Sure Love Ya, North Carolina!

Hello everyone! What a week it has been. And it's a special week, too. For those of you who have been very observant... this was my last week in North Carolina. Tomorrow I report to the mission office. Wednesday morning I'll be shipped back to Arizona. 

So, the question is... how does a missionary spend her last week in the field? 

Well, it was actually just about like any other week, if that week was particularly AMAZING. We had zone conference on Tuesday, and since it was also President and Sister Alexander's last zone conference (they leave three days after me) they gave us a lot of advice about life, family, education, and careers. It was just what I needed to hear, for sure. I bore my "departing testimony." I don't remember exactly what I said, but I know I talked about how I know Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us personally and puts us into situations where we have the chance to learn and grow into the people he needs us to be. 

After zone conference I had my exit interview, where I talked with President Alexander for close to an hour and talked about my mission and what it has done for me and my plans for back home. It was a eeally good experience. I know our new mission president will be great, but I'm glad I had President Alexander for the full time. 

On Wednesday we (aka the talented Sister Miller) made a coconut cream pie for a member who just got out of a serious surgery. She was so thankful to get it and we loved talking to her! That night we went to visit the Marshallese members, who gave me a few gifts from the Marshall Islands as an early going-away present since they would be going out of town this week. It was so sweet of them!

Thursday I managed to get through weekly planning before we went out finding. It was more or less a normal missionary day. Friday was the day D would have been baptized, and also happened to be the one day that week that no one signed up to feed us, so we took our dinner hour to have a little party by ourselves. It lifted our spirits pretty well! I am so glad I have a companion like Sister Miller. She is just great. I also got to say goodbye to the stables that day by picking up poop in the fields and making it into piles. Good times. 

On Saturday morning we had our sister's conference call. I got to give my departing testimony there, too, and I talked a little about how our position and prominence doesn't matter, as long as we are doing the things God asks of us and becoming the person he needs us to be. Later we went to the baptism of a boy in the ward. It was such a good experience for him! 

Yesterday we met a Bible referral who was actually very happy to see us, which is not always the case! She had actually recieved a Book of Mormon before and said she learned something every time she read from it. We are so excited to keep teaching her! 

And now... here I am. My bags are mostly packed. I still doesn't quite feel real in my mind.

Before I close up I want to leave you my testimony. I know that God is real and loves each and every one of us. He loves you. He loves me. I know His son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us because He loves us, too. I know that because He lives, we can live again. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the word of God. Studying the Book of Mormon has helped me feel so close to Christ, and my fsith in Him has grown so much. I know now more than ever that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church restored to the earth. I know Christ is my Savior and God is my Father, and I know I will see Them again someday. I am forever grateful for this opportunity I have had to serve Them in the beautiful and blessed land of North Carolina.  

I love y'all! See you soon! 

Love,

Sister Reay 

Sometimes Life Is Like That

Hello everyone! This week has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, but overall, it has been a great time! We had a long but fun P-Day activity today so let's see how much I can fit in with my time. 

Tuesday we went on exchanges right off the bat! It was so fun. I went to Tanglewood with sister Atkisson. We met a lot of people, including a man with baby goats whose brother had a vicarious baptism in the Salt Lake temple and a man with pupppies that was looking earnestly for a church where he could feel the Spirit. Well, you can bet we had something to tell both of them. It was incredibly fun. Though, while we were there, one of their investigators got offended and said he might not come back to church, so that was sad. 

We exchanged back at district meeting, which was excellent as usual. Afterwards, our ride was a little late, so we were getting nervous... until she wheeled around the corner in a convertible. We had a blast on the ride home. Later that night, when we went to a lesson with D, we found out her mom thought the baptism was for July 22, instead of the actual date we had set, which was June 22... next Friday. That was a HUGE bummer, but since they were going on vacation this week there was nothing anyone could do. 

Thursday we were on foot, because Sister Miller's bike is in the shop. We walked to visit a potential investigator for a return appointment, but he wasn't there. That night we went to a Relief Society activity to make delicious freezer jam and rolls, but the less-active members we were expecting didn't show up. 

Friday we actually went on another "split" exchange, where Sister Atkisson went with us and Sister Wilson went to Pilot Mountain. We went to service and had a great time, had a crazy afternoon trying to contact people since we were still grounded, and then went to dinner with a young couple in our ward with adorable twin babies. I tried sushi for one of the first times in my life, and I actually really liked it! Afterwards we had correlation on a park bench and I got about six mosquito bites on my legs, which ended up keeping me awake the next night. But on that same night, I opened the typically barren mailbox and found a dozen cards written to me from the Young Women! It was just what I needed. 

On Saturday we exchanged back, got the bike back, had another crazy day, and managed to finish our weekly planning. Things  relaxed a little on Sunday. Sister Miller gave a talk, which she rocked. But we were sad that D didn't get to come because of her trip. 

So let me tell you about Monday. Today we went on a hike as a district, which I really wanted to do. It started off being a very gentle hike, but it became a little strenuous. There were ups and downs, Pavement gave way to dirt, then to wooden steps, then rock "stairs." It was a pretty hot and humid day today, we were all soaked in sweat, and before long I wondered if it had been worth it. Then, at the rockiest point in the hike, the view of endless trees gave way to Hanging Rock- one of the more exhilarating views I have ever seen. Hills and trees were spread as far as we could see. Though the sun was bright, the breeze was cool and comfortable. The work it took to get there had been worth it. 

As I was thinking back on this week and thinking about our activity today, I thought, a mission is like that. Life can be like that. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's rough and rocky. Sometimes you wonder if it's all really work it. But that was the number-one thing we toldmpeople coming up the trail as we were coming down: "It's worth it. It is definitely worth the hike." It always is. 

Well, that is a long enough metaphor for today, and I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great week everyone! Stay hydrated!

Love,

Sister Reay 

Time flies when you're teaching repentance

Hello everyone! Wow this has been a week! It felt pretty long... and at the same time, it just flew by. Honestly I can't remember a whole lot of details, but I will do my best! 

Tuesday was, to the best of my recollection, a normal Tuesday. We tried to find a lot of people and ended up finding some of them. On Wednesday we had a fantastic district meeting and a fantastic lesson with Dee Dee! We taught her about obedience and following the prophet. It is just so amazing that we have a prophet to give us direction from God on the earth today, just like he did in ancient times. We had a couple of members with us that helped teach and bore their testimonies. Also they gave us some home-grown honey afterward, which was much appreciated! 

On Thursday we did our weekly planning and a few other missionary-type things, and on Friday we did even more of them! We were able to contact more of our old Bible referrals, as well as some of the new ones we've recieved. We did that Saturday as well. We met some great people, including a woman who was super busy preparing for her granddaughter's graduation but still took time to talk to us and tell every family member she saw about how surprised and happy she was that we hand-delivered the Bible right to her door. We get that reaction a lot, though people are normally just surprised. 

Sunday was a great day at church! Things got a little exciting back at the apartment when I opened the blinds and a wasp flew out. Sister Miller very bravely caught it and put it outside, so we're all good now. It was a big feller though. 

Saturday was also the last day of our Doctrine of Christ Book of Mormon read as a mission. It's always a little sad to turn to the last page of the Book of Mormon, because I just want to read more! Luckily I can always start it over again, which I have. We had a zone video chat after our morning studies and talked about what we had learned and how we had changed. It was an excellent discussion. I had a really good experience when I finished my read. I decided to write in my study notebook the main points of the last chapter of the Book of Mormon. Since they were the very last words, I figured they would be pretty important. And I found that the final message of the Book of Mormon is very simple: "Come unto Christ." From beginning to end, the Book of Mormon proves that it is what it says it is: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I have come so close to Him as I read and study, really study, the Book of Mormon. It truly teaches us to have faith in Him, to repent daily of our sins, to make and keep covenants with Him and to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. EVERYTHING is and should be centered on Christ. 

That about sums up my week! Things are warming up here just in time for bike week, so pray for our hydration! 

Love,

Sister Reay 

Zone activity pictures from last week! 

After the "find the Skittles in the whipped cream" challenge

The #Spanishdistrict victorious

... and then a water balloon ambush (Elder Galvan got them back though) 

"I Thought You Were Twelve"

Hello everyone! This has been a superb week! 

To start things off, we had interviews on Tuesday, which is always one of my favorite parts of the transfer. This is my last regular interview with President Alexander, since he's going home at the end of the month! I'll have another interview later in the month though. With Sister Alexander, we talked about our strengths and everyone's great potential. It was wonderfully uplifting.

On Wednesday we had district meeting, and afterwards we went on exchanges! I stayed here with Sister Wilson, who is amazing! Right after district meeting we had a great lesson with a new Bible referral, which started off us on a good note. That evening we went to another lesson with D. She is still doing great! We talked about the second half of the Plan of Salvation and gave her a diagram of it to keep. After the lesson her mom came back in from what she was doing and D was showing the diagram to her and explaining it to her. When she got to the celestial kingdom she pointed to it and said "And this is where we're going to go!" It's good to have that goal in mind. 

Thursday was the last day of the month and we still had a good chunk of our monthly miles left, so we dedicated that day to drive everywhere and visit all the Bible referrals that hadn't answered our calls and texts. We went all over, met a few people, accidentally went out of our area, saw so e sketchy things, and saw some weird things, too- like a minivan with all it's doors open pushing a little car down the street in front if it. We wish we got a picture of that one. We also met a man who thought we were a little bit younger than we actually are. I had to show him my driver's licence for him to believe me. 

Friday we did our usual service and then did service for a member of our ward who needed pictures put up in her house but couldn't get around very well. Her house looked much happier when we left.

Because of our crazy schedule the rest of the week, we did our weekly planning on Saturday. Then Sunday was stake conference with the visiting general authority, Elder Carter from the Seventy! It was a great conference. We had a meeting with him and a few recent converts, investigators, and other members. It was so good! During the conference we heard from a mission president and his wife that were about to head to the MTC. That was neat. One thing that struck me from stake conference is that we are always progressing on a path. God doesn't want us to reach a certain point and then say "That's it, I'm good from now on;" he wants us to constantly be improving, repenting, and perfecting ourselves. Of course we won't reach perfection in this life, but if we work at it, God will bless us. 

Today we had zone activity! We had a cookout and a relay race, which we won of course #Spanishdistrict #sistrict #forthewin I will send pictures when I get them!

Have a wonderful week y'all!

Love,

Sister Reay 

First successful horse selfie

Exchanges! 

Sometimes we do service for people, too

Hello everyone! I am still in Bethania this week, but there have been some changes, namely... transfers!

On Tuesday night we got transfer calls, and Sister Willson got the news that she would be going to Boone! They will be blessed to have her, and she is blessed to be there- it's almost ten degrees cooler up there in the mountains. It is her first new area. I am very proud of her and will miss her. 

Wednesday was filled with packing, and Thursday a member drove us down to the Hilliard building for transfers. I said goodbye to Sister Willson and hello to Sister Miller, coming from Hickory! She is from Boise Idaho and has been out for about nine months. She is phenomenal. That afternoon we got her all settled in and went to dinner. It was a pretty exciting day, but we are getting along great!

Friday was service, as usual, and luckily Sister Miller absolutely LOVES horses so everything was good there. We did a lot of sweeping and cleaning and moving jumps from one place to another, but also we got to groom a horse because she was the only one inside the barn and was feeling a little lonely. We had a lot of fun getting to know everyone, and I managed to go without being stepped on this week, so that was a plus. We also did weekly planning and I helped get Sister Miller caught up on who's who in the area. 

On Saturday morning we went and did service for one of our investigators, J, who has a pet food pantry. It was great to be able to help him and all those he is working with! But, it was a little bit weird because the pantry is attached ro a church, and we spent the majority of our time signing in the clients, which we did right next to the open door of the chapel. It was a beautiful chapel, but we weren't sure what they would have done if they found us there! We got to talk to a lot of nice people though. 

Sunday was fast and testimony meeting because next week will be stake conference. Dee Dee was able to come again, which was great! She has made some good friends at Primary and is doing so well. We just love her! 

At church I was able to get up and bear my testimony about something that has really impacted my mission so far- the Book of Mormon. This has been the first time in my life that I've been able to have daily, consistent, in-depth study of the Book of Mormon. Sure, I studied it in seminary, and read it on my own outside of school, but I'm not sure I ever let myself absorb it like this. Every time I read the Book of Mormon, I gain new insights to write in my study notebook. More importantly, I feel the Spirit. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Nothing else could make a person feel this way when they read it. I just can't get enough. I challenge everyone , if they're not reading the Book of Mormon daily, to read it! It can and will change your life! 

Have a phenomenal week everyone!

Love,

Sister Reay 

Goodbye Sister Willson! 

Hello Sister Miller!

Getting to know the horses 

I think I may need to grow gills

Hello friends and family! What a wonderful, action-packed week it has been. 

We had a good beginning of the week, but I woke up on Wednesday with a raging sore throat, either from a cold or allergies. We kept it calm during the afternoon and then went to a lesson with D in the evening. She is still pretty much the greatest! We taught the Word of Wisdom, and she quickly committed to keep it. We are so proud of her! She is looking forward to being baptized sometime in June. 

I basically waged all-out war on my cold/allergies so that by Thursday, I was feeling almost completely better. That was a blessing, because I was also leading the music at zone conference! Yay zone conference! It was excellent. We had it up in Greensboro, which meant I got to see Sister Berthelson! She is doing so good! We talked a lot anout the basics: how to begin teaching, developing teaching skills and keeping the name of Christ on our lips at all times. One of the quotes I liked, by Elder Neil L. Anderson, said something like, "No matter how much we speak of Him, it is never too much." President Alexander also told us about his experience being called as a mission president. It was a very neat, very spiritual story- being interviewed by one of the twelve Apostles and then being called by the First Presidency. He reminded us that President Adler, who will be here July 1st, is going through all of that now and how we will need to support him when he comes. 

This whole weekend was essentially drowning in rain. Even when it wasn't actively raining the humidity was between 80-100%, so we were practically swimming. It made for an interesting Friday at the barn. Luckily we were in the barn for the worst of it, and no one was going anywhere because it was basically flooded. 

Saturday was so exciting! We went to a women's conference with the Winston-Salem, High Point, and Greensboro stakes. The most exciting part was that Sister Jean Bingham, the Relief Society General President, was speaking! We actually walked right past her in the hallway just before it started while we were on the way to the bathrooms. She smiled and said hi. We smiled back and played it cool until we were around the corner and I said "That was the person we're all here to see" and Sister Willson said "Yep." Apparently we have great bathroom timing because I also got to see a few members from Burlington and Sister Alexander while we were there. 

Sister Bingham was such an amazing speaker! She was also very "real" and very funny. She actually ended her talk super early because she thought the conference ended a half-hour earlier than it did. The stake president was trying to stall by asking her questions about herself before they figured out what had happened and we had a good laugh over that. 

The talks during the conference were great as well! The theme was "Abish, Dorcas, and You: Covenant Women of the House of Israel." It's kind of a mouthful, but it was basically how we as women could be powerful forces for good as we kept our covenants with God. One of my favorite parts was someone quoting Sister Sheri Dew: "It's no secret that we are the Lord's secret weapons."

Super miracle story on Sunday! D was finally able to come to,church with her grandma, which was the first part of the miracle. Now, we didn't know this until they came, but D's grandma is a native Spanish speaker. She speaks English, too, but we could tell she was a little uncomfortable. Well, who should be speaking that day but the high councilor assigned to the Spanish branch... that meets in our same building... at the same time as us! We had no sooner escorted D to primary than her grandma was whisked away (we had nothing to do with this, it was all members) to join the Spanish-speaking Sunday school. The Spanish elders said she was participating and contributing with the rest of the class. When she came back out, she looked so much happier and decided to attend the Spanish Relief Society as well. When church was over, she and D had both had a great time. We are so excited to see them there next week! Members are the best!

Well this is practically an epistle at this point, and there are a couple of spiritual experiences in there, so I will leave it at that! Here's to another great week in Bethania! 

Love,

Sister Reay 

On a wet wet day

It's hard to take selfies with horses

Ouch.

Hey y'all! It has been another wonderful week in Bethania!

Tuesday we did a lot of usual missionary things, and then we went to mutual/activity days with D and her mom. It was a mother-daughter activity, and they both loved it! Everyone was very kind. Wednesday was district meeting, as usual, and it was wonderful, as usual. We got to practice giving church tours, where we give investigators or potential investigators a tour of the church building and explain all the rooms and programs. We even have an app with videos that explain most of the functions of the church. It helps me appreciate how beautiful and sacred our church buildings are. 

On Friday we went on exchanges! I stayed here with Sister Schow. We had a good time. I had some new experiences at the stables- bathing a horse and grazing them outside while they dried- which led to more new experiences- being kicked by a horse and being stepped on by a horse. The good news is, both incidents were accidental, there were no hard feelings, and my foot feels good as new now.

We also had another lesson with D! She is so great! We talked about the importance of reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. She told us that when she read the Book of Mormon, she felt like a warm blanket was wrapped around her. It's amazing how children can recognize the Spirit so readily! She is so prepared! We are ecstatic to be teaching her. 

We exchanged back on Saturday, and then there was Sunday, which, as most of you know, was Mother's Day. A few of you may also remember that we missionaries get to video call our family that day. So that was pretty fun. It was also fun to talk to the ward members who were seeing their missionaries that day. They were all pretty excited. 

So! Spiritual thought of the week. I decided against doing mothers because I sure I would just go rambling on and on about how wonderful my mom is and y'all probably don't have time for all the compliments I could lay down. So instead I will talk about a story I read recently from the Book of Mormon, in Alma chapters 60 and 61. Chapter 60 is a scathing, accusatory letter written by Moroni, the captain of the armies, to the head governor, who he believes is failing at his duty and refusing to send help to the soldiers in the field. The letter is full of anger and even threats. But, in fact, the governor, Pahoran, is unable to send help because of a coup that recently overthrew the government. Instead of being angry, though, Pahoran sends back a pleasant reply, complimenting Captain Moroni on his patriotic spirit and thanking him for some of his advice. What could have been a heated situation is immediately cooled and smoothed over, and both Pahoran and Moroni end up getting the help they need. 

I've noticed that a lot of people tend to assume the worst about other people, from the person who cut in front of them on the road to the people in positions of power. But while you may end up being right, you certainly won't end up being happy. By responding in a gentle way and assuming the best, you remain mostly unscathed by another person's actions, and the anger won't fester for any longer than it needs to. Getting angry won't make any of your problems go away; in fact, they might get worse. 

For those of you with short attention spans, the summary is this: Be like Pahoran. Assume the best about other people and be happy. 

We had a district activity playing sand volleyball today, which was fun, but it ws prety hot out so we spent some time eating Mexican candy under the ramada. That sums it up for today. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Reay 

May the SPIRIT be with you

Hello friends and family! Hope it has been a blessed week for all y'all because it sure was for us. 

It was bike week and rather warm, so we were SUPER thankful for any and all members that gave us rides places! That included on Tuesday night, when we went to the youth activities with our dinner for that night. They were doing artwork of the first vision, so we helped out with that because we are pretty much experts on the First Vision. It was also great to get to know the girls. They are super sweet. 

Speaking of super sweet people, we had another lesson with D this week, and it was amazing! We talked about our life on earth and emphasized the importance of keeping the commandments, especially the commandment to be baptized. Dee Dee said she really really really REALLY wanted to be baptized. We told her to start thinking of a date, and she chose one... about three weeks from now! We asked if she thought she could be prepared by then, and she said, "I don't think, I know!" She is so great! We love her. 

On Wednesday, we had district meeting. I gave a training about the Christlike attributes chapter in Preach My Gospel, which is probably my favorite chapter, so I was excited. To be honest, I don't think I even knew that chapter existed before I went on my mission. But now that I've studied it, I love it! We talked about how the Chrisrlike attributes (the ones discussed in PMG are Faith, Hope, Charity and Love, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, and Obedience) are SO essential to develop as a missionary, because they lead you to serve and love as Christ did. They are so essential in our everyday life, as well! As we strive to become more like Christ, we will align our will with Heavenly Father and be a more effective servant for him. I can also testify that striving to become Christlike makes you happy! Things don't get you down as much, you are focused on the positive, and you see the good in others. At the end of the training I had each missionary explain what Christlike attribute they saw most in thwir companion. It really brought in the Spirit as we focused on the goodness and strengths of others. 

Okay, one more hightlight: Friday, as you may know, was May the Fourth Be With You Day, AKA Star Wars Day. As missionaries, we focus less on the force and more on one of the more powerful forces in the universe: the Spirit! And the good news is, we have been promised that we can always have this Spirit with us as we keep the commandments, take the sacrament, pray, and, I might especially say, reading the scriptures! As Sister Willson paraphrased from Alma 31:5 "The word...had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the [lightsaber], or anything else." That power is accessible to all who seek for it. 

Whew! Two spiritual thoughts in one week! Hope you didn't keel over from the Spirit, it may do that to you. Have a blessed week! 

Love,

Sister Reay 

When in doubt, horse pictures

You can see a bit of my Sister "Rey" hair. No we did not proselyte like this

How to break into your own car

Hello everyone! What a week! We've had a lot of highlights!

Monday was our zone activity of course, and I have a few more pictures from that. Tuesday was a fairly normal Tuesday. We had a video lesson with a recent convert, A. She is super sweet! We love that we can use technology when people would otherwise be unable to meet. We also had a phone lesson with another investigator and visited a member and her grandkids that evening. They are not members, and they are super cute. We haven't met their parents yet, but once we do we are excited to start realky teaching them! 

Wednesday we had a great district meeting. I am still getting used to being in such a small district again, but it is fun! Another great thing we have on Wednesdays is our "Winston War Cry." (Our zone is the Winston Warriors) We all get to have a video chat with each other about a topic that we vote on earlier in the week. This week we talked about our comission as missionaries to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is neat to hear everyone's insights. 

On Thursday we had lunch with my trainer, Sister Hill!  She's been home for a few months and came back to visit the mission with her parents and older sister. It was so much fun to see her again and catch up a little, since I haven't seen her much since I ended training. She served in Tanglewood, so she was excited to visit the zone. It was great! I love her! Friday we had service at the stables, of course (you should probably brace yourselves for me saying something about that every week). That went as usual. 

One thing that seems unique about Bethania is that we get media referrals all the time. In other areas we might get one once a week. This week we recieved about 6, and the week before we got even more. So a lot of our time was spent arranging times with them and going over to visit. It is a great way to meet people and talk anout the gospel, without having to knock on random doors. We even got a couple of Book of Mormon referrals, which was neat! 

We had a little adventure on Saturday night, which leads me too... 🥁🥁🥁 drum roll please 🥁🥁🥁 The spiritual thought of the week! To begin, we have a very nice, very fancy car that we are ever-so-blessed to have. One of the nice things about this car is the "keyless entry" feature. No need to dig the key fob out of our bags- we just get the key fob within three feet of the door, press a button on the handle, and voila! The door opens. You don't need the key to start the car either. The car simply senses that they key is inside and start with the press of a button. Very nice feature. 

Well, we learned on Saturday night that there are downsides to fanciness. We had just filled up on gas and were coming back from the convenience store. Sister Willson pushed the unlock button on the handle... and nothing happened. The key was running out of battery, and could no longer unlock the door! Luckily the mechanical key also has a "real" key on the inside, so we were able to figure out how to get in and drive home (it took all of the skills I had gained from escape rooms and watching crime dramas). But we weren't allowed to drive the car all of Sunday and now today we have to drive immediately to the dealership to get the key's battery replaced. What a hassle. 

The lesson I drew from this is: don't put your trust in worldly things. Sometimes we get drawn away by the fanciness, flashiness, and "new-ness" of the world. But if we had just had an old-fashioned, boring, gets-lost-in-our-bags type of key, we never would have had this problem. Worldly things will always fail eventually, no matter how much we feel we get pleasure from them. They will just keep leading us on and on to "the next best thing." If we stick to the basics- the things God tells us will make us truly happy- then they will never fail us. They will always lead us where we need to go. 

Hope that all makes sense a little bit. Have a great week y'all!

Love,

Sister Reay 

Family picture! Me, my step-daughter, her mother, and my step-granddaughter 

Our lil zone

Sister Hill! 

Tanglewood and beyond!

Hello hello everyone! This week was almost as exciting as the last one, which is saying a lot!

One funny thing about the surrounding areas up here is that the in the Tanglewood ward boundaries there are two church buildings. We meet at one of them along with the Winston-Salem ward and the Piedmont Spanish branch. So we have to cross over one area and drive into another area just to get to church. So we end up leaving our area actually quite a lot. 

We started out having interviews on Tuesday, which were in Tanglewood. We were the last interviews of the day, which is always nice because we're not running late on anyone so I got to have a nice chat with President Alexander. He is in an interesting position because he has only two transfers left on his mission! Our new mission president comes in at the beginning of July. Crazy!

Wednesday was our first district meeting of the transfer. Our district has one set of elders and two sets of sisters, so it's a bit smaller than my last district. And this is the first time I've been in a district where sisters outnumber the elders! It was a great meeting. Also, in our district we have Sister Willson, Sister Wilson, and Elder Wilson. President must have laughed when he put that district together. 

After district meeting, we went on exchanges! I went to Tanglewood with Sister "One L" Wilson. We had a great time visiting people. We also got to do service at an assisted living facility where we baked brownies and played games. We exchanged back on Thursday. 

Friday we went to the stables again, and this time I took some pictures so you could see some of the horses! You're welcome. We also had another lesson with D! She is doing so well. She wasn't able to come to church this week, but we are working on helping her go next week! 

Also on Friday night I got asked to give a talk on Sunday, so that was what I studied during Saturday morning studies. My topic was "How I find joy in missionary work." It actually went very well! I shared some experiences from my mission. The basic theme that I came down on is that there can always be joy in the work. True, most of the joy comes from seeing people change, repent, and be baptized. I have found a lot of joy with other people as they find the joy of the gospel. But even when things are going wrong, we can find joy in the fact that we are doing the Lord's work, and he is pleased with all of our efforts- whether they turned out the way we planned or not. 

That about wraps it up for this week. We had zone activity today so that was fun. Everyone keep being amazing!

Love,

Sister Reay 

Horses!

The companions reunited 

Betcha didn't see THAT coming

Hello everyone! It's been a bit of a crazy week, as you will soon see... 

On Tuesday Sister Laney and I did some normal work mixed with her trying to fit 18 months worth of stuff into three suitcases. That took a bit of time. Then on Wednesday we got transfer calls... and I found out I was being transferred! Well, a mission is full of surprises, I guess. So I had to scramble to pack all of my things, too, and get the apartment all cleaned and ready for the two new sisters.

Thursday was transfer day, so we packed up and left good old Rock Hill behind  I know it's in good hands though. Sister Laney went off to the mission home, and I joined my new companion, Sister Willson, and went up to... BETHANIA! It's a beautiful area up near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Apparently it started as an old Moravian settlement. What a Moravian is, I still don't know, but I'm sure they're nice people. 

My time in Bethania started off on a good note as we went on Friday to do service at a horse rescue/boarding/training facility. If you know anything about me, you'll know I was VERY happy to help some horses and some horse people out. We had a good time doing that. Later on that day, we went to go teach a young woman named D. Her mom is a member, but she hasn't been baptized yet. She is super sweet and loved learning and listening to everything we had to tell her. Her family has a rough time trying to get to church, but we hope to get her there soon! 

Saturday we had a video lesson with a man named J, who was a Bible referral. He asked a lot of good questions and seemed really eager to understand. He was able to come to church on Sunday as well. We aee excited to keep teaching him. 

There are a lot of great people that we are working with in Bethania, but since it it bike week and Sister Willson came down with a bit of a cold we weren't able to visit all of them. We are in a tri-share though so today we get the car back for two weeks! We'll see more of them this next week. 

Spiritual thought of the week! This actually happened on Sunday evening. We got a message from our zone leaders earlier in the day warning us about a storm coming in and telling us to make sure we had our flashlights out in case the power went out. The weather didn't look especially threatening at the time, but we got our flashlights out anyway. Well, a couple of hours later, the power did indeed go out! Luckily, we had been warned, and we were prepared. In the same way, we should be concerned about our spiritual preparation. We have leaders in the church that can warn us and tell us the things we should do. If we prepare ourselves by keeping the commandments, praying, reading the scriptures, ect, while things are good, then we won't be caught off guard when disaster or hardships strike. We are filled with the "Light of Christ" to help us through the darkness. 

That's all the excitement I can take for one week, I think. Take care everyone, and stay prepared!

Love,

Sister Reay 

The lovely Sister Wilson and I at transfers

Be prepared!

What A Knight!

Hello everyone! Wow has it been an exciting week. I can hardly contain myself. It was pretty great.

The week started off pretty normal. Zone activity was Monday. On Tuesday we went for our normal volunteer time and happened to come at the same time as a huge group that was renovating the landscaping. We got recruited into digging holes for new shrubs. The first row was easy, but the second row was up on a slick, steep hill. We couldn't even stand within a few feet of each hole, so we were kind of just jabbing at it over and over hoping the clay would break. Eventually though a couple of guys came out with a pickaxe and made quick work of it that way. It was pretty fun and we got to talk to some new people to, which was great!

We had our last district meeting of the transfer on Wednesday, and we had brownies and ice cream for Sister Laney and Elder Herring, who will both be leaving us  Sad day. But the brownies were pretty good anyway. Sister Laney is finishing her time in the Carolinas this week (!) and will be going home at transfers! Crazy!

On Friday the sister training  leaders came and spent the day with us. We went to a couple appointments and found someone who was interested in the Book of Mormon, all while trying to set Sister Laney's affairs in order so we don't have to stress so much next week. They spent the night with us, and we all went to Charlotte the next day for the GLADYS KNIGHT FIRESIDE! 

Yes that's right! We had Gladys Knight with her choir, Saints United Voices, come to Charlotte for a very spiritual performance! It was AMAZING! We drove up with M and the York sisters. It turned out to be a good idea to carpool, because parking was pretty limited and they had to shuttle us from a parking lot down the road. We had an investigator who was going to come, but got sick last minute and couldn't make it. It was PACKED there, and the line was around more than half the building (luckily tickets were all free). We were seated in the back half of the church, but they had a screen up so we could see. The choir was just phenomenal, and even though their songs were a little different than most of us missionaries knew you could really feel the Spirit. The crowd was at least half non-members, so things went a little differently than I was familiar with. Some people raised their hands or stood up or shouted amens as they felt the Spirit, which is really the culture in the South but not something I had seen a lot. It was really neat to see everyone come together in worship and praise! Everyone was loosened up a little by the end, even the missionaries. And yes, Gladys Knight sang a few solos. It was amazing. 

One of the main things emphasized by Gladys Knight was the fact that we are all brothers and sisters. Because we are all children of Heavenly Father, we all share the same divine heritage. If we recognize this, there's no room for hatred or intolerance. As Sister Knight said in the devotional, "Who are we to tell Him how to paint?" 

That about sums it up for the week. Hope y'all had as much fun as I did. Transfers are coming up next week, so stay tuned as I find out who will be my new companion!

Love ,

Sister Reay 

Us, M and the York sisters having dinner after the performance!

WOW

Hello everyone! I hope all of you watched conference because it was just AMAZING. But first, some business items. 

This week was pretty normal until Thursday, when we went on exchanges!  I went up to Mountain Island with Sister Erickson! It was very fun. We got to visit a few people and had dinner with a great member. I missed a few lessons back in Rock Hill, but good things happened while I was gone.The next day we went to ZONE CONFERENCE! It was such a good conference. One thing they did differently this time was they had the assistants give short talks instead of trainings, and it really brought in the Spirit. We talked a lot about the gospel of Jesus Christ, which we're studying in the Book of Mormon together. We also had a testimony meeting. Then Sister Laney got the chance to bear her departing testimony (which missionaries do at their last zone conference). So yes, she is outta here in a week and a half. Pretty crazy to think about! I still have quite a bit left though, so no worries there. 

The highlight of this action-packed week was of course GENERAL CONFERENCE! Which lined up with Easter Sunday this year, which makes it even better! It was great. We watched the first session with the young women at the young womens president's house and had a fun breakfast there. For the afternoon, we went to another member's house and had dinner! We chose to watch the Sunday sessions at the church before Easter dinner at another amazing member's house. 

Plenty of exciting stuff happened in conference. For one, we sustained Russell M. Nelson as the Lord's chosen prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ on eath. That was an incredibly spiritual moment as we all gave our common consent. Then we sustained two new apostles, Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares, to replace those that had passed away. Then we had reorganization in the function and organization of priesthood and Relief Society. One of my favorite parts was when President Nelson announced seven new temples, including one in India and one in Russia(!). We were especially excited about the one in India, because our ward mission leader and his family are from there! We are so happy for them 

People keep asking me what my favorite talk was. It was really at least half of them. I can't think of one ABSOLUTE favorite. I'll probably talk about more as they come, but one quote that stuck out to me was from M. Russell Ballard, who talked about faith (which, coincidentally, is the first principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ): "Faith removes our personal mountains." We may not always need to have grand miracles happen to solve our problems. God usually doesn't work that way. But our faith can help us push forward, trusting in God, and knowing that he can either remove the mountain or help us clim over it, making us stronger at every step. I don't know if that's too metaphorical, but that quote really struck me. 

Hope y'all are having a great week! Be sure to re-read or listen to those talks as they come. I'll probably keep sharing for a few weeks because they are just so good! 

Love,

Sister Reay  

We had zone activity today but didn't get a picture, so here's an older picture of the sisters in our district. 

Pizza Party!

Hello friends and family and happy Monday to you!

This week seemed to go really fast! One of the things that made it all blur together was that we had pizza about four times this week. People kept having things come up when they were going to have us over so they were kind and ordered pizza instead. Now, don't get me wrong, pepperoni pizza is one of my favorite foods. But since we only eat two slices each usually, each pizza is two meals' worth of food. Plus the frozen pizza in the fridge, and, well, you get the idea. We are all pizza-ed out. 

Tuesday this week was pretty exciting. We were riding to Book of Mormon class with M and it started getting really stormy-looking, with a little bit of rain and some SUPER dark clouds rolling in. We had to drive toward the storm to get to the church, and before we knew it it was raining so hard I couldn't even tell if the road was flooded or just wet. We were on a two-lane highway with not really many options to turn, so we kept going. Then it started hailing, and I literally thought that the windsheild was going to crack open and all the water would come pouring in (I may have been exaggerating a little in my head). There was thunder and lightning all over. Then, as we were in the home stretch toward the church, it stopped. All around the church building the clouds were thinning and the sunset was coming through, and it was totally clear. M joked that she would talk about it in testimony meeting, but it actually was pretty neat. 

Thursday we combined interviews and district meeting at the Gastonia building, so we wouldn't have to get more than one ride. Both were very good. Hopefully I can send a district picture next week. Interviews were excellent as well. I love talking to President and Sister Alexander.

On Sunday, we had a returning less-active member come to church with her nonmember husband, which was great! Then we went to Sunday School in Chester at a member's house way out in the country. It was a very beautiful drivem especially since spring is on the way and things are starting to "leaf."

Spiritual thought of the week! Since we won't be having regular church on Sunday (GENERAL CONFERENCE ) we had a very Christ-centered program.  One of the things they talked about was the document The Living Christ, which was put out by the prophets and apostles on January 1, 2000. It is their testimony, built on scriptures, of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you have never read it, please do so! It is AMAZING! One of my favorite parts is when it quotes the writing of Joseph Smith:

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God" (Doctrien and Covenants 76: 22-24). 

I know that Jesus Christ lives! That's what I'm out here telling people. I can't wait to celebrate His Ressurection this Easter, and to hear from our prophets and apostles, who are witnesses of His reality and divinity. I've lost a few people over the course of my mission, and the knowledge of Christ's atonement and resurrection brings me great peace. 

I love y'all! Hope you have an amazing week and take advantage of this amazing weekend. 

Love,

Sister Reay 

Sorry I don't have any exciting pictures, just our pizza boxes...