A Baptism this Week!!

"There are lives to Brighten

There are hearts to Touch

There are souls to Save"

~President Thomas S. Monson~

Hello Everyone!
This week passed by super fast. We had a lot of meetings and things on our schedule this week. Everyday was crazy. From zone meetings to divisions to losing phones...everything was crammed into this little week of ours. We really realized the importance of planning and time management. Unfortunately we learned the hard way lol. I love a quote that is in our mission manual that says "Time is one of the most precious means that Heavenly Father has given us." Sorry for that horrible translation...but it is so true. We can be agents to act, or agents to be acted upon. I love agency! Even though at times it can be our downfall, it is why we are here. I love a quote by Elder Oaks that says "Personal decision making is one of the sources of growth we are meant to experience in mortality."

So one of my favorite things I learned in General Conference is about repentance and forgiveness. I love the talk by Elder Robbins that talked about repentance...going failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. That talk has motivated me so much. Just thinking about how this life we are meant to fail, meant to lose a few times, but in the end we will come out stronger and more perfect than before.

Elder Mooney and I are having a great time together. We joke around a lot but also work hard. He is a great missionary with so many great qualities...And then came the fast haha. Not going to lie, it was a hard Sunday. But God sure does answer prayers. We started our fast later than usual and so we went without lunch on Sunday. Man oh man, that was a hard day. I am pretty sure we contacted one of the hardest parts of our sector because those people were...not too friendly haha but one of the things I loved about the day was the ability to recognize God's hand in our lives. We were both pretty short tempered and it was hard to get along haha, but as we kept on talking things through and realizing our own pride, we had a successful hard working day. They say it gets easier when you are married right? haha We actually talked about that and how we are never going to fast with our wives...just kidding. I love the fast. I love the opportunity to put aside the natural man and show not only Heavenly Father, but myself that I can control myself. And in turn as always, He blesses us with more than we deserve.

We are going to have a baptism this week too!! We are pretty pumped for that. her name is Bertha. She has been an investigator for awhile and she is so converted. It is amazing to see her conversion. That is probably one of my favorite things to watch here on the mission...the change in people. That change is so powerful. It's crazy to think how much God is involved in our lives when we take a step back. It is so much easier to see it in other people and thankfully I get a front row seat to all of that!! I know that God loves us. I am so grateful to be a representative of His son Jesus Christ. At times it is hard, but one of my favorite quotes is...the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. I love you all. I hope you have a great week and continue to cling to the iron rod!
Elder Reynolds

Emailing time!! I love MONDAYS!

P-day

LOVE his smile :)

ICE CREAM...YUMMM