Zone Conference! The Book of Mormon is True!

This week was a little bit of a slow one again. We had pday with the district last week and played ultimate frisbee and that was about it. 

We were able to meet with our friend Megan again though and she is doing so well! She is a little nervous to come back to church, but we are hoping to put her on date soon! She said she feels like God really has a greater purpose for her and we know that, that purpose is baptism and becoming more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are planning to hopefully put her on date soon so if you could all keep her in your prayers that would be much appreciated! 

We also had zone conference this week which is always so good! It was a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ as well as using the Lords time well and effectively. It made me want to be a better missionary and change some things I'm doing as a missionary as zone conference always does! The same day we had interviews with President Holmes which were very good! 

We sadly had to drop a few of our friends this week, who haven't been progressing very well... but we were able to meet some cool people too! We had 3 people who referred themselves to the missionaries all answer when we called them and they are all interested in meeting with us so were excited to meet with them this week! 

We also had a lot of member lessons this weekend so that was fun and hopefully we can start helping them be normal and natural missionaries! I have such a testimony of member missionaries! We as full time missionaries are so transient and aren't able to make lasting connections with people. But you as members can!! You are the most important missionaries there are! 

I finished The Book of Mormon again this week as well! I love The Book of Mormon and I love this Gospel! I just want to share my testimony of The Book of Mormon-

The Book of Mormon is SO true! It truly is the most correct book on the Earth today! I don't only know that because someone told me so, but because I have read and pondered it multiple times and have sincerely prayed to know! I have found it for myself and had it confirmed to me by the power of the Holy Ghost. As I read The Book of Mormon this past time I was humbled to see how much the Godhead is mentioned. I truly am grateful for the role they played in ancient times and the role they continue to play in my life. I don't think I've ever noticed the role they play more than since I've been here in New York City! I love my Heavenly Father, I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I love the Holy Ghost! I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith and all he went through so we can have The Book of Mormon today. I'm grateful for all of those in The Book of Mormon and the things they did to preserve the plates so we can have The Book of Mormon today. I'm grateful for the experiences of those in the Book of Mormon as well and the relevance they have to my life and the things I struggle with. I know we have a living prophet today who leads and guides this church, President Russell M. Nelson and I can't wait to hear from him and our Apostles as well this weekend in General Conference! I'm so grateful for this Gospel and all it has and continues to bring to my life! ❤

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love you all! 

Sister Reynolds (: 

**Pictures: (not too many this week, sorry :/)

1. The District! 

2. Cinnamon Roll from Breads Bakery!

The Edge, 4G and the Coolest Miracles

Last Monday we decided to go to something called The Edge with the Sisters from the East Side! It was a super good time and a super good view! After the edge we went and got some good Thai food! One of my most favorite things about being in New York is all of the fun food options! 

This week was one of the coolest weeks and we saw SO many amazing miracles! The first one was on Tuesday night when we decided to go knock a formers door (someone the sisters before us had previously taught). The only problem was we didn't have the apartment #... my companion and I were both kind of questioning going to knock because of that but we decided to go anyways. We got to the apartment and a lady luckily was going in at the same time so we were able to get into the building but we still didn't know what apartment number we were supposed to go to, so we decided to say a prayer. After the prayer my companion told me she was feeling the 4th floor and right after that I looked at the mailboxes and the first one I looked at was 4G so we decided to go knock it. IT WAS HER APARTMENT! Sadly she was sleeping but we talked to her grandma. It didn't really go anywhere, but it was the coolest thing that we were able to be led by the spirit to find her apartment. Right after that we were able to get a lady on the streets # and got in contact with another former while knocking. It was one of the best nights I have had on the mission so far! 

Wednesday we were able to meet a lady named Olga who has come to church like 4 times with her friend who has been a member for 4 years and we'd seen her at church but had no idea she wasn't a member. We found out she also was meeting with the elders and a senior couple so things with that got a little crazy, but we are excited to see where things go for her! I also was able to go on an exchange with Sister Stratford and I learned a ton from her! We also went door knocking for one of their formers and sadly weren't able to find her but we knocked on a deaf persons door and luckily Sister Stratford took ASL in High School so she was able to talk to him and he was interested in meeting with missionaries! We also were able to find some others that were interested but a lot of them were males who don't have a women in the home so we had to pass them off to the Elders. When we exchanged back we met at Grand Central Station which was super cool! 

Our friend Megan who was praying about Baptism and dropped us last week was supposed to have some surgery done this week so even though she had dropped us we asked if she would like a Priesthood blessing before her surgery and she said she would like that. So we had a guy from the YSA ward meet us at the church on Thursday and it was an interesting but amazing blessing. At the start of the blessing he told a personal experience about how when he was on his mission there was a guy who was seriously injured and unable to walk, but needed to work for his family and he gave him a blessing and the next day he was able to walk and do what he needed to. He also blessed her for things he didn't know about but we did and we knew he was very in-tune with the spirit. The next day we messaged Megan about her surgery and wished her well. Not long after we messaged her she let us know that she went in for surgery and they told her that she didn't need it anymore and that her eyes were healed. It was amazing and now she wants to continue meeting with us. The Priesthood, God's power on the Earth, is so real. ❤

We also were able to get some awesome friends to church on Sunday, one being a recent convert who has not been to church in a long time! It was very cool to see her back at church. 

The Lord loves each and everyone of us and is aware of what we need and when we need it. I love you all and hope you have the best week! 

**Pictures:

1-3. The Edge! 

4-5. Grand Central Station! 

6. The Vessel

7. Exchange w Sister Stratford! 

8. New York things🤷‍♀️

Mission Tour! 6 months as a missionary!

Last pday Sister Rasband and I went to the Empire State building! We didn't go up in it or anything but it was still super cool to see! 

We also went to a place called Magnolia's Bakery and got some yummy banana pudding and cheesecake! 

Wednesday through Friday we had a mission tour and Elder Bassett from the 70 and his wife were here and we got to learn lots of awesome things from them. They talked a lot about The Book of Mormon and The Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was super good and I learned and gained a lot of things that are already helping me be a better missionary! 

Other than the mission tour, this week was pretty rough. We found out the family we were planning to meet with this week is actually in Harlem and not in our area so we were super bummed about that but we're so exited for the other sisters to be able to meet with them. We also just had a lot fall through and our friend Megan who was praying about Baptism told us that she wants some space and doesn't want to meet with us right now. 

But we were able to still contact some really cool people this week and we are hoping to be able to study with them soon! The Lord truly is putting people in our path. We had some sisters from another area meet someone on the subway and we had a pass off lesson with them on Saturday night! She is a journalist so I kind of felt like she was trying to interview us for something to write but it was good! We aren't sure how interested she is but she is willing to meet again and we all felt the spirit in the lesson so we are hoping we can continue to meet with her! 

I also have now been a missionary for 6 months! To celebrate Sister Rasband and I went to a super yummy place called Jacob's Pickles. It a southern soul food place and was very good. 

That was about all for this week! 

Spiritual Thought: 

Helaman 5:12 

"12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Sister Reynolds (: 

**Pictures: 

1. Empire State Building 

2. Magnolia 

3. Jacob's Pickles 

4. My mom sent me peaches! 

5. Matching peach days shirts! 

The Real Hurricane?

This week was a little rough, but we also saw so many miracles and good things are to come in this area! A lot of our friends we were supposed to find canceled their lessons which was super sad. 

This week we were able to meet with our friend Paris again though and he is super excited to start reading The Book of Mormon! He was supposed to come to church this Sunday but didn't end up making it. 

Our friend Megan was at church again and she loved it! She is also currently praying about Baptism and we are SO excited for her! She is progressing a ton and has some amazing fellowshipers which has been a huge help. 

There also is an older lady who was referred to us to go and visit and she collects a ton of cool things so her apartment was crazy and she was just the funest little lady to talk to! I'll attach some pictures of her apartment to the email! 

We also were able to meet a really cool lady on the streets who was baptized when she was like 15 or 16 and she has 3 kids-2 of which are of age to be baptized- and her husband is a none member as well. We originally thought she lived in Harlem but we found out she lives just a block from the church so we are super excited to go see her and her family this week and hopefully get them to church! We asked her when we were setting up the lesson if there was anything we could bring for her and she said a Book of Mormon so that was pretty cool to hear that she wanted to be able to start reading it again! And she mentioned that we really were an answer to her prayers because she has been kind of struggling recently. THE COOLEST MIRACLE THIS WEEK! 

There was a crazy storm this week on Wednesday and we got soaked when we were going back from the church. There was lots of flooding as well in the subways and peoples apartments. We were luckily not affected, but it was a crazy storm and I think we got the Hurricane a few weeks late. 

The members here also LOVE to feed the missionaries so we got some yummy food a few days this week! 

Spiritual Thought: 

Alma 62:48-51

48 And the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich.

49 But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.

50 Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.

51 And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land.

That's all from this week! Love you all!

Sister Alison Reynolds 

**Pictures: 

1. We were soaked haha 

2.The older ladies cool apartment! 

3. District pday last monday!