"Look at all these legs... Does it ever surprise you how many there are?"

Today I walked into Walmart and this nice black man says "JESUS PEOPLE!!!! Y'ALL ARE MY PEOPLE!!"

I sent several voice recordings about what happened this week so I hope y'all enjoy listening to them.

My week this week has been fabtastic. My companion, Sister Muhlestein, and I have become much closer. Lately we have been singing old country music together a lot. Last night it was the Dixie Chicks. You'd better believe it was pretty amazing (that's a lie... I kept trying to harmonize, but I couldn't..) haha it's pretty fun.

I had a super awesome realization this week. So on my iPad I have a notes tab called my "prayer roll" and then at the end of any lesson with anyone I try to ask them what I can pray for. They usually give me a few things that they or someone close to them is struggling with and I jot those down. Every night when I kneel in nightly prayer I pray for each name individually for the things they have asked me to pray for. At first it was difficult because it lengthens my nightly prayers quite a bit, but over time it has become one of my favorite parts of my daily routine and it has brought some of the sweetest moments.

This has taught me several things. The first thing is that struggling is common to the human experience I am a strong believer that all of us are struggling in one way or another, and if you aren't yet, you will be soon. I've also learned that these struggles are meant to make us stronger and help us grow.

I was sitting in Sacrament meeting yesterday morning and looking over at all the members of the ward and I realized I had a unique perspective of the members of the ward. Because I meet with everyone I know a lot of the deep struggles of some of these peoples hearts. But as I was pondering this I realized that this is a little tiny bit how the Savior must feel. He knows all of the deepest struggles of our hearts. He has such a greater understanding of how we each feel than I do with my little iPad note.

This experience caused me to gain a deeper gratitude for this call in which I've been given. Because for these 18 months I get to do the Savior's work. I get to stand where He would stand and say what He would say if He were here with these people.

I am doing really good. I'm loving the sunshine a whole lot and the people even more. I appreciate every email and letter and email and video and voice recording that I get from y'all. You have no idea how much they motivate me to work hard. I'm so incredibly grateful for the army of people I have behind me encouraging me every week.

I love y'all more than President Monson loves to wiggle his hears! (look up that conference talk if you want a good laugh!)

Have a fantastic week!

--

     -♥- 

Sister Reid

Me, Sister Mohenoa and Skousen at ZC

Sisters Selfie!!!

Notice my spiffy new Mickey hat... I bought it at Walmart...in the kid's section!!!! WHOOO!!!!

Sushi at MIWA

My chalkboard art during weekly planning

There is a guy that writes things about God and Christ in the sky over Disney World quite often. It was windy this day so they are hard to read but they always make me happy.

 

"I'm grateful we have two eyes"

I am doing Bueno!!!

This week has been pretty dang fun. You can listen to the shake down of it all on my voice recordings. 

So the other day we were at a dinner with some members (Brooklynn and Sarah) that feed us on a regular basis. My companion had just finished telling a story about this man she knew that had fake eyeballs that she would help him put in every day (she worked in a nursing home.) Soon after we decided it was time to say a closing prayer and leave. Sarah was saying the closing prayer and in the middle of her prayer with all sincerity she said "Heavenly Father.... I'm so grateful we have two eyes." And we all about lost it. You know those moments when you're chocking back laughs because you are supposed to be reverent, but you can only halfway keep the laughs from coming out and in the end you find yourself with tears falling down your face and the best ab workout you've had in five months??? Ya this was one of those times!

The mission life is pretty dang fun. And my YSA peps make me happy.

I was sitting at night sacrament meeting last night and I watched as several people came in and took their seats. Since I was sitting in the back I could see everyone as they walked it. There were a pretty large amount of people that when they saw me smiled and waved. This was a simple thing, but it hit me just how many people I have around me that love me. I was overwhelmed with how many people have touched my life in this ward. And then while I was pondering this during sacrament meeting it also hit me that I have so many people that have touched my life that aren't even in this ward. So to all the people that have listened to me teach a lesson, fed me a meal, or smiled to me on the street, to all my friends back home, all the family members near and far, all the people that have shared a spiritual experience while I've been present, all the tumbling friends, fellow missionaries, and acquaintances. I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU!

My favorite miracle of the week (besides finding 7 new investigators!!! WHOOO!) was on Saturday when our keys got locked in our trunk and the elders were able to get them out using chopsticks, bobby pins, and a fork. 

"The standard of truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, KEYS MAY GET LOCKED IN THE TRUNK, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say "the work is done." #TAKETHATSATAN!!

This week in my studies I got to the BEST PART OF THE BOOK OF MORMON!!! If you don't know what part that is, then it's when Christ comes.

I decided to look at it with a little bit of a different perspective. I decided to imagine myself as one of the people in the crowd watching it happen around me. What would I think when I see Nephi receive the authority to baptize? (3 Nephi 11:21) How would I feel when I heard the Savior pray for me. (3 Nephi 18) Who would I want to talk to during all the excitement that night before everyone gets baptized? (3 Nephi 19:2) 

It has been so cool to see myself in the scriptures. If you haven't done it yet I encourage you all to try it!!

Anyways, my week has been great and I hope everyone is doing well. Keep me posted on all the things that are happening. 

CONGRATS TO KYRA FOR GETTING HER MISSION CALL!!! WHOOO!

That is all I've got for y'all this fine day.

I love you more than Mormons love green jello. 

'Ofa-Atu!

-Sista Reid 🐊

Planning by the pool at our apartment, although we can't stay if anyone else shows up.

My favorite street sign

Splits with the STL

My pin at Chick-fil-a, the black one

Leaf vacuuming at the Temple

"As for me and my cement box, we will serve the Lord."

Hello my wonderful family and friends!

First of all, TRANSFER CALLS HAVE COME! I am staying in Buena Vista and Sister Lewis is going to Bellview. In the past we have had transfer meetings to switch areas, but reticently Elder Oaks announced that there will no longer be transfer meetings. So now we get to find out where we are going and who our new companion is the Saturday before, and then on transfer Tuesday we drive directly to our new area and start to work right off the bat! I am getting Sister Muelstein (I'm not sure if that's how you spell her name.) AND I AM SO EXCITED!!

I made two recordings this week that SENT! Hallelujah! This is the first time in a long time that I have been able to get them work and send correctly. #Blessings. They contain the run-down of what I did every day this week so if you're interested in that give them a listen. If not, here are some of my highlights of the week.

I wasn't able to send pictures last week so I forgot to talk about this! But last week we were at the church for FHE and one of the members told us to come outside to look at something. So we did and THERE WAS A BABY GATOR RIGHT BY THE CHURCH!! I sent a couple of pictures of it. Someone should show them to Keaton for me and tell me what he thinks about them.

So... funny story from this week! We had finished weekly planning on Friday and Sister Lewis was praying to close. She was trying to say "we pray that we will be effective advocates for Thee." But she couldn't think of the word "advocate" so her prayer went a little something like this...

Sister Lewis: "we pray that we'll be effective adversaries..."

Sister Reid: (whisper yell) "that's the devil!!!"

Sister Lewis: "what's the word??"

Sister Reid: "advocate??"

Sister Lewis: "sure..."

And then we both fell into that state where you're trying hard not to laugh because you're supposed to be reverent, but you can't so you pretty much end up crying instead. It was incredibly funny.

My week has been incredible this week. I love this ward with all my heart and I love being a missionary! One of my very favorite parts about missionary work is seeing the atonement work in people’s lives. I have been able to witness many people use the atonement recently and it is amazing to me how much Christ really does love each of us. What a blessing it is to have access to the infinite atonement in our everyday lives. 

Last night I was sitting at night Sacrament and "A", one of our former investigators who still comes to church and activities every week, but that isn't ready for the missionaries, stood and bore a beautiful testimony of the Savior. She said a line that really stuck out to me. She said "Being a church of Jesus Christ is a pretty big deal." and then she went on to say "I notice it on the sign out front every time I drive past, and maybe that's why I keep coming back." That was interesting to hear coming from someone who is not a member of this church. 

There is something wonderful in the fact that we know about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is incredible to live in a time when Christ's church has been established once again on the earth. Like "A" said, it is a big deal and something we should not take for granted. 

I am incredibly grateful that I not only have the gospel in my life, but that I also have the opportunity to introduce it to others lives. If you've read it a thousand times, or if you have not yet had a chance to pick it up, I urge you all to read the Book of Mormon, to pray about its teachings, and to put it into practice in your life. I urge you to do this because I know what it can do for you. 

I love you all so much and I want to wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day!! And in honor of Valentine’s Day I want you all to go look up John 3:16 for me. It's the greatest Valentine’s Day gift you've ever been given.

I love you all more than President Uchtdorf loves airplanes.

-Sister Reid <3

Tracting in the Rain

Chickens in the parking lot

Temple selfie

Sister Reid, Sister Lewis, Sister Duran

Zone Conference

Sister Duran & Sister Reid

Orlando South Stake

I love Sister Duran

Orlando Temple

Temple with Lacey

Only in Florida

Yellow dog eats missionary fence

Chickens in the parking lot

 

 

Baby gator at church

Sister Lewis, Sister Duran & Sister Reid

Yellow watermelon from Disney World

Taking apart Sister Lewis' bike

Happy Birthday President Berry

Sister Reid & Sister Lewis at church. We get the best pictures from members in Florida.

Sister Reid & Sister Guynn

Oh that verse of scripture melts me!

Hello my family and friends!

So first of all I apologize for only sending two out of three recordings. The first one was too big to email. #TheStoryOfMyLife

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MIKI THIS WEEK!!!! I CAN"T BELIEVE YOU ARE GETTING SO OLD!!! I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK!!

This week has been stupendous. Also really hard, but really good.

We started a new initiative that we came up with that has been super awesome!! We have lots of new CPs coming in to work for Disney this week so we created a "Member mission call" with the help of Brooklyn (our relief society president) and it has been SUPER AWESOME! We basically give them a letter that calls them to be a member missionary. It is worded very similar to a normal mission call and when they read that they have been called to serve in the Buena Vista YSA ward we all cheer and it is AWESOME! It has really motivated the ward to share the gospel and I am so excited to see all of the good that they do!! I'll attach a copy of it so you can read it. BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL CALLED TO BE MEMBER MISSIONARIES TOO!!!

So I went over my week in my recording but you only got the last two thirds of it so I'll go over it quickly again. Feel free to skip over this if you don't care about scheduling haha. 

Monday was awesome we had FHE and lots of people came!

Tuesday was also awesome! We had dinner with one of our favorite members in the ward and also had a few lessons with people.

Wednesday we watched the World Wide Full Time Missionary Training that was broadcast from Salt Lake. IT WAS AWESOME!! we also had night games at Mickey's Retreat and we played SIGNS!!!!! It totally brought me back to sign language last year. It was a blast.

On Thursday we had District meeting and talked about HTBT and we memorized all of them and roll played applying them. We also did the booth by CP housing and had dinner with the Hagermans and the bishop and his wife and the elders. And then had a lesson with a less active in our ward that is literally friends with Mickey Mouse and like 15 other characters. But regardless of her awesome job she is super cute and so incredible. She has taught me so much about the Atonement. It has been really humbling to watch people apply the Atonement in their lives and to watch them change. I love it.

On Friday we had weekly planning and dinner with a couple CPs who are awesome!! They are so much fun and such good members of our ward. 

On Saturday we had a lesson with "A" our investigator. We mutually decided that she isn't quite ready for the lessons yet, but she is still coming to church every Sunday and coming to all the activities so she will get there but not yet. But we are still friends with her and we see her all the time even though we aren't teaching her right now. She is the sweetest and I love her. We also had lunch with Brooklyn (our relief society president) and Kalinda and Sarah her two counselors at Kalinda's house and they made us fancy breakfast french toast and I just can't get over how much I love those three. We also spent time at the booth with a member!

On Sunday we had an incredible sacrament meeting and we met all of our new CPs! We had about 18 new people at morning sacrament and I think we had like 10-15 at night sacrament so there were so many new people to meet this week! It was awesome. On Sunday we also had dinner at Brooklyn's with Sarah and Lacey. They are my favorite! Then we visited some people and had night sacrament.

Anyways... I'm sure most of you skipped over that. 

So ya... I am doing pretty dang good. I feel like I am being stretched a lot, but in a good way. I have learned this week that I need to be more humble. I've also learned that being humble doesn't mean putting yourself down for things, but for giving all the credit for the good that does happen to the Lord and for being truly grateful for it. I've learned that it also means being grateful for the trials you've been given as well as the good times. I've learned to rely on the Lord and I'm starting to learn how to give all the glory to him. It's a process to learn, but a good process. 

So I'm doing good and loving being a missionary.

Sending you all the love and happiness from Central Florida. Thank you for every email and letter I have gotten. I say it every week, but I also mean it every week when I say that it means the world to me. I love you a whole lot!

--

     -♥-

Sister Reid

"I'm an Elder... can I have a wand?"

Jan. 18, 2016

After an extensive discussion about how Dumbledore retrieved the elder wand and how Harry ended up with it an Elder that hadn't participated at all in the conversation looked up and said "I'm an Elder... Can I have a wand?"

HELLLLOOOOOO my dearest family and friends! How are my people? 

First of all, thank you so much to everyone who writes me letters and emails every week. You have no idea how much this means to me and how much it reminds me that I am loved. My heart is always so happy when I read about how you guys are praying for me and I just want to formally say THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I love y'all a whole lot.

This week has been crazy fantastic but also really challenging. So normally in YSA wards you don't get fed very often, however this week we were so incredibly blessed and we had people feed us lunch AND dinner every single day this week. LIKE HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! We were even double booked for dinners a couple of times. Ahhh this ward is so good to me. <3

That being said that means we have worked from 10:00 am until 9:30 pm every day and hardly stopped to take breaks which means we are exhausted everyday. But there is no greater feeling than hitting your head on your pillow at the end of the day and knowing you worked hard all day. 

So I sent a couple of voice recordings that I made that went over the things I did this week so you can listen to those if you want a break down of everything that happened, but I want to focus a little bit more on some of the bigger things that have happened instead of just typing out my schedule. 

On Tuesday we had the opportunity again to spend time at the Orlando Temple doing service. We spent the morning planting flowers and enjoying the company of all the missionaries in O-South. It is seriously one of the biggest blessings of this area to be able to be on temple grounds every week. For those of you at home I would strongly exhort you to GO TO THE TEMPLE every week, even if all you can do is sit on the grounds. I promise you that it will enhance your life and you will feel more peace on a day to day basis. 

On Thursday we had an incredible Zone Conference with Richard J. Maynes of the 70 and IT WAS SO GOOD! If you remember the talk from this last conference called "The Joy of Living a Christ-Centered Life" that was about the potters wheel being centered on the gospel... that's who came and spoke to us! Some of my favorite things he said were...

"We can't lead or draw others to the Lord unless we stand closer to Him than they."

"Be the missionary your mom thinks you are."

"You don't want to be the missing link in a story like this."

"This is a life or death situation."

"Thomas S. Monson doesn't need to make every decision. You get to make some of them."

"You're part of something that's big, and part of something that's rubbing forward."

He also taught us about having "Quality Gospel Conversations" or QGCs and that has made a huge difference in our work the last few days. It's been awesome.

On Sunday we watched the HUGE regional Stake Conference that was for the 14 south eastern states. It was a broadcast from Salt Lake and L. Whitney Clayton, Sister Rieves, Ronald A. Rasband, and Robert D. Hales spoke. IT WAS SO GOOD!! Some of my favorite quotes from that were..

"all in. 100%. Nothing held back."

"Stay the course, and stay on course."

"we become the product or sum of our decisions."

"to effectively serve others, we must see them through Heavenly Father's eyes."

"The temple is the safest place you can be."

"We cannot get home alone."

So it's been an incredibly spiritual week this week. We've taught lots of lessons to our few investigators, as well as several less-active and recent converts, as well as all of our lessons with members at dinner appointments. 

I hope you all know how much I love you and how much your Father in Heaven loves you too! Have a great week and don't forget to tell me about it! 

I love you more than all the fish the disciples caught by casting their nets on the right side!

--

     -♥- 

Sister Reid

"And one of the most beautiful things I have learned about wait is it's marriage to hope. Because in order to wait we must believe there is something to wait for, and hope is a revolutionary patience."

 

This is the Harry Potter castle through the trees... when we drove past it I screamed and Sister Lewis started crying a little bit. And then we struggled to take a picture in time. hahaha