Hmong adventures!

So this week was super fun! We started the week just like normal with P-day activities, except we were able to play outside because it was finally warm enough!! So that was super fun to get outside and I even got to kick a soccer ball around for like the first time on grass in way too long!! So then Tuesday was one of the craziest days of my entire mission!! So the Appleton Hmong elders are in our district, so we were on exchanges with them, and so I was trying to understand the Hmong that was going on with no success, but I was given a Hmong Name!! So basically all the old Hmong grandmas give missionaries names that they would be in Hmong. My name is Tub Seng Vaj. You pronounce it like "Tou Seng Vang" It is a weird language so don't ask me how all that works, but most of the time the name means something. Well my name is weird, and none of the Hmong elders know what it means. So that is pretty goofy. But then after that, in the same day we were visiting a returning less active Hmong guy, and afterwards my companion goes and talks to his mom for a minute in the kitchen and she apparently invited us to eat. To this day I have no idea what I ate.... but I know it was the most disgusting thing I have ever put in my mouth.... It literally tasted like garbage. But I gagged it down, literally... so that was an adventure!! Super fun times! Then Wednesday was a little more Hmong work, but not nearly as much of an adventure, and Thursday was a normal missionary day. Then on Friday we had exchanges with our Zone Leaders, and so I was in a Spanish area!! We were able to teach a couple of really cool people, luckily they spoke English as well, so I could actually understand what they were saying! And then on Saturday we had a baptism in the Neenah ward, it was actually 3 of them that got baptized!! We got to go to that so it was pretty fun! And then right after that I got to do a baptismal interview for a kid that is getting baptized this coming week! Lots of success here in the Appleton area this month!


Here is a bit of a spiritual message for ya:

At the baptism on Saturday the speaker that talked about the Holy Ghost shared this and I really liked it. So she compared the Holy Ghost to tracking your steps. So before you have the gift of the Holy Ghost you can feel the influence and that is like having your phone track your steps. But sometimes you don't have that with you. So she then compared the gift of the holy ghost to having a fitness watch on that would help you to always have the steps counted as long as you strap the watch on! So we need to always "strap" the holy ghost on in our lives! I love the gift of the Holy Ghost, and I love that we have the opportunity to receive it in our lives because of Jesus Christ!

Hope you all have a great week!

Elder Reynolds

Wisconsin is bipolar

So this week was pretty good! If you remember last week it was snowing and like 30 degrees outside. We had just been hit with a record size snow storm. Well it is a little bit different this week. Currently it is probably like 60 degrees and sunny, and the snow is almost all gone! So this week has been pretty warm, and it is fantastic! I haven't had to wear a jacket some of the days because it has been so warm!! So that is pretty nice. And the work here in Appleton is starting to pick up a little bit. We have done a lot of contacting part member families and have found a couple of people to teach out of that, and then we have been doing some knocking as well and found a little success there as well!!

So this week we had a few things out of the ordinary. We had interviews with President Williams on Tuesday, and that was good. And then we had exchanges with our zone leaders on Thursday and Friday. So it was a busy week. Then every Saturday morning we get to wake up a little early and go play basketball with the Elders quorum. Elder Fronk is a super good basketball player, so it is fun to go and play with him and build some relationships with the elders in the ward.

Then on Sunday we had an investigator that we thought for sure was going to come to church, and then she texted us Sunday morning and said that she had went to the Lutheran service Saturday night and decided that the Lutheran church was best for her at the time.. so that was a little rough. But we also had another investigator at church and that was awesome!

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the Lord. There is so much that I learn every week. But this week I learned a great lesson in Sacrament Meeting. The speaker quoted Brigham Young and said, "The greatest mystery a man ever learned is to know how to control the human mind." I really like that thought. We have to be able to focus our thoughts on the Savior all the time. And to do that it takes a lot of self control and self mastery. It is a little easier for us as missionaries to do so because we are always teaching or finding and testifying of Christ. But if we can internalize the idea and always have Christ in the center of our lives, everything will go so much better! I hope you all have a great week, and focus on Jesus Christ and all that he has done for YOU!!

Elder Reynolds

 I realized in my group email that I totally forgot to mention like my favorite part of the week!! So I got to do three baptismal interviews on Saturday! The sisters in the Neenah ward (just south of Appleton) had been teaching this part member family. The mom is a member and the kids and the dad are both getting baptized this coming week! I am super excited for them! But doing an interview for them was super cool! You get to be a part of something special for them, and the missionaries teaching them. It was a really fun experience, and I think I am going to get to do another one this Saturday. So I am pretty excited. It makes me want to have some one that I am teaching get to that point. But its life, and I am blessed to be able to be a part of the ones that I am.

Elder Evans and Elder Reynolds (exchanges)

SNOW DAYS!!

So this week was full of adventures. Started off pretty normal, and then we found out that Elder Wittmaak was going home.  I have a new companion. His name is Elder Fronk. He is actually from Tremonton, so that is super close to home! And he knows a bunch of the same people as me. He graduated in 2015 so he is a little older than me, but still knows a bunch of the same people. He has been on his mission for about 18 months now, so it will be fun to serve with an experienced missionary again! He came up from Madison and we met him on Thursday. Then on Friday (my birthday) our zone leaders had to take our car because theirs was in the shop! But we had some good times walking in the rain, luckily wasn't cold enough to snow yet.... but then we got the car back Friday night, it wasn't a huge deal. Cool story though that happened on Friday. We decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for my birthday and they have this deal where if you don't get your food in 15 minutes its free. So we order and then we are sitting there forever, but we didn't start the timer so we didn't think he would give it to us for free, but he did!!! We had free lunch on my Birthday, it was good stuff!!

Then Saturday we had the car back and it was super snowy. We set up a bunch of return appointments for this week, so hopefully we will have some lessons to teach this week! Then Sunday morning rolls around and there is like a foot of snow on the ground, but church was cancelled so we figured we probably would have to stay in for most of the day. And then about 8:30 we get a call from the Zone Leaders that says we aren't allowed to leave the apartment for the entire day!! We had to cancel all our appointments, including dinner. Being in an apartment with no TV, and nothing to do is probably one of the worst things that I have ever had to do. It was pretty rough... Played with a rubiks cube and my new Kendama like all day. So we stayed somewhat entertained, but it was hard.

Other than that my birthday week was great! Thanks for all the birthday wishes, and thanks for everything that you all do to support me! I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Reynolds

Appleton Week 2!

So this week was super fun! We had a lot of work to be done here in the Appleton 2nd ward. There is so much to do, and the members are super cool! We passed around the dinner calendar for the first time in the ward yesterday (didn't have church last week), and it got filled for the month except for 4 days! So that is pretty cool of the ward to feed us that much! We are pretty excited for that! Elder Wittmaak and I are still having a lot of fun while we do our work, and he is starting to pick up teaching pretty well! I am excited for our companionship! But this week was a little rough when it comes to teaching investigators, we had a couple appointments fall through. But we have at least met almost all of our investigators now, so that is good! Getting doubled in to an area is pretty interesting, but it works out!

Other than that we don't have a lot of stuff that happened, we were able to meet all the youth at mission prep one night, and that was super fun! And today we are going down to Neenah for zone sports, so it will be a good p day! Then we have a busy week ahead of us. Exchanges and Zone Conference on Wednesday, and lots of meetings! We are excited!

I love fast and testimony meeting, and yesterday there was kinda an overlying theme in our meeting that President Nelson really is a prophet and the changes are super inspired. So to add to that, I know without a doubt that he is a prophet and that Jesus Christ is leading His church through President Nelson! I hope you all can receive your own answer to know that he is a prophet!

Hope ya have a great week!
Elder Reynolds

Elder Wittmaak and Elder Reynolds

Week 1 in Appleton

Well this week has been intense. So my new companion is Elder Wittmaak! He played soccer too so we get along pretty well when it comes to that! And we are starting to get into the groove of things here in Appleton! The members are soooo cool, and willing to do missionary work! So I am super excited to be able to serve here! Not gonna lie this week was super stressful. Lots of new responsibilities. I am also now a District Leader, which really isn't a big deal, but it is some more stuff to do that keeps us crazy busy. We were blessed to have some dinners and some members to go to General Conference at! Conference was INSANE!! So many new things! But it is super cool, because it helps us become one! There is no doubt in my mind that the changes are made by Christ himself! Our prophet is called of God, and leading the church in Christ's name! The spirit was so strong when all the changes were made, I don't have a doubt that it will help the work progress!

Other than that I don't have a lot of things to talk about. There is some investigators here that we are starting to get to know and contact!

So my new address is
1221 E. Gunn St #7
Appleton WI, 54915

Hope you all have a great week! Life is busy and fun here in Appleton! I am going to love it!

Elder Reynolds

“Posterity Photo” (Elder Van Orden is a “great-grandpa” to Elder Harris, Elder Record’s and Elder Wittmaak’s “grandpa” and Elder Reynolds’ Dad.) from Elder Record's mom