Elder Kyle Reynolds: 6 Baptisms in Puyo!! BELIEVE!!!

6 Baptisms in Puyo!!
Elder Reynolds baptized David!

Hello!
Awesome week this week! We ended up having some of the Valencia family get baptized! 5 of their kids got baptized. We would've waited for the whole family to get baptized but with the crazy marriage process that this country has, it is going to take the parents more than 2 months to get everything done. Man it was so awesome. I'll be honest I haven't baptized more than 2 people at a time...it is sooooo cool when a family gets baptized! Everyone is super excited and the atmosphere is just lit! It was definitely a special experience for all. We had a great turnout too from the members and non-members. We wanted to include the ward so we brought the brethren of the ward over and the kids chose who they wanted to baptize them! I personally felt the spirit super strong. Although...a scripture came to mind after pondering about all that went on this weekend.
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
To be honest, all these ordenanzas (ordinances) and all that we do in the church is a bit weird when you think about it. Haha no I'm not going apostate but just from a person looking from the outward in...bathing people in water after saying a little prayer, several men putting their hands on someone's head to give them the Holy Spirit...and so on. I thought about that a lot as in total there were 6 baptisms that took place. To me and all the members of the church these (VUDU) acts actually mean something to us. What is the difference?? It's all...COMPLETELY...about faith and believing. Kind of weird but I thought of the Polar Express when the kid didn't hear the bell ring until he actually believed. When he got that ticket from the conductor and it said BELIEVE, it made me ponder a lot about where I am at with my faith and belief in THINGS THAT ARE NOT SEEN BUT ARE TRUE. I must admit sometimes I feel like that kid. Satan puts things into my mind like this...that everything we do as missionaries and members of the church is just some fad or belief to make us feel better in moments of despair. But as this scripture firmly declares, it's because spiritual things are only understood by those with the spirit. I personally think it's okay to have doubts. I think if at some point those doubts don't come creeping in then we are too far in Lala land. But on the contrary we can't be all seeing is believing type of attitude. Obviously there is a balance. Just like Jesus said "Only believe." I am learning to love that word more and more! It's becoming more part of my life. One of my favorite scriptures that depict this is in Alma 32
27 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment up on my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
So if you are ever caught up in the world of doubts...you are not alone. Elder Reynolds is right by your side learning as he goes. But we have to believe. Honestly we don't even have to believe! We just have to desire to believe, want to believe! Awesome right?? I know that we are in the truth. As I learn more, the latter doubts seem to fade but newer doubts seem to come. And that's alright. Just be believing. I love you all! Be believing!!
Elder Reynolds