it feels good to be happy!

This morning we helped Elizabeth and her two boys move. The church was able to help get her into a new place to rent. We had members and missionaries helping them move all their stuff in the rain to their new place and it felt so good. As we were about to leave, Elizabeth just cried and said that there were no words to describe or nothing she could do to show how grateful she was. There truly is nothing better than helping someone in need, it was the Saviors mission. We are all in need of His Atonement, and He was willing to give His life to help us. Elizabeth and her son will be baptized next week and I know that they will be blessed beyond measure as they continue to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and keep the promises they make with the Lord when they are baptized. We are still working with out ward mission leaders girlfriend Carly, and she is amazing. We watched the Joseph Smith film with her and she said that after she watched that she really felt that she needed to start praying more fervently to know if this was the truth. Her family does not agree with the church and her learning, and that is really hard for her. We watched this video with her at the end of our last lesson...

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-010-patterns-of-light-the-light-of-christ?lang=eng

after watching the video she opened up and said that she had dreamed a few nights ago that she told her family about her desire to join the church and that everything was okay. As she watched the video the spirit confirmed to her again that God had answered her prayers and she knows that this is the truth and what she needs to follow. The Lord will always answer, no matter how big or small of a question or concern we have, He will help us and we will be guided by His spirit to know of the things that we need to do. I know that Christ lives, and that His gospel has been restored to the Earth through a modern prophet. I know this because I have followed the light of the spirit in search for the truth and have felt the powerful influence and confirmation of those truths in my life. It leads me to want to do good and to be better and it leads ALL to do the same. As we hearken to the promptings of the spirit in out lives DAILY, we will truly be led by and filled with light, the Saviors light. 

I love you so much,

Sister Reilly

"Jesus wants every one of us to know him because of the transforming power of that knowledge and because of the indescribable joy it brings into our lives. But the influence of the gospel is to extend beyond each individual. It is to be as a light that dispels the darkness from the lives of those around us. No one of us is saved solely and simply for himself alone, just as no lamp is lighted merely for its own benefit."Joseph B. Wirthlin

Also...

ps there were crazy floods here this week! I will send some pictures next week of the streets looking like rivers!

more blessings!

It was a great week. My new comp is awesome, she's so humble and willing to learn and be the best missionary she can be. You definitely wouldn't think this is only her first week in the mission if you didn't know! She's been a member for around 10 years and she came from a really strong Muslim family who pretty much rejected her when she decided to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I pretty much use every excuse I can to tell people she used to be Muslim..without getting us in trouble killed of course :). Laura and Darrel were confirmed yesterday and Laura's husband, Donald, has been learning with us and seems to really like church and all that we are teaching him about the restored gospel on Jesus Christ. Please pray that he will be able to find work in Jakarta! Elizabeth and her two sons also came to church yesterday, they are a miracle. Elizabeth had an abusive husband before, they got divorced and the husband took the oldest son. Elizabeth has had some really huge trials in her life trying to provide for two children on her own. They are really poor and she sews just to get enough money to eat everyday. She has gone to many churches to try to seek the Lord and has felt that all the churches preached things they didn't live, so she stopped going and just decided to teach her boys from the scriptures at home. Long story short, a couple days after the first lesson, she texted us and asked if we could come over because she had received an answer to her prayer and knows that what we shared was true. The roof of part of her house fell in and the rain comes into her house and makes is smell really terrible, so we called the Elders Quorum President and he came and checked it out and is going to try to help get it fixed. Please pray for her and her two boys Rema and Christian. I know they will truly be blessed as they continue to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She has come to church the last two weeks and will be baptized on the 22nd with her 8 year old son, Christian. Last night after church she texted us and said that she has lost almost everyone from her own family but in our church she feels like she has a new family. The Gospel truly is amazing. It brings light into our lifes. It fills people with light even if they are in the darkest of situations. The gospel is light. Jesus Christ is my light and the light of the world. I know it and I am so blessed to be able to share that message to the world. 

With so much love,

Sister Reilly

Elizabeth and her boys!

blessings!

Wow, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the blessings and miracles we saw this week. Yesterday was Laura and Darrel's baptism. It was pouring rain since early in the morning and flooding. Laura can't get out of her house with her three kids when it rains hard because it's too slippery and she can only carry one of the kids. We were really worried for her and were just praying for a miracle. What happened was one of the coolest experiences of my mission. Laura's husband came back...and they showed up at church as a family. Darrel's dad got to see him and his mom get baptized. After all the struggles and challenges Laura has had, I couldn't help but just cry when I saw them all together at church. The Gospel blesses families. Hearts can be mended and changed through Jesus Christ and family relationships that were once broken can be healed. Families are eternal and the center of our Heavenly Fathers plan.

Pak John also got up and bore his testimony after being comforted in sacrament meeting yesterday. I got news that Pak Izaak Yakub (who was baptized in Malang with Sister Jibson and I) went to the Hong Kong temple!! Miricles!!! This is the greatest work, and I just can't use words to explain what I feel and I see the Lord's hand in these people's lives and in mine. There truly is nothing more fulfilling. I love my Savior, this is His work and how grateful I am to play some small part in it! Sister Akaiti will move to Solo tomorrow moring, I am training a new missionary, Sister Suyoto. She's Indonesian and is full of energy, I'm excited for the things to come! Love you so much!

Sister Reilly

HAPPY.

What an amazing week!! Pak John was baptized yesterday and the baptismal service was so good. I am seriously do impressed with the members of our ward. They have totally taken in our investigators an made them part of the ward family! It makes all the difference in the work! Please continue to pray for Pak John's family so they will follow his example and see the changes he has made as he has embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. Laura and her son Darrel are super excited to be baptized next week!! All your prayers are helping :).We are teaching our ward mission leader's girlfriend, Carly, and she is amazing! She is Catholic and is just eating up the Book of Mormon and the lessons, we are super excited (along with our WML) with how she is progressing and making changes in her life! We have been working a lot with a less active member named Ibu Yuni, she was baptized less than a year ago and her family was really struggling financially so she got a job and started working on Sundays and cannot come to church. She has asked multiple times for Sunday's off but her boss doesn't like our church so she hasn't been given it. We felt prompted to challenge her to take a leap of faith and quit her job. We promised she would see blessing poured out upon her family and she kept the Sabbath day holy. Yesterday she showed up at church with a big smile on her face and told us she has quit her job and knows everything will be okay. On top of that she brought her friend with her and we are teaching her tomorrow! When we have FAITH the Lord WILL work miracles in our lives!! Next week will be a miracle as we see Laura and Darrel be baptized! What a blessing to take part in this great work!! I know that my Redeemer lives! Give all to Him!

36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea,let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou riseth in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

I love you!

Sister Reilly

Pak Johns baptism!

Family is the pattern of Heaven!

Another amazing week in the sweet city of JAKARTA! :) A couple weeks ago I told you about Pak John, who we were super excited about when he came to church 2 weeks ago because he lives so far away. On Friday we came to teach and he asked "can I be baptized on Sunday?" Nothing better than hearing that! He will be baptized next Sunday! He has so much faith! Like I explained a few weeks ago, he has 7 children who have not yet married and still live at home. Last week he cried as he explained the hurt that has come to him because of the feelings of hate in his home. Him and his wife are really struggling with their relationship and none of his children go to church. He has faith that through the gospel of Jesus Christ His family relationships can be healed. Please pray that his family's hearts will be more open to hear and follow our message. I know that Pak John's example will bring a change in their home! We have some really awesome people set for the 1st of February for baptism! Please pray for Laura, Darrel, Stefani and Ita as they prepare to enter into the waters of baptism! This week I got a print out of the talk about "turning out" by David Bednar that changed my life in the MTC. I have seen how much happiness has come into my life as I have tried to take the counsel he gives in that talk to develop the character of CHRIST. I have soooo far to go, and it will be a lifelong journey, but I know as we strive to follow the Saviors example in ALL we think, say, and do, true joy will come into our lives and a new love for those around us will also fill out lives. I know that when we get on our knees, realize that we really are nothing, and tell the Lord that we will give ourselves to Him and His glory, we will see miracles happen in our lives and in the lives of His children. Thank you for the examples you are to me! Love you sooooo mcuh! :)

Sister Reilly

An awesome family of 5 we are teaching! The mom came to church yesterday!

Regan and Paige, are these pics good enough to make it on your blog?! :)

Another sweet family we are teaching (Ibu Ita, Daren, and Tania)

Laura's fam! (Laura, Darrel, Daniella, and Davidson)

Pak John, his son Hendra and a member, Lena

Bus ridessss

One of the Greatest weeks ever!!

What an amazing week. Everyday miracles!! Man, I'm just so happy! It's going to be hard to only pick one or two experiences to share!! I want to tell you about Stefani though...she is the mother of a recent convert and she has learned with the missionaries on and off for about 2 years now. She has never prayed about the message or felt that she should be baptized. We started visiting her last week, but we were on splits both of the times we planned to teach her so i wasn't able to come. We visited her on Saturday and we just had the impression to just ask her about her life and her experiences instead of jumping into the lesson. Long story short, she just opened up to us and cried as she told us about her life and how she really felt. We just felt the impression to ask her right then if we could kneel and if she could pray and ask her Father in Heaven if this gospel is what her and her family need. If it is the truth. As she did, the spirit just came into the room and all of our eyes were filled with tears as she offered the most sincere prayer I have ever heard. When she finished we didn't way anything, she knew that Heavenly Father had heard and answered her prayer and she wants to be baptized. That just strengthened my testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost and the power of prayer. Ibu Lussy is still really progressing, and Laura and her three kids came to church and also came to the baptism after and loved it! The primary sang a song in sacrament and her son Darrel and daughter Daniella went up and sang with them! We love that family so much and can't wait to see them become members of the church and continue to blessed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I just can't express enough gratitude for the blessings the Lord has poured out upon us this week and throughout my mission and life! I know when we give our WHOLE selves to Him...heart, might, mind, and strength, He can make us into someone so much better than we could ever make ourselves. I am so thankful the Lord has allowed me, with all my weaknesses, to help Him in this great work of Salvation. There truly is nothing better. Love you so much!

Sister Reilly

Shout out to the greatest dad in the UNIVERSE, Keith Reilly! Happy 32nd Birthday! Also can't forget my Gma Gail, Happy Late Bday!!

Jakarta is amazing! Such a great week!! We have some awesome people preparing for baptism in January, including Laura and her son :). They were on a different island for Christmas and New Years, but are back now. We also had our favorite investigator, John, show up at church yesterday and my comp and I were so excited because he lives like 2 hours from the church and wasn't able to come last week! He's 70 years old and the coolest guy ever! He has 6 kids who are all still not married and living with him and his wife. He was looking for something to help his family..the gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer! He has a baptismal date for January and is hoping his family will also want to follow his example. We have seen too many miracles to count this week. We have met some of the most prepared people ever, it is amazing how the spirit will just lead us to these people. One is Ibu Lussy, her husband and son died 13 years ago and her life has not been the same since. She was active in the Catholic church but nobody from her church bothered to come by and help her or even call. She was alone to raise two kids by herself and a hate just grew inside her for people around her. She stopped going to church and just goes on Christmas and Easter now. She let this all out to us after we taught her about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said without the Lord she wouldn't have been able to endure all these years. She normally let nobody into her house (she actually has a giant pitpull in front) but she let us in and felt the spirit through our message and how through the gospel of Jesus Christ families can be together forever. I just has this love for this women even though we just met her. I know this is what she needs and is looking for in her life. I know the Christ lives and that only through HIM we could feel free of feelings of hate, anger, sadness ect. He is the answer. He knows us and knows how to help us in our struggles AND in our successes. His atonement is not just for the sinners, but for the pure in heart. I cannot express more gratitude for the gift that out Heavenly Father has given to us all, the gift of his only beloved son, Jesus Christ. I love Him and I love you!!
Sister Reilly

 

Go Cartingggg! You already know I destroyed all :) (Elders & Sisters)

 

Me not liking the Jakarta motto...coffee before everything! 

 

New Years! (Don't tell pres. D we woke up) :)