"Do you want to bike upstream, or downstream?"

Dạ cháu alô các bác các cô chú và các anh chị em ạ.

It has been another great week here in Vietnam. We are seeing a lot of progress with our friends and are meeting really great people! Thank you for all your prayers and support, I know they really do help. Shall we begin?

Previous Preparation Day:

Our district met together and went to the Old Quarter district here in Hanoi. I thought it was going to be full of ancient buildings, lots of history, and other cultural landmarks. It isn't - in fact, it is just a giant tourist trap full of shops and knock-offs. Don't get me wrong it was still super fun, I loved me some good knock-off Legos and sunglasses, I just had some different expectations. Combined with the 116 degree heat, we didn't last very long. We did go to a Michelin star restaurant for Bún Chả which was good. I took one of the best naps on my mission and recovered from getting sick.

Elder Kessler:

As many of you are aware two missionaries in the North Dakota Bismarck Mission passed away in a car accident this past week. One of them, Elder Kessler served as my first Zone Leader in the mission field and was a great example for us missionaries. I had the opportunity to meet with him weekly at our District Councils and do one exchange with him. He and the other Zone Leader also transported me to Bismarck where I stayed for 3 days waiting to go to Vietnam. Although very limited time with Elder Kessler, he taught me a lot.

Elder Kessler was very smart. Being from a small town in Nevada he had a lot of experience with agriculture and the outdoors. I remember him telling me about his stories of riding horses, going dirt biking in the desert. He seemed pretty handy, he could explain all the essential parts of an engine and how it all works. From some of our conversations he mentioned wanting to study finance and incorporate it into agricultural work. I remember he talked about his family a lot, especially his father. I think the lesson I took away from Elder Kessler the most was that you don't need a fiery testimony to have a powerful testimony. There is power in the simple, consistent truths of the gospel.

Exchanges:

This week I got to go back to my previous area and do an exchange with our Zone Leaders. It was fun to bike around where I was before and see some familiar faces. I also got to see my companion from the MTC Elder Bennett which was great!

The next day we came home and exchanged again with the APs which was a fun day. We had tons of lessons and biked in a massive rainstorm on our way to print out baptismal service flyers - hence the name of the email. It was so much water, we might as well have gone swimming. We ordered McDonald's for lunch and for dinner got massive burritos. It was a productive, soaking wet, fun day.
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Understanding the Atonement

This week I started a pretty deep study into the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I realized something during my study that I thought I would share: Throughout my life I've always heard and learned about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through Him and His sacrifice, I could overcome challenges, find strength, and focus on the positive. Although powerful, at times I would feel that when I have negative feelings or feel frustrated I would be disrespecting the Atonement. I would feel guilty for feeling sad. But I realized, the atonement actually validates those feelings. They are so real, that Jesus Christ wept and felt each one of them for the world. No wonder I feel sad about something - Jesus Christ did too. Maybe you already realized that or have had a similar thought, but it was something that really struck me this week and brought me a lot of peace.

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Thanks for the read! I am doing great and loving every second I get to phục vụ in Vietnam. Life is great, Jesus loves you, and the skies are blue. Have a fantastic week!

Anh Cả Reynolds

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KXNEyuJ6epdKQtAq6