Question: So I am trying to fetch data from Firestore, when I console log it I got the content of my collection back, but when I move the code to a function I am not able to return it back.

This code works:

```
const db = firebase.firestore();
db.settings({ timestampsInSnapshots: true});
db.collection('story').get().then((snapshot) => {
snapshot.docs.forEach(doc => {console.log(doc.data())
    ;})
})

```

This doesnt work. (it compiles, but doesn`t return anything):

```
...
getMyStory = () => {
        const db = firebase.firestore();
        db.settings({ timestampsInSnapshots: true});
        db.collection('story').get().then((snapshot) => {
        snapshot.docs.forEach(doc => {
            let items = doc.data();
        })
        });
        return this.items;
    }

    render () {

        return (
        <p>{this.getMyStory}</p>
);
}

```

What am I doing wrong?

Answer: 
Your rendering logic will need to account for the query to Firebase being asynchronous. Consider making use of your components `state` to resolve this, by making the following adjustments to your code:

```
getMyStory() { /* Remove arrow function */

    const db = firebase.firestore();
    db.settings({ timestampsInSnapshots: true});
    db.collection('story').get().then((snapshot) => {

      snapshot.docs.forEach(doc => {
          let items = doc.data();

          /* Make data suitable for rendering */
          items = JSON.stringify(items);

          /* Update the components state with query result */
          this.setState({ items : items }) 
      });

    });
}

```

Next, add `componentDidMount()` to your component, and then add the call to `getMyStory()` like so:

```
componentDidMount() {

    /* Cause your component to request data from Firebase when
       component first mounted */
    this.getMyStory()
}

```

Finall, update your render method to use the state, rather than method:

```
  render () {

    return (<p>{ this.state.items || 'Loading' }</p>);
 }

```

Hope this helps!
if any one is using React with Redux with Firebase and has difficulty here is how to do it
here i get all the publications from firestore using redux

```
// publicationsActions.js

var publicationsRef = db.collection("publications")
var publicationsList = []

// Function that returns the publications list
export const getPublications = () => async (dispatch) => {
    await publicationsRef.get().then((res) => {
        res.docs.forEach(doc => {
            publicationsList.push(doc.data())
        })
        dispatch({
            type: GET_PUBS,
            payload: publicationsList
        })
    })
}

// publicationReducer.js

export default function (state = initialState, action) {
    switch(action.type){
        case GET_PUBS:
            return {
                ...state,
                items: action.payload
            }
        case ADD_PUB:
            return {
                ...state,
                items: [action.payload, ...state.items]
            }
        default:
            return state; 
    }
}

```