Wow! I can’t believe that I’ve spent a whole transfer home from my mission! I'm terrible because I keep pushing this email off more and more. I want to close all of my weekly emails, but I'm not sure how exactly I want to do so.
First off, my last week and some of serving in the CDNM was great!! Sadly, we barley had anytime for any "regular" missionary work. We finished all of our performances for the musical, which was really sad. However, a day or two later we were all asked to be apart of the Spanish versions of this. The difference of turning our musical performance was that it was less of a play, and more of a devotional. We have two missionaries that speak Spanish, so they talked in-between songs. We got together one morning/ afternoon to translate some of the songs into Spanish. We performance half the songs in Spanish and half in English (the Spirit is strong no matter what language you're speaking). What was really nice about our practice, is that for once I could relax more, but I did have to leave at one point to give my departing interview with our mission President. At the performances, I didn't do much either because all I decided to do was leave everyone's microphone on, and it made it much easier to balance everything. With MTM coming to a close, I had NO time to do all the things I needed to do to prepare for me going home. There was letters to be written and things to pack. I ended up doing all this in the mission home the night before I flew home because things were SO BUSY.
Easter Sunday was probably one of my favorites I've ever had. We got home late from MTM, so as soon as I got home and it hit midnight, I had to send a text over to my family, the new guidelines lets us communicate with our families on holidays. Of course none of them were awake, but I still had to bug them as soon as possible. Like usual, I went to church and did my missionary thing. Sunday afternoon we were over at the Mission Home with all of my favorite MTM people. I had a real Easter Sunday dinner, which I found out that many people do this every year and there's specific food people usually eat. The Savages had us do an Easter egg hunt, it was pretty fun, but there were too many of us in the tiny place they wanted us to go. We closed the night with singing Give Me This Mountain with all 11 of us cast and crew missionaries. The Spirit was so strong, and my love for them continually grows deeper.
As a missionary departing from the CDNM I had to pack my bags and come to where we all met up for transfers. When we got to the church building, I said bye to my wonderful and amazing missionaries. I don't know if it was being famous from MTM, dying and coming back alive, getting transferred so many times, or if I was just a friendly person, but there were so many missionaries that I loved dearly and I didn't want to leave. My missionary friends take part of a very special place in my heart, and I have such a strong Christ-like love towards each of them!
The departing missionaries hung-out as the other missionaries came and left to their areas and as those who were training had their meetings. It just didn't feel like we were leaving yet. President Savage took us out to lunch, and this one Sister and I kept saying to each other how dis-obedient we felt for just hanging out and not going out and doing missionary work. Later, we were taken to the Fort Collins temple, a place where only those going home get to go to, and it was gorgeous. We arrived at the mission home late that night where the Savages and other talked our ears off.
Friday morning we woke-up, ate breakfast, and got our bags ready for the airport. We rode over in the MTM Fam Van, but it was not longer called that because MTM finished. Off to the airport we went and then arrived home. I got released as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that night. What a blessing this has been!
As you can see from the pictures, the transformation from Sister Reynolds to Aubrey created a bunch of confused and scary faces. However, it's done, and it's exactly the way it needs to be. Know that Sister Reynolds is not dead, but the next time she comes back, she'll be quite a bit older and a small chance of being wiser.
As Aubrey, I have got a job to keep me entertained, I do online classes to help me get a little more advanced when I start college, and I have a calling as my ward's YSA rep. Don't worry my missionaries, I'm still finding time to read at least half an hour from the Book of Mormon every day and attending the temple on an often basis. I have also gone out and helped the sister missionaries in my stake to keep me feeling that missionary spirit! I have friends and family that I have come and see me/ are coming. It's been great to catch-up with so many people. I always imagined myself serving a mission, but I don't remember having any other main goals than that. Now it's to go to college and to eventually get married, we'll see what the Lord has in store once I get to that point.
I'm grateful for all my friends and family that have been and are cheering me on, and for all the amazing Elders and Sisters out there giving it their best. I love you all!!
-Aubrey Reynolds :)
