(-) x (-) = +

"It’s remarkable how much we can learn about life by studying nature. For example, scientists can look at the rings of trees and make educated guesses about climate and growing conditions hundreds and even thousands of years ago. One of the things we learn from studying the growth of trees is that during seasons when conditions are ideal, trees grow at a normal rate. However, during seasons when growing conditions are not ideal, trees slow down their growth and devote their energy to the basic elements necessary for survival. At this point some of you may be thinking, “That’s all very fine and
good, but what does it have to do with flying an airplane?” Well, let me tell you. Have you ever been in an airplane and experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll. While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting to passengers. What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road. Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions."
"The wise understand and apply the lessons of tree rings and air turbulence. They resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”In short, they focus on the things that matter most.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks, in a recent general conference, taught, “We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and
strengthen our families.”
"There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions. "For example, it wasn’t long after astronauts and cosmonauts orbited
the earth that they realized ballpoint pens would not work in space. And so some very smart people went to work solving the problem. It took thousands of hours and millions of dollars, but in the end, they developed a pen that could write anywhere, in any temperature, and on nearly any surface. But how did the astronauts and cosmonauts get along until the problem was solved? They simply used a pencil."
As we turn to our Heavenly Father and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most, we learn over and over again the importance of four key relationships: with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves. "
-Of Things That Matter Most by President Uchtdorf

This week has been been great! They teach us in school that a - times a - always equals a +. This week has turned out a +! I couldn't be happier!

I have a new companion, Sister Gibbons! She is from Cache Vally, Utah! Two Aggies together= a good time! She is 22 tomorrow! She has 5 weeks left on her mission! And so far...she is a great companion! :) I plan to keep it that way! We have some great new plans to try with the ward
so I'm excited to see what comes the next few weeks!

The Ss are doing great! Last night we were over visiting them and A asked for a lesson. I decided to read the Book of Mormon with her. K wanted to join in too. K had been skyping a friend and the friend asked " hey is that the Book of Mormon?" K said "ya". Her friend got her's out and read it with us. I asked K after if her friend was a member. She said "no". Then I asked her how she knew
about the Book of Mormon and how she got one. Kayla told me "she kept asking me tons of questions so I gave her one and told her to read it." How awesome is that! If a brand new member can be a missionary we better be!

FYI-It only took Sister Gibbons two days too pick up on my "hick" accent and ask me where it came from! Haha.
I hope you all have a great week! Love you all and remember.....just use a pencil:)
Love,
Sister Reber

 LIFE IS GOOD!

 Sister Gibbons and me.

Ups and Downs!

Hey!
This week has been awesome! It's had it's ups and downs. I had my first baptism! The S kids (K, A and N) were baptized Friday night and confirmed on Sunday. The font hot water heater broke so the
kids had to be baptized in 60 degree water....they were champs about it! It was an amazing baptism, the spirit was so strong, and us sister missionaries actually sounded good for our song (at least that's what everyone said).
I said goodbye to Sister Brewster today. Hardest thing on the mission yet! I will miss her so much! I'm getting a new companion, Sister Gibbons, this will be her last transfer on her mission. Killing 2
missionaries in a row! God knows best.
Last night we had our last hurray!  Brother N (aka Dad) has an old restored Mustang. We all hoped in a took it for "a spin". We won't say how fast we went ;). It was a great time!
Have a great week! Love you all!
Love,
Sister Reber

 Taking the mustang for a spin.

 Sister Brewster, Sister Little, and I. Last time together 😢

 The "S" kids t their baptism.

 Sister N and I.

 With the Elders.

And the most action I'll be getting for a while!

What a Week!

Good morning Family & Friends,
I'll tell ya, when they say "a mission isn't always easy" ....It's true! This week was very discouraging and as contradicting as it may seem....we had a lot of miracles as well. Here are some pictures of
our good times this week.

-Our 6 month "party" celebrated with Razzilisous frozen yogurt.

-Us and the Elders(Ballard & Harris) with a returning memeber. We have

seen an amazing change in her life.

-Sister Brewsters "dying" present. That's me standing next to her. And

it just might be this sad when she leaves:)

I hope you all have a great week and you will be in my prayers.
Love,
Sister Reber

Aug. 4th

Good Morning!

My mind has been all over the place this week. I hope and pray that each of you might get something out of my letter this week that will help you in your life. Here are some highlights of my week.
-J called us one morning and asked us to come teach her an C a lesson that afternoon. What investigator does that? Golden! The lesson was awesome and it gave them a lot to think about. They were at church this Sunday.
- We had another lesson with the S Family this week! They are so excited to be baptized on the 15th! We have spent a lot of time just being with them this week. I'm so excited to watch them progress in this gospel and seeing all the blessings they receive.
- Sister Brewster went down to Sacramento this week her departing temple trip so I got to spend 2 days with the Cottonwood Sisters! Man we had too much fun!
- Wild fires are going crazy here! There are 3 of them right by us. If there is anything I would ask you to do this week, it would pray for the people here. They have been going for 3 days now and are still 0 percent contained. Our "mom" showed us some videos last night and well I couldn't sleep last night. Please, please keep the people here in your prayers!
-Sunday we had an amazing lesson in Relief Society. It was actually inspired by Sister Brewster. Last week we were at a members home talking about Sister Brewster going home and her next step in life.
She said "I have to find that right man" then Brother M said "no, you have to BE THAT GIRL" We all know that lady or man that we look up to, that we want to be just like, THAT GIRL that everyone
wants to be like. What are her/his characteristics? How can you get them? And then the last thing she said in the lesson...."and maybe you were that girl you wanted to be, what happened,...you can still get her back!" I have struggled this week when people tell me "man you are coming out of your shell","you are starting to talk now",etc. It's been frustrating knowing that I'm not "changing" I'm just getting my personality back! I'm not trying to be someone else anymore. I just want to be myself and that's what my Heavenly Father wants. I'm changing my character but not my personality.
-It's Sister Brewster and I's 6 month "anniversary" today! Woot!!
Thanks for all your support and love.
Love,
Sister Reber

President Uchtdorf adds: “Successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.

 The Cottonwood Sisters and I!

 Fire burning near Burney.

 Selfie Sunday!

😇 Blessed!

Good morning family and friends!

I don't have much time to write today but I do want to share a miracle from this week and then leave you with a message from my dear friend, President Uchtdorf. This week we have truly been blessed. We had 4/5 of our investigators to church yesterday. We filled a whole big bench. The S Family 3 of which are on date for August 16! Well.. We have had hang ups with where they would be baptized and the mom refused to allow the kids to be baptized up here. She even got so mad she stormed out of our lesson this week! We were so nervous that she wasn't going to bring the kids to church, but they were there yesterday! Anyways, we had a special fast yesterday for them and last night K texted me and told me HER MOM

IS DONE FIGHTING US, SHE WILL LET THEM BE BAPTIZED HERE(: yayyyyyyyy! They will be baptized on Aug. 30th. It's been a great week! Thanks for all your support and love!

Love,

Sister Reber 

Sister L found out that I had never eaten Spaghetti Os. So, she fixed them for me for dinner.

Of Regrets and Resolutions

By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants—including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need—is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives.
Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self.
Let us resolve to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents.
The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior’s grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us.

Blessed to Serve! ☔️

Good Afternoon!
After tracting for hours after hours in the heat, after exhausting our brains thinking of ways to do things, after getting on our knees and praying multiple times a day for help and guidance... This week has shown me why I KEEP GOING! I could not feel more blessed to be apart of this great work! Here are some of our miracles from this week.
-Zone Meeting this week was inspired for me! Everything that our Zone leaders taught was exactly what I needed. We talked the entire time about the love that our Heavenly Father has for his missionaries and the people we teach. One thing that really has kept me thinking this week, was a quote from our Mission President. He said "we need to think of our investigators/converts and all those we teach in white. Not at their baptism but in the temple with us!" That has changed my
whole look on my mission. My mission does not end when someone gets baptized. It's not the end! Our ultimate goal is to enter into the covenants we make at the temple and that should be our goal! In a year, I will not be set apart to Preach the Gospel as a full time missionary, but those people that I help and invited to get baptized are still my responsibility. How blessed am I to be called to serve
and be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
-We had an amazing lesson with K, A, and N at the M Family's home this week. Sister S and Brother and Sister M hit it off from the beginning! We had dinner, played around, and had a great spiritual lesson.
-K attended Youth Conference! We were so excited! Satan was definitely working on her as well as us but we did it. Sister Brewster and I had tears in our eyes as we sent her off to camp. It was a great
experience! She had so many spiritual experiences while she was there.
-We had a lesson with J, a lady we tracted into a few weeks ago. As we were teaching her, her daughter C came in and started listening. She is now taking the lessons as well. They planned to come to church on Sunday but J got called into work at the Hospital. We are so excited for their family.
-The Community Ice Cream Social was a hit! We had 10-15 non-members there. Our ward did a great job at inviting.
-We are watching A change so much! She told us this week that she trusts us! Which is a huge step for us! We are actually starting to have normal everyday conversation with her and she is very open
with us. Her faith is growing so much. She is a lady of my own heart...the music gets her and we learned that this week.
-We got two rain showers this week! Yah! This valley needs it so bad!
"Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work." Alma 26:15
I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing work. I testify that our Savior lives, that he died for us so that we can be forgiven of those mistakes we make. I know we have a loving Heavenly Father that has a plan for each of us, we just have to have faith in his timing. This Church is true!
I hope and pray that you all have a great week and that you are watched over and protected. Thanks for your support.
Love,
Sister Elli Reber

"Your Heavenly Father loves you- each of you. That love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or the amount of money you have in your bank account. It is not changed by your talents of abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. IT IS SIMPLY ALWAYS THERE."

We "mustache" you to pray and read your scriptures!

HOT AND HAPPY!

Dear All,
What an eventful week it has been! The week started out with K, A, and N all committing to be baptized on August 16th. They are progressing so fast. K asked us if she could go to youth conference and has been making a ton of friends at church. She truly has turned into a golden investigator.
Fire season is here! Wednesday three fires started in Bella Vista and burned quite a bit of land. They were by a few of the members homes so that was scary. Everything here is starting to look like fall because there is NO water. Trees are just starting to literally fall over because their roots are bad. Sad deal!
We went down to Chico this week to meet our new Mission President and his wife. President and Sister Marston are from Bountiful,Utah and are awesome! I am so excited to continue working with them. They told us their lives stories from birth until....the day they went into PRESIDENT UCHTDORF's office to get set apart! How cool is that! He has a great sense of humor so I'm pretty happy about that.
That same night we went over to a members home for dinner and guess who was there...K! We were so happy to see her and that they were doing missionary work! We were so happy!
Saturday we went to Shingletown. During our lunch break we went to all the little antique stores. That was pretty fun. One of the guys working at a shop says "oh ya Michael Jackson was to your church before he died. It was in some casino!" Haha Ok then!
We showed up at Sister V's(a less active) and she had a ton of food on her table. She had a surprise "non-transfer party" for us. Too cute of a lady! (See attached pic)
And now the most eventful day! Sunday. Just a little background. We have this homeless man that has been in town for almost 3 weeks now. He is crazy and can get pretty violent. He has a two story shopping cart he has made into a house. He gets in a bucket to get into it and sleeps in there. It's got to be a oven in there. Anyways we are sitting in sacrament meeting and us and the elders are sitting by the back door. This homeless man walks in and points his cane at us, we just wave and smile...thinking elders um....do something. Then he leans his head into the meeting and looks to the front. He walks to the front of the meeting in the hall then comes into the front of the chapel and points to the councilor and tells him to come. So he goes out and asks what he can help him with and they guy starts screaming. Thank goodness we have CHP(California highway patrol) in our ward.
Anyways we just shut the doors and kept the meeting going. That was quite interesting. After church he tried blocking the road so that members couldn't leave and had a picture of Jesus (a pass along card he had grabbed when they took him out) and was shaking his cane at him. Anyways that was interesting.
The gospel is great! Our Heavenly Father loves each of you so much!
Thank you all for your support and love!
Love,
Sister Reber
“We cannot truly love God if we do not love our fellow travelers on this mortal journey. Likewise, we cannot fully love our fellowmen if we do not love God, the Father of us all. The Apostle John tells us,
‘This commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also’ (1 John 4:21). We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father and, as such, are brothers and sisters. As we keep
this truth in mind, loving all of God’s children will become easier.
“Actually, love is the very essence of the gospel, and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar. His life was a legacy of love. The sick He healed; the downtrodden He lifted; the sinner He saved. At the end the angry mob took His life. And yet there rings from Golgotha’s hill the words: ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34)--a crowning expression in mortality of compassion and love.”
President Thomas S. Monson, April 2014 general conference
"Satan is on his home stretch and he knows it!"- Bishop Penfold

 With Sister "V"

 Sister Hardy and I ---- 5 months out

 We accept letters.......really we do!