Free Nerf Guns and Second Temple Trip

I feel like the subject line of this email could pretty much summarize my week, but since I have time I guess I'll elaborate for you.
We won a nerf gun! I don't exactly understand how, but now we have a nerf bow in our apartment that we use to shoot elders, and which I occassionally use to shoot my poor, unsuspecting companion (bless her heart). It's pretty intense.

We also got to go to the temple again!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE! I was really missing it. 6 months is a long time! However I should just be happy we can go to the temple because if I didn't go I would probably die spiritually or something. There is such a peaceful feeling there that you can't get anywhere else.
Afterwards I found FALAFEL AT A STREET VENDOR!!! #jerusalemforlife

However, after the temple trip we were walking down the street, all of us in this great spiritual high, when we saw these almost-naked girls (they were wearing nothing but bikini bottoms) on the street. WHAM! Spirit was gone. It was crazy to feel the two different extremes in such a short period of time. It is really sad to see those things and to feel the difference between them and the peace you feel at the temple. :(
After that experience, I heard one of the elders say something that I think is the best compliment I have ever heard: "If everybody dressed like the sister missionaries the world would be perfect."

On a lighter note, I recently bought stickers that have crazy glue-on eyes and they are SO CUTE! I'm going to give them to all the little children in the whole world!
People-wise, our recent convert, Nicolas, is doing great! He is getting the priesthood next Sunday, then he will get his temple recommend, and then he is going to get a calling! YAAAAAAAAAAAY
We've had to drop a lot of investigators these days, and that's hard. We pray and we sweat and we cry over the people and it's hard to let them go, but you can't force anyone to do something they're not willing to do. Hopefully missionaries will come back later and they will be ready then.
Meanwhile, we are working to find new people to teach, and that's always fun! That's where all my crazy stories come from :) People are just so funny.
I love you! I know this church is true! I hope you all are having a great start of your summer.
Love,
Sister Reed

My Mission Vision

Our Zone at the park

June is here! That means heat, humidity, and mosquitoes (they aren't here yet, but apparently they are coming). I am going to melt like a popsicle in this weather.

This week we:

~Asked our investigator Angel to get baptized and he said yes!!

~Watched Nicolas get confirmed and recieve the Holy Ghost in sacrament meeting! He's awesome. He even wore a tie! I am so proud of him. He hates ties. 

~Found two secret members we never knew lived in Kearny.

~Set up every member we could find with a Family Mission Plan. They're great. You should get one too.

~Were served at least two liters of Inca Cola in one day. I don't know why, but Hispanics love the stuff.

Pretty much summarizes our relationship

Sister Stevens and I have been having a blast together. We have been working on our gringo accents as we walk around finding people ("Me llamar Hermana Reed."). Sister Stevens is an awesome missionary and I've decided that we are going to be friends forever. Too bad if she has other plans.

I've been thinking a lot about my vision as a missionary and about what I want out of my mission. I definitely didn't want to go on a mission, but I felt I should go. The day I entered the MTC, I decided that if I was going on a mission I was going to LOVE IT and do it WELL. I was going to be happy no matter what (and that happiness, I have learned, only comes when I put everything into this cause). I decided that I was going to make my mission my own and to never again be embarrassed about my religion or the fact that I am religious. I was going to give it my all because my Heavenly Father had asked me to and I love him.

That decision has made my mission what it is now. Sometimes I forget why I chose this, but then I remember and everything makes sense. The mission is changing who I am. I love being a missionary, and I hope that as time goes by here I become better so I can better help the people I love.

The Church is true and the Book is blue! Don't forget! Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!! Love you all!!!
Sister Reed

At Ellis Island.

Happy Memorial Day!

Because of Memorial Day all the libraries were CLOSED so that is why I am emailing so late! Sorry about that. Sounds like everyone had a fantastic week by the way :)
WEllll this last week we had a BAPTISM!!! It was SO GREAT! Our investigator Nicolas, who we've been teaching about 3 months, got baptized. A member family brought him to church and we were like, "Can we come to your house?" And he shrugged and said, "Why not?" He didn't want to be baptized at first, but one day that just changed and he wanted it.

His baptism was CRAZY. I mean literally.
Everything that went wrong with the baptism:
~Jonatan (a recent convert who baptized him) and Nicolas got in the font before the baptism began thinking that they had to just wait there. They didn't realize that we had to do part of the program first. So then we had to get them new suits and everything. And everyone was like, "What happened?! Did he already baptize him??!?!" Luckily he hadn't.
~They both forgot towels (and we forgot to remind them) so they that through the entire baptism and afterwards wet.
~The Bishopric wasn't there so this random member welcomed him and it was really weird.
Everything that went right:
~HE GOT BAPTIZED!
Being baptized is the most important part and we are so happy for him! Next week he will be confirmed and it will be great!

Another classic moment of the week:
Yesterday, teaching an investigator about the Restoration:
Sister Reed: "We can know the truth about our message by reading the Book of Mormon and praying to God whether it is true."
Investigator, looking at my companion: "Is she always this happy?"
Companion, nodding solemnly: "Yes, hermano."
At Neil's request, I am going to explain a normal preparation day!
8-10: Normal studies
10:30-12:30 Emailing errybody in the whole world
1-3: buy/put away food
3-6: clean apartment, clean car, shopping, or getting together with missionaries and playing sports or the  ukulele
Because we couldn't email on Memorial day we had extra time! So we got together with all the missionaries from the Newark church units (English, Spanish, and Portuguese) and some of the Spanish Ward members and played soccer all day. It was a blast and I got the best burn ever. Yay for farmer's tans! But boy I am soooooore. My poor body.
It RAINED this week. When it rains in New Jersey, it pours. Luckily, I had a raincoat, but my knees down were completely soaked through. I could have jumped in a pool and not been any wetter. So then we jumped in puddles and gave bemused people cards in the pouring rain.
Hope you all have a great next week and remember to crack open those scriptures! Love you all! Choose the right and know what you stand for!
Love,
Sister Reed

Planner Covers from Faraway Lands

Another good week in Kearny, New Jersey!
Highlights of the week:
~ Drinking mate with one of our Uruguayan members. It was a welcome return to the Paraguayan lifestyle :) She said next time we come over we are going to drink it again. Yaaaaay MATE NIGHTS EVERY WEEK FOREVER!!!
~ One day it was pouring rain, so we took off our shoes when we got into a less-active's house. When she saw our bare feet she made us wear socks and when it was time to leave she insisted we wear her socks with our flats, which we did and it was the best thing ever. Don't know why I've never before though to wear men's socks with my flats.
~ Teaching a lesson to an investigator outside his steps in the pouring rain in the dark. Couldn't hear a word by by golly WE'RE GOING TO PREACH THE GOSPEL.
~ Getting locked in our garage every day (our garage door opener is very broken)
~ Sister Heule left :( Our trio is gone! It was a glorious two weeks while it lasted.
~ Cleaning our apartment!! I love being clean...
~Getting sent planner covers from my friend Rachel Houldridge in Paraguay! It was a really late birthday present. I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!!!
It was a week of ups and downs. While on my mission I think often of Elder Holland's conference talk about discipleship. There are good parts of discipleship—encouragement, progress, happiness—and then there's the hard part—the pain at someone's fall, the tears, the calling to repentance. I've realized that the mission isn't easy because discipleship isn't easy. It never will be. But it will be worth it. Never have I put so much of myself into such a worthy cause: to be a missionary of my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so happy that Heavenly Father made me come out here in the first place :)
I love you all! I love what I do. I know this is the Church of Jesus Christ. Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!!!
Love,
Sister Reed
P.S. My niece and nephews are the cutest children on earth! Just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of that :)

This Week was Hit and Miss :)

I've decided to do this letter in the format Neil sent one of his letters to me in: Hit/Miss!

Hit: Tino went to church!
Hit: He just barely had back surgery, but he determinedly sat through the whole thing!
Hit: He listened and soaked in the testimony meeting and even started crying during one man's testimony.
Hit: At the end of the sacrament meeting he was like, "Is that all?"
Miss: Church was shortened to sacrament meeting because it was Mother's Day. Don't ask me why because it doesn't make sense to me either.

Miss: Our other investigator Nicolas didn't go to church
Hit: He has been reading the Book of Mormon
Hit: When we asked if there was anything we could do for him, he asked us to call and be his friend! I was like, "YES, I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND!!!!!"

Hit: We had transfers!
Hit: Sister Stevens is staying :)
Miss: Sister Heule is leaving :(

Hit: The weather is warm!
Miss: It's windy and that's a problem when you are wearing a skirt! Pencil skirts here I come!

Hit: We had a Mother's Day party!
Miss: We had to sing :/ AGAIN

Hit: Sister Stevens and Heule called their families!!
Miss: I didn't!
Hit: I will call them one dayyyy

That was our lovely week! I love people. They are just great. It's amazing to see people come to the Gospel and find the things they sometimes didn't know they were looking for. The Church is true! I know it!

Love you all! Choose the right and know what you stand for!!

Sister Reed

New Comp!

This week was exciting because even though we still have a week left of the transfer we got a NEW COMP! She is a missionary who went home and is now returning to the mission. Her name is Sister Stevens and she is a very awesome missionary.
So we are now a trio, and it is way more fun than I thought it would be. It seems to be that trios would be hard —three people have to decide instead of two—and it is a bit more challenging that way. But I have really enjoyed the entire three days I have had as a trio :) Unfortunately, my companion contracted a deadly cold/strep throat on Thursday so we had a weekend indoors. We were fortunate enough not to get it, but I did feel a little bad we had so much inside time. But we are looking forward to a week of work this upcoming week.
The members don't know what to do with us. Quote from Hermano Medina, our ward mission leader: "There are three of you now? What a punishment!" The members love us—they just don't know it yet :) WE'LL GET THEM EVENTUALLY.
We found some really cool new investigators last week. One of them is a man named Angel who is struggling a lot right now financially and maritally. We taught him a really good door lesson, since he didn't want us to come inside because of his roommates. When we gave him a Book of Mormon, he was really willing to read it! It's exactly the right approach to reading the Book of Mormon; with prayer and reading it every day. I could't believe he understood almost immediately how to read it! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
We also moved someone in pouring rain this week—in jeans. WEIRD.
Love you all! Have a happy Mother's Day!! Choose the right and know what you stand for!
Love,
Sister Reed
P.S. The pictures are next to "The Wall" in downtown Newark.

Another good week!

Another good week! This week was crazy busy and full of laughs and tears. There were the really good times and the really bad times :) There always are, but eventually I always am happy.
The highlight of the week was for sure a visit from one of the Apostles, Elder L. Tom Perry! He came to visit our mission on Monday of last week and addressed us and answered some of our questions. He talked about the importance of depending on God in all things. That's what he does! Well, if he does it then I'm going to do it too.

Betty and Hermana Reed

Other highlights:
~Explaining the Plan of Salvation to Enyer, our 17 year-old investigator from the Dominican Republic. I could not keep a straight face in that lesson. That kid makes me laugh too much.
~Asking a guy how his day was and how long he had been in the US. These two simple questions launched him into a 45 minute explanation of his entire life story and all the politics of his country and his home country. Also his first name is Washington which is great.
~Teaching the Restoration 3 times in the home of another Dominican lady. First we explained it to her, then to her granddaughter, then her son as each of them walked in. I hope it sunk in! But seriously that lesson was crazy. It was one of those moments where you walk out of someone's house and are like, "Oh...that was exhausting." In a good way :)
~Hermana Heule falling on ice cream and then on me while playing volleyball in a skirt.
~Getting candy from a sweet man named Edmund who is in the English ward for the third sunday in a row!!! YES!

Betty and Sister Heule

It was a good week. There were always a few days where we had some really hard lessons. One of our less actives is struggling a lot with her family. We have visited her a lot to try to help her through it. She's trying to get into nursing school so I relate to her a lot because of my mom :) Which helps.
The church is true! I know that more every day. I love you all and I hope you are choosing the right and knowing what you stand for!!
Love,
Sister Reed
P.S. The pictures are from service!