Don't worry bout nothin, pray about everything

This week has been kinda terrible and awsome at the same time. 

So ill start by talking about the terrible. On Friday I got sick. It is terrible. If you saw the picture that was posted on instagram by sis. Stone, I was dying in that. Yeah I got ZERO sleep the night before. So after the baptism, I was feeling like crap so I went home and took a nap. For a few hours and then stayed in for the rest of the day. I felt terrible that I couldn't go out and do work. But now as I don't have a voice at all I don't feel all that bad because I'm sure people wouldn't want to talk to me with the way I sound right now haha 

But getting to the good part! Tracie was baptized on Saturday!!! It was awesome! Her legs don't work the best and she was really worried about getting hurt. But the baptism couldn't have gone any better. She said that she was excited and nervous before the baptism but was now just even more excited after her Baptism. Tracie is so great! She loves the church. She loves the feeling she has while she learns. She is happy that she has found peace in her life. 

Just wanna give a little update on some baptisms I've had in this area. Nick , the big guy who was baptized about a month ago, received the Aaronic priesthood today! I didn't even realize that he was interviewed for it! It has been so great seeing him progress and learn to love the church even more than in the past. 

Will, got married to Ashley a while ago--beginning of march-- came to church today and was asking me a bunch of questions about different things going on! He also brought up his baptism date, which is June 10th. He is excited for it! Transfers are next week so who knows if I'll be staying or not.

It's really strange being on my mission. At the beginning of serving here in Morgantown, I really didn't like it here. I thought it was too hard, the people were annoying  and no one wanted to talk to us. Although the last part is true, I have grow to absolutely love the people here. I love the ward we have. I love the strange conversations that go on with the people we talk to. Now that I love this area my guess is that I'll probably be leaving...

Anyway, I hope yall had a great week! 

Love 

Reese 

This picture, I was dying in. Feeling like crap and super excited for Tracie

Best Pday ever

Need I say more!

Singin those campfire songs... Ohh should been a cowboy

I guess the first thing I should talk about is how much fun I had yesterday. We were out trying to visit W. He is the husband of Ashley. Ashley is out of town so she wanted us to go visit him every once in awhile. So we went and stopped by and he wasn't at his house but he came and walked up to us and said "Hey guys! You know how to play corn hole?"  I said yep so we went and played with him and some other people. I didn't really know how to best toss the bag to get it to stay on the box the best. But I eventually figured it out. After I played a round Will started playing on a team with a girl. It was pretty terrible. Will was awful. The score was 3-17. So he said "Elder Maxfield come play. But remember, if you lose. It's your fault." So I go into this thinking we are about to get smacked. But.... we ended up winning 21-19. So that was pretty crazy

That was a party. We gained trust with a bunch of people. Apparently one of the guys we were playing with "Makes missionaries cry when they come to [His] door" They all liked us a lot. One of the boys asked us I'd we could come by again tomorrow. We said we will come back later this week. Hopefully we can get some new investigators because of corn hole!! 

But other than that this week was as pretty slow. We had zone conference in Hopkinsville, so we drove out there and had a party with the whole zone and the Paducah zone. I saw my son Elder case and a bunch of other friends. I love zone conference. I love learning from our leaders and hearing what president and Sis. Stone have to tell us. I love them and I love my mission so much. 

I can't really think of too much else we have going on this week. We do have a baptism coming up this Saturday! Her name is T. We are really excited for her. She has had a really hard life and she said that she finally feels love at church. She is great. 

That's about it! I hit my year in the field mark this week! Pretty darn excited! 

Love y'all! 

Reese

Me, sis. Curtis, sis. Gray, elder Curtis, elder Mathews at Zone conference on Wednesday 

One of my good friends goes home in a few weeks! Hermana Uchytil was in Clarksville Spanish when I was in Clarksville 1

"If you can't avoid it; enjoy it"--Former President Andersen 

I'd never count the cost. It's worth all that's lost. Just to see you smile

Throwing it back to good ol Tim Mcgraw. Yesterday while we were talking on the phone my mom told me I looked happy. That made me even more happy. This is the happiest ive ever been in my entire life. I absolutely love it. 

Anyway. This week was FULL of exchanges. We started off the week with exchanges with the Russellville elders. We finally found a new investigator by tracting! We also were able to set a date with Tracy. She is the girlfriend of a less Active member! She is super nice. She has a few handicaps but she is awesome. She loves the gospel and wants to be baptized. 

We were also able to go down to CLARKSVILLE 1st!!!!!!! On exchanges with the zone leaders! Elder Jessop and elder Taylor! I love those guys. We went and visited some members, and I am happy that they still remembered me. So that was nice. Also being back in Clarksville was just fantastic. Actually having homes to tract. Places to go. People to talk to. You know. The city. Cuz I'm out here in the country in Morgantown. So I'm not used to that. It was really funny because at some of the doors while we were tracting I was like YEEESSS!!!! Doors to knock!!!!!!!!! So I would walk really fast to beat Elder Taylor to the door--Sorry homeboy I don't get that here. 

Saturday we worked hard and got a call from a member and he asked us to help get some flowers ready for mothers day. So we went out to the church and got all of these flowers ready so that we could pass them out during sacrament meeting. 

Sunday we got to call home!!! It was so fantastic being able to talk to my family again. I do want to say I wish it could have been later in the year. I think the summer really breaks you down. So I wish It could have been at the end of the summer but I'm not complaining. I loved. Especially when I cried, when I said family prayer. It was terrible. I'm sorry mom and family that you had to witness that.... But I love yall! 

Well, I hope yall have a great week! I pray for yall every day. Especially my friends who are around the world serving missions. Always thinking about you guys. 

Love 

Reese! 

Elder Taylor, Elder Hlebasko, ME

Is that.... CHOCOLATE MILK!?!?!? 

8 HOURS LATER. 

Can't you see that it's just rainin, ain't no need to go outside

I will add to Jack Johnson, we go out anyway. Even if it is raining... Cuz we are missionaries. 

Week 52 is in the books! A year ago I was in the MTC! Can't believe it. But I've learned so much this past year. One of them being how much someone can change. Meaning  myself. I never thought that my mission would change me as much as it has. There is a literal physical difference that I've seen. I did the notice it until I was kneeling down in prayer, going through a hard time trying to figure out somethings. I was asking for help; of course I was crying but I got up to go to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. God showed me how much I had changed. I visibly saw it. It was astounding. There are things that I saw in me that I would never had seen a year ago.-- there's a lot more to this so mom; ask me about it when I call home on Sunday. 

But since last week we became a ward I wanted to go on exchanges so that we can get to know the other members in the new part of the ward. I went up to Hartford with Elder Olsen. It was so much fun. For those of you who don't remember who elder Olsen is we were serving in the same district when I was back in Murray. People ask us if we were companions. But we weren't. We are just good buddies. But we worked hard. It was the end of a long day and we were driving around and we found a few kids who were playing soccer. So we went up to them and asked if we could come play with them. They said "No..." We asked why?? They said "well you're wearing that shirt, those pants and those shoes." We were like "so??" Note... These guys were Mexican and barely spoke English. Long story short we start kicking the ball around with them and then before we know it another 20 people show up and we are playing a full soccer game on a tennis court. It was so much fun!!!!! I scored 2 goals! More goals than I've ever scored in my soccer career!! Elder Olsen had one. But it was an own goal... So we don't count it. But our team did;) but it was super fun. Also super funny. We asked one of the guys where he was from and he said "Here..." In a SUPER thick accent. So we just said cool. But we knew her wasn't from here haha. We talked with one of the kids who was our age and he was telling us about how there are a lot of illegals here and how he is one too. He said that they probably thought we are immigration coming to get them..... So that was funny. 

But anyway. We took on Elder Andersons advice and used the basketball court on Saturday night! We invited some youth to come play ball with us! We had 3 non members come!!!! There were only 9 of us so that's a pretty darn good turn out!! One of them came to church the next day! We will keep you posted on that. Bishop loved the idea. So do the Curtis's (Senior couple--Mom and dad's age) so we are going to keep doing that. 

Other than that we are still struggling to find people but we know they are out there!!! 

I LOVE my mission so much. It has been the best year of my life and I can't wait to push forward with this next year. 

Love yall!!

Reese 

 The shirt burning at the year mark! 

Pretty creepy mirror in the park. 

 summer is coming!!

I need it. 

We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside

OHHH BOOYYY YYEEEEEEĒĒĒ!!! 

This week was so much fun. It doesn't feel like we got a whole lot done. But as I look back it was a complete blur!!! So we started off by really working hard to find people to teach. We went tracting and tracting but to no avail. We really need to get in contact with these referrals. They just dont open their doors... we can't catch em while they are home! Either that or they don't want to hear our message that will bring them salvation... Who knows. The world may never know! 

So while we were out knocking on them doors we had this sweet lady tell us the best thing ever!!! "Why don't you just... Go away" YES!!! Thank you lady!! I love it. 

But! GOOD NEWS! Last week I hinted at something. Don't know if yall caught on to it but MORGANTOWN BECAME A WARD!!!!!!!! We combined with another branch to become a ward! We are so excited. So knowing this we were asked to come help out with a festival that is put on by some of the members from the then called "Hartford Branch". We figured it would help us gain trust. So we went up there on Friday and pretty much helped out all day long. It was great. We were able to talk to a BUNCH of people who weren't of our faith and put a really great face out there for missionaries. It was great. 

But! EVEN BETTER NEWS!! Elder Neil L. Anderson came to visit our mission on Saturday!!! It was so great. He talked to us about how we need to relate with the youth. How they are the key to developing the work in our areas. That they have friends that aren't members. It was awesome but he said something that really hit me and made me even more converted and strengthened my testimony that we have a prophet. This is what he said.... "Elders and sisters, I meet with President Monson on Thursdays and I will report to him that I met with a great set of missionaries in PADUCAH! He will say that is great! Paducah where?--Paducah Kentucky-- Well did you tell them that I love them? That I am praying for them?--Why yes I did" 

When he said this it hit me. That even though president Monson doesn't where Paducah is. Let alone Morgantown KY is, he loves us and prays for us. He is direct communications with God and Jesus Christ who do know where Morgantown is. I absolutely loved that. 

It was such a great week everyone. What a great way to finish off ONE YEAR in this mission field. I hit one year on Thursday this week. I can't believe it. This has been the best year of my life without a doubt. 

Love yall. 

Reese 

Tracting them ol dirt roads 

California? Is that you? No? Didn't think so....

Road trip to Paducah

Tear drop falls down my cheek