buenos diaaaaaaaas. su hermana favorita llamando de Federal Way! We had a pretty great week, nothing too spectacular except everything is spectacular because I'm a missionary and I see miracles every day. Can't be better than that! This week we had exchanges, zone conferences, meetings, and craziness all thrown in with the craziness of getting this meet the mormons activity, but lemme just say this activity is going to be SO AMAZING. I would invite you all if it wouldn't put me into tears to see you all right now, but I'll try and get our member to put it on youtube after or something so you can all see it. We've worked so hard, and by we it's mostly been our member, hermano cardenas, and we work a ton on it on pdays. It's going to be amazing. Other tender mercies of the week JOSE CAME TO CHURCH! Not sure how much I've told about Jose, but the english elders found him and at first he wasn't really itnerested but this elder was an elder from wyoming and started roping with him and he totally opened up and we go over and have lessons with him on his front porch. He is so cute and has such real intentions to find God but has been so confused with what the world says and what he's been told and everything, but this week he came to church and our shiny new branch mission leader took him on a church tour and it was AMAZING. He closed with "nos vemos la proxima fin de semana". YEAH. Also, kamay and her whole family came to church and her mom was happier than i've ever seen her. It's crazy the power it has when we follow the spirit and take out the bad in our lives to fill it with the good things that only come from jesus christ. We can already see how big of a change it has made in their life and it will only keep improving. So, last week I finished the book of mormon, so i started reading it again this week and lemme just say 1 nephi is so good of course it's at the beginning. Something that impacted me a lot was in 1 Nephi 3:5. Sometimes as a missionary i think people think that we're telling them to change and we're telling them to live this commandment, but these commandments come from God for our benefit. I was then reading Elder S. Mark Palmer's talk from the last general conference where he says "my dear brothers and sisters, now anytime you feel like you are being asked to do something hard- give up a poor habit or an addiction, put aside worldy pursuits, sacrifice a favorite activity because it is the sabbath, forgive someone who has wronged you - think of the Lord beholding you, loving you, and inviting you to let go and follow Him. And thank Him for loving you enough to invite you to do more." I'm so grateful for a Savior who sees who I can become and not just who I am, and who invites me to make changes to live more according to His standards. I'm grateful for a father in heaven this fathers day who protects me when I can't be home eating ice cream and playing basketball with my earthly father, but who pushes me and encourages me all the same. to you pops, tu eres muy padre. nunca lo olvides. :) Love you all so much! Embrace change, it's what life is all about. Hermana Reed IV no pics this week, but get ready for tons next week as MTM goes live and transfers come!
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This week was an emotional roller coaster, but holy cow being a missionary is so awesome. This week we had exchanges with Graham, and I had my last exchange EVER with Hermana Souza ): It was a little heartbreaking, my mama is going home! We will literally never be together and both be missionaries ever again. It was such a great day. She has taught me so much on the mission and it's crazy that she's ending. All these missionaries ending their missions, it's really gettin me down. Good thing I'm here for life. :) Biggest news of the week is KAMAY GOT BAPTIZED!!! it was probably the biggest stress project of my life but it was so so good. Her mom dropped off the planet for the entire week, but then we were finally able to get in contact with her and set everything up and it was 1 pm on saturday and we still didn't know if it was happening but Kamay got baptized at 5 pm! Everyone look back on what you were doing at that time and then be sad you weren't at kamay's baptism. It was super special though. What we found out is that Friday, her dad just up and left. Took all his things and left the family.. super heartbreaking but he had a lot of difficulties and emotionally abused them a lot, so it was good he left, but classic satan throwing things at the best family ever. But they are stronger than ever and Kamay was able to make a covenant with the Lord :) The craziest thing, was I thought that the day of the baptism I would feel something, I don't know like I completed my purpose more that day, but I didn't. I realized if I'm living my life right and putting my heart in the work right, that every day I am completing my purpose as much as I can. I am inviting people to get to know Jesus Christ, and that's all He asks of us. Meet the Mormons is going SO WELL. We finished all the interviews this week and there are just so many incredible people with incredible stories. We interviewed one guy who could be Matt Damon's twin brother. He shared his story of addiction which led to homelessness and hopelessness, and how coming to church and finding Christ again changed his whole life. We also interviewed two brothers from North Korea who shared their story of escaping communism and fleeing to Paraguay and finding the gospel. There are so many people with these incredible stories, and then there's people who just think the mormons are the weird people at work. IM SO EXCITED TO SHOW EVERYONE WHO WE REALLY ARE. This week is all about translating the videos to make it bilingual. we're so excited :) Last tender mercy of the Lord this week, OUR BRANCH GOT A BRANCH MISSION LEADER. Dumas Bay branch hasn't had a branch mission leader the whole times its been a branch, about 2 1/2 years. We had a few new families move in so we finally had enough people and I have never been so excited to finally have someone just to help us organize and think and work on this work of the Lord. Other major news: I finished the book of mormon again this week, almost cried near the end of Ether its just so sad am I right. For all of those who haven't read the book of mormon ever, read it. just read it, it will change your life. It has mine. I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!! Hermana Reed IV 1 sopes con petra :)
2 familia lawrence, plus missionaries, plus hermana stewart haha 3 IT WAS HERMANO ACUNAS BDAY SO WE MADE SHIRTS WITH HIS FACE AND HIM A SHIRT WITH OUR FACE HE WORE IT TO CHURCH HAHAHAHA 4-7 Kamay lookin flawless happy baptisms :) bye hna souza ): hno acuna bday lunch, indian buffet best day of my life So there comes a point in basically every day as a missionary where there's some people who just don't want to be taught. Okay I'll rephrase that, Satan just gets all up in their life and makes them think they don't want to be taught. It's the worst. And there's this lil' tactic my good friend Alma taught me in Alma 4:19, we call it "bearing down in solid testimony". And this, this is the theme for the week. maybe my whole mission. Here's an update on our investigators: We are working with and hoping to have a baptism this week for Kamay Lawrence. She's from a part member family and she's 9 and literally I have never met anyone so ready for baptism but she's had a lot of struggles in her path to get here. This week, she came to church for fast and testimony meeting, which is a meeting where anyone can stand up and share their testimony or what they believe and she wanted to go up so bad. She asked all of her sisters and none of them wanted to go up, so she asked me. We walk up to the front and it was her turn so she stood at the mike and I sat in the chair behind her and she looks back and says "I thought you were going to stand with me?" So I pull a classic primary president and squat next to her as she bears the sweetest testimony about how the scriptures make her happy because miracles happen. SHE ALMA 4:19-ED THE WHOLE CONGREGATION. Super tender mercy. We are also working with two youth, Kimberly and Junior, 16 and 14. They are so awesome. Their aunt is a member and have been coming to youth activities and we've been teaching them for a while. Before, they really had no relationship with Christ. Didn't even know really what he did while he was here, but they've been learning so much and I have seen a physical change in both of them. This week we had a lesson on the plan of salvation and what we have to do in order to be able to return and live with God and Christ again, and hermana short the power house that she is ALMA 4:19-ED THEM TO THE MAX AND THEY ACCEPTED A BAPTISM DATE FOR JULY 8TH. Their mom, who we're teaching seperately, cried she couldn't believe the change her children are making. The power of pure testimony. I think before I've told a little bit about Celia and Gilberto. They are so amazing, I've been teaching them since my first week here inFederal Way, but we've been noticing more and more that they've been struggling to act and not willing to make the necessary changes. It is the most heartbreaking thing when we realize as missionaries that the Lord's time has to be spent on other people, even when we love these ones so much. We had a final lesson with them where we asked if they were willing to make changes and they couldn't come to say yes, so both me and hermana short ALMA 4:19-ED THEM and the spirit was the strongest I have ever felt in that house. Maybe it isn't their time, but we know that someday they will accept the gospel and remember the spirit they felt in their home as they learned of the restored gospel. As for our meet the mormons video, it is a straight Alma 4:19. We had some interviews with the people this week and their testimonies are incredible. One family told their story of escaping from north korea and moving to paraguay and learning spanish and finding the gospel and not being allowed to go by their parents but going anyways and they just stared at the camera and said "you know it's true. so change". We are so excited for this video and this vision God has given us to help his children learn more of the gospel. I know that the power of pure testimony is indescribable. It is the only way we as humans can command the power of the Holy Ghost to fall upon the area, but the people might not always accept our testimony. We can bring the spirit to their heart, but they must be the ones to accept. BUT Never lose hope! You never know when someone is goign to meet missionaries and say "I remember years ago my friend who shared a book of mormon with me" or "my friend who told me about how they felt at church". They make a difference, I meet people every day that say so. LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH THE CHURCH IS TRUE :) Hermana Reed IV 1 MLC!!
2 when president photo bombs 3 sisters in zion 4 hermanas in $ion 5 when we knock on our investigators door and she's on her way out for prom. LOOKIN GOOD NANCY ALSO, did something fun last pday for once! Went to a bonsai tree museum. So WA it hurts buenos diiiaaaaaas y feliz dia de memorias :) gracias a todos los que han servidos o han dado su vida por este pais! We had another great week this week. Check out these miracles. First of all, Rosa is MOVING TO MEXICO. I know, insert tears. Hermana Short and I were so sad, but also so excited to send her information to all the elders down there in Colima to help her move on to baptism. She's such an amazing lady. In our last lesson together she said the closin prayer and said "padre oramos que un dia nos podamos reunir otra vez con estas hermanas y aprender mas de tu palabra". RIGHT I FEEL THE SAME WAY. Supposedly she'll be back in about six months, probably baptized and happy as ever. I had an exchange in Renton this week with Hermana Livingston. Renton is super awesome!!! For my whole mission it has been an elders area, but last transfer they took the elders out and put hermanas in. I had this awesome feeling while i was there that I'm going to serve there someday. Who knows, might be my next area, but we met this family that were recent converts which means they got baptized recently and joined the church and they shared their conversion story with us. He is from mexico and she is from honduras and theyve seen missionaries since like forever and talked with them a lot but never progressed in making changes in the gospel. he got encarcelated for not having papers for like 8 years and then finally was released and they moved to WA and didn't have a car and had to walk 2 miles to the grocery store and one day they were walking home and it was pouring rain so they stopped and waited in a taco bell and said "we need the missionaries" and right as they said that they saw two elders walking down the street. They were baptized within the month. It jsut grew my faith so much that these people exist. There are people looking for the gospel, looking for jesus christ and waiting for the day that theyre ready and they change everything. It made me just want to go out and find them all! So we went knocking that night (this was last night, happy memorial day) and we met this boy named Johnathan. he's 24 years old and from El Salvador, speaks no English, and we taught him the restoration and his eyes were just glowing as we shared the first vision and testified about the joy and peace the gospel brings. He asked US about being baptized. I'm just so happy to be a missionary and to share this message with the world. to help people change their lives and find Christ. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. even with all the heartbreak that comes. This week we were supposed to have lil Kamay get baptized, but last minute friday night they decided to cancel and wait longer until they could have some special people there and her mom felt like kamay was more ready. kamay was really sad, and crying, and just wanted to be baptized. She will someday soon hopefully. Satan works really hard on people trying to just do the right thing, but it will be okay. Okay last news, so hermana short and i have this vision of this activity we're doing and we're finaly putting it into action!! It's based off the movie meet the mormons, which if anyone reading hasn't seen that movie they definitely should. but we're interviewing our members and making a meet the mormons federal way edition. Our member is helping us make it into a video and we're going to have spanish and english translation on the screen and invite THE ENTIRE CITY TO COME MEET THE MORMONS. It's goign to be so good! Mark your calendars, release date june 23rd. also, one of our members got her mission call this week to orem, utah spanish speaking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to go out with her when im back in provo. THE CHURCH IS TRUE DONT FORGET IT AND DONT FORGET THAT NEVER DOESNT EXIST. THERES NO 'IM NEVER SEEING ROSA AGAIN' AND THERES NO 'I CAN NEVER CHANGE MY LIFE' NUNCA NO EXISTE. hermana reed IV 1 our favorite neighborhood punks
2 when it was sunny and then surprise rained on us. this was our wetness level from running from teh church to the car 3 my comp putting aloe vera on my almost sunburned legs 4 ADIOS A ROSA LA QUERREMOS 5 OREM UTAH BOUND YAY HERMANAS first and foremost CONGRATULATIONS TO MY NEW BABY GIRL SAVY GRAY WHO ENTERED INTO THE WORLD THIS WEEK!!! Can't wait to see her & hold her when she's 8 months old :) Great work Danica, I'm so proud of you ya lil' mama of 2. Okay so I told my companion my idea for the subject line and I thought it was so funny but she didn't but surprise it has 2 MEANINGS AKA I THINK ITS A PUN BUT IM NOT REALLY SURE I FORGET ENGLISH GRAMMAR. So yes it got to 70 degrees this week and I was literally dying. I don't know how I'm going to ever go home because I'm used to wearing 3 layers of tights and being wet all the time and then the sun comes out and I am just confused and so is my body. but also, this week we had a visit from a member of the 70! (do you see the pun now? Don't worry I wasn't sweating meeting Elder Dube thanks for the concern). he is from zimbabwe and taught me how to say sister in Shona : Sisi. Cool life facts :) But before I talk about that here's the miracles of the week: last week I sent a picture of Rosa, the one moving to Mexico in like two weeks. So we had a lesson with her this week and she was doubting and hadn't read the book of mormon and was struggling knowing what to do so we invited her to pray right there on the spot to know if this really is the church of jesus christ and if she needs to get baptized. So she prayed and was silent for about 5 minutes and then she says I still don't know. All I saw was Jesus Christ and then a person standing in a font/pool things dressed in white waiting. What does that mean? I WANTED TO EXPLODE I WAS LIKE WOAH WHAT YOU JUST HAD A VISION. Rosa that is how we get baptized!!!!! She was like really?!? because she's never seen a baptism. YES ROSA. Lamanite descendants... they're amazing. Also this week we had another festival of finding but it was like so hot and i've been exhausted ever since because the sun has DRAINED my energy. Bring back the clouds and rain please. Elder Edward Dube came and did a mission tour. Normally the missions get one mission tour a year, but for those of you paying attention this is the second mission tour we've had in 6 months, Elder Gay came last November. So we are so incredibly blessed. It started on Friday he came and we did a north half of the mission zone conference and i was so spiritually enlightened!! One of the things that stood out most is everything he taught us he had a scripture reference for. Everything! The scriptures are the key and nothing brings the spirit stronger. He taught us about when he first got his call to be a general authority he felt incredibly unworthy, but in a big meeting Elder Perry looked at him and said "Elder Dube you look out of place. YOU BELONG HERE." Then we read in Exodus about Moses and how before he was called as a prophet what was he? he was a shephard. A SHEPHARD. He didn't feel ready. he didn't have the qualifactions. But God doesn't look at our resumes, he looks at our potential. And once we see it, we too will marvel. Another thing I loved was his engouragement to have everything we do point to Christ. This is not the church of Joseph Smith. This is not the church that doesn't drink cofee. This is the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church who's members are changing and repenting every day to change the natural man to become a saint and every time we repent we come closer and closer to being like JESUS CHRIST. gah I loved it so much. Then on sunday we had a special MLC with Elder Dube and he talked to us about Christ like leadership and what was his biggest focus? POINT THEM TO CHRIST. We are no greater than anybody else as leaders or even as members of the church. We are all humble servants of the Lord on the pathway to being more like Christ and if we want to help people and want to help them in a long lasting way, the only way to do so is to point them to Christ. We won't be here forever, but Christ will and as we connect them, them meaning everyone around us, to Christ that is the only way they can find lasting change and lasting happiness. One of the greatest teaching techniques he used was every few minutes he would turn to us all and ask "so what are you learning?" and wait until somebody answered. It made me reflect so much and everytime he asked the spirit told me what I was learning! His parting words to us were "missionaries. I beg of you, run with this work". I know this really is God's work, His hand is in everything, every minute every detail it is His. We are Christ's servants and He doesn't need hermana Reed, no he just needs someone to do his will. I love this gospel, this gospel of change and joy, and I'm so grateful to be out here sweating and working and talking to everyone about the joy of change they can recieve. hermana Reed IV PICTURES
1 your local libraries panda headphones aka tender mercies of the Lord 2/3 proof that Washington has flowers and not just trees 4 my bff Sister Mclellan 5 THE Sister Dube! 6 trio life for 2 days didn't last long enough :) ps I got that dress at DI for $4 mom I'm officially converted WASN'T THAT 8 WAY SKYPE CALL SO FUN?! So crazy to think that next time I call home I'll be like within weeks of being in your actual presence. Time is flying way to fast, but it was so great to see all of my fam. Thank you to the fam with kids that have taught them to still remember me :) Wow so I don't know how much I should tell that hasn't already been told. This week we went to the baptism of Maddie, the amazing girl we met less than a transfer ago and was baptized this weekend! For those who didn't hear the story, Maddie we found knocking doors and she's 18 and she told me she was going to go to school in Idaho so I proceeded to count all of my idaho facts that my best friend Joelle helped me learn and told her all about Shauna the world famous cow which definitely caught her interest and eventually we taught her restoration and committed her to be baptized and yesterday she was BAPTIZED! She is amazing and I've never been so grateuful I went to Idaho and saw that cow. Other miracles, we're teaching a lady named Rosa who is moving to Mexico in like two weeks but she definitely knows the church is true and wants to be baptized so we're working on teaching her all the lessons but she'll be baptized in Mexico, she said she knows where the church is, which means we get to send an awesome referral and skype session with the mexico elders! Referrals are so great. The church is so true. petra is doing awesome. We had a lesson with her this week and she was like "hermanas, don't worry, I'm stronger than Satan" and we were like what Petra and she was like "sometimes Vicente starts kissing me but then i get this really hot feeling and it hurts so i just move to the other room" and we were like WHAT PETRA YOURE SO STRONG and she says Vicente always invites her to drink beer and she just says "no vicente i dont drink anymore". LIterally this is the woman we haven't taught in two weeks since she missed her baptisimal date and then she says "I want to be baptized July 29. It's my birthday. Get it. Because " gah i can't say it in Inglish its not as funny she said "porque voy a nacer" hahahahahahah SHES SO FUNNY AND SO AMAZING I LOVE THE MISSION :) Wow, I could list off lilke a million other miracles like the fact that we're teaching a lil girl named Kamay who's sisters all are members but they all have sickle cell and her parents are bipolar and theres some agression in the house but we went by and everything was crazy and we sat in the corner with her of the door frame and we just sang I am a child of God together as everyone was screaming around us and she just stared me in the eyes and sang to me and I could've cried the spirit was so strong as children just know that they are children of a loving heavenly Father it changes everything. I loved talking to my family, but what I loved even more is that I get to see the hand of the Lord every day and see people recognize how much God loves them every day. Thank you for all the sacrifices you make so that I can be here and I can serve our Lord and Savior. I love this work and I love Jesus Christ. Oh and by the way hermana short and i are here for another 6 weeks! COUNT YA BLESSINGS ALL OF FEDERAL WAY IS GETTING BAPTIZED :) hermana Reed 1 y 2 MADDIE GOT BAPTIZED BY IMMERSION
3 this is rosa my love of my life 4 district pics 5 your toughest hermanas on the block 6 the one time there was sun, Happy Mothers day hermana souza! 7 HERMANA HUHEM LEFT ME AND I CRIED LAST MLC TOGETHER It's been a bumpy ride. The mission is so much the greatest experience of my life because it has come with so much heart ache and so much joy. Joy in the Savior and Heartache because of my love for these people and for the Savior. there truly is nothing like it. This week was full of exchanges, blitzes, zone conferences, and sick days so the work was slightly slow, not to mention the fact that none of our investigators wanted to meet with us, but that's okay! Agency is a thing we can't control but we can control the number of times we annoy them with voicemails!! :) no shame, it gets us in doors sometimes. Petra was doing so good, we had a lesson with her on Monday where we read in Mosiah 21 where the people had to postpone their baptisms because Ammon didn't feel worthy of it, but that they waited on the spirit of the Lord. We talked about how sometimes the timing isn't right, but it doesn't mean the decision isn't right. Then Maribel, petras daughter, straight up says to Vicente "you know she's waiting so you two can get baptized together". Vicente just sits and smiles. Well at least he knows! The rest of the week we couldn't find Petra home and she woudn't talk to us much.. with broke some hearts but it's okay because she knows this is true and Satan sometimes is the worst but it's going to be okay and this week we will work even harder to find her and help her progress towards that beautfil day. We were able to be in contact more with Maricella, Maribel's cousin who we've been teaching and we had this INCREDIBLE LESSON about the power of prayer and the book of mormon and she has so many great questions and then she said she hasnt prayed about it and we asked her why and she said she just can't. After some major direction from the spirit and some inspired questions she told us she can't pray because she already knows the answer. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and she knows she has to act and change a lot of things, but she knows it's true!! She was crying and I was crying and it was so amazing the spirit was so strong. The power of that book. She's got a long road ahead of her, i.e. spouse in Mexico she hasn't seen in 9 years (who does that?) but we will be with her every step of the way! maybe her and Petra can have a double divorce double wedding party. Can't wait. Other major events, I had to translate stake conference this weekend... SO ROUGH. Some advice for anyone ever speaking in stake conference: PLEASE TALK SLOWER AND PLEASE DONT TELL STORIES ABOUT YOUR COLLEGE FLY FISHING DAYS. IT'S JUST TOO ROUGH. The church is true and I am so grateful I have the blessed opportunity to watch people's lives be changed as they repent and as they read the book of momon. I've been studying patience lately and I've realized every time they say patience in the book of mormon it talks about their patience in long suffering and affliction. Sometimes, things get really rough and nobdoy meets with you all week and your investigators drop you, but it is only then that the lord can make you an instrument in his hands. estoy agradecida que Dios me puede usar en sus manos para la salvacion de las almas de los hombres. Can't wait to see your faces this week!!!!!! FELIZ DIA DE LAS MADRES MI MAMA :) Hermana Reed ps we won the gold plates again #blessed I cant even express the feels from this week. So this saturday was supposed to be like celestial saturday ya know Petra's baptism day, but what a crazy week of plot twists we have had. So on Wednesday she had her interview with President Layman, one of the counselors of the mission presidency who served in Chile, and he was amazed by Petra's faith. At the end of the interview he asked her is there any reason she shouldn't be baptized and she replied "No puedo esperar mas". OKAY WOW PETRA. She is amazing, all this week we knew the adversary was going to be out to get her, which it was. She has been living with her boyfriend Vicente who was somewhat interested but not really ready to make big commitments like Petra. The elders were actually teaching him at one point, and somehow they got in their heads that law of chastity really meant just living in seperate rooms in the same house. Hm, that caused some problems. So Vicente didn't know he actually had to move out til' like Wednesday. here's the Vicente story: He has a wife in mexico that he isnt able to divorce because her dad is psycho and would take his whole estate if he tried to divorce and then Vicente wouldnt have any inheritance for his kids back in mexico. So marriage wasn't an option for him and petra. Then me and Hermana Short went to a bunch of mexican tiendas around here because they have a lot of people that try to rent cuartos which is all Vicente can really afford. WE found a bunch, but all way expensive too. Then we found out Vicente is the only one with income that could pay rent for Petra's apartment. So basically he couldnt leave or else Petra wouldnt have a place either and they both dont have any friends or family that could take them in right now. Insert heart break. We were with both petra and Vicente friday night really late (repented later about that) and were trying all we could to find a way that she could still get baptized but also keep this incredibly sacred law of God. The spirit was telling me, for probably longer than I realized, that she wasn't going to be able to be baptized this weekend. This drama wasn't the way she should start her membership in the church. We told Petra we would have to wait a while to find a more permanent solution for them both and she just cried. It was probably the most painful thing I've had to go through on my mission and Hermana Short and I just came home and cried. It just hurts me to see people who are so ready and know the truth and know they need to be baptized by someone who holds the proper authority of God and then the circumstances are just out of their control. Saturdaywaking up was really hard and we were emotionally unstable and couldn't get ahold of Petra so even more sad. I remember just praying and I dont know a good word in English but just rogand y suplicando a Dios for something to help us out that day. Someone to serve. And let me tell you, God answers prayers. WE had to stop by our branch president's house in the morning and he was working on his yard and we asked if we could help so we gloriously got to help pick weeds for about and hour to which he gave us some pasole and told us "you answered my prayers, there was no way I was going to get this all done today". Then one of our less actives called us and said she's been working on cleaning her backyard all morning and could use some help, so we were able to transfer bricks and clean up her whole place for a few hours to which she told us that she was increibly grateful, and then came to church the next day. It was such a tender mercy, and even though it was just us serving people, it was what I needed to get my spirtual food that day. I know God listens to our prayers. All day on Friday I was praying and fasting for Petra to have God send his armies of Angels to help her, and the whole night I felt like the angels were the ones doing everything they could to stop the baptism. I know that they really did, because that was not the day she was supposed to be baptized. I dont know why. I don't know if its for her to help strengthen her faith and testimony or if its so that soon Vicente can also come unto Christ or if its because someday there is someone who needs to see her be baptized that couldn't be here this week or I really dont know, But I know God has a plan and He loves His children. This is His church. And His work. And I'm so grateful that for 9 months I've been apart of it. So that was long, but basically the week. In lighter news, a bird we named Timmy had babies in our ceiling this week. I guess shes a Tamara. I love you all! Hermana Reed I forgot what it's like to have energy. I seriously hit my pillow so hard and pass out every night. WE ARE SO TIRED. BUT WHAT A BLESSING TO BE SO EXHAUSTED :) We are busy as ever. Here is the week in review: Last pday we had a plants pday and went and found some cool plants and took some nice comp pics in the forest. yes it was raining. No we haven't seen the sun all week. But dont worry mom I have my vitamin D tablets that I take daily so my skin doesnt die. Then we had exchanges with the hermanas de Graham where Hermana McGarity came here to the Fed. We had an awesome opportunity to prestar servicio and we went and helped tear up carpet from this office building for 3 hours. My forearms are still sore in typing this letter.. but it was an awesome way to help show how BUFF MISSIONARIES ARE. And my buff I definitely mean spiritually. But Hermana Mcgarity was here for the whole thing and wow it jsut made me realize how much i love exchanges because they teach ME so much! This week we also increased so much in unity with the elders in our branch. So for most of the time ive been here in federal way its been like this annoying vibe between us and the elders because theres almost like a jealousy when the other was teaching a good family and i hated it because its all one work! This week we recieved so much revelation while planning of families that the elders need to start teaching and theyn they did too so we were switching off investigators and really starting to find the key for the area to help these people come unto Christ. So many miracles came from it! Including that the elders are now teaching the boyfriend of Petra who has come to church a ton but never home when we teach Petra so we've been trying to figure it out and it jsut came that he needs the elders. So now he's learning and has a wife in mexico but wants to divorce her so he can marry petra and petra is like a power woman and says like 'whatever i'm getting baptized so whatever works". SHES SO AMAZING. We are hoping that satanas will be TIED UP this week and everything goes well so she can make this covenant with our heavenly father :) More service we prested this week was the ward had a huge activity to help the jovenes raise money for camps this summer and they put the branch in charge of all the food... clasico... so we helped make over 1500 ENCHILADAS. What a blessing. We are still eating the extras. I LOVE HISPANIC FOOD. At the activity, all the mujeres jovenes and hombres jovenes had differnt like acts they did and our lil investigator kimberly was in the mujeres jovenes dances and she was SO CUTE AND LOVED IT. I want to raise my future family in a spanish branch because wow they just love dancing and love life. Anyways, miracles and miracles later, we were brought to the Sabbath where it literally gives me so much strength and peace just entering the chapel and realizing that I did nothing this week but our Heavenly Father did so much. The church is true and I'm so grateful to be a missionary. Ew side note they sent me this sick letter saying I was halfway done with my mission this week.... Still in denial. LOVE YOU ALL Hermana Reed Picturas!!
1-3 comp pics or engagement pics??? 4 all i see every day 5 how to know that hispanics are close 6 the reason ive slept so well all week RECUERDAN HACE DOS MIL ANOS CUANDO JESUCRISTO SE RESUCITO?!?!?!?! Y COMO AHORA TODOS DE NOSOTROS TAMBIEN NOS RESUCITAREMOS!!! QUE DIA GLORIOSO ES!!!!!! For real, I just love Easter and I love being a missionary and talking about Jesus Christ all the time. This week I have been reading this book called Jesus the Christ like a madwoman. It has like 700 pages and considering missionaries have like 0 down time to just read it has taken me my whole mission to get here to page like 600 where it is talking about the Atonement and the trial and the crucifixion but this week on Easter Sunday I finished reading about Christ's ministry to his apostles after the resurrection and his ascenscion. All I can say is that it is so undeniably true. Christ he LIVES!!! I'm so grateful for him. This week for His work of preaching the gospel to all the world, we saw so many tender mercies and miracles. First of all an update on Petra: she is just so incredibly incredible. We have been crash coursing all her lessons and she just soaks em up and is reading the book of mormon every day and she cries in every lesson because she just feels the spirit so strong. I love her so much. She came to church and we had a pretty heavy lesson on priesthood and all the offices and what each priesthood does and the whole time she just smiled and nodded and would look at me and nod and give me a thumbs up and wow she's just so amazing. Totally prepared by the Lord, not anything we did, but I'm grateful God is letting me get to know her. Another miracle was we had one of our investigators, Celia, come to church for the first time and I almost passed out I was so excited. WE've been teaching her since I first got here to the area and her husband thinks he lacks faith so he basically uses that as an excuse not to do anything but this week she was like no I'm going to church anyway and she came alone and just loved it and I couldve cried I was so happy. THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE. This week I went on an exchange with the hermanas in Kent and it was just so good. We were talking to this investigator, Jose, he's 18 and while we were talking he said "hold on" and runs off and he runs to this car driving away with a flat tire! Turns out it was this lil old russian man and his wife who spoke no English and we got to help them change their tire and it was so cute they were so grateful. I just love lil' moments like that. Also Jose is awesome He's 18 and just loves serving people. Do they get better than that? It was awesome being and learning so much from hermana Baird. As for Easter, it was a pretty awesome Easter. We basically just mexican fiesta hopped all around this huge trailer park and shared the prince of peace video. I probably watched it like 20 times yesterday and every time it gets even better. The church is so true and Christ lives and gives us strength EVERY DAY. For which I am so grateful. Another Easter miracle is someone ding dong ditched an easter basket on our porch. Dont lie mom I know it was you. LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Hermana Reed Picturas!
1 comp goals 2 aqui son Hermana Prado y su hijo Santiago 3 Santi y yo 4-5 FELIZ PASCUAS MIS AMIGOS |
Hermana Fallyn ReedMissionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Federal Way, Washington Mission. July 2016 - January 2018. Archives
January 2018
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