Mon, 26 Sep 2011

Family and the likes,

So I would agree with you that this weeks email you sent was pretty crazy compared to the one before. Sounds like the whole world decided to go crazy at once! I swear, ever since I've left town things have been falling apart down there! ;p Anywho, like always, keep me posted with all of the insane things and updates on the family and such.

Did Melissa bring her piano books down? Mom will have to take my place and sing Wicked and Jekyll and Hyde with her! I miss playing guitar and jamming with everyone down there so much. It seems that nobody in my area owns a guitar so I never have the chance to play. Shame.

The scourge of sickness continues in Jared's family, eh? It seems like there is always at least one of their kids who is down with a sickness or a new scrape/bruise. It's good to hear that Melissa and Summer got into T-town safely! I bet you are having parties all the time right? Did Dad get around to entering the Salsa Fest this year? He always says that he is going to but never seems to get in it. Which by the way, I was thinking the other day about how there is no legit salsa over here so maybe you could hook me up with daddios recipe? I would very much appreciate it and so would my tummy :) Good to hear that Cole is starting to run around and play soccer rather than just stand by the goal haha! I am excited for conference. You will have to let me know which talks are really good so I can be on the lookout for them. We get conference a week later here than back home.

Misti seems to be getting everything settled in good enough. Has she got a job lined up yet? That is really good news about her getting to live in with Cameron! Is Seth going to live there too or stay at Heath's? Tell her hello for me if she comes to town. I'm so happy for her and that she is taking the steps to be able to go to the temple! Let me know how that turns out for sure. Speaking of the temple...since things have been really weird this transfer with trade offs and meetings all over the place like mad, the scheduling has been way out of whack. But it's good, because I get to go to the temple again this transfer as a result! I go in two days. Two weeks in a row! Just like back home :) Elder Benson is dying at the end of this transfer (going home) so I'm excited and also a little worried to see where I end up and if I will train or not :/ We will know in 4 weeks time!

For Melissa:

You know that I'm the life of the party! My name is Brock and I like to party. I know for a fact that you do not party! (It's from a movie if you are wondering) Haha you say I'm not the life of the party because I was always gone? It's because I had to manage multiple parties at once so I couldn't stay home all the time! Sounds like Summer still likes to give you grief on ocassion. How did mom like the Walnast trip? At least I didn't have to follow you around through all of the womens stuff to get all the things you had forgot back home this time haha. You better start to write me regularly! How is the blog going by the way? Do you have a song posted on it? Just curious...

Stop.

Hokay! So I knew that this day would come. The spirit of the hardbody lingered around my parking spot and demanded to be filled and so the call was filled by a little Toyota. What color is it? Engine size? Etc.? Name? I really miss my truck and driving manual. But the thing I miss the most about driving, without divulging too much about past grievances, is definately driving the mountain and the backroads :p We will leave it at that. Oh I driving on the right side of the road and using mph is something I miss dearly as well.

Fishing on the mountain seems to be a regular occurance now. Especially since you bought a truck just for fishing! I really am jealous of dad for that, mostly because he bought a filly b's burrito on the way up the mountain but chillin at the lake does sound pretty nice! Well, the pond I should say...

That is not good to hear about Granny! I will keep her in my prayers. I bet she is worrying like mad! Tough times.

Okay Baptism updates! Glenda is getting baptized this Saturday, Oct. 1, at 3:30. It is going to be an amazing baptism for sure! I don't remember what I told you about her before but she has Parkinsons and Scoliosis so she is in a rough spot. Not to mention she is in her 70's so this is all a very big thing for her. She has taken all of the lessons very well, although she was a slow learner, but she does understand it all. Anywhos, we taught her the last lesson which is the commandments and she was alright with it all. She even has given up coffee and tea! Which is pretty big seeing as how she has been drinking them all her life up to this point. But when we taught tithing she folded. She said that she wouldn't be able to make it since she is on a government pension and then started to make other excuses as well. It was a huge let down because we explained how blessed she would be for paying tithing but she still said she couldn't do it. She still wanted to come to church though. So the Dewis' picked her up like usual and she came to church. Elder Benson and I were asked to teach a Sunday School class so we weren't able to sit in on the gospel principles class like usual and we were a little worried about how Glenda would be. After we taught the lesson we peeked into the class we are usually in and the ward mission leader (Bro Rolls) and a ward missionary (Sis Hadley) were talking with Glenda so we just let them be. Right after priesthood started Jascha came and told Elder Benson and I to go out into the hall because someone wanted to talk to us. It was Bishop and all the people I mentioned with Glenda. Come to find out she was using tithing as an excuse because she was just scared to get baptized! So I will let you know how that goes and send some pictures next week of the whole deal but my time is spent! I must go now! Have a good week and enjoy all the company :)

Love,

Elder Reynolds

Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011

blogger is not cooperating picture wise so i will get those up soon. sorry i've been such a slacker. brock has recieved your complaints and chastized me so i will be better and keep up the blog. :) haha! sorry everyone!

Hello!

What's good?! Well I went to the temple today if you hadn't figured out why my letter wasn't sent forever ago. It was a good time and I loved it! Even though I had to wake up at 530 to make it on time...like I'm not tired enough as it is. But it was worth it, as always!

For breakfast I usually eat cereal still, not much has changed there! I have hard boiled eggs on occasion too. Milo cereal and uncle toby's cereals are usually what I eat. The uncle toby's alot like honey bunches of oats or special K. For lunch I usually have spaghetti, stir fry, sammich, or eat out. Today we ate at a Japanese curry place that was pretty bomb! I'm getting good with chopsticks because of all the places we eat like that.

Augh! Why is it that when I leave town all of the cool things with the weather happen? Lightning storms are my all time favorite! Especially when you can feel the ground shake beneath you and the entire sky lights up amid the black sky. There is an odd beauty that comes with nature when it shows it's power like that. Hmmm it sounds like the schools are gonna need some new foiliage from what you've said.

Random bit. This is for Ryan mostly, there is a guy in the library who is right next to me who is wearing a dream theatre shirt. Just thought that you might appreciate that!

Thanks for keeping me in the loop with Brooke and her situation. I will definately keep her in my prayers. Hopefully everything turns out all good with the baby as well. They'll be in my prayers for sure.

Well, the weather does sound good over there but that is a let down that Cole had his game cancelled. Maybe it will get him more excited for his next game. So Matthew has finally found a way to put his energy into something good! :) That's awesome that he is doing so well and has found something to channel some of his energy into haha! Chloe is doing gymnastics? Oh man I wish I was there to watch that! She would be so funny to watch I'm sure. What has she learned in the class? Maybe she will be able to teach me a thing or two when I get home! I don't know if I'll be able to take the sass though...

Say hello to Melissa for me! What are you planning on doing while she is down? I mean, I WAS the life of the party when she came so what are you going to be doing now? Eh, I figure you'll just play with Summer all the time or something like that :p

Hmmm I have no clue on the Christmas thing yet. I'll have to let you know what I want some other time. Maybe you could send me some of Grandpa's watermelon? That would be pretty awesome...

The guitar pick I wanted you to save was a green one. Dad said that he got it out of my phone and put it on my dresser already so no worries on that one. That's cool that you found my companions mom! Haha they are planning on picking him up and rockin around Queensland for a week before they head back to Canada so I will get to meet them.

Well I would give you an update on the investigators but I'm short on time so I won't be able to go into detail. But I'll just let you know that we still have two baptisms scheduled and they are looking really good. There are some crazy things going on here in this area of the world! It's mad how many sad things happen and then there are really good things going on too. Anywho, I'll upload some pics and then I'm out!

The random guy in the playground picture is a mini missionary that was with us for a few days. Unfortunately he got homesick and went home early. I guess we worked him too hard :/

The little courtyard picture is at the temple. And you guessed it, this is where marriage proposals occur. Elder Benson wanted me to take his picture in it for some reason...maybe he plans to use it on someone? Dodgy! And of course, the classic picture that everyone takes, Moroni.

Well I will write again in 5 days time. Thanks for the updates, the love, and all the people who have been writing me letters. They are much appreciated! Have a great week and smile! :)

Love,

Elder Reynolds

baptisms and bike wrecks

Hello!

Sorry that the email is a little late this week. Pday was changed to wednesday this week because we went to the temple this morning. It will be on monday again next week. We get to go to the temple once per transfer, so about every six weeks or so and I loved it! Like I said before I can't believe how much I miss going to the temple every week and doing baptisms there but now I can baptize people out in the field! Speaking of which the first baptism of the mission is coming up on saturday and i'm way excited for that and there are two more that could be happening soon! We just need the family to come to church again and the twins (pat and anna, who are 10) can get baptized! We are teaching a couple of people who are keen on listening and continue to progress well. I have had the opportunity to go on trade offs with nearly every elder in the district because Elder Benson is the DL so there are trade offs at least once a week! It's interesting but I like having the change of pace.

So Heather and Clint seem to be having the time of their life with this move, hopefully they get settled in soon and the kids get used to all of the changes. How has work been for them?

Tell grandma happy birthday for me! Tell gramps hi too! I miss them and the cookies and being called lil boy blue haha. Tell them I love them and to not have too much fun.

How was cleaning the temple? So many people are getting married! Have you seen Carson at all since he got married? How were the receptions and all that?

Oh I do ride bikes on two days of the week. I have a car the rest of the week and it's nice to have! I already broke in the bike and carried on the family name by wrecking on the bike on the first day! Haha it was dark and I had never been down the road before. We were going down a hill and then it turned really sharp at the bottom and I didn't have time to prep for the turn or stop so I learned how to fly and then made a new friend with the road and the curb. My right tricep nailed the curb and my shirt got ripped to shreds, I should have broken my arm to be honest with you. I lost feeling in my arm almost immediately and nearly passed out from going into shock. Oh and since heather will ask, no, I didn't cry haha. The cool thing is I stacked it in front of a members house so he drove us back to the flat and we just left the bikes at his house. My arm got swollen big time and I expected a massive bruise to show up in a few days or so because of how hard I had hit the curb but a week later and nothing showed up! My garment sleeve ended right where my arm hit the curb and didn't tear at all...protection of angels? I think so! The only thing that hurts is my wrist. It is a little stiff but it's all good, I'm sure it will loosen up soon enough.

Islander members are the best, I don't even know like any of them and one brother just came up to me and shook my hand and hugged me in the library...good times haha! They also make THE HUGEST meals. We are fasting as a district tomorrow and having a fast break at an islanders home, it will be a feast. I went to the Sekona home for dinner one night and they apologized and said they wished they could have had more time to prepare the meal because they were planning on putting a pig on. For four people. It's crazy! I still weigh the same though so no worries there yet :)

We have been teaching an asian lady named Catherine and she is super awesome! She is living with a guy named Dave (who holds the world record for longest thrown object, boomerang, at least that's what I was told) but he is a total jerk! She has four kids and is super nice. He is self centered like no other and totally uses her. She is trying to find out what to do with her life. (Enter missionaries) She is so receptive and likes what we have taught so far and i'm hoping she will listen to what we have to teach because I know what she is looking for can be found in the church.

I'd like to talk about all of my investigators and potentials but I'm running out of time on the computer and still need to attach all the photos I wanna send so that will be all for now. Tell everyone to send me some mail! I have yet to recieve a hand written letter in the mailbox so someone needs to get on that haha. Well I hope you enjoy the pictures and enjoy the rest of the week! Excpect to hear from me again on sunday after church (monday here)

Love you!

Elder Reynolds

australia

Momma!

Hey how are ya?! Australia is pretty dang good, I'm using the library computer to write you right now and will do so as long as I'm in this area. My area is called Rochedale (sounds like roachdale) and I was a little worried about how the place would be when I heard the name but after getting here I can tell that it is really nice and the name is misleading for sure! It's not next to the beach or anything but I hope to go to a place like that in my next transfer or two. I will be in Rochedale for atleast the first two transfers while Elder Benson trains me and then who knows where I will go from there! So if my calculations are right you will recieve this email at about 4:30 on Sunday right after you get out of church. It is 11:30 here in Brisbane at the moment!

Thanks for taking care of my guitars, I still haven't had the chance to play one since I left and it is killing me. I think a part of me dies every day that I don't play haha.

The mission pres will send an email with a picture but you won't get it for three days or so I think. So no worries there! President Langland is pretty cool and sweet as from what I can tell.

Well I have taught a few good lessons already and we have one guy committed to be baptized on the 20th. His name is Patric and he is really keen on the church and he wants to get his sister onto it as well. We just need him to stop smoking, which he starts today, and be clean for a week to keep the baptism date on. We have all sorts of potental investigators but he is the most promising at this point. We are also teaching two others who are progressing quite well. Lisa and Glenda are their names. Lisa has a friend who introduced her to the church and we taught her the first lesson and got her to church yesterday along with Pat and Glenda. Glenda is a woman in her 60's with Parkinsons. She is really cool and wants to learn more about the church so hopefully that all goes well. It will be an interesting day if she gets baptized yeah?

Well I'm gonna try and attach some pictures right about now so hopefully that works. Oh and you can post anything on the blog that you feel comfortable with, you be the judge :) Oh and stetson asked me to have you send the pictures of him and myself to his mom but didn't give me an email. He said just to have melissa post them on facebook and tag him in them so his mom would get that notification. Well I'll be signing off with that and I hope you enjoy the pictures! I look forward to hearing how your week went and tell you how mine went too! Love you all!

Elder Brock Reynolds

P.S. Let Laurissa know that the toilets don't flush the other way, they just kinda go straight down. But the water does go the other way if you drain the sink, etc.

in ausie safe and sound

Hello Reynolds family ­- Greetings from Australia!
This is just a short note to thank you for sending your son into the mission field.We have a new tradition in our family that we take photos of the missionaries when they come for dinner and email them home, so you know your son is getting fed. J J J As you probably know, Elder Reynolds arrived here in Rochedale Ward on Wednesday night and we had the pleasure of having he and his companion, Elder Benson, join us for dinner on Friday evening. Elder Benson has been in our ward for 6 months and also trained his last companion. Elder Benson is a wonderful missionary – quite obedient – and faithfully serves. He is a great Elder to have as a first companion. I have already enjoyed having Elder Reynolds around and look forward to serving with him as part of the ward missionary team over the coming months.

Kind regards

Tony & Dominique Rolls

laundry room writing! and pics!

Hey family! I'm writing you from in the laundry room while my clothes are washing. The branch president said that us aussie boys could make today our pday and just forget the normal schedule in prep for leaving the mtc. All I need to do is finish the wash and then I can start packing! In about exactly 12 hours I will be on my way to LA for my connect to Sydney. I am gonna get some sweet pictures from up in the air, the opera house maybe? I have some pictures that I'm wanting to send you in email but these computers suck here so I'll have to do it next week in the field. I found Stetson here and we got some pictures together, he told me to have someone put them on facebook for us so maybe melissa could do that when I send you the pictures with my next email.

The mtc has been an amazingly interesting. It has been said that our missions will be the most wonderfully awful experience...I don't know how I feel about that but all I can do is hope for the best no? I have made some really good friends with the elders who were in my district 7A. Half of the guys took off this morning at 330 to go to the travel office and drive to the airport. The room I was in all woke up to say goodbye to the boys and tell them anything we wanted to say. One of the guys (elder lyons) gave me a thin sweater from thailand that is pretty sweet! You will definately think it is interesting but I will post a picture of it so you can see what I'm talking about. Everyone was pretty jealous that I got the sweater :)

How is everyone back home? Jared sent me some emails and I got a couple pictures of the car they got but I haven't heard from anyone else lately. I haven't got the dear elder letters from saturday yet because the mail room closes before they get printed out on that day so I will get them today. I'll send you my address for aussieland once I get it and I expect you to spread it among everyone! If you see any of my friends you need to kick them and tell them to write me!

Has cole tried to play my 3ds yet? Or has lane and chloe tried to play the guitars? Which by the way, I don't remember you telling me where you stored Jimmy and Emily Mae...When does school start for all the chilluns? I'm sure all of the siblings are pretty excited to have that day come. Say hi to everyone for me and let them know what I've been up to.

Well I'm tryin to prep myself for this huge day of traveling that will put me on the opposite side of the world and 17 hours ahead of AZ time (it just barely changed days to the 2nd there) but it's not something that you can really prepare for! I've just been singing 'leaving on a jet plane' in my head since I woke up and it's sticking pretty strong. Oh and I found out I can buy a calling card at the byu bookstore so I will buy one to call you with at the airport. I don't know if I'll have time to call you when I'm at the Salt Lake one so expect a call anytime between 7 and 10 because I might have to call you in LA since I'll have more time with the layover and all.

I got the shades and I'm lovin them! I can't wait to try them out in the bright Brisbane sun. I'm so excited to meet the people I'm going to teach for the next two years! I pray to have a love for them beyond what I can have myself, but it shouldn't be too hard to love all the Australians! So apparently the beaches aren't just sketchy to be by as a missionary because the water, but some parts of the beach are clothes free zones. I've been told that I'll probably see a couple nudies running around so that should be interesting :/ I'll just look away and whistle a hymn or something...Haha!

Well I'm out of time, can't wait til i'm not restricted by time so I can tell you some good stories! Bye for now, love you all! :)

Elder Brock Reynolds

catching up on brocks letters. :)

Family!

So...I hear you miss me! I also hear mom cried when she smelled my shirt that she wasn't sure about if it was clean or not. I don't really know whether to think of that as a tender moment or dissapointing, I guess it depends on the details that I didn't get...Anywho! What is goin on back in Thatcher land? Give me some news updates on crazy things happening. I hear there was another celeb OD death recently, Amy Winehouse. Oh those druggies.

Well I bet you are wondering when I leave. I have told a few people in letters that I mailed today but you guys will still be the first to know (if you open your email before jared does that is) I leave the mtc on monday the first at 530 pm and arrive in Brisbane on wednesday the 3rd at 1230 pm. I get to fly into the future thanks to the international dateline! I have a layover at LAX for two hours and also a layover in Sydney for two hours. Altogether it will take a full 24 hours to get there :/ Crazy!

Well it's spiritual experience time! So this past sunday, the 24th of july as we all know, there was a fireside. The fireside was alright, nothing too amazing but for the closing song we sang 'come come ye saints' with a recording of motab...Which if you don't remember is the same song they used for the grand finale of the tcc. I had lost my voice for some reason ( i got a little sore throat for a while) so i couldn't sing very loud but I gave it all I had. We all stood up for the last verse in the gym where firesides are held and a flood of memories came crashing down on me. In my mind I was looking up into the night sky while hearing thousands of youth sing to the prophet and feeling all the love in the world in my heart. I was the one singing along this time though. It reminded me of that night on my 18th birthday where I cried my eyes out while 'flying' in the air. We watched Legacy after the fireside and that was amazing as well. I have missed the temple soooooo much since I left because the provo temple has been closed since i got here but I found out friday that it would be opening on tuesday, my pday, and that I would be able to go! I was so excited! While at the temple I had one of the best visits I had. As I sat in the Celestial Room and prayed I started to cry because I knew that the Lord had allowed me to go to the temple once again before I left...which is something I really wanted.

I'd love to say more but I only have 2 minutes left on email! I love you all and next time you get an email from me I will be in Australia!

Elder Brock Reynolds

P.S. Look up the lyrics to come come ye saints for the last verse and try to put yourselves in my shoes as I stood up to sing the last verse with thousands of missionaries, you will know why I cried :)