7.25.2011

it's the end of the world as we know it, and i feel fine :) (5/23/11)

Hi family!



okay so this week was cool and stuff but yesterday was amazing. seriously. i will look through my planner though and TRY to remember the whole week before i tell you about yesterday. oh and. at district meeting on friday my district leader gave us the "transfer gossip"... usually the district leaders hold out and don't tell us anything and hold it over our heads like "i know something you don't know" but this week i learned that, MOST LIKELY, i will be leaving bensonhurst the week after next. weird. i might have to actually leave brooklyn... weird. anyways, there you go. now you are filled in on everything i hear. but, it really isn't for sure. so yeah.



i'm not sure how big it was at home, but there were posters and preachers and subway ads all saying that the world was going to end on the 21st.... so we got a LOT of chances this week to explain to people that the world was NOT going to end and that we have a living prophet that tells us what God wants us to hear. i thought people would be a lot more crazy and that our day would be one to REALLY remember... but it was suprisingly calm. a ton of people asked us about it and it was a really cool chance to testify to them, but nothing really crazy happened. so yeah. it's pretty sweet that we have a living prophet and don't have to guess and try to figure out codes from the bible -- we have real time revelation! i love the gospel :)



we went on exchanges this week for the first time in my mission. the only other exchanges i have done is on pday when the spanish sisters wanted to do separate things (one couldn't stand the thought of shopping for ANOTHER pday and i was cool with it) and my very first transfer when my trainer dropped me off in queens overnight because she had meetings there for two days. so it was something different and it was REALLY good. sister dumas and i switched with the spanish sisters in our zone. i left her to go into the spanish program for the day and i brought back a brand new sister, sister hughes. the poor thing is trying so hard to learn spanish and i think it was really really good for her to have a break for a day and be able to speak the language :) she was so cute and it was really fun to get to know her. she is from st. george and we got to go serve a few of our members during the day and it was just a really good day. anyways.



so. yesterday we had a stake conference... we had it on saturday night too which was really good. it was cool. we all had to wear headsets and part of the meeting had to be translated into english from spanish and chinese. :) i love new york. anyways. stake conference on sunday was awesome. it was broadcast from salt lake and ruby came :) the WHOLE thing felt like it was meant just for her. they talked about receiving answers to your prayers and so much that she really needed to hear. and then Elder Craig Zwick spoke and he said some things that i really really needed to hear. HUGE answer to prayers. once again, i figured out how individually God loves us and how he is so aware of the answers that we need. after the conference we had a lesson with ruby that is one of those lessons that you tell your kids, grandkids, and well this email home about. it was awesome. we talked to her about the opposition she is facing and everything that is going on -- she is getting a lot of opposition from home and from the people that she wants to support her in her decision the very most. and so we talked about joseph smith and how he had so much opposition right before his vision and how literally moments before the biggest miracle of his life he was about to sink into despair. then we watched the Testaments. and it was AWESOME. we all felt the spirit SO strong and, like true girls, we all cried. but it was amazing. we told her how much the Savior knows us personally and how he knows her trials. and then we told her that we want all of the blessings that come from his atonement for her.... and then we invited her to be baptized. (again :) ) she told us that if it was up to just her, she would have been baptized yesterday, but she can't because of the things that she is facing at home. so we told her to set a date, move forward, and that God will clear all the obstacles for her. so yeah. it was AMAZING. and then she asked when we were leaving and we told her that i have a good chance of being transferred soon. she asked for permission to write president nelson a letter asking him to let me stay... and she sent it this morning :) it was really really sweet. i never thought NEVER NEVER NEVER expected that i could love people like this when i sent my papers in. i never thought that by losing yourself in the work i would find myself so much. it doesn't make much sense that i have gained the most right now because i have sacrificed the most, but it's the Lord's work. and it has been incredible for me to see the smallest fraction of the love that He has for them and also for me.



and that's about my week. i love you so much family. i cannot ever tell you thank you enough for your support. it means everything to me. thank you.



love you

sister m. smith

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