Hey family!
so this week was amazing. i felt like Heavenly Father said alright sister smith, i'm going to give you a HUGE recharge.... well, it surely happened.
tuesday was "deep clean" day that happens once a transfer. well LAST transfer you might remember that our water was shut off during the middle of deep clean so it was interesting. we cleaned everything really good and got the rest of it that night - but we couldn't shower and so we looked really good and smelled like bleach for the rest of our appointments (i thought it was hilarious) well, deep clean was great and then right as we were finishing up and getting ready to shower and get ready to proselyte who would have thought but the water was shut off. i laughed SO HARD. we figured things out and it was really funny. tuesday night was AWESOME. one couple in the ward invited us and judith and alexa over for dinner and a lesson. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! those are the lessons that every missionary DREAMS of. a lesson with an investigator that is going to be baptized and in a member's HOME where the spirit is so strong and with their testimonies. it really was great. alexa was so excited that she made an art project for the family and judith bought them presents -- one of the presents happened to be iced tea which we had a little talk about and judith was so great she said she she didn't realize that iced tea was against the word of wisdom and that she would give it all up because she doesn't want to let anything stand in the way of her getting baptized. it was a really good day.
WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! temple day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
family. i cannot even describe how awesome wednesday was. all the missionaries know that there is a constant pain in your gut of searching for people to talk to and doing more and more and trying SO hard to listen to the spirit and well, there is just a huge role and a lot of stress to fill that to your very best - i do NOT have much time to be here so there is a big responsibility. on wednesday though it was different. it was really weird to do something just for me. REALLY WEIRD. i went to the office and one of the senior couples had bought us bagels for breakfast and while we were waiting i didn't feel like "man, i really need to be talking to someone. i need to hurry here as fast as i can so that i can go and be out on the streets." i felt so much peace. and then WE WENT TO THE TEMPLE and it was SO SO SO SO SO SO good. i'm pretty much like a little girl because i was brought to tears several times. i felt like Heavenly Father knew me, he knows that i have given him my best so far and even though my best is so far from what he really needs, i know that He is proud of the job that i am doing. it is so comforting to realize the mercy of our Heavenly Father and how much He REALLY wants us to succeed. no matter how many times we screw up or fall flat on our face, He is there. He is ready to pick you up and forgive you over and over and over and He doesn't sit there and glare at us for screwing up. He and our Savior cry with us and feel our shame and guilt with us and then they reach out a hand and pick us up when we can't go anymore. the temple was amazing. it was so QUIET and let me tell you - i have not heard quiet in a really long time. and the peace that was there was amazing. absolutely amazing. i was so sad to have to put my street clothes back on - but i knew that i have the energy and everything i need to go and i knew that my time was over and that i was ready to give to the people here again. but oh family. the temple is awesome. we did a session and then we actually got to do some sealings too which is NOT normal, but so cool. i felt so good! and i even got to be companions with sister reed (one of the spanish sisters that i LOVE that came out with me and we lived together for 4 1/2 months) anyways, wednesday was awesome
the rest of the week basically felt like a really long conference and it was AWESOME. we got to go to a youth conference on thursday which was sweet because we didn't have any investigators that could go (missionaries weren't allowed to go unless we had an investigator -- and it was a huge bummer to not have anyone because we had three different youth that we wanted to go SO BAD -- not so that we could go, but so that they could hear so many general authorities speak to the youth) anyways, we had three less-active girls say they wanted to go and so we got to go with them - but they didn't show up. however, the fireside was awesome. everyone talked about how the youth need to just be exactly who they are and stand up for what they believe in. they talked so much about how new york is kind of a really crazy place to grow up in and it really is hard to stand up for your values. but something that was said that really stood out to me (it was actually elder andersen that said this on sunday) but he said that this time is harder to grow up in. however, he said that Heavenly Father knows and has given the youth an added measure of the spirit to combat whatever we have to deal with.
the whole weekend i just really felt how much the brethren love us and care for us and pray for us. ESPECIALLY the youth. they are so aware of everything that we all have to go through and they know exactly where to get strength. so, instead of them taking things away from us, they teach us what to do in "emergency mode"
bah. i do NOT have enough time today to tell you all everything. meeting elder andersen was awesome. judith and alexa got to meet him (thanks to the members that invited us over on tues -- they grabbed judith and alexa and helped them up to the front because sister kim and i were already up there because we had to sing the special musical number and had no idea where judith and alexa were.) basically, so many miracles this week. the members here are AMAZING. it is so good to see judith and alexa welcomed with arms WIDE open, even though they are very different from everyone else. aight, i'm sending this so i can send some pics. sorry if this email doesn't make any sense. i'm REALLY rushed because so much happened. i love you all. SO much.
have a good week!
sister m. smith
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