thing. It's so important as we go throughout life whatever we do, we have to be genuine about it. He shared a story of putting on a show for a group of people who are coming to see a magnificent city and they fake the city. I know that as we are genuine in our study and our learning that we will get the results that we can learn and be able to find truth that brings happiness and joy to our lives.

As we read about in the Book of Mormon, a people who were called the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's chose to be genuine in their commitment to not pick up their weapons of war. As they made that decision they were blessed. Some of them were killed but those who weren't knew that because they had been obedient they were in Paradise and were resting from the struggles of life. I'm so happy to know that as we genuinely follow our savior that we have that comfort and Salvation. Here is a link to the talk. If you haven't listened to it since it was given, I would listen to it. Love you all!

Elder Reynolds

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/on-being-genuine?lang=eng

This transfer I have gained a huge testimony of fasting #fightme

Hey everyone! Great week here in the WATAC! This week was full of a lot of hard work. For the first time since being here in Lakewood we had a couple of sit down lessons. It was pretty good. Often here in this area we end up doing a lot of finding. We knock a lot of doors and find through that, they don't usually progress though. BUT! This week they began to progress. We had people who kept return appointments and allowed us to come sit down and talk with them.

This week one of our investigators who is in the army headed out to a training. We stopped by Saturday night to find out if He would like to come to church and He couldn't cause he was leaving but he showed us all of his gear and told us that we needed to try it on...so we did. I think it looks pretty cool! We had a good time that's for sure. Hope you enjoy the pictures! #fightme

This transfer I have gained a huge testimony of fasting. Every Sunday we fast and every Sunday we see miracles. This Sunday morning a young man called us and said, "Hey, you guys knocked on my door a little bit ago and I want to come to church." So we found him a ride. Unfortunately because of the agency of his parents he wasn't able to come. But in time he will. That was kind of a bummer but then...we were going around following up with all the people that we had committed to come to church and we had the thought to call a guy that we had ran into a couple days before. WE called him and asked if he would want to come to church and He said YEP! So we got him a ride and picked him up and he came to church. He said, "When I came here Today I felt something that I've never felt before in my life. That young man felt the Spirit and He is committed to be baptized this weekend. So..when we show Heavenly Father what we are willing to do, He is willing to bless us accordingly. It's so cool! I absolutely love it.

So if you want to see miracles in your life. Show got that you want them by exercising your faith and God will bless you. It may not be in the way that you think...but He will! Love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Love,
Elder Reynolds                                                                                 

Zion Camp Pictures- June 2017

 

 

June 2017 Pics from the calledtoservewatac blog MLC at Zion Camp, Memorial Day Picnic, Interviews and District Meetings