Busy Week

We had a pretty busy week and were able to go out because it hasn't been too cold!

So we have been checking former and potential investigators a lot to help narrow down the area books and to get new investigators. There have mostly been no answers or moved people and it's been nice to get the area books organized and cleaned out little by little. We have found records ( like 2) from 2003! Elders should clean out area books more often, but it's been awesome having a lot to do and it's great being able to get out more and stay out longer now since there hasn't been much snow or wind chill.

 We also were able to help some people move out their mothers things from her house. The people were from long island so they came a long way to get here. It was funny because the guy tried giving me and my companion $20 each for our help. We, of course, tried to refused the money but some how he walked away with it in our hands. He told us to give it so someone who needs it or spend it on video games. He obviously had no idea who we were or what we did, ha ha!\

Out of time, Love you all!

         Elder Reyne

Random Roads and Hollow Houses‏

So this week was kind of a bummer because we tryed contacting many former and potential investigators but to no avail did success come from any of them. Either no one answered or the person we are looking for no longer lived there and the people that live there now were not interested. There were some houses that were in the middle of nowhere down some random dirt roads and usually ended with no answer. The weather hasn't been too bad but the wind makes what is already cold, worse.

Since I'm the designated driver I'm SOOO glad it hasn't been snowing because I've NEVER driven in snow and am scared that I will get in a crash when I do. 

Sorry that there wasn't a lot of things to talk about this week but that was pretty much all that has happened, but something that has been said many times since I've been here has started to stick with me and I'm starting to understand why I'm here in this particular mission. We are the seed planters. We may not be teaching people left and right but planting the seed in people is just as important as teaching. If the person has a good idea about the church or knows that we are good people, it will set the path for them in the future, and they will be more willing to learn at a different time, in a different setting. The Lord put me here for a certain reason and I may never understand the exact reason but as long as I do my best and try my hardest, He will bless and strengthen me.

I love each and every one of you so much and hope all is well!

   Elder Reyne

The weekly and photos

Hello, hello! I had a great week filled with lots of good stuff!

So on Tuesday we had a zone training meeting because the one on Thursday got rescheduled because the snow storm made it unsafe to travel. The meeting was awesome! I felt the spirit so strong when we were being trained on Elder Bednars talk "Becoming a Preach My Gospel Missionary". We were also trained on area book usage which gave me a greater desire to use it to my advantage. After the meeting our district went to the Albany New York Museum. It was super cool!!! There was an exhibit for 9/11, there was a giant mammoth skeleton, history of Germany and the Nazi party and a bunch of other historical things ( You would LOVE it there Grandma!) 

On Wednesday we drove to pick up an Elder in Schenectady (skuh-neck-tud-ee) so my companion and he drove to Utica and I stayed there with his companion and we shoveled snow and stuff until his and my new companion came. We then drove to Schoharie and stayed the night with the Elders there because it was too late to drive all the way back home. 

My new companion is Elder McPherson and he has been out for about a year and is just awesome. I think this will be my last transfer in the Hudson area, who knows but the Lord, where I will be next. I hope to work hard and hopefully find some new people to teach. May the Lord bless you all! 

Loves yas! 

        ~Elder Reyne

2 feet of snow!‏

Well we got even more snow this week just about 2 feet of it! I can't wait for it to get warmer!

So like last week (and most weeks so far) we weren't able to stay outside very long because of the cold and the snow. But it was great to provide service by shoveling it at our branch building and apartment parking lot. Needless to say, I am very sore! 

So this week is transfers! I will be staying in the Hudson area and my trainer who's been here for 7 & 1/2 months (5 transfers) will be going up north near Syracuse. 

Other than that not much exciting happened this week.

      ~Elder Reyne

Random Roads and Hollow Houses

So this week was kind of a bummer because we tryed contacting many former and potential investigators but to no avail did success come from any of them. Either no one answered or the person we are looking for no longer lived there and the people that live there now were not interested. There were some houses that were in the middle of nowhere down some random dirt roads and usually ended with no answer. The weather hasn't been too bad but the wind makes what is already cold, worse.

 Since I'm the designated driver I'm SOOO glad it hasn't been snowing because I've NEVER driven in snow and am scared that I will get in a crash when I do. 

Sorry that there wasn't a lot of things to talk about this week but that was pretty much all that has happened, but something that has been said many times since I've been here has started to stick with me and I'm starting to understand why I'm here in this particular mission. We are the seed planters. We may not be teaching people left and right but planting the seed in people is just as important as teaching. If the person has a good idea about the church or knows that we are good people, it will set the path for them in the future, and they will be more willing to learn at a different time, in a different setting. The Lord put me here for a certain reason and I may never understand the exact reason but as long as I do my best and try my hardest, He will bless and strengthen me.

I love each and every one of you so much and hope all is well!

   Elder Reyne

Slow and cold week‏

So this week was basically the same as last week. We stayed inside pretty much every day this week due to weather again, but we were able to start making a Gospel of Jesus Christ game for the Guldensterns, our investigator family. I'll send pictures when it's all finished. We also needed to plan the lesson for district meeting so that took up a good amount of time. After weekly planning on Thursday we met our first (and only) councilor in the branch presidency at the school he teaches at and had dinner the he ordered from a grocery store called Price Chopper. After that we got to see the robots that the high school robotics team is working on which was pretty cool. He let us help a little bit but we just screwed on a few pieces. There is this competition that they are preparing for that they need three robots for. The competition is kind of confusing so I won't get into that but it's really interesting! But now I can say that I helped build a robot!

The members have been working with us more too which is great! We met with this 16 year old less active kid who was baptized at 8 but never gained a testimony of his own because he lives with his non-member dad and only visits his member mom every so often. After a few minutes of talking with him the member of our branch showed up and he basically talked the rest of the time. The kid wants to know if it's true but hasn't done much to find out on his own. We pretty much told him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and that his answer may not come right away but if he has the desire to know, Heavenly Father will answer him.

Hopefully the snow will go away and the weather will warm up soon so we can go out and find some new people to teach because we haven't gotten any new investigators since I got here 2 months ago. This definitely is a tough area but I know that the Lord will bless us for our efforts and help us all along the way! It can be hard to not get discouraged but I try to stay positive because I know that there are people to teach and the field IS white already to harvest, I just need to thrust in my might and try my best.

Loves yas! ( as they say here)

           ~Elder Reyne

And I thought 40 degrees in California was cold!‏

So this week was really slow because the dang cold!

We weren't able to go out much because of the weather and road conditions but we started making a game for the gospel of Jesus Christ for our investigator family, so we spent most of the week at the church. It was funny on one of the days our district leader texted us this "Elders! It's cold! We just got word that it is even 'dangerously cold' outside. Be smart with your activities you pursue. Don't play the part of hero and go tracting all day." I thought it was funny because I'm sure there are some missionaries who think " Oh it's not THAT cold, we can just wear lots of layers and people will invite us in" As fun as that sounds, it's better to not risk your health and the possibility of of getting frost bite. So not much news but it was still an enjoyable week!

Also on Saturdays we shovel snow off the church side walks. Before we did we were in the clerks office where elder Sanders left the keys inside the room that can't be unlocked. As I left the room I thought "there's no reason to close this we'll be back after we shovel" not thinking about the keys. So we went out side and realized "shoot, we need to open the car trunk for the shovels and we left the keys in the office and that door locks, and so does the front door!" Miraculously the front door didn't shut all the way and I didn't close the office door. If we had, we would have had to walk a mile to our apartment in the freezing cold until church the next morning, not to mention walking to the church as well! The Lord was looking out for us!!

Love you all!

   ~Elder Reyne!