All the Miracles!

Good morning, everyone! (Or evening, to those of you who are WAAYY far
out there) I hope y'all's week was a great one! Mine sure was! We saw
a lot of miracles and I learned a lot.

Monday we did a lot of relaxing. Elder Peterson and I went to Target
to get him some pants and to see the Star Wars VII stuff. (we are
stoked, by the way.) Then we went to the mall and looked for some
cheap ties, but didn't find any. So, we met up with the others at
Steak N' Shake (our waitress got what I always order as soon as she
heard we were on the way, it was hilarious) which was delicious as
usual. Then we went back to the mall and hung out in Brookstone, this
store with just a ton of expensive toys. We are well known there, and
they let us sit in their massage chairs and just chill since they
don't get a lot of people. It was nice. We talked to a guy who
believes in and worships the Norse gods, which was interesting. I
hadn't heard of that before. Anyway, then we went to the Triangle and
met with the R. kids again. They are doing so well! They are
getting better at reading he scriptures and understanding it too!

Tuesday was pretty good too. We started with district meeting. The
sisters' ride didn't show up on time, so they got there about half an
hour late. It was a good meeting though! We talked a lot about using
the Book of Mormon and helping people to see why it's so important.
And it's a good question! A lot of people hold a high respect for the
Bible, to the point that they believe it is the only word of God. We
also believe the bible is the word of God, and its worth is immense.
But it honestly doesn't make sense that it would be the ONLY word God
gave the world! The Bible even mentions other books and writings by
the prophets and apostles in the Old and New Testament that aren't
found in the Bible. So, obviously there is other scripture out there,
the Bible proves it! And the Book of Mormon is a large collection of
books that are only not mentioned in the Bible because the people who
made the Bible didn't know about them! All you have to do is read it
and you will know it's the word of God. No, it's not the bible, and we
don't pretend it is. But it is still the word of God, and nobody can
deny it. So anyway, it was a great meeting. Lunch was provided by Sis.
H, and it was good stuff. Then Elder Spencer and I set off for the day.
We only managed to see one of their investigators, S. She is
super cool, and is really good at understanding what we teach. I am
excited to see where that goes. Then we had dinner at the Gs,
another one of the huge get-togethers they do all the time. It was
fun, as usual.

Wednesday we unexchanged. It was a pretty slow day. It was
cloudy/rainy for most of it, and both of us were dead tired. Plus,
nobody was home in the afternoon and our evening appointments
canceled. To be honest, nothing really happened. So, we ended up
buying a pizza and going home at the end of the night.

Thursday was a lot better. We had a super awesome lesson with the
O family. We didn't know too much about them, but it turns out
that the wife's mom loved having "Los Elder" over all the time back in
Honduras! Also, she is reading the book of mormon and is coming to
church Sunday! We are stoked! Then we saw the C kids (you
may remember them from the last time) and checked up on them really
quick before heading off to the Vs for dinner with the other guys.
The rest of the day was spent walking around. We also had a few of our
investigators drop us, which is always super sad. Hopefully they
invite us back, though. To finish the night, we saw the R kids
and read some more with them.

Friday was great too! We did some really great weekly planning (in the
car, since it was so nice outside) and then saw the C kids, which
was great! They were really hyper today, so we spent a lot of time on
the trampoline talking to them. It was fun. Almost fell off a few
times, but it was fun. Then we had a MIRACLE happen! Elder Peterson
had the idea to go try some former investigators in some apartments.
It turns out that they had moved, but the new people told us that
there were Hispanics next door. So, we met the R-P family.
The wife instantly let us in without us speaking, which was different.
Then, as we started talking, we found out her story: She was BAPTIZED
in Honduras but moved two years later and lost contact with the
church. For 11 years she just kinda lived her life, and moved here
about two years ago. She had no idea a church was nearby! So now she
is coming to church and bringing her kids too! WOO! So after that
miracle, we had dinner with the D family, which was also great.
Then I served as the translator for the zone leaders for a baptismal
interview for one of South's investigators. That was cool too! The
person being baptized is the wife of a member in the branch, and she
is super cool.

Saturday was a great day! We had a "mini mission" activity with the
youth in the morning. We went with Sister H and her grandson
M. We saw the L-G family and had a great lesson with
them about their daughters' baptisms Sunday! Then we saw the
Os and got to meet her other kid, G. She's quiet, but nice.
We had a good lesson with them too. They didn't make it to church, but
they will this week! Then we went back and had some lunch, and got
ready for 2 baptismal services. Y GOT BAPTIZED!! Woo!! It was
super cool to see him get baptized, I am so happy for it. Then, an
hour later, A, the lady I interviewed (sort of) got baptized
too! It was great! Then we went and visited with the R girls
and made sure they'd come to church.

Sunday was also really cool! We had 5 of our investigators come to
church, which was a miracle. S, the lady I visited with Elder Spencer,
came too! The R-P family didn't come due to a last second
problem, which was sad. But church was still good! We had a missionary
farewell from C, Sis. H's grandson. He is going to Provo and
then to Mexico City for his mission this week, which is awesome! Y
and A got confirmed, which was sweet too.
After church we went back to our place, got changed, and headed out.
This week is bike week, so we were walking most of the night. We met
some people, and then had dinner and a lesson with the Rs. We
had a really good talk with them.

Cool part of the lesson. D, who has already been baptized, shared
his testimony, and it was sweet. When I left, he still hadn't gotten
an answer to his prayers about it that he had told us. But now he can
bear a strong witness that this church is God's church. I felt the
Spirit very strongly. That kid is the best. He is truly converted.

Well, that was my daily report! I love being a missionary here in
Memphis. I love the investigators, I love the members, my companion,
and all y'all. But I especially love my Savior, Jesus Christ. He has
changed my life for the better. I love Him for His sacrifice, and for
who He is. I realized I haven't been telling y'all much about that in
my emails home. So let me make it clear: I love this Gospel. I love my
Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I love the gospel that They
gave us. It gives me so much hope.
Love you guys a ton, and I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Andrew Reay
2250 Meadow Glade Lane
Memphis, TN 38134

Funny Pic from the Zoo