Episode 30: Digging in Dresses!

"Jesus Christ is the LIGHT that dispels fear, provides assurance & direction, and engenders enduring PEACE and JOY"  ~David A. Bednar

Hello!
So you would kind of expect the work to be busy during this time, right? Well not for us, so this will be shorter BUT that is ok!! We have been able to work with the branch and sending out Christmas cards that Sister Piekarski and I have been making. It's been a blast and we are sending them all out this week! I am so pumped!!

We also had our ward Christmas party too!! We had a pretty good turnout!! One of our investigators came!! An 83 year old woman we just met when I got here to Spencer. She really enjoyed herself and is so excited for us to keep coming by. She loved all the different art work our church building has, which was interesting because to me it was our normal but she had never seen these pictures of Jesus before! So we gave her a tour of our small little building haha.

Way cool experience yesterday...
In sacrament meeting, we had some visitor speakers from Parkersburg again! Brother Knoght and Bishop Boning!! Bishop Boning gave a really neat talk about one of the differences in our beliefs to other churches. We believe that we are saved through Christ but that it's not a one thing and you're good. It's a day to day thing...know what that is called? ENDURING!! AH I love that! We are an enduring people. I saw a t-shirt once that said "I am my ancestors wildest dreams." Are we making those who sacrificed so much for the restoring of this gospel proud? Just a thought.

We had a really neat lesson with one of our friends after church and the Senior Missionaries, the Andersons joined us!! They actually use to live in Farmington! I'm not sure how long ago but they were there for 8 years and enjoyed it:) So we have been able to bond really nicely over that! But anyways, Elder Anderson shared a really inspiring testimony of Joseph Smith and his vision of the Father and the Son. It made me think of how President Nelson has encouraged us to study it and ponder his experiences and life. I have loved being able to testify of that First Vision and as a result we have a living modern day prophet...isn't that the coolest thing?? That our Heavenly Father loves us so much to give us prophets! Ah I love it! Our friend seemed to really like that and encouraged him to pray to know if he truly believed it happened. I have also taken that commitment to feel the spirit testify to me of its truthfulness.

So after that lesson we had passed by a couple who were digging and we decided to stop and ask if they needed help...not really expecting them to say yes BUT THEY DID! Oh it was so awesome! That is the first time a stranger has let us help! Haha and so here we are, Sister Piekarski and I...digging in dresses!!! They were trying to dig and level out a driveway to a house they were remodeling. I will have to get a picture next week to you guys to see our work! We helped dig about 2 hours and just talked to them. Hopefully we will see them at church next week! Not only did it feel good to serve and help someone but it felt great to get sweaty and get dirty! Haha I love this work!

So moral of the story, get a testimony of Joseph Smith, teach your children about him. If people ask to help you, let them!!!! Don't be selfish of providing them some happiness in serving!
I love you all and thank you for thoughts, cards and prayers!!!
Sister Reynolds

Ward Christmas Party

Yummy food

Pretty good turnout:)

We volunteered to bring dessert and jello!

Maple cookies:)

Matching socks:)

Crafting with our friend Vicki

You remember that squirrel I skinned???? Well this is what he looks like now!! This is Sister Wood and she is the one who made me a scripture case out of it!!

My mission scripture case!!

I will forever have the squirrel I skinned!

Had a migraine....

~CARDS~

My companion, Sister PIekarski!

Went on splits with another Sister:)

Video chat

December 26, 2019

Episode 29: Yup...stuck in Mud. Good job Sis

"keep trying, keep trusting, keep believing, keep growing"

~Jeffery R. Holland~

Hello!
I hope all of your Thanksgivings went well!! Mine...well here's a nice little story for y'all.
We were on our way to a Thanksgiving dinner appointment and they live deep in a hollar and we had no idea how to get there so we pulled out our handy dandy google maps! Everything is correct on there right?? Wrong. So we head out and (given I have had a really rough week...but we won't get into that) I am not the most patient person when it comes to directions...so we are heading way out into the middle of nowhere and we have no idea where we are going and the roads are bad...I mean BAD. It's been raining the past couple of days and there are puddles everywhere and ditches in the middle of the road! So fun, right? In a four-wheeler maybe!! Anyways we are about a quarter of a mile away and your dumb ignorant sister doesn't follow the smallest prompting to stop and turn around and we got stuck... I know. So we go the rest of the way on foot and honestly, there was a creek running along side this so called road and I honestly couldn't tell sometimes which was the road and which was the creek!! We get to our branch President's house (that is where we were eating) and they are an older couple, bless their hearts, and we tell them what happened and it was not a Happy Thanksgiving. Dinner was good but SO awkward. Got chewed out a bit for not knowing the way haha but water on a ducks back. So they drive back to where we are and it was a literal miracle their truck didn't get stuck either! I tell you with all of our faith and prayers, I know God helped us out of there! Just a miracle. It takes us about an hour and half to get us out and drive on back home. We damaged our dust plate thing. People out here call it like 3 different things so I have no idea what it's called but the piece of plastic that is constantly ripped off that covers the engine. You know the one?! Haha good. So our kind landlord works on cars for a living and fixes it up for us on Saturday.

So quite a week for me haha! I have had my faith tried and tried, my testimony tested and tested but I have been able to see more clearly Heavenly Father's plan for me. I now have faith stronger than before, hope that will last a lifetime and courage to overcome Satan's weak attempts to pull me away from my eternal destiny. I love this gospel and I know God is with us. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and by seeing the tears on the plates, written by these prophets...these ever faithful men, you will see the love our Savior has for us. You will feel something different. You will feel God's everylasting power.
I love you all!
Sister Reynolds

Highlight of my week...doing service with our non-member friend:)

Our little Christmas tree in our apartment!

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We were in charge of decorating the Christmas tree at the church and they had no ornaments so we bought cheap ones at the Dollar store and it still looked bare, so I suggested we string popcorn!! My creative side is coming out on the mission!!!

"Challenges will come to you but as you trust in God they will strengthen your faith"

~Neil A. Anderson~

Episode 28: HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Sister Reynolds and Sister Piekarski

Spencer, West Virginia

Hello!
So unfortunately there (again) is not much to tell because your Sister Reynolds has apparently the weakest immune system! I got sick again and was finally over it this weekend! I'm killing out here...(killing myself jk) but we had some pretty neat spiritual experiences.

Friday night I felt up to going and seeing people so we went to District Council up in Ripley, and it was awesome! We had a great discussion about sacrifice and what it means to us. Some of my thoughts were from the guide to the scriptures:
"In ancient days, sacrifice meant to make something or someone holy. It has now come to mean to give up or suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and His kingdom. Members of the Lord's church should be willing to sacrifice all things for the Lord." I LOVED THIS--) Joseph Smith taught that "a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up."

Later that night we went to the Clayton's and what a family! I believe they are from Jamaica and have come here by the hand of God. They are Seventh Day Evangelists and just very very devoted to God. It's pretty amazing! They had us over for some yummy pea soup, with chicken, rice and beans. I was stuffed! Then we had an amazing Bible study with them! Interesting fact: before we started meeting with them on Friday, they called and told us we were more than welcome if we wanted to study from the Bible but didn't want anything to do with the Book of Mormon. So we took the invite hoping to see where it will lead and it's gonna be good! I was so impressed with the spirit that was felt there. They allow us to choose where to study from and we have been reading with them from the Come Follow Me book! So we were in James this week and man, James is one cool inspired guy! We had an hour long discussion about it all and the whole time Sister Piecarski and I were quoting from the Book of Mormon! We couldn't help ourselves! We didn't necessarily say where the thoughts came from but we felt as if they needed to still hear the words of God and we needed to still testify of the Book of Mormon in some way. It's amazing that people feel that they only need the Bible. just like in 2 Nephi 29:3-4, 7-9
3 "And because my words shall hiss fort--many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
4 And thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye no0t that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another. Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another? And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be unto the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever."
I love reading these verses and knowing and having my testimony of this gospel, of the Book of Mormon to be solidified. I know what I believe in is true and no one can take that from me. It was sad to leave and feel that they have what they are seeking right in front of them, but they choose not to obtain more of God's word. That I feel is one of the things that makes this work hard but that is the blessing of agency. Oh the mysteries and glories of God's work! haha He keeps us on our toes!

On Saturday at 4:30 we went over to a lady we are teaching and she needed help making and mashing 40 points...I REPEAT 40 POUNDS OF POTATOES. I did not realize how much potatoes that is haha!!! She fueled us with some pizza and put us to work. Sister Piekarski was on the dishes and I was mashing potatoes and stirring in butter, cream cheese, milk and seasonings. We ran out of pots and places to cook the potatoes so we were cooking in small pots that you use for meals for 4 people haha. So this took us until 9:30 to get done. Talk about slaving over the stove! But man those potatoes were good! I was full by the time we got done haha. Pictures will show you how messy it got lol but luckily she had dogs to help with clean up! It was so fun to serve and help this woman, Vicky. She just had surgery on her wrist and crazy woman, she was going to do it all by herself! I'm glad the good Lord prompted her to ask for our help. It was a great way to be welcomed into Spencer. I love serving and using the excuse that it's the season to do so! I hope all of you have since watched the Christ Child by now and are filled with His love to give to others. Let's #LighttheWorld!!

Also shout out to the wonderful YSA branch back in my hometown, Farmington New Mexico! Bless their hearts, they sent me a package full of thanks!! THANK YOU!!! It came at a much needed time of encouragement and I truly believe it helped kick out the sickness. I love and appreciate all of those who pray and do things for us missionaries!

I hope you all feel and witness all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with this upcoming week and this next month! Get your Light the World calendars up and ready!! Start now!
I love you all!
Sister Reynolds

Sister Piekarski andVicky

40 POUNDS OF POTATOES..

Yay, she's learning how to cook!

Service :)

#lighttheworld

A care package from the YSA branch!

This came at a perfect time!!!

Socks from my Grandma Reynolds:)

Cardmaking on our down days at home

~Spencer, West Virginia~

Video chat

November 25, 2019