My last Jersey letter home

Dear Family,
Alejandro got confirmed this week. This Saturday he's going to the temple :) He is literally the best!!!
Nicolas and John surprised me on Sunday by coming from Newark to Sacrament meeting at Union City. It was super weird to see all of them again after so long!!! They are all doing so good.
Gregorio and Jessica and fam, a family we have been teaching, all came this Sunday for the first time! It was legitimately a miracle!
We went with Daniel to his Evangelical church yesterday. My ears have been ringing ever since.
It was just a good week of just good ol' work :) A good week to end the mission. I couldn't have asked for anything better.
Endings are literally the worst! Sometimes I'm so sad...but then I remember that most everyone I know from my mission lives in New Jersey and has Facebook :)
I love you all. I can testify with all my heart that Christ lives and that this is His true Church!! Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!!!
Love,
Hermana Reed

Alejandro got baptized!!

Dear Family,
Quick notes on my week:
~Alejandro was set for baptism on Monday
~We saw Paola on Tuesday
~I went on my departing temple trip to receive REVELATION on Wednesday
~Meanwhile Alejandro passed his baptismal interview!!!
~And my companions got 5 lessons at the same time! They're bosses
~Fought an angry demon on Thursday
~Paola got offended by the Bishop and said she would never go back to church
~Our less-active neighbor downstairs went to Conference on Saturday
~And Alejandro got baptized on Sunday
~And Paola came and reconciled herself with the Bishop after the baptism.
I was soo happy!
It was a good week! And Hispanics are dramatic!!
I am so happy for Alejandro! He was grinning like a kid on Christmas. To quote the words of The Best Two Years: "What better way to end your mission than with a baptism?" #cheesy
I love you all! Remember to choose the right, know what you stand for, and re-read all the conference talks!
Love,
Sister Reed

General Conference Time Again!!!

Dear Family,
Last General Conference I was in Short Hills as a Sister Training Leader and I was a year out. Now it's time again and I have to say, I can't think of a better way to wrap up a mission than a good general conference :) I am super excited for all the REVELATION
The women's session was super good! Although our attendance looked like this:

 Haha just kidding we had a few :)

This week was an emotional ROLLER COASTER. We met up with Alejandro on Wednesday and he gave us some bad news: his boss changed his schedule and he has to work on Sunday for the rest of time :( not cool. We were pretty heartbroken, but I figured that hey, one day he'll be baptized!! I just probably won't see it :(

The next day we saw him again and then he gave us good news: he asked his boss for work off until 4 so he could go to church and he got it off!!!! Well at least until 4. Which is enough time to go to church!!

Well that was easy!!!

Makes me suspicious about all the other people who say that they'll NEVER get work off Sundays...

We were soooooo happy!!! Alejandro went to church this Sunday and he is set to be baptized next week in between conference sessions!!! Kinda awkward timing but that's what you gotta do with the whole work thing at 4 still :) I am so happy!!!!

Sadly Byron moved to Virginia this week. We're super sad to see him go but hopefully he can find work over there :) He called us today and he seems to be doing good.

Other than that, we've had to drop a lot of people because they weren't progressing and we're looking for people a lot now. A lot of contacting and door-knocking and the Easter initiative is super good for that!! It's a really good video :) If you haven't seen it then here you go:

http://www.mormon.org/easter

Love you all! Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!!!

Hermana Reed

10???

Dear Family,
I got one of my all-time lows of 10 emails this week. THAT'S FINE I'M OVER IT. I guess everyone is just peaking out since my time is approaching. I JUST WANT A LIL LOVE
Just kidding I got a lot of letters/packages this week and I'm happy :)
This week was a good one!!! Updates!
Highlight of the week: Tino, my recent convert, called and said that Sister Stevens and I can go to Guatemala to preach there with him and his family...as long as we buy the tickets ;) I flipping love him.
Alejandro:
After a couple months of working with him he went to church yesterday and stayed the whole three hours!! Woohooo!!!!!! He's on date for the 19th of March which is Sister Mac's birthday! Needless to say she is stoked :) I'm stoked too!!! He's such a boss!
Daniel:
Came to church again!! But he's not sure about baptism because he doesn't know which church to join. Hopefully as he keeps reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church that will help.
Byron:
Had a low point these last few weeks and said he didn't want to come back to church. Ayayay we were worried. The miracle was that yesterday he called us and we saw him again and he said he didn't know what he was thinking when he said that. Phew...I'm pretty relieved :) Something I've noticed, though, is that the first year as a recent convert is usually really hard. They need all the help they can get :) So if you have a recent convert near you, give them a hug!
A really cool spiritual movement this week was a training on baptism by fire. Sounds a little scary :) All it means is being truly converted, or no longer having the desire to do evil. Something interesting is that after we are baptized we have to retain the remission of our sins by seeking and working to be converted continuously. Only then will we never fall away, and actually have the Spirit with us. It's a lifetime journey and it's something that I want so bad! (to study about that see Alma 5)
My Easter invitation for all of you! Ether 12:41. Seek after Christ!!!
Love you all! Remember that the Church is true, to choose the right and always know what you stand for!!!
Con amor,
Hermana Reed

New trio!

Dear Family,
This week was probably one of the longest weeks of my life! Goodness, it was one of those weeks that just dragged on, and on, and on...
However, we still did work! We were able to get a lot of lessons and we had 4 investigators at church! That was so great :) Daniel came--his second time at church--although he came late. Daylight savings gets the bests of all of us. He works at Hershey's so he brings us chocolate every time he comes :D He's great.
We also got a new companion. Her name is Sister Maclellan (Sister Mac)! It was a surprise because we had no idea she was coming. New trio life is weird....just like a normal companionship. When trios change they can be so different! I think our new trio is a little less sass ;) haha Union City is still the best :) I'm for sure dying here! I'm so happy.
I do miss Sister So'oto a lot! And I am so jealous because my old companion Sister Stevens went BACK to Kearny!!! I LOVE THAT PLACE.
The Church is true and the Book is blue! Read Helaman 3:35. It's a good one :) Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!!
Love,
Hermana Reed
Late cake :) so cute though!!

#transfer13

Dear Family,
Time literally FLIES! I cannot believe today is the first day of my last transfer. I'm really just trying not to think about it. Yeah, let's just say I have 15 months to go :)
This week we had an emotional roollercoaster and my hijita is getting sent away! She was transferred! I am SO SAD but whatever I AM OVER IT. Meanwhile Sister Berry is staying and we're going to party it up in Union City, THE best area (beside my other five areas ;) !!
This week Alejandro BROKE UP WITH US aka is moving to Brooklyn! I am so sad :( He is such a great kid and we're afraid he might have found some bad friends. We're praying for him...maybe he won't move. Plus I wanted to learn some tae kwon do from him...
I turned the big 2-2 this week...yuck! Whatever. I guess there are worse things in life. The fact that my companion is 26 helps...my one consolation in life...

We went on a split and my two companions went to teach one of our investigators (the Pentecostal who came to church last week). Apparently the lesson went super well and he wants to be baptized! I'm so proud of my hija :)
To close, I want to testify to you that the Atonement is REAL. I have seen it in my life, I have seen it in my companions' lives, and I have seen it in my investigators' lives. I know that through Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection we CAN be healed of the wounds and be made whole through Him. WE don't have to feel guilt or sadness if we turn to Him, because He will always be there.
Isaiah 53
http://www.lds.org/liahona/2015/03/encircled-in-his-gentle-arms?cid=HPSU030115727&lang=eng
Love you all! Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for!!
Hermana Reed

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Dear Family,
Well, this week was a great one...dramatic as all Valentine's day are ;)
It was tough this week because everyone started having problems...Alejandro got a bad cold...Byron was sad because he had no one on Valentine's day...and as a result they all kinda disappeared and we haven't been able to see them in a few days. Byron especially was worrying us, so I was really relieved when he called us up yesterday and apologized for not answering our texts or calls. And hopefully Alejandro gets better and we will be right back on track!

The ward loves us and gives us much food.

On Valentine's day, I got a surprise visit from my mission mom, Sister Clark (aka Michelle)! She and my mission grandma Sister Richardson were visiting the mission and they took us out to dinner (and they even kept it under the 1 hour limit...they're so good :) And they gave us roses! It was super nice of them.

This is when Sister Richardson and Clark visited us! This is 4 mission generations right here :)

Also we had RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES this week...I think it was in the negatives. It was colder even than last year and I remember it being pretty cold. Fortunately our members are nice and they're like, "Come into my house! You're going to catch a cold!" Aaaw gracias.
My favorite scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 4. I love all of it :)
Love you all!!! Choose the right and know what you stand for!!
Love,
Sister Reed

Mah birthday's coming! Everyone send your packages! ;)

Singing in the Snow

Dear Family,
Had a great week singing in bitter cold and snowstorms. Sometimes I feel like I really annoy my companions...for example, Wednesday was bitter cold, and we had a lesson outside for 40 minutes. Afterwards we were knocking on a door and Sister So'oto and Berry were not happy campers. So I started singing and I'm pretty sure I drove them crazy :)
Other interesting things that happened...
~We went to Noche de Barrio with our investigator Alejandro to find out no one had shown up (people in the East are extremely unmotivated in the snow :), so instead we showed Alejandro around the chapel and he taught us Tae Kwon Do!
~An investigator confessed his love for me :/ Not teaching him anymore...
~Walked 6.6 miles in one day! Our area is only 12 blocks so that's pretty good! I'm going to have ripped calves just wait.
~Had stake conference and we even got an investigator there! Too bad it's the one that's in love with me.
~Ate one of the grosser things I've had on the mission...ground up spam and sausage sandwiches. We're pretty sure it was supposed to be cat food. Don't worry, I'm still alive :)
Highlight of the Week: Finished the Book of Mormon again! It always feels so good to finish it!!
It was definitely a week of ups and downs. Overall I'm just happy I'm a missionary :)
My favorite scripture this week: Moroni 10:33--"If by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye are sanctified in Christ, that ye become holy, without spot." Be holy! It feels so good!
Remember to choose the right and remember what you stand for!
Love,
Hermana Reed

One of our less-actives, Paola. She is hilarious.

Eating tacos!

Union City's an Ice Cube Today!

Dear Family,

Union City is literally an ice cub. We have some nice freezing rain coming down :)

The highlight of this week definitely was finding David, a son of a less-active member, who is super ready for the gospel and sincerely wants to change his life.

He sat in one of our lessons and talked about how he had a hard time forgiving himself. When I  asked him if he wanted to change his life, he said, "Seguro que si." (definitely) Then I asked him to be baptized, and he smiled and said, "Seguro que si." :) It's both scary and amazing to work with super prepared people. He's going to be baptized the 28th of February--we are so excited :_

Other highlights of the week:

~A MLC that changed our mission forever! We are Preach-My-Gospeling-ing everything, which means no more trainer forms (I WAS supposed to fill one of those out a week...no longer!!) and no more suit jackets!

~Attending a wedding and then a baptism. It was so cute!! See attached picture of a cake.

~A missionary in our ward came home and had her homecoming. I have to admit...I'm not really looking forward to that :) (hit my 16 month mark today o.O)

Quote of the week: "Look hermana, I'm chunky, not trunk!" -Hna. Berry. I think that that's a pretty good description of me as well :P

Love you! Remember to choose the right and remember what you stand for!

Hermana Reed

The cute Noselos family! We're teaching them right now. 

What a cute trio :)

Dear Family,
Well, trio life is going great. Trios are basically just a party every day :) Harder to make decisions and teach lessons sometimes, but there's also a lot more talking, and possibly a pillow for here soon, so I'm cool with it :)
There's been this random former investigator named Brian who's been showing up to church these past few weeks, and we finally taught him yesterday and now he's on baptismal date! We're definitely going to make sure he is prepared and committed to it, but it was really cool to see how excited he was! And after a long and rather frustrating week of lots of things not working out (thanks weather/flu) it was a really cool tender mercy :) Miracles still do happen!
Another miracle of the week:
We went to the chapel to teach an investigator (who brought a friend and that was cool!) and there were a bunch of youth there playing soccer. I saw one of them and it was weird because he looked REALLY familiar. And then he came up to me and was like, "Remember me? You began teaching me a year ago."
Besides the fact that it was embarrassing that I forgot what he looked like it was SO COOL because he was one of a family my trainer and I taught last winter in Bayonne!

At the time it didn't really seem like they were going to get baptized. But Calvin and his brother told me that the last lesson we had with them opened up to the gospel and when the elders came to teach them they were much more ready!
A couple months later, they all got baptized and they are all super strong members of the church!
It was SO cool. I can't even describe it. The only way I can think of to describe it is through the following series of smiley faces: :) :D :D :) :) :D :) :) :D :D :D
It's true my friends--no effort is wasted! You never know :)
Love you all! Have an amazing week and remember to choose the right and remember what you stand for!!
Love, Hermana Reed

Trio power

Dear Family,
The highlight of this week was for SURE Byron's baptism. On Sunday we had freezing rain and snow but all the members battled through the elements to get to church. Once we got there THEN they decided to cancel church. But we were all there anyway so we went ahead and had sacrament meeting.
Byron was SO NERVOUS for his baptism. But after sacrament we had the baptism and despite the fact that we put everything together pretty last minute (that's what you get when Sister Reed plans your baptism) everything worked out super well!
Except for the fact that they filled the font with boiling hot water. Hey we told Byron he was going to be baptized water AND fire lol

Byron's baptism :) He was baptized by his best friend Hermano Cayetano.

After his baptism, Byron cried. We visited him yesterday and you could see the glow on his face. It is so cool to see how happy he was! He is so awesome!!!
Also we had transfers and we're in a trio!! My last trio was for a week, so I don't have any experience but better late than never :) And now my two companions are Colombian and Samoan which is super chevere.
Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for. Love you all :)
Hermana Reed

Best picture EVER

Best week ever!!!

Dear family,
This week was one of the best ever. I am not even joking.
This is our progressing investigator, Byron:

Byron has been waiting to get baptized. He needed permission because of a few things and last week he was cleared for baptism!!! We are so happy! Sister So'oto and I literally jumped for joy when we found out.

The next day we saw Byron and we told him that he could be baptized. I will never forget the look of astonished joy on his face. He wasn't expecting it :) Then we invited him to be baptized on the 18th of January. He thought about it for a minute and then said yes! He has been waiting a long time to be baptized and he deserves it!

Our joy can be summarized in the following sentence (a direct quote from Sister So-oto):

"I have never been so happy--and I've been engaged twice!"

This is the happiest I have ever been, especially since Byron had to wait so long for it. D&C 18:15 is so true: "If you labor all your days crying repentance and bring save it be ONE should unto me, how great shall be your joy in the kingdom of my Father!"

The scriptures say it best :)

So other than the best day of my life, we also had:

~El dia de los tres reyes: Three kings day. We celebrated this with the Cayetanos, a Mexican recent convert family in our area, and with Byron.

This is the Cayetanos daughter, Isabel. She is literally my favorite.

~Had the COLDEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE MISSION. It was FREEZING. Probably in the negatives with wind chill and there was a LOT of wind. We didn't have any appointments and we just started knocking on doors. This one lady opened the door and we literally just looked at her pleadingly. And she was like, "Quieren entrar? (do you you want to come in)" and we were like "YES PLEASE LET US IN." And then that whole family turned into new investigators! Miracles!!!

~Found two less-actives, Miriam and Armando, who have been sneaky lately. And Armando was nice this time! He's a computer programmer so he's a little weird (no offense to computer programmers) but he's cool and we're going to teach him tomorrow.

~Hermana So'oto's first zone conference :)

My favorite quote of the week:

At FHE we had with one of our investigators:

Hna So'oto: "I spy something brown."

Sedney: "The table."

Johnathan: "That painting."

Hna So'oto: "Everyone but Sister Reed."

My companion and I think that a member in our ward looks like Samuel Jackson. Tell me what you think.

Love you all!! Remember to choose the right and know what you stand for! The Church is true!

Love,

Sister Reed

The power of sticky notes

Dear Family and Friends,
Well, there was nothing too out of the ordinary this week EXCEPT THAT IT WAS AWESOME.
I know you are all probably sick of hearing that but whatever :P
We had lots of "it's New Years so let's set goals" kind of lessons and it was really convenient because basically what we do is help other people set goals for themselves. And it was amazing!!! It's like YES LET'S SET SOME GOALS:
Examples:
Found a less active who we'd never met as she got home from work. We had like 5 minutes because it was almost 9 but we decided to have a really quick lesson with her while we had the chance. We asked what she wanted her goals to be and she said, "Well...this year I want to go back to church and get sealed with my husband in the temple. But I need you to help me."
o.O
Great! Ask the missionaries, we can help you!
In another lesson we had, we sat down with a member and asked her what her goals were. She told us that she didn't want to set goals because only God knew what was coming for her and she was just going to see how life treated her. We said that that was true, God did know what we wanted to give her. However, she could know what it was. Then we explained what revelation was--how it was God speaking to us. It's that simple. We told her that if she sought revelation from God He would tell her what her goals would be through her thoughts and feelings and then asked her to seek revelation to know what her New Years goals should be.
That was one of the lessons where you speak and you are surprised by what you say and learn as much as the person you are teaching. It felt so great :)  #D&C50:22
Other highlights:
~Contacted a guy who worships yoga and it was awesome!
~Went on exchange to BAYONNE!!! I'M GOING HOOOMMEEEE. It was a really strange experience because I served in Bayonne a YEAR ago. ew.
~Hermana So'oto lead the area and she DID AMAZING. I am so happy. And it was even on New Years.
~Fasted successfully! Didn't complain once! (normally I just die on fast Sundays)
Happy New Year! Good luck setting your goals! I think Moroni 10:32 is a pretty good goal ;)
Love you! Choose the right and know what you stand for!!
Love,
Hna Reed
P.S. We had a lot of miracles from sticky notes, so that's the reason for the title. Or actually I just wanted to be really random :)