Standing on The Headwaters of the Mississippi

Hello everyone! Happy December!

This past week was normal busy missionary work. We have been going into new areas and finding new people to teach, which has been fun! I really love meeting new people and hearing their stories. Some people have grown up here their whole lives here and never left. Some moved here to start a new life. Although I'm not in the most "international" part of the world, you certainly still meet people who come from very different walks of life.

I've found missionary work to be pretty unique. So far, being out just barely around 3 weeks, I have learned the importance of relationships. Both a relationship to God and those you teach is critical. As we strive to see and interact with others as Christ would, we see them as fellow children of God. I'm certainly no expert, but I strive daily to try.

I really like a scripture, Ephesians 2:19, which states:

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"

This week I had the opportunity to visit the Headwaters of the Mississippi! I even got to cross a portion of the river on the rocks, so I can now say I've crossed the Mississippi – ha ha. Due to the cold weather, many parts of it are frozen over, allowing us to also walk, slide, and dance on the Mississippi River. Not something you get to say very often!

Don't worry - there is a fine line between me and the water. It's around 7-8 inches of ice! So, I'm still following standards. (Missionaries are not allowed to swim).
Wishing you a warm and enjoyable December! Love you all. Remember, you are doing better than you think you are!

Elder Reynolds
Anh Cả Reynolds
Explorer of the Headwaters of the Mississippi

Comments

Hours in Hồ Chí Minh

Alo, This week was an adventure - filled with good stories and blessings. I'm a little tired, but I'd rather be a tired missionary than a bored missionary. Monday - Trains, Planes, and Automobiles Monday afternoon while enjoying Preparation Day in the Old Quarter District, we got a call from the Elders who help our Mission President, the Assistants. The Assistants were flying down later in the evening to Hồ Chí Minh City to do a mission presentation -- but unfortunately one of them became very ill and would be unable to fly. They asked if I would be willing to pack and head down to help. Certainly wasn't what we expected, but we were ready to help. Elder McBride and I traveled back to Hà Đông, packed, and headed over. Elder McBride stayed with the ill missionary, while the other Assistant and I went down South. We left at 7:15pm and landed in Hồ Chí Minh at 9:30pm. We got a taxi and stayed the night in Thảo Điền- the very first area I served in Vietnam, one year ...

Welcome to Vietnam - Don't Take the Honking Personally

Xin chào mọi người! They're sending me to Vietnam... it's a whole lot of scooters... Things have been great here in Vietnam. I'm currently sitting in a park after doing my second dance practice with some people we met last week. We're waiting for a friend to meet us to play some pickleball. If I wrote down everything that has happened within the past week this email would be too large to send, so here is a brief bullet point list of the highlights: -Landed in Hanoi and did orientation. Was told I would be serving in the Ho Chi Minh area. Woo hoo! My Mission Presidency is awesome. -Met my companion Elder Luân. His English is good but communicating is sometimes still difficult. 😅 I am constantly speaking Vietnamese, which has helped me learn a lot. -Had first English Activity night and taught about Idaho, haha. The slideshow was already made by someone from Vietnam, and went over all the highlights of things like: Potatoes, sagebrush, dairy cows, and irrigation....

Hanoian Hamburgers

Alo- Hope you are doing well and enjoying the Spring Weather. We are hoping to start getting some warmer weather this next week (meaning the grey overcast that has been here for the past 3.5 months leaves). This week I don't really have much to report on. Always Adjusting: This week was mainly just adjustment to the new area and assignment. This transfer I'll be helping as an Assistant, which is mainly a lot of behind the scenes work. It reminds me a lot of when I was doing Social Media work a little over a year ago - rather than managing the social media, you help with different aspects of the mission. There isn't anything extremely stressful or overwhelming -- it is just lots of small tasks you have to learn to do. My current companion has great experience in this role and has been teaching me lots. He leaves at the end of this transfer, so I am trying to absorb as much as I can to get it ready for the next transfer. The Mission Branch: One aspect I have been enjoying ...

Elder Reynolds in Hanoi

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