Life is good in the Mt Vernon Hood. So much goodness and happiness.
This week I learned a lot about true joy! So in true fashion, We will start with some of the things that made me smile and laugh the most this week;
-You know you're a missionary when... You are trying to say a funny joke about Lady Gaga, but you call her Sister Gaga instead. This is why we don't make apostate jokes Sister Nissalke 😂
-I got asked if I needed someone to wipe my bottom for me by a sweet elderly lady I was trying to assist in a very Christlike manner. She wanted to do work in the family history center, but we had an appointment with someone else and there were no consultants at the chapel. We tried calling some of the family history consultants but everyone was busy and at work for the day. We gave her the phone number for someone she could set up an appointment with, but as soon as we explained we had another appointment to get to she called us young, disrespectful, false advertising, girls who did not know God.
She started threatening to sue the church and I, quickly figured out she was not a member , and so I decided to just help her and diffuse the situation. She explained she needed to look up some family history but didn't remember her account information. I explained I could do nothing for her on my account but I would call the other senior missionary she had been working with. Then she asked me if I needed help wiping my bottom when I went to the bathroom too. I will admit there were not the most Christlike thoughts running through my head after that, but I smiled, helped her out of the car, worked some miraculous technology miracles, and 2 hours of one on one lecturing on respecting the elderly because I am so immature later we all walked out with smiles on our faces and printed pedigree charts in hand. I did try and invite her to take the missionary lessons but she laughed at me, and told me to stop interrupting her when she was speaking. It was a long morning 😂
Updates on People:
Kim came back into our lives. We had An amazing lesson with her about faith and footsteps into the dark. She can feel God pushing her, but she can't see what is beyond. She knows it will be good but the good old fashioned spirit of fear is holding her back. She promised to take a few steps into the dark by reading the Book of Mormon on the plane. She is sooooooo close. Her husband is still very hurt by the church but he says he know the Book of Mormon is true so he can't be that far off. We love both of them and October is going to be a great time for them!
We found a miracle investigator named Craig. We were prompted to knock a few doors on a street with some new investigators. The very first door we knocked, an older man let us right in. His wife was gone, but we had a young woman from the congregation with us. He has been investigating the church for over 20 years in California and Ohio. His late son was baptized into the Mormon church. He has been church hopping for years as well but can't find anywhere that feels like the Mormon church. He has some doubts about Joseph Smith but was very open to studying with us and coming back to church in Mt Vernon. The Young woman used some of the New Testament scriptures she is studying in seminary to leave him with a powerful testimony of the savior and all was well. We are excited to meet with him this weekend. I got to go back to Scioto this weekend for a baptism and the place is still fantastic. Barbara happened to be at the baptism and we got
hugs from her and it was amazing to see the members of the congregation still taking care of her! They love her and she has grown so much since last year!!
Those were our most exciting lessons and events of the week. The spiritual thought this week is all about living in the light. We went into so many houses of new and old friends this week and unfortunately most of them were overwhelmed by SADNESS. They were so dark and dreary and depressed and overwhelmed. Every time we talked with someone like that it just made me so conscious of the darkness I felt around me. It was like a loss of hope had taken over their lives.
Honestly it kind of drove me a little nuts. We face rejection every day, people old me I was young, incompetent, rude and brainwashed all week, but I don't sit around and mope in my corner. Ok. That sounds harsh. I know we all face personal challenges and concerns. I know we all face terrible trials. I know that there are people out there who have endured more than their fair share of pain. BUT all that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. If we have faith, we choose not to actively worry and have distress over theses growing experiences we lovingly call trials. If we have faith in Christ we accept his timing, move out of the darkness and find the light in our lives. One of my favorite conference talks is by Dieter F Uchtdorf. In it he talks about a girl who has faced much more darkness than most of us can even begin to imagine. He describes her healing process and says,
"She sought counseling and medical help and began to realize that, for her, the best path for healing was to understand and accept that darkness exists--but not to dwell there. For, as she now knew, light also exists--and that is where she chose to dwell. Given her dark past, Jane could easily have become vindictive, venomous, or violent. But she didn’t. She resisted the temptation to spread the darkness, refusing to lash out in anger, hurt, or cynicism. Instead, she held fast to the hope that with God’s help she could be healed. She chose to radiate light and devote her life to helping others. This decision enabled her to leave the past behind and to step into a glorious, bright future."
I know that Gods light can overcome any challenge we may face in our mortal lives. I cannot promise when the relief will come, I can promise it will! I have watched so many amazing people face so many heart breaking challenges here in Ohio, and they are still smiling! I have seen people fall so far only the savior can bring them back both physically and emotionally, and at the end of the day and they were STILL SMILING. People, God has so much more than the grind planned for you!Turn all the frowns upside down, find the peace the scriptures can bring into your life, go to the temple, say your prayers, feel gods love for you more in your life and just be happy! No matter what your personal challenges or concerns might be, the savior and his teachings, the gospel, will help you. Just be happy! Spread all the love, light, and joy!
✌🏻️Sister Reynolds✌🏻️
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