Rimgrove - the first week

Dear family and friends,

 

This week was a great week here in the Rimgrove area! I started getting to know my new companion and we get along super great and we are going to do some good here in this ward!  

We started Monday by visiting some members and building trust with them so they can give us referrals to teach more people.  Just when I thought I couldn't love any other members then I met these families and I know I will be able to love the members of this ward! 

Tuesday we taught Brian and Diana which are our only investigators. (not for long) Dianna was baptized two weeks ago and Brian is pretty close to getting there! We also had appointments with some less actives and we went by mutual to meet more of the members.  

Wednesday we worked with less actives and we taught Brian again. We invited him to be baptized and he said yes! We have his baptismal date set for November 11th which is very exciting! 

Thursday we had district meeting which was good. We talked about the area book again. The Zone Leaders announced that we get to participate in a Christmas parade as missionaries on December 1st which is pretty exciting!  We also visited less actives and contacted a bunch of people on the street.  

Friday we studied and did weekly planning and tried to visit less actives but found out that they moved so we just contacted people. We found some great people and we had a noche de hogar with a family which turned out really well! 

Saturday we had a soccer activity and taught some lessons with Brian and had correlation meeting.  

Sunday was a great day! Dianna got confirmed in Church (one of the investigators we had in Rimgrove) so now she is a recent convert who has a solid testimony of the church! We also had a meeting where this family is super excited to work with us. They want us to help get more people doing family history work. Then as they do their family history it will help us to find investigators using that way.  It was out of the blue and cool to see people excited about that! Then we had Maria's baptism back in San Gabriel. It was really spiritual and I was so blessed to have found her and to be able to perform the baptism ordinance!  In the baptismal service Maria bore her testimony and it is so strong and she knows the gospel is true! The ward loves her and has already assigned her visiting teachers and home teachers which is good. We also had 2 musical numbers 3 testimonies and 2 talks it was a lot for a baptism but it was all really good! We had 2 lessons after the baptism so it was a full day. I love this area it's going to be a really great area and I am excited to work with these new members and love them as well! But I love all of you and I hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder Reisner

Rimgrove

Dear family and friends,

 

Well, I got transfered!! Not only that but I am now District Leader of a district with 10 missionaries! So it's a little crazy but I know that this is where I'm needed. I am excited to help all of these elders and sisters! There are 8 elders and 2 sisters so that means I need to do 6 exchanges!! It should be interesting/fun!! My new area is called Rimgrove Central and it's in La Puente California. My new companion is still new so I am also training! His name is Elder Mostert and he is from South Carolina. He seems cool and I think we'll get along great! I was really sad to leave. I was in San Gabriel for 7 1/2 months which is really unusual but I felt like I did all that I could to help the work progress. That area is a lot different from what it used to be when I first got there! I took a bunch of pictures with the members and I will try to send you those as soon as possible! I will be able to go back for Patty and Sergio's baptism, that will be a very exciting day! Also, Maria an investigator that we found and gave to the sisters is getting baptized! She asked me to baptize her and I am super excited!!!  We had a really good week this last week and I'm really excited to be in this new area. It's still a bike area but it's a lot smaller! 

  

Last week was a crazy week and a good week we started off by finding and teaching Monday.  

Tuesday we had our lesson with the Trejo family and President Becerra came with us. They are having some struggles and we are trying to help them as much as we can. Elder Carvajal and his new companion will be working with them on that.  

Wednesday was pretty normal just finding and more finding!

Thursday we had a really good district meeting about the area book and it made me want to update our area book more than I had been doing in the past.  

Friday we had weekly planning.

Saturday was a crazy day! We biked at least 30 miles or more but we had 5 lessons that day so it was super good! We also found two new investigators that have a lot of potential!   

Sunday I said bye to the members and to Patty and Sergio. 

San Gabriel was a really good area and I felt like I learned a lot by being there but I am excited for this new area and all the new things and the new challenges and experiences! 

I am grateful to be serving Heavenly Father and to be a missionary!  I know that this work really cannot be stopped.  I love you all and I hope you have a good week!

Love, Elder Reisner

A Busy Week!

Dear Family and Friends,

This last week has been busy! We had a bunch of meetings and a bunch of things that happened!
Tuesday, we had a lesson with the Mancilla family and we were helping our ward mission leader start a business.
On Wednesday we did a bunch of finding and something that we found that is better than knocking on doors is just biking around and getting off the bike to stop and talk to people. This is way more effective because it's harder for the people to run away or slam the door! We talked to a lot more people then we usually do! Then we went to an investigator's house the Jimenez family. They are a family of 7 and we got there just in time to help them move in these brand new couches that they just got which was really cool. They were telling us that we came at just the right time which felt really good! We are excited to teach this family, we  think they could help the ward out really well! We also had dinner with some members and a lesson with the Trejo family about faith that they can have more faith to go to church and do the things they need to do to get baptized.
Thursday we had district meeting and did finding. Thursday was a funny day because it looked like it might rain but we thought it wouldn't rain and we'd be fine. So we left our apartment wearing all normal clothes. Everything was going fine but I felt like we should go to the next appointment we had. On the way there it started raining super heavily and we got soaking wet! We got so wet that we couldn't get any more wet! So we arrive to this appointment and we are soaking wet! The guy wasn't even there but his mom was and she was laughing because we were so wet! We had to take a picture of it because it was that funny! (he hasn't sent me the picture yet but I will be sure to post it when he does!!)  We had to go home and change clothes of course! Thankfully one of the members Hermano Reyes was inspired and asked if we needed a ride we said yes please!! Then we were able to stay dry the rest of the day!
Friday we had Elder Coorbridge of the Seventy come and speak to us it was a long meeting 9-5! The first part was really great and I learned a lot the second part was really confusing and the message that he was trying to get us to understand was super confusing! I tried to get as much as I could from the meeting though. We also taught some lessons after the mission tour.
Saturday we did everything we could to get people to go to church. We called them we visited them and we made sure there were people available to give rides if people needed them. We got 4 investigators to church but we really wanted the Trejo family to come but we don't know why they didn't come!!
Sunday was great we had an amazing testimony meeting!  I taught Gospel Principles and we played Jeopardy about the standard works. Then we checked on our investigators that didn't come to church. We taught some lessons and set up some other lessons but yeah it was a good week!
Something really amazing is that when we went to teach Patty and Sergio they basically taught us! We hardly said anything in the lesson; they are just so ready to be baptized!!! I hope I get to stay here for another transfer. I am not sure that I will because I have been here for 7 1/2 months and usually missionaries don't stay in their first area that long. We will see what happens on October 20th! Anyway, I love you all and I hope you all have a good week!

Love, Elder Reisner

General Conference Week - GREAT!!

Dear family and friends,

It was a crazy week! Monday we had to help a member fix their car so that they could go to the noche de hogar. Then we got there late and so the Hermanas took care of it which was good!

Tuesday we taught a members non member mom and we did some finding. We also contacted a referral a member gave us.  We met with someone who is helping us with Sergio's divorce so that Patty and Sergio can get married and baptized!!

Wednesday we did some finding and we visited some less actives. We also taught some lessons.  

Thursday we did member splits and taught lots of lessons with members which was really great and was a success.  We also had a really good district meeting where we learned about how we need to be looking, teaching and finding people who fit what it says in Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 which I'll let you all read :-)
On Friday we did weekly planning. We visited some people and did finding and taught some less active members.  Something that we have been noticing is that when we contact people on the street by stopping on our bikes we have been able to get more return appointments and visits then knocking on doors which is really good! We also taught some investigators.  

Saturday we watched conference it was soooo amazing!! Patty and Sergio came they are basically just members. The conference sessions were really good I learned a lot! Something that I was really thinking about is true growth of testimony and becoming a true disciple of Christ. I think that's one of the things that really stood out for me. The things I learned will not ony help me as a misisonary but the investigators as well.  The Trejo family is good and Felicitas wasn't able to go to conference but she is good as well. We are just working on finding more people who are ready to hear the gospel because we had to drop a lot of people and re-adjust the way we work on the bike so that we can be more effective.  

Sunday we saw conference, we taught some less actives and visited some investigators.  

Monday was a weird day. We went and asked members for referrals, knocked on doors and taught lessons. 

Today was our temple day and it was quite enjoyable!! I learned a lot in the temple as well! Anyways I love you all and I hope that you are all having a good week!

Love, Elder Reisner

Carmen y Isaac's Wedding Me and Hermano Schleske

Accidental Beach trip

Hula Hoop at an investigator's house

Human Stirring Stick

Me and Elder Budd at the Mission activity

L to R Elder Bowes, Me, Elder Resbala, Elder Alworth, Elder Chadwick, Elder Vance

We are Dorks! :)

Showing off my suit

This is us

District meeting, I can have a normal picture sometimes

As you can see, Me and Elder Bowes have the most unity.

Flashing the badge

Playing with Elder Bowes Camera

I love missionary times!!

Dear family and friends,

This last week was great! Monday we had a lesson and a tour! The tour was with the Mancilla family and the lesson was with some really great new-ish investigators named Ericka, Estella and Yair (pronounced yeah ear).
Tuesday we did service with Hermano Reyes and taught a new person that wasn't really interested in our message. Then we taught the Mancilla family again.
Wednesday we went finding and we taught a few lessons. We also had correlation and it was a very good meeting.
Thursday was District Meeting and we learned about diligence. It was a great District Meeting that made me want to be even more diligent then I am being right now! We also taught a bunch of lessons and we went on exchanges. Elder Wight and I stayed in San Gabriel and Elder Carvajal and Elder Rauckhorst were in the other area.
Friday we did weekly planning and we also taught Felicitas' son Johnny and the Trejo family.
Saturday we went finding and we taught the Mancilla's and some new investigators! We also had a mini guys night out where basically we just ate dinner with an hermano while his wife was at the General Relief Society Meeting. Elder Carvajal ate some chili cheese fries for the first time in his life!
Sunday was a great day but we ate sooo much! We were blessed to have Felicitas, the Trejo family, Patty and Sergio at church! We also had a lunch at 2, seviche at 3:30 and then a dinner appointment at 5:30! Let's just say I was feeling it and it was a good thing we were on our bikes so that we didn't throw up! Then we had correlation because Hermano Schleske is going out of town to Utah for General Conference.  This week we have set up a BUNCH of appointments!! I am really excited about that but we will continue to keep finding as well. We really think that Felicitas could be baptized very soon! Ever since we started to teach her she has been walking a mile or two to church for the last 2 weeks! Which definitely means she's interested and likes church! Something that I learned this week has really got me thinking about my missionary service. It's that I'm here to serve Heavenly Father and to invite others to come unto Christ. I should really refine and shape myself and chisel out all the things that are making it so that I'm not a fully committed servant of the Lord. So that is my new goal to focus even more on the work, to be more diligent and to get rid of all the little things that make it so I'm not as much of an effective servant. Just to dedicate even more than I was already but yeah I hope you all are doing well and have a good week!

Cuidense mucho! 

Love, Elder Reisner