Did That Just Happen?

Preparation days never cease to amaze me. Something strange or funny or whatever always happens. As I'm vacuuming our oh so lovely carpet, I want to get to the areas that maybe don't get as much TLC. As I'm vacuuming I lift our floor lamp up to vacuum under it, the top of the lamp sparks and I feel my hand and arm go numb. ... I freeze and Sister Butterfield just looks at me and it's quiet ... then we just start busting laughing! I'm pretty sure I got electricuted a little. 

Tuesday was AWESOME and we had back to back appointments with investigators all day! We met with Sara who's going to school at ICC and wants to meet with us again this week! Then we saw Lindsay. We aren't sure how to read her. She said she thinks she's going to hell, and when we ask her questions like "Who is God to you?" or "Have you ever thought of where you came from?" she just said she doesn't know and she's never thought of it, but she's told us she's looking for a church to join, and she's learning about different religions. So far we have taught her Lesson 1&2 and testified of the power of the Atonement. After we saw Lynn and had an incredible experience with her. She said when she is reading the Book of Mormon she feels like God is trying to tell her something. Be bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration. She isn't sure yet if Joseph Smith is a prophet, but she's come a long way just since I've seen her! Before she said she would mock the names in the Book of Mormon, and now she LOVES reading it! And she really liked church last Sunday. After a few other potentials and appointments with members it was 8:00 at this point. As I'm driving around a drive way so Sister Butterfield doesn't have to back me up, our car starts to make a funny noise and it's not driving like it's supposed to. I get out and check the tires and the right front tire is completely FLAT! I may or may not have grazed the curb. As all this is happening Sister Butterfield is already on the phone with the Elders, so we ask them to come help us. After we hang up, we just look at each other put on the music and start dancing. It was the greatest day and the tire just made it even better! It was hilarious actually. We just had to laugh about it. ... So naturally the next day we go to Firestone. As we are there waiting there are two ladies waiting for their car too. She ends up asking for a Book of Mormon saying she's always wanted to read it, and we get her information and give it to the Pontotoc Sisters where they live. So maybe the tire was supposed to pop? ... Well that's all the time I have! Jessica and Nathan are doing great! They came to church yesterday! We invited them to be baptized and they said when they come to know, yes! No date yet. 

Moral of the story this week I guess ... be careful with electricity and tires kids!

Love y'all,

Sister Reyne

Tupe Town‏

Hey y'all! We are spreadin' the word all over Tupe Town! Tupelo is huge, especially in comparison to Haleyville! We cover so much, but don't have the miles to cover it. I still can't get over that there are 10 missionaries in this ward. 20 more active members or converts and we could get a bigger building. Sister Butterfield and I started teaching Jessica and Nathan. Nathan's step brother is a member who is less-active. I love them already! They ask questions that you wish every investigator would ask. As Jessica talked about the Book of Mormon and learning, I KNEW! They are going to accept the gospel. The Lord has prepared them. Sometimes I used to think, why doesn't everyone accept this? If it's the truth, why don't people accept it? Some people would never think, "Is there just one true and correct church?" And as we teach them they don't understand. They don't see that it's Christ's church, not just another denomination. What's going to happen in the spirit world when they realize that? When they realize, "The missionaries that came that time ... THAT'S what they were talking about, that's what they were trying to tell me" But then it's not us, it's the spirit that convinces people. I mean, how many times do you actually remember the words that were said in church. Usually you will remember how you felt. You remember how you felt, and sometimes what was said, because it was said by the spirit. I don't know what will happen to the people we teach to, and they don't accept it. They weren't searching for it. Like Brother Barker said, "If ye shall not ask, ye shall not receive." Haha I'm not the judge, I just have to be ready and recognize those people who are ready to receive the gospel. I'm so grateful for that. I love my mission SO MUCH! I have a specific goal each transfer, whether it be communication with my companion, or teaching skills. This transfer I want to strengthen my testimony. Because I have prayed for that each day, my testimony has been strengthened so much every single day. I have a testimony of the power of prayer. I have a testimony that this IS Christ's church! I KNOW IT! Someone President once said is, if your testimony is wavering, if you are having doubts, lean on mine for a short while. I love that! I have doubts. Everyone does. But if anything, I would want someone to feel strengthened in their testimony by mine. I want to be better each day. I'm so far from what I want to be, but the Lord is molding me each day. 

I love y'all! 

Sister Reyne

M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I‏

As usual it's been an adjustment getting used to a new area. I'm in MISSISSIPPI with Sister Butterfield! Pretty sure we knew each other in the pre-existence HA. We are in the Tupelo Ward with 8 other missionaries! It's a drastic difference from Haleyville. I know I'll say this after leaving each area, but I miss Haleyville so much! The first morning in Tupelo I freaked out as to where I was. I'm loving it here already! The members are fabulous! We are going to kick some bum out here! In Sacrament Meeting the Chapmans spoke. 3 boys, and their mom and dad, and I KNEW them but couldn't figure out how. So I joked that maybe I had a "dream" about coming to Tupelo! Once Brother Chapman got up to speak it clicked. He is on the High Council and their whole family came to Haleyville when Sister Downs and I had just gotten there. I remember now because their kids were our primary that Sunday! So sadly I didn't have a dream about being in Tupelo, but I still KNOW I'm supposed to be here with Sister Butterfield. There is someone prepared to receive the Gospel here! A scripture that really stook out to me this week was in Mosiah 21:15. In this chapter the Nephites and Lamanites are at war (big shocker) and the Lamanites are defeating the Nephites. So the Nephites humble themselves and go to the Lord in prayer that He may deliver them out of their afflictions. The Lord didn't instantly help them. He softened the hearts of the Lamanites, but He didn't just take away their burdens. This made me think of that video on mormonmessages.org about that man's family who was killed in a car accident. He said when he cried to the Lord, "He didn't instantly make me feel better, He listens first." I love that about Heavenly Father. He won't instantly take us out of our struggles, or afflictions, and trials, He lets us use our agency, our faith, and our strength to come to Him and trust in Him. What a blessing this is, because otherwise we wouldn't have as much grown as He see's fit. I'm grateful for this new area! I miss my little Haleyville Branch, and the members I grew to love so so much. I miss Stephanie and Angie and Oscar. But it's a blessing to be in a Ward as well. A few members have already offered to come out with us. We have a dinner calendar so we can see members often and get them excited about sharing the gospel with their friends. Oh AND Sister Dodini is in the same Ward!!! We are startin' fresh and killin' this area! I'll see you in the future Bama! I'm in MISSISSIPPI! 

I love y'all!

Sister Reyne

Oh Them Southern Directions‏

Miracle of the week. Christmas day a member asked if we could go see their friend James. The directions as explained were, "It's on the top of Kelly Hill, and it's a white a grey house with a carport." Well that's just about every other house on 11th! So the next day we start treking. We didn't find a Jerry, but we found two potential investigators, one being Katie a young mom of two boys! Tracting is fun when your approach is, "Do you know a Jerry? Are YOU Jerry?" The next day we found out his name is Jared. So we start treking down Kelly Hill knocking on some of the same doors, but now asking for Jared. And did we find him? No. So what's the miracle? We this last Saturday (you ready for this Southern story) have a plan to go to one of the potential investigators that we found while tracting up Kelly Hill (I mean literally it's up. It really is a hill.) Katie's husband Seth was home working on his truck, getting ready to go hunting. Seth knew the members who referred this "Jerry or James" and we gave him a Book of Mormon and he asked us to come back that night because Katie wouldn't be home until 6:00. We get a text not soon after that that our plan for 6:00 fell through. So we take 5:30 to 6:00 dinner time to study and role play to Sister Downs teddy bear (he's the best listener). We go over to Seth and Katie's around 6:15. We saw Katie inside as we were walking up to the car port but when we got to the door she was gone and no one was answering. We were really confused, so we just planned to go see forever backup. Right when we get there, we feel like we need to go back to Seth and Katie's. It had only been 5 minutes, but we felt no need to be at this other house. So we go back over to Seth and Katie's and they answer! Seth had JUST gotten home from hunting and Katie said she doesn't like answering the door when her husband isn't home and didn't realize who we were. So we ended up teaching them the Restoration and they want us to come back. Later that night we realized how perfectly everything lined up that day for us to meet Seth outside. 

We never did find James and the Giant Peach but we found a family to teach who we have been praying to find! 

Funny part of the story, one door we knock on this is the directions we get, Jerry lives down the long hill, up two dirt streets, then you'll see a tree stump on the far left, then on the next right of the right you'll see a rock that has been there for 100 years. ... Ok, ok, so it's not quite THAT bad. But Oh them southern directions!

Love y'all!

Sister Reyne 

Of course we found donkeys around Christmas time!

Christmas at the Lake at Santa's Workshop.

 
We found where Omni is!

Our baby Christmas tree from the Suzanne and Carla the librarians. 

My snow....

...vs. Elder Dallin Reyne's snow!