Saturday the 10th.

This week has gone so well. I've learned a lot and felt the Spirit powerfully.

The snow is falling heavily outside (it's been snowing since yesterday.) The Mountains are so beautiful in the snow, and the whole MTC looks beautiful in its winter covering. Most of the sidewalks are covered, which makes it safer for us and easier for the shoveling crews.

I fell very blessed with my companero, Elder Bishop. One of the companionships has been having a very tough time (in fact, today I'm on temporary splits with one of the elders while they wait to work out their differences with the Branch President tonight.)

It's sad because they're both good missionaries, but they've just had a hard time adjusting with each other.

Last Sunday was fast Sunday, and one of the happiest Fast Sundays I can remember. Our branch is a Spanish advanced/intermediate branch and last Sunday I understood 95% (okay, well maybe only 87%) of what the native Spanish speakers said (well, maybe even 87% is too generous) but I understood a lot, more than ever before. It was nice to know I was learning Spanish. I know it's the gift of tongues. Preach My Gospel says the Gift of Tongues (like all spiritual gifts, I think,) comes as we work diligently to receive it. I'm so grateful that my insignificant and blundering efforts to learn Spanish have been rewarded with such wonderful blessings.

Another tender mercy was revealed to me on Sunday. My companion stood and bore his testimony. He told of the struggles he'd been having adapting to the MTC, his feeling of inadequacy and personal doubts (none of which I knew about) and about how the Lord had helped him overcome his fears. For some reason the Spirit touched me and I learned a lesson: It's important to love and support your companion all the time; he's fighting inward battles that I have no idea about. I was grateful for the Spirit which had helped me show love and patience and support which he'd needed when I had no idea. It made me want to constantly be striving to be more patient and loving with my companion.

I have an awesome story about my Spanish: On Sunday I was teaching Sister Perez (from Honduras) how to lead music. I don't think I told you but I've been called as the Branch Music Coordinator, which entails choosing someone to play and lead the music on Sundays and to teach each district how to lead the music. Anyway, I tried to explain some musical term to Hermana Perez in my broken-at-best Spanish, and completely failed. It was fairly funny, especially for her I bet it sounded hilarious how I conjugated, misplaced words, added nonsensical words, and lost important ones. She bean to laugh – really hard – and said, "Please, please, talk in English. It hurts my ears." She was joking, but in fact I wasn't offended at all. For me it signified a great miracle that will take place. Me, with my painfully poor Spanish, will be able to go to Argentina and become a tool for the Lord. It was kind of like when Gideon sent his last troops home – it was all in the hands of the Lord then, and my Spanish is all in the hands of the Lord now.

Thank you so much for your letters, they make me smile! Good luck with violin, Mom! I know you'll do well. I'd better go change my laundry. The gospel is powerful. It is the Power of God unto salvation – unto becoming like God.

I love you!

Sincerely,

Elder Reynolds.

PS I lost 12 pounds – maybe it was from cutting back on my servings from 3 – 2.

(He had earlier said he'd gained about ten pounds.)