Week 51

Lissette was baptized this weekend! We went to visit her earlier in the week, knowing that her main doubt was the Book of Mormon. So, we picked out that same video that I wrote about last weekend. We showed it to her and shared with her our testimonies and a few more scriptures from the Book of Mormon. It was obvious that she felt the Spirit. In the end, we simply told her that she already knew that it was true. We said "Lissette, ya sabe que es la verdad." She responded with a smile on her face "Sí, ya lo sé." From there, we set up an interview. On Friday, she had her baptismal interview and on Saturday, she was baptized! It was amazing! The Book of Mormon is the word of God. There is no doubt about that. Anyone who reads it humbly, desiring to do the will of God, will come to that same conclusion. This coming weekend, Maria Paz, the daughter of Elizabeth and Robinson, is getting baptized! Also, Andrea may be getting baptized, so we are excited about that. Cristian, the son of Andrea and a recent convert, received the Priesthood and will be able to baptize his mom! That´s my dream! It´ll be amazing to see that happen. Please keep her in your prayers! Have a great week, all!

Elder Reynolds

Week 50

I don´t have much time to write, but it was a good week. Cristian was baptized and the 6 missionaries in our ward, including me, performed in a talent show. We rapped a hymn. It was really funny. I will have someone upload that to Facebook, most likely Cristian. Cristian´s mom, Andrea, and another lady named Lissette may be baptized this coming weekend, so please keep them in your prayers. We watched "17 Miracles" this morning. It was amazing. I recommend it to everyone. I also love this video about the Book of Mormon:http://youtu.be/3dNYpXZIN_c. Watch it! I promise that I will have more to say this coming week. Happy Birthday, on the 21st, to my little brother Blake! He will be 21! I love you, buddy! 

Elder Reynolds

Elder Reynold's 2nd zone

Elder Lopez from San Antonio (he also is an Aggie... shame.)

Cristian's Baptism

Week 49

This week was a little frustrating. We did nearly everything possible to help two families get to church, including calling them the night before and the day of and passing by one of the families right before church, and they didn´t show up. During the sacrament, I was really sad about that. I prayed really hard and asked the Lord to forgive me for not doing everything in my power. Towards the end of my prayer, I felt something that I hadn´t felt in a while. The past few weeks I´ve been really worried about the zone because I feel like we aren´t meeting our potential. I have been trying to figure out what more we can do to help, but it´s been really difficult to answer that question. I feel like we are really working, but we aren´t seeing what we thought we would. But, in that moment during the sacrament, I felt peace that only comes from God. I felt His concern and His love for me. I knew and know that He sees what we are doing and feels what we are feeling. He does all possible to help all His children, and many don´t understand, and many reject Him. I know that He sends angels before us and behind us to help and support us. I know that He will never fail us and He will never leave us comfortless. I know that He loves me. I feel it everyday. I know that He is involved in my life and in this work. I know that, if I do what is required of me and do all that I can, that He will always do the rest. I can´t do any of this by myself, nor anything else. The only way is with God. He makes all possible. I know that if I put my trust in Him that He will always come through. I have seen that way too many times in my life to deny that. I know that this applies to everyone. I was extremely happy to be able to talk to my family yesterday. My mom, dad, brother, uncle Jeff, aunt Jeannice, and their three daughters, Gracie, Claire, and Ella were all at my house to see me. I am extremely grateful for my family, for the love and the support that they show me constantly. I feel their prayers everyday. I was also able to see the stunningly beautiful face of Micaela Morgan Wright! It´s incredible to think that this next year, she will literally be mine forever! God fulfills His promises, and He always will. If we put Him in first place, He will take care of everything else. I know that is true. We have a baptism next weekend. His name is Cristian, so please keep him and his family in your prayers! Have a great week, all!

Elder Reynolds

Fabiola's baptism

Week 48

Fabiola Lucila Canuillan Gamboa was baptized this Saturday and confirmed a member of the exact same church that Christ established on Sunday! It was amazing! The ward really supported her. A ton of members showed up and a lot of the young women in the ward were there to support her and make her feel welcome. Someone who isn´t a member of the church told us this week that she loved how much unity there is in our church. It´s amazing how united a body of people can be when Christ is at the base of everything. The people in the church may not be perfect, but I do know that the church organization itself is perfect because Christ established it. I feel humbled knowing that we can be a part of that. Obviously I want to share that with everyone. We are working really hard in Labranza. We are hoping for 3 baptisms on the 17th, so keep Cristian, Andrea, and Lissette in your prayers! This week, on the 8th, I will have one year left in the mission field. The time has literally flown by. It´s unreal. I love being here and love being a missionary. There is nothing greater than seeing the Atonement of Christ in action every single day. I know that I don´t have much time left here and that makes me sad, but I do know that every day is a chance to get better and a chance to bless someone´s life. Happy, almost, Mother´s Day to all the mom´s out there, especially Dina Reynolds and Doris Reynolds, two of the greatest moms to every walk the Earth. I love you both very much and I hope you have a wonderful Mother´s Day. I love you, Micaela!!! Have a great week, everyone!

Elder Reynolds