This week was magnifica como siempre! I was only in my area for like 2/7 days, but luckily my lil baby is a professional and has basically taken over the area, so proud of her. First i had an exchange with hermana gunner again and we were down in Enumclaw round 2. I sure love that place, but its a whole lot colder than Renton is, but we did see some miracles aka finding hispanics out the wazoo in places you never would've thought. Hermana Gunner is such an example of faith and diligence to me. we go home together so we're both ready to sprint to the end. It was really great. Then I came back to Renton and we had a great lesson with los Rodriguez again. They loved church so much!! They have had some pretty nasty experiences in the past with different churches but talked about how they just felt good at church with everyone. YES LOVE IT. Our branch president came with us, he is a super start. he's been helping us so much with the work and he's very involved and wanting to meet everyone we talk to, so he's a huge blessing. They came to church again this week and are making huge strides, reading the book of mormon even when it doesn't make sense to them. That's my favorite part of the scriptures, God doesnt wait to bless us until we understand the doctrine in the scriptures, he blesses us for our efforts, no matter our education level or understanding. THANKS GOD LOVE YOU. This week we also saw huuuuuge strides for Lastenia and Hugo. Hugo is seriously turning a page! He read the family proclamation and was sharing his testimony on how we need to put family first and he came to a dinner at the branch president's house and was really opening up. I see him showing love in ways he never has before and I think he really wants to change. I was reviewing a little bit the notes from my setting apart blessing this week and it talked about how i would see miracles on my mission, miracles of peoples hearts being softened to the gospel and the biggest miracle of that i could think of was Hugo. The gospel of Jesus Christ really changes peoples hearts and Jesus Christ changes them for good. I love love love that I can just sit back and watch it all happen. Exchange 2 was with Hermana Short!! Gah I love her so much. She is training and white washing and opening an area (she's a champ). Here's the greatest part. so back when i was her trainer (backstory, we're supposed to speak spanish outside the house at all times, and that was hard because she was learning spanish) i would have her listen to these songs by kari jobe (donde te encuentro is the album, 10/10 would suggest looking it up) and have her translate it and she got super frustrated because she couldnt do it but we're driving to an apointment and she says "hermana, quiero mostrarle algo" (hermana i want to show you something) and she turns on the song and starts translating it PERFECTLY. I legitimately cried. I was so proud in that moment at how much she's grown and the missionary God has helped her become. PROUD MOM MOMENT I LOVED IT. She's doing amazing. Last miracle, we started teaching a girl her name is Vanessa and shes 15 and probably the greatest human being on the planet. She is so prepared for the gospel too. We met her taking out her trash and she was wearing a super cute jean jacket so i told her i liked it and then we started talking and she loves the book of mormon and came to church for the first time and loved young womens and esmy was actually her friend at church esmy is equipo hermanas and the best missionary ever. It was amazing when we taught her about the restoration and afterwards this is what she says "I just want to share one last comment. When you guys come, i dont know what it is, but i just feel really good and i feel happier and more positive and i feel that way for a while and then when you leave it stays but by the next day im always back to feeling bad again. i dont know what it is, but im just really grateful for the times you just stop by even because it makes me feel so much better". It is incredible to me how these people learn to recognize the spirit in their lives and how God is helping prepare her to have the spirit and be HAPPY all the time. That's what the gospel is, it is happiness and joy. I love sharing it with the world, or at least my lil world of Renton. Hermana Reed PS CONGRATULATIONS TO ALICIA I WONT SPILL THE NEWS BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO BE AN AUNTIE AGAIN :))))) ALSO THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE MOM AND FOR NOT STOPPING MY BY HOUSE BUT I HOPE YOU LOVED RENTON AS MUCH AS I DO PICTURES:
1 h short and h reed back at it 2 mother daughter pics 3 FAMILY HISTORY IM A GMA :) 4-5 we went to jimmy hendrix's grave last week, did you know hes from renton? its a thing. 6 THE FIRST BIG RAIN STORM HNA WILSON WAS SO HAPPY 7 saludos de Enumclaw
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15 months in the mission you'd think I'd know a lot, but every day I realize more and more how much I just don't know. But sometimes, the more we don't know, the more the Lord can take over. Let me share just a few experiences. This week I had an exchange with the hermanas in Enumclaw. Enumclaw is just as it sounds.... awesome. It reminds me a lot of Manassa, CO. It has one big street of stores and then lots of lil houses and fields and then the farther out you get theres the cows and horses and goats and maybe 1 hispanic in every couple hundred. It's hard to be an hermana down there, but I know there are hermanas because there are people the Lord needs us to find! So that was a focus on the exchange, but ultimately I felt very helpless because I just didn't know what to do to help them a lot find more success. They are doing everything right, but sometimes God needs us to just not know what to do. It was amazing for me to see how the Lord guided us and blessed us with little miracles in ways we normally wouldnt have recognized as miracles but they definitely were. This week we were led to a couple interesting situations with strong members of other faiths. First, we had a lesson with a girl named Adaly who had met the english elders and said we could come back, but we come back to a meeting with her and her father who is a pastor for an evangelical church who made it very clear we were wasting our time with him. He knows the Bible very well, has been to school, has learned a lot and it was very clear there was a lot that I dont know. We were actually on splits, so it was just me and a member (hermana hoyos - ex misionera and superstar) and I loved how when we were backed into this corner of "who knows more" and him really trying to force his opinion on us, the spirit quietly just whispered to me that it was okay and that all I can really do is tell him what I know by the spirit. Us as missionaries, we don't go to school for 7 years, we don't have a perfect knowledge, but I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that this is the Lord's restored church and that the book of mormon is the word of God, and as I ackowledged how much I dont know, the spirit was able to testify of truth. I'm grateful for how much I don't know, because it allows the Lord to work through me just a little bit more. We also went to la iglesia adventista this week! Okay let us explain. We are teaching an investigator named Gabriela and she's adventista and invited us to her church to see her baby get presented to God so we decided to go and support her. WOW I learned so much. It really helped us feel what other people feel in other churches because I honestly didn't know, and it really just touched me to see how faithful other people of different religions are too. We all are just trying to follow Jesus Christ and there is truth in every religion. We just gotta find what has the whole truth, and we're all just looking. The pastor there was really nice to us and I think could feel a light from us because he started teaching his sermon in half english because he sees these white girls he obviously doesnt think we're understanding and halfway through he screams at us and says "ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING DIS?" hahaha it scared hermana wilson a bit, but it was interesting to see how much they welcomed us there. So the next day at church we talked to our branch council and talked about what we can do to help visitors have a better experience at church too and it really helped us learn a lot. and then, when we had 2 new investigators at church, wow it was like a whole new branch was welcoming them! Hermano Roderiguez came to church with his son for the first time and they were seriously smiling from ear to ear they were so happy and the branch was so good and made them feel so welcome. Not sure if I've talked about Hermano Roderiguez, his name is joseluis and he's from Honduras and is looking to change his life and come unto Christ and we met him taking his trash out. Just another testimony that God is very aware of His children and is putting us in the right place at the right time to help them with their desires to know God. Okay I'm kinda rambling but last story, We had a lesson with Lastenia this week and her bf Hugo came too! It was in the house of a recent convert family, los Castaneda. Los castaneda are seriously amazing. Theyre the cutest couple, he is like super buff and scary looking, like youd look at him and never think he was an avid church goer, and she is super gorgeous and has tattoos and just it would be so easy for the world to judge them but they are SO RIGHTEOUS and loving and have the strongest testimony and the lesson we had with them was exactly what Lastenia and Hugo needed because they needed to know that we can be normal people and still put God first. I know the world teaches a whole lot of things, but as we put God first in our lives and the lives of our family, everything always goes better. I know this is the restored church of Jesus Christ's teachings, and the way that we can return and live with our families and with Heavenly Father for eternity. I love being a missionary!! Thanks for reading this far if youre still here!! Hermana Reed PICS:
1 this is real WA, blackberry bushes EVERYWHERE. FREE SNACKS. 2 describe Enumclaw in a pic 3 found this glove that brings me joy 4 hermana debry and I take on el campo 5 MLC thug pics 6 my mission president crush on pres rasmussen continues 7 las hermanas y presidente de MLC BUENOS TARDES HERMANOS Y HERMANAS. Another great week in the PNW from your local hermana. Update on Elva and Guillermo. They are officially back in Honduras, but not before we could have one last lesson with them. After the devotional last week, their hearts were definitely softened, which was a miracle because I was translating this video about the scientific method and atoms and creation and all this crazy science stuff and just praying they understood, but the Spirit was in the meeting and they had a change of heart, so on Tuesday we went back and knew it would be the last time we could see them before they went home and all we wanted was to feel the spirit so strong so that they would be motivated to find the church again in Honduras. So we watched the restoration movie, and it was incredibly to see how the truth just clicked in their mind as they watched. Afterwards Elva turns to us and with tears rolling down her face she says "we've been confused. but this is the reality". She just kept repeating it "Esta es la realidad. esta es la realidad". The spirit was practically tangible and we helped them find the nearest capilla in Honduras, its about 4 miles away, but we're sending the missionaries there and theyre going to go. Honduranian addresses are a little rough, part of the address includes "behind the futbol field" but I know missionaries are going to find them again. It has been a tender mercy to be able to work with them and see how the spirit can seriously change things 180 degrees. As for the title, this is a quote from a nice man named Henry. Backstory, every first Saturday of the transfer we have whats called festival of finding and we go out finding alllll day. I'm always praying and looking and thinking about new ways to find people to teach, and the idea kept coming to me to go bus contacting. we practically never use the bus here because 1 we have cars and 2 people are crazy and fights break out, but i keep reading stories of other missionaries who do it and i kept thinking that we gotta try it. So the day before finding day we were fasting because our area really needs some miracles and I was fasting to be bold enough to teach people on the bus and be confident and help people change their lives and come unto Christ. So Friday we were walking to an appointment and we meet henry. henry is like 80 and is an ex history teacher and loooooves to talk. We tried to teach him the restoration, and he was pretty anti, but somehow i committed him to read the book of mormon. #exito and then we have to kinda cut him off because we had an appointment and he was like okay okay so i shake his hand and Henry grabs my hand and pulls me in close and stares me in the eye and says "you are a very bold woman" in like a half whisper hahahahahahahaahhaahah So i just said "thanks henry" and try not to pee myself laughing. but it was lowkey an answer to prayer because if Henry thinks im bold i can be bold on a bus. SO we went bus contacting and it was AMAZING. First we got on the bus and there was nobody else but us and this other companionship of sisters. But dont you fret, that baby filled up fast and we spread out and taught the restoration probably liek 15 times in two hours on the bus. Tender mercy was the first two families that sat next to me were hispanic and we taught restoration and got return appointments. Theyre suuuuper prepared. Long story short, we got lost in south seattle for a while but figured out the bus system and were walking around downtown renton for a while, but a member saw us walking and drove us to womens conference that afternoon. MILAGROS. It was a great experience, and we were straight exhausted, but it felt good to know those people we met were prepared by the Lord to ride the bus that day and He guided us there. Last peice of boldness: we had a dinner appointment with a member and she had cut up some peppers and tomatoes as like an appetizer and i see this orange pepper and thought it was a bell pepper... so i pop it in my mouth and eat it, turns out this is a "chile manzana" also known as a jabenero pepper also known as only less hot than like a ghost pepper. It was the first time in my life it literally hurt me to eat something. Ive eaten some spicy things that are like hot, but this pepper caused literal pain in my mouth and i had to be drinking water or it would hurt hahahah this pepper has freaking black seeds!! but i have lived to tell the tale. I feel like a very bold woman. I know this church is true! I know Joseph Smith really saw God the Father and jesus christ and because he did we have the restored church, with all the teachings and authority and doctrine of Christ's original church, and that has changed everything. I know that God is preparing people in our paths to recieve the gospel. I know Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God, and will be speaking to us here in 6 days! Everyone watch conference and be prepared to recieve divine guidance from the all knowing and loving Heavenly Father that we have. con amor, Hermana Reed IV Ps this is what my mission president said when i told him about the quinoa miracle "Hermana Reed. That is a wonderful story. I am going to call it the miracle of the quinoa. I am sure that Hermano y Hermana Aguilar will be blessed for your diligence, and for your unplanned fast. President Rasmussen" (Quinoa Miracle Story found HERE: http://hermanareed.weebly.com/home/come-ye-children-of-the-lord) Pss. One more story. to follow up on the quinoa miracle This week we were able to go back with our new branch president and his wife and they clicked so well. I have been reading in the New Testament and I read in Genesis 24 about the servant of Abraham and it taught me a lesson on finding. Basically, he prays for the specific event of finding the wife for Issaac and when the event happens, he thanks the Lord for the miracle. But then when he goes back to 'teach' he shares the miracle of how God answered his prayer and led him to Rebekah and it caused the parents of Rebekah to soften their hearts and let him take their daughter. So it taught me that as we tell the people the miracle it was to find them, it will soften their hearts. I testified of the miracle it was to find karen and how I was sick but God had known her need and placed us in her path and she was touched so powerfully and the spirit was so strong. She then told us this story, she said that ever since her grandmother died that shes been super scared shes going to like find her body in her house so she was scared to like go in the bathroom because her body would be there or look in the mirror and everytime her husband (novio) would come out of the bathroom she got so scared and cried. But then the night we met her she had gone out walking to just clear her head and she was talking with her mom in honduras and was saying like "i just need peace" and then shows up the hermanas!! she said i felt peace and then you talked to me. i know God sent you here. I was just thanking God so much that 1 he made me sick because if i hadnt have been sick we wouldnt have been there at that time and 2 that He knows His children so well and is allowing us to be a tool to bless their lives. They weren't able to come to church this week because they had prior engagements, but she wants to know the truth and understands that baptism is an important step but is willing to do whatever it takes to know what the truth it. It has been a serious tender mercy. Pictures:
1 love for hermana jeronimo that makes us breakfast 2 post bus adventure we <3 Renton 3 Nefi made me an oragami yoda 4 adios a mi amada familia OKAY SOOOO LETS TALK ABOUT GENERAL CONFERENCE AM I RIGHT??? Before my mission, I loved General conference but the mission makes it so much better because the whole time I'm just thinking of the people I know I want to show these talks to and it's amazing how the apostles and prophets acknowledged every need that I have and every road block my investigators are facing and our branch and our mission and wow the propehts and apostles are CALLED OF GOD I KNOW IT. For those who weren't able to watch any of conference, here's the link go watch a talk right now: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/?lang=eng This week we saw a lot of tender mercies and miracles. classic life as a child of God he's EVERYWHERE in our lives. I'm not sure how much I've written about Mabel, but she is an investigator of ours from honduras, she just moved here with her novio and her two year old naomi from Texas. Her novio is a member but she isn't so we've been working a lot with her, but they've struggled finding work and finding a house and have bounced around living with some members and shes also 8 months pregnant not sure if i mentioned that but she has such a strong faith and it has been amazing to work with her and teach her and see how much she trusts in God to make things work. This week, they finally found an apartment, in tacoma ): so we wont be able to work with them anymore but the missionaries there will. But the relief society threw her a baby shower and I'm telling you family I have never seen someone so beaming. Her family has literally nothing, no money and nothing for this new baby and the relief society went all out and mabel kept saying that she doesnt even know what a baby shower is and she doesnt know what to expect and she was just in tears when she showed up. It was a blessing to be able to love and serve her so much and she will be baptized soon over in Tacoma :) We met and taught a lot of new people this week which was awesome but one lesson stuck out in particular, with a new family and right before we started the lesson their friends came in so all of a sudden we are teaching a room full of like 8 adults and theyre all listening to us teach in spanish whoo lil stressful but so good. and we taught them about the restoration of the gospel of jesus christ. it was really poweful and as we shared the first vision of the prophet joseph smith and explained how Jesus Christ told joseph not to join any of the churches I felt the impression to just pause for a second. Normally I dont pause there, but i did and it was silent in the room and then all at once like all of them leaned forward and said "pero porque?!?!?!" It was the coolest visualization of real intent I've ever seen. All of them, just dying to know why none of the churches in that time were the church of Jesus Christ. I love my role as a missionary because I can help people just be able to find more truth in a world that is super confusing and help them know that their heavenly father wants them to know truth too. Lastly, I want to add my testimony to those of the prophets and apostles this weekend that testified of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has seriously changed my life. All growing up I was pretty spotty on reading it, more focused on basketball and homework and sleeping, but when I got to college and seriously read the Book of Mormon for the first time it's when everything changed for me. i felt the desire to be a better person, to put God first in my life, and for that reason I'm here on a mission. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, it's how we can have true happiness in this life and in the world to come, and as we read it every day we will see miracles in our lives. Our test scores will increase. Our stress levels will decrease. The atmosphere in our homes will be happier. We will be more confident in ourselves. We will be able to face trials with ease. We will be HAPPY. Follow the prophets advice and read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY. IT WILL CHANGE YOU, IT CHANGED ME. As Christ's representative I say to you, please do whatever it takes to put Christ as the center of your life. Hermana Reed Pics Pics Pics:
1 selfies w/ fabiola siguen 2 baby shower de mabel :) 3 mid conference convivio con la rama y las hermanas de ingles OKAY FOLKS BUT THIS WEEK. I know that probably every week I say this but it was such a great week for us, full of ups and downs and trials and miracles and I am so grateful to be a missionary, I dont think I can ever say that enough. Lastenia is doing really good, finally reading the book of mormon so thats some miracles. I recognize that every week i basically talk about different people, sorry if this doesnt make much sense but here are the weeks highlights! Early this week I had an exchange with Hermana Gunner. She is the other hermana that came out at the same time with me and I seriously love going out with her and teaching the gospel because it is so natural! It is so natural to teach with her and to find with her and we taught the message of the restoration seriously so many times that when I got home I was exhausted but it is the greatest kind of exhausted to hit your head on the pillow and know you helped people grow closer to Christ that day. While we were together, we went to contact an old referral we had that we had never been able to contact. We walk up and see that on his door is our card! The card with the picture of Jesus Christ on it. I almost passed out. He was home and didn't have much time but we are going back this week. As some of you know but maybe others dont, missionarys put a picture of Christ on their door, I dont exactly know why but I know its like a rule?? so it was rad to see this man with his jesus pic on the door as well. That much closer to conversion to Christ's gospel:) Other miracles. This week we had our dia de independencia activity in the branch. Most of the latin countries celebrate their independence day sometime in september, for mexico it is the 15th and for some other countries as well so we had a big activity on the 15th and all week we've been inviting every hispanic we see because who doesnt like dancing, food from all over the world, and a church full of happy latinos? I was seriously in heaven. They had a wall full with sections for every pais and people brought food and lil munecas and articles from their paises and everyone was just so happy to show some of their culture! and seriously THE WHOLE WORLD SHOWED UP. Let me emphasize. At sacrament meeting on Sundays we have like 40 people thats usually a good showing. At dia de independencia, we had literally like 200 people there. it was INCREDIBLE. about halfway through the activity, this woman calls us that we've been working with her name is Elva and her husband Guillermo. They are from Honduras and we thought they were investigators, but we recently found out they were baptized in Honduras like 40 years ago and haven't been back to church yet because of some bad thing the bishop there did and they got quite offended but theyre here visiting their daughter and we've been trying to show them the light of the gospel again. So halfway through they call us and say that theyre walking to the church but their lost! So we leave and go try and find them and it takes us like 15 min but we find them in the middle of this random neighborhood at like 8 oclock at night and we realize that we can't even drive them back in our car because its the mission's car so we call our branch mission leader and he comes and picks them up but we keep walking while we're waiting and I decided to get out and walk with them so they didn't feel so lonely and my comp drove the car along side us. Ultimately, we got to the activity and it was the first time they stepped foot in a church building in that 40 years and they said it felt incredible to be there again. as we reflected on that experience, we realized that that cultivates everything that is missionary work. Dia de independencia is like the celestial kingdom (accurate anoalogy) and we are the ones that have to go and look and find those people who are lost and wandering and trying to find their way, but ultimately we can't do it alone. We need the memers. We need the scriptures. and we need Jesus Christ. That's the only way they'll be able to get there. Hermana Wilson said as she watched us walking and she was driving, the song came on "come ye children of the Lord." the lyrics continue saying "oh what joy it then will be to our savior lord and king" man. It was one of the greatest moments. Then on Sunday night, they came to our mission devotional as well, and Elva was crying as recent converts testified of the Book of Mormon. Theyre going back to Honduras this next week, but I know theyre going to find the church again there and theyre going to change their lives again. Last miracle, so we've been in a bit of a famine this week because not a lot of members have been able to feed us and we've literally eaten all the food in our apartment and we didn't have pday til today so yesterday i was eatin all the oldies food in my fridge... not the best choice and around 4 oclock i was feelin it so we came home and long story short i threw it all up. sorry this letter just got gross. but just wait. So after I threw up i felt a ton better so i said okay hermana lets go and i put my shoes on and we went to work because we had appointments right i wasn't just going to stay in!! so we went out and we were going to see a lady we had an apointment with at 6 that we werent there for... its about 745 at this point and we see a lady walking and I decided to talk to her and in talking she says to us, I think my husband goes to your church. and we were like whos your husband? It was hermano aguila, who is a super less active man we have never been able to see. We asked if he was home and she said yeah come on over so we found this man who hasnt gone to church in years and we meet his wife, karen. Karen's grandfather had passed away 2 days earlier and she was very distraught about it. it was probably one of the most powerful lessons i've been in on my mission as we taught the plan of salvation. The plan our Heavenly Father has for us to be with our families forever, and for us to have happiness here and in the eternities. Hermano aguila felt it too, and Karen wants to come to church. Sometimes, life throughs hard stuff at us, like 3 week old quinoa, but i know as we push through that God has miracles waiting for us!!! I love this gospel and I love my Savior jesus Christ. He is the light. turn to Him! Hermana Reed PS HERMANA SHORT IS TRAINING IM GOING TO BE A GMA PICTURES :)
1-2 dia de independencia 3 WA weather has returned and the tights and boots are back 4 THE BLESSED DOOR 5 Elva and Guillermo :) 6 adios al districto 7 mis arboles 8 h gunner and h reed back at it |
Hermana Fallyn ReedMissionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Federal Way, Washington Mission. July 2016 - January 2018. Archives
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