Hi family!
this week seems like it was just a blur and now that i sit down and think about what to write you -- BAH! i can't remember anything! i am pretty sure that is a major reason that the first presidency makes us use our planners and write EVERYTHING down -- yeah we need to plan, but i probably wouldn't remember that i had GONE on a mission without looking at my planner :) kidding.
a really sweet miracle of the week happened on wednesday. we had the whole day planned and we were thinking of people that we might need to call and check up on. well, sister johnson came to mind and so i called. she had triplets (i may or may not have mentioned her -- sorry i obviously have amnesia today or i'm just losing my brain.... one of the two :) ) her triplets are about 6 months old and she has a two year old too. yeah. it gets pretty crazy at her house. when i called she sounded pretty sad and so i asked her when we could come and clean her house this week -- she said oh anyday, it doesn't matter. well, miraculously we had a free hour and a half that we were going to be looking people up RIGHT in her area (coincidence? i think not) well, we went and just got to work and we were able to clean up the kitchen and bathroom and living room while she fed the babies. when we finished and we were sharing a quick scripture with her she told us that morning she had been praying and plead with Heavenly Father to send her someone today - she just couldn't do it and she didn't know who to call because her kids had been sick with colds and she couldn't call people and get their kids sick too. and then we called. it was so sweet to hear and so sweet to know that Heavenly Father cares for us SOOOOOOOOOO individually.
another miracle -- we have been trying to get a hold of all the russian members, former investigators, and less active members because well, it's not very often that we have a russian speaking missionary here and she is leaving in two weeks (sister mamon) we have been trying to get a hold of this lady named Malika and haven't been able to because she works 20 hours a day (that's including her commute) and works 7 days a week. well, we were in her area and our plans all fell through. she was our back up to the back up plan and we went to see her because nothing else worked. well, for the first time in FOREVER she got off work early and had gotten home ten minutes before we got there. it was really sweet to be able to have sister mamon talk to her again (i'm not sure if i already told you -- sister mamon started her mission here over a year ago so there are a ton of people that know her) so yeah. it was really sweet for them to be able to talk and malika bore her testimony and said she wished so bad that she could come to church - she just works ALL the time. she hasn't had a day off in three months. yuck.
we have a baptism coming up this sunday -- destiny. she is the granddaughter of a member. she is only 8 and the only reason missionaries are teaching her is because neither of her parents are members of the church. she is really cute though and it has been so good to be a part of her life to give her some of the love that she craves so bad. their situation is one that is pretty rough - she and her two siblings are living with their grandma because they just don't have parents that can take care of them. their grandma does the best she can -- but she doesnt even speak english very well and the kids don't know spanish. so it has been really cool to teach destiny and we are excited for her to be baptized on sunday.
ruby is still doing great -- she called us today and it was amazing. we couldn't meet with her this week because her schoolwork is going crazy. but her daughter loved LOVED church and has had a 180 degree attitude change towards the church. they are both coming to church on easter! ruby said that she has to read the scriptures every morning to get her through the day. she apologized because she is still in 1 nephi because she only reads a little each day. WHAT?! no need to apologize!!!!!! getting people to read every day is like pulling teeth most times! and ruby just does it. she is AMAZING. absolutely amazing. i'm kind of hoping something happens with her school so that she will be more freed up, but patience is a virtue i guess.
anyways, that's about it for my scattered brain today. i love you all so dearly family. thank you so much for the support and love that you give me. i honestly am the luckiest person alive :) i love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sister m. smith
4.17.2011
i less than three conference (4/4/11)
HI FAMILY!!!!!!!
so this week obviously was rocking because of conference. and holy cow did it measure up! we had two full days of leadership meetings during the week - so a LOT of our week was spent on trains and in queens. president nelson went over so many good things though and it is really cool to get recharged and then feel like you can go teach everyone! president was talking to us and telling us how much he loves being with a bunch of the missionaries and then he got emotional and said that he thinks meetings like that will be what our mission reunions will be. BAH! i love president and sister nelson. they are ADORABLE. sister nelson even got to come and have companionship study with us today and it was really good. we just practiced teaching and she is adorable.
anyways, my time is already low and so i will tell you about Ruby and conference. we taught ruby again this week and it went so well. we only BRIEFLY mentioned the word of wisdom last time and she told us that her friends took her out to dinner and she has already decided to not drink wine anymore and i was so proud of her. she said that they bugged her all night long, but she stayed really strong. she is amazing family. seriously she has such a strong testimony and won't let anything stand in her way of feeling "something that she has never felt before" AMAZING. she told us that the only thing she is having a hard time with is that her family isn't as ready as she is and they don't come to chruch with her. she said that she has begged them to come with her for easter - she goes to school on sunday for the next month ish, but they are all begging her teachers to get at least easter off. so she was able to come to conference - she had to bust her bum to get all of her work done because she works a fulltime job and is a student too - but she did what it took to spend all day at conference. :)
and now for the big ol fatty miracle -- Ruby's daughter came with her to conference! we were there and ruby was so sweet - she gave all of us cookies for conference and she had made some for the bishop too. EVERYTHING in conference was perfect for ruby. it was AWESOME to sit there and just see how much she loved it and how much she soaked it all in. she was so excited for everything and said she was so touched by it - we gave her the restoration dvd and the testaments to take home and lo and behold, less than an hour after she left the church she texted us and said she watched the dvd and loved it. and her daughter wasn't feeling well so she said that she would stay for the first session because she really wanted to see where her mom is going and make sure we aren't all crazy :) well, after the first session ruby's daughter (sheena) decided to stay for the second session too!
after the second session we talked to ruby and sheena and showed them around the church and taught sheena a little bit about the restoration and receiving revelation. she said it all made sense and said that she loved how the church felt. the elders were messing around on the piano right then and someone commented on how they were talented. well, somehow they were volunteered to sing and BAH! it was so cool. we had just not ten seconds ago been talking to sheena about prayers and how Heavenly Father really does konw us and wants to answer our prayers and lo and behold, the elders sang sweet hour of prayer. it was really cool.
anyways, i'm so sorry family. i'm kind of scattered this week because i'm sitting next to someone in the library that is really loud and a tidbit crazy :) in the best way.
i love you all so much! have a good week
sister m. smith
so this week obviously was rocking because of conference. and holy cow did it measure up! we had two full days of leadership meetings during the week - so a LOT of our week was spent on trains and in queens. president nelson went over so many good things though and it is really cool to get recharged and then feel like you can go teach everyone! president was talking to us and telling us how much he loves being with a bunch of the missionaries and then he got emotional and said that he thinks meetings like that will be what our mission reunions will be. BAH! i love president and sister nelson. they are ADORABLE. sister nelson even got to come and have companionship study with us today and it was really good. we just practiced teaching and she is adorable.
anyways, my time is already low and so i will tell you about Ruby and conference. we taught ruby again this week and it went so well. we only BRIEFLY mentioned the word of wisdom last time and she told us that her friends took her out to dinner and she has already decided to not drink wine anymore and i was so proud of her. she said that they bugged her all night long, but she stayed really strong. she is amazing family. seriously she has such a strong testimony and won't let anything stand in her way of feeling "something that she has never felt before" AMAZING. she told us that the only thing she is having a hard time with is that her family isn't as ready as she is and they don't come to chruch with her. she said that she has begged them to come with her for easter - she goes to school on sunday for the next month ish, but they are all begging her teachers to get at least easter off. so she was able to come to conference - she had to bust her bum to get all of her work done because she works a fulltime job and is a student too - but she did what it took to spend all day at conference. :)
and now for the big ol fatty miracle -- Ruby's daughter came with her to conference! we were there and ruby was so sweet - she gave all of us cookies for conference and she had made some for the bishop too. EVERYTHING in conference was perfect for ruby. it was AWESOME to sit there and just see how much she loved it and how much she soaked it all in. she was so excited for everything and said she was so touched by it - we gave her the restoration dvd and the testaments to take home and lo and behold, less than an hour after she left the church she texted us and said she watched the dvd and loved it. and her daughter wasn't feeling well so she said that she would stay for the first session because she really wanted to see where her mom is going and make sure we aren't all crazy :) well, after the first session ruby's daughter (sheena) decided to stay for the second session too!
after the second session we talked to ruby and sheena and showed them around the church and taught sheena a little bit about the restoration and receiving revelation. she said it all made sense and said that she loved how the church felt. the elders were messing around on the piano right then and someone commented on how they were talented. well, somehow they were volunteered to sing and BAH! it was so cool. we had just not ten seconds ago been talking to sheena about prayers and how Heavenly Father really does konw us and wants to answer our prayers and lo and behold, the elders sang sweet hour of prayer. it was really cool.
anyways, i'm so sorry family. i'm kind of scattered this week because i'm sitting next to someone in the library that is really loud and a tidbit crazy :) in the best way.
i love you all so much! have a good week
sister m. smith
Searching for "rubies" and boy did we find one! (3/28/11)
Hi family!
okay TOTALLY cheesy title, but it really does fit.
so this week i have one really cool -- REALLY REALLY COOL -- story to tell. and not very much time on the computer so hey! that may be all you get. :) oops.
sooooo i told y'all about Ruby coming to church last week.... HUGE miracle. it was so amazing that Heavenly Father has been preparing her for over a YEAR and then hey!!!! she just COMES INTO CHURCH. that never EVER happens and it's kind of really cool. anyways, we had our first lesson with her this week (which is weird because it seems like a year ago) and it was amazing. absolutely amazing. ruby said that she has been looking for churches for a while. her family grew up Catholic, but she just didn't agree with some of the things, so she quit going to church... for a while. she found her co-worker friend, Melia, and she has been asking Melia about the church for a really long time. Ruby said that her biggest fear was not being welcome, she was afraid that she wasn't even allowed into the church because she wasn't a member (yeah, we fixed that opinion :) ) anyways, she was talking to us about how she felt at church...........
it was amazing. the spirit was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO strong. so ruby said that she felt like she was "coming home". she said that everything in church felt "familiar" and that she couldn't explain why. then she just kept going on about how she felt. she said that church just gave her this feeling of fulfillment, like a void was filled that she had been trying to fill for so long but hadn't. she said that she felt incredible, that she is just happy and that she has no reason to be happy. she said that her biggest fear is that she will wake up and that the feeling will leave.
yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously?! HOLY COW!!!! i felt SO LUCKY to be a part of that lesson. it is absolutely amazing for me to get to be the person that Heavenly Father put right DIRECTLY in front of the door at the EXACT time Ruby walked in. so amazing that He has sharpened my memory and given me six weeks to figure out the ward members so that i knew that i didn't recognize ruby. so amazing that even though i felt stupid because they looked like strong members and that they knew what they were doing i didn't wuss out of saying hello. so amazing that we called a whole bunch of members and THE only one that could come with us is in the same situation as ruby -- she converted two years ago and her husband isn't a member so she was able to really talk to ruby about how hard it really is to keep going even though your husband questions things and how hard keeping the sabbath day holy is but how many blessings it has already brought sister mui and her family. we were talking about how the gospel has blessed sister mui's family and her responsibilities as a mother - she only has one little boy who is three so he comes to the lessons with us... well right as we were talking about that - joey, sis. mui's little boy, just randomly kneels down and starts praying. it was adorable. sister mui was crying because that has never happened before and it was really sweet.
so... that's my cool story. ruby had already read to 1 nephi 8 and she got the Book of Mormon on sunday and our lesson was on wednesday. pretty amazing. i CANNOT WAIT for our lesson again on wednesday -- 730 EST (so 530 for most of you :) )
God is real. He is SO incredibly aware of every single one of us. I love you all and i hope you have a ROCKIN week.
love!!!!!!!!!
sister mich smith
okay TOTALLY cheesy title, but it really does fit.
so this week i have one really cool -- REALLY REALLY COOL -- story to tell. and not very much time on the computer so hey! that may be all you get. :) oops.
sooooo i told y'all about Ruby coming to church last week.... HUGE miracle. it was so amazing that Heavenly Father has been preparing her for over a YEAR and then hey!!!! she just COMES INTO CHURCH. that never EVER happens and it's kind of really cool. anyways, we had our first lesson with her this week (which is weird because it seems like a year ago) and it was amazing. absolutely amazing. ruby said that she has been looking for churches for a while. her family grew up Catholic, but she just didn't agree with some of the things, so she quit going to church... for a while. she found her co-worker friend, Melia, and she has been asking Melia about the church for a really long time. Ruby said that her biggest fear was not being welcome, she was afraid that she wasn't even allowed into the church because she wasn't a member (yeah, we fixed that opinion :) ) anyways, she was talking to us about how she felt at church...........
it was amazing. the spirit was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO strong. so ruby said that she felt like she was "coming home". she said that everything in church felt "familiar" and that she couldn't explain why. then she just kept going on about how she felt. she said that church just gave her this feeling of fulfillment, like a void was filled that she had been trying to fill for so long but hadn't. she said that she felt incredible, that she is just happy and that she has no reason to be happy. she said that her biggest fear is that she will wake up and that the feeling will leave.
yeah!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously?! HOLY COW!!!! i felt SO LUCKY to be a part of that lesson. it is absolutely amazing for me to get to be the person that Heavenly Father put right DIRECTLY in front of the door at the EXACT time Ruby walked in. so amazing that He has sharpened my memory and given me six weeks to figure out the ward members so that i knew that i didn't recognize ruby. so amazing that even though i felt stupid because they looked like strong members and that they knew what they were doing i didn't wuss out of saying hello. so amazing that we called a whole bunch of members and THE only one that could come with us is in the same situation as ruby -- she converted two years ago and her husband isn't a member so she was able to really talk to ruby about how hard it really is to keep going even though your husband questions things and how hard keeping the sabbath day holy is but how many blessings it has already brought sister mui and her family. we were talking about how the gospel has blessed sister mui's family and her responsibilities as a mother - she only has one little boy who is three so he comes to the lessons with us... well right as we were talking about that - joey, sis. mui's little boy, just randomly kneels down and starts praying. it was adorable. sister mui was crying because that has never happened before and it was really sweet.
so... that's my cool story. ruby had already read to 1 nephi 8 and she got the Book of Mormon on sunday and our lesson was on wednesday. pretty amazing. i CANNOT WAIT for our lesson again on wednesday -- 730 EST (so 530 for most of you :) )
God is real. He is SO incredibly aware of every single one of us. I love you all and i hope you have a ROCKIN week.
love!!!!!!!!!
sister mich smith
And then there were THREE (3/21/11)
Hi family!!!!!!
so this week has been pretty crazy. possibly REALLY crazy, but really good. tuesday we had transfers and i was just a mess waiting for my new companion and saying goodbye to sister kim and i was really nervous -- but then President Nelson brought our companions into the room where we were having a "trainer's meeting" and i met sister DUMAS!
me and sister mamon were freaking out. sister mamon was just about to go into cardiac arrest before we met sister dumas. sister mamon is from russia and then she was adopted when she was 16 and came from arizona - sister dumas is from california. sister mamon is going home at the end of this transfer and she was in bensonhurst before - it's way cool to see her reconnect with so many people - especially the russians in the ward. there are a LOT of russians here and it is SO SWEET to have a companion that can just start talking to them. yeah!
okay so this week feels like it has been forever and i don't really know what to write - we have been trying to get adjusted to having three people and getting sister dumas adjusted to being in the mission and it is a really big adjustment for all of us. but we have seen a lot of miracles this week and it has been really good.
biggest miracle story that i want to write before i get kicked off this computer is ruby. HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!! family i cannot even tell you how blessed i am. ruby is a lady that is friends with a co-worker who is a member that lives in manhattan. her friend (melia) has been introducing ruby to the gospel for a while and ruby loves it. she wanted to come to church for the last month but hasn't been able to because of her school schedule. (weird - SO many people have classes on sunday... yeah that wouldn't fly in utah) anyways ruby and her friend melia as well as another friend tammy came to church yesterday. Heavenly Father is real and miraculously i was placed in just the right place to see them as they came in the door. i introduced myself to them because i didn't know them and welcomed ruby and then made sure they had a seat then i started running around like a crazy telling everyone (relief society president, bishop, some other women in the ward) that ruby was here and this was her first time at church. everyone welcomed her after sacrament and she was there to see judith and alexa be confirmed and the spirit was REALLY strong. basically there were so many miracles. the friend tammy started crying and said that she and melia have been praying for so long for this sunday - ruby was really really scared that she wouldn't be welcome or that she would feel awkward and melia and tammy prayed for a misssionary to be at the door. i said hello to them literally two seconds after they walked in -- amazing that somehow we are ALWAYS in the right place at the right time. i think that is the thousandth time i have said that but whatev. it's still true. and yeah. melia got a copy of the book of mormon and she is really excited and she said she felt SO comfortable in church and was so grateful and she said she wished she had met the church earlier. she also has a teenage daughter and a 7yr. old son that will be coming with her. yeah. this is what i thought 'shut UP!!!!!!!! is this really happening?! what the heck this is AWESOME!!!!!!! am i dreaming?" needless to say, it was a really good day.
and judith and alexa were confirmed!!!!! it was really special and such a good day. i also got to teach primary and we had a little boy run away several times from class and bishop had to bring him back. bother.
we met some really amazing people this week on the trains and stuff too. it's funny to see sister dumas and how she tells people it's her first week and that kind of bewildered feeling of riding the train and the bus for the first time and it just doesn't feel like it was THAT long ago that i was telling people it was my second day in the city. haha. and i love the fire of wanting to talk to EVERYONE. it is really fun.
i miss you all family! thank you so much for your support - i love you so much. i really really don't understand how i got so lucky. i have an aMAZING family and friends. i hear stories from others and i really just don't understand how i got so lucky. thank you.
i love you!
sister m. smith
so this week has been pretty crazy. possibly REALLY crazy, but really good. tuesday we had transfers and i was just a mess waiting for my new companion and saying goodbye to sister kim and i was really nervous -- but then President Nelson brought our companions into the room where we were having a "trainer's meeting" and i met sister DUMAS!
me and sister mamon were freaking out. sister mamon was just about to go into cardiac arrest before we met sister dumas. sister mamon is from russia and then she was adopted when she was 16 and came from arizona - sister dumas is from california. sister mamon is going home at the end of this transfer and she was in bensonhurst before - it's way cool to see her reconnect with so many people - especially the russians in the ward. there are a LOT of russians here and it is SO SWEET to have a companion that can just start talking to them. yeah!
okay so this week feels like it has been forever and i don't really know what to write - we have been trying to get adjusted to having three people and getting sister dumas adjusted to being in the mission and it is a really big adjustment for all of us. but we have seen a lot of miracles this week and it has been really good.
biggest miracle story that i want to write before i get kicked off this computer is ruby. HOLY MOLY!!!!!!!!!!! family i cannot even tell you how blessed i am. ruby is a lady that is friends with a co-worker who is a member that lives in manhattan. her friend (melia) has been introducing ruby to the gospel for a while and ruby loves it. she wanted to come to church for the last month but hasn't been able to because of her school schedule. (weird - SO many people have classes on sunday... yeah that wouldn't fly in utah) anyways ruby and her friend melia as well as another friend tammy came to church yesterday. Heavenly Father is real and miraculously i was placed in just the right place to see them as they came in the door. i introduced myself to them because i didn't know them and welcomed ruby and then made sure they had a seat then i started running around like a crazy telling everyone (relief society president, bishop, some other women in the ward) that ruby was here and this was her first time at church. everyone welcomed her after sacrament and she was there to see judith and alexa be confirmed and the spirit was REALLY strong. basically there were so many miracles. the friend tammy started crying and said that she and melia have been praying for so long for this sunday - ruby was really really scared that she wouldn't be welcome or that she would feel awkward and melia and tammy prayed for a misssionary to be at the door. i said hello to them literally two seconds after they walked in -- amazing that somehow we are ALWAYS in the right place at the right time. i think that is the thousandth time i have said that but whatev. it's still true. and yeah. melia got a copy of the book of mormon and she is really excited and she said she felt SO comfortable in church and was so grateful and she said she wished she had met the church earlier. she also has a teenage daughter and a 7yr. old son that will be coming with her. yeah. this is what i thought 'shut UP!!!!!!!! is this really happening?! what the heck this is AWESOME!!!!!!! am i dreaming?" needless to say, it was a really good day.
and judith and alexa were confirmed!!!!! it was really special and such a good day. i also got to teach primary and we had a little boy run away several times from class and bishop had to bring him back. bother.
we met some really amazing people this week on the trains and stuff too. it's funny to see sister dumas and how she tells people it's her first week and that kind of bewildered feeling of riding the train and the bus for the first time and it just doesn't feel like it was THAT long ago that i was telling people it was my second day in the city. haha. and i love the fire of wanting to talk to EVERYONE. it is really fun.
i miss you all family! thank you so much for your support - i love you so much. i really really don't understand how i got so lucky. i have an aMAZING family and friends. i hear stories from others and i really just don't understand how i got so lucky. thank you.
i love you!
sister m. smith
pictures :) (3/14/11)
judith, alexa, me and sister kim me and sister reed going to the temple temple!!!
in central park -- yeah. awesome
right before my interview with president nelson telling me i'm going to train
4.04.2011
a meeting with President Nelson... (3/14/11)
Hi family!
so... this week president called me in and had a special interview with me and i have some stuff i have to tell you all. yep. transfers are tomorrow.
so president called me in and said "sister smith i want you to train" i said okay president and then he went on to say well this is a unique training opportunity -- what we call a "u.t.o" and then he told me that i would be training - co-training. i'm going to be co-training with a sister (sister mammon). i was REALLY shocked to hear that because it's never been done before. i am really excited about the next six weeks - it's weird to realize that one of my new companions is probably on a plane right now or just getting to the airport. so yeah. there is the news. i'm just pretty nervous. i told president nelson that i was really shocked and that the situation is crazy. he said "yes, it is unprecedented, but you will be fine" anyways. this week was REALLY good. really good.
sister kim and i had a good chunk of time this week that we knew we would be "black-boxing" or looking up former investigators, potential investigators, and members. so i think it was my district leader that came up with this idea and we tried it -- we started our "black-boxing" by going to a member's home and praying with them before and then coming back after an hour and reporting what happened. it was amazing. God is real and miracles happen. we expected miracles and this week was SO GOOD. because judith and alexa were going to be baptized, sister kim and i knew that we really needed to find new people to work with. so we set a goal for finding two new investigators this week (which may not sound like a lot, but we have only had three the whole transfer) and we really REALLY wanted to get that so we can keep working and yeah. so on tuesday we started and we found that several people had moved and a LOT of people were catholic, but then we found one lady who said she doesn't have a religion and that we could come back on the weekends. also, when we prayed with the member (sister vandegraaf who is actually from rexburg) she told us of a friend that she has across the street that we could try. YEAH!!!!!!! that is a missionary's DREAM!!!!!!!!! so we did and we got a good 90 more seconds and gave the husband a card before we had to leave. both sister kim and i were so excited all day because of this whole "pray with a member before you work" thing. because of that our attitudes really changed and everything went so much better. LOVE IT! the next day we did the same thing with the bishop's wife and right out of her house we found a woman with a baby that we thought was going to be pretty rude because it was cold and she had a baby that shouldn't stay in the cold, but she talked to us and was really interested. it was AWESOME. then we got to report to the bishop's wife and give her a thought that she really needed.
this week we have, once again, been put in just the right place at just the right time. we have been able to really do that with members and it's amazing that they have been able to open up to us about the problems they are going through and the things that they need. awesome. and then yesterday was AMAZING.
judith and alexa got baptized!!!!!!! it went so well. the members were so excited and all of the members that have taught with us and worked with us were so pumped to be there. church went really good and everything went so smoothly. they decorated their house in white and with doves to celebrate their baptism -- so cute. and they were SO excited. the bishop baptized them and it was wonderful. and then they had three friends that came to the baptism that are interested in the gospel and a little girl came to church with her friends that got to stay for the baptism and told us that she wanted us to teach her and her family because "she was going to get baptized soon" -- the elders sang a musical number that was incredible. it brought the spirit so strong. basically, it was awesome. and then all the missionaries (me, sis. kim and the elders) stayed to eat lunch because a member randomly just brought us food (AWESOME.... what other point in my life will i have people just bring me dinner or ask to feed me?! yeah. i love it) so by suprise we were still at the church when someone from arizona came to the church looking for missionaries to give a blessing to their non-member aunt. miracle? i believe so. it just amazes me that God cares aobut each of us so much to figure out ALL of those details perfectly. anyways, THEN we went home and were getting some things in our area book ready for my new companions to come in and lo and behold, another miracle.
remember how sister kim and i prayed for two new investigators? yeah. when we were cleaning the area book we found them. randomly we called some people to make sure information was correct and stuff and they had been wanting to come to church and read the book of mormon -- they were just waiting for the phone call basically. it was AMAZING. absolutely amazing.
well fam,
i love you! always remember that. i am so grateful for all of your support. i am the luckiest missionary ever.
love you!
sister m. smith
so... this week president called me in and had a special interview with me and i have some stuff i have to tell you all. yep. transfers are tomorrow.
so president called me in and said "sister smith i want you to train" i said okay president and then he went on to say well this is a unique training opportunity -- what we call a "u.t.o" and then he told me that i would be training - co-training. i'm going to be co-training with a sister (sister mammon). i was REALLY shocked to hear that because it's never been done before. i am really excited about the next six weeks - it's weird to realize that one of my new companions is probably on a plane right now or just getting to the airport. so yeah. there is the news. i'm just pretty nervous. i told president nelson that i was really shocked and that the situation is crazy. he said "yes, it is unprecedented, but you will be fine" anyways. this week was REALLY good. really good.
sister kim and i had a good chunk of time this week that we knew we would be "black-boxing" or looking up former investigators, potential investigators, and members. so i think it was my district leader that came up with this idea and we tried it -- we started our "black-boxing" by going to a member's home and praying with them before and then coming back after an hour and reporting what happened. it was amazing. God is real and miracles happen. we expected miracles and this week was SO GOOD. because judith and alexa were going to be baptized, sister kim and i knew that we really needed to find new people to work with. so we set a goal for finding two new investigators this week (which may not sound like a lot, but we have only had three the whole transfer) and we really REALLY wanted to get that so we can keep working and yeah. so on tuesday we started and we found that several people had moved and a LOT of people were catholic, but then we found one lady who said she doesn't have a religion and that we could come back on the weekends. also, when we prayed with the member (sister vandegraaf who is actually from rexburg) she told us of a friend that she has across the street that we could try. YEAH!!!!!!! that is a missionary's DREAM!!!!!!!!! so we did and we got a good 90 more seconds and gave the husband a card before we had to leave. both sister kim and i were so excited all day because of this whole "pray with a member before you work" thing. because of that our attitudes really changed and everything went so much better. LOVE IT! the next day we did the same thing with the bishop's wife and right out of her house we found a woman with a baby that we thought was going to be pretty rude because it was cold and she had a baby that shouldn't stay in the cold, but she talked to us and was really interested. it was AWESOME. then we got to report to the bishop's wife and give her a thought that she really needed.
this week we have, once again, been put in just the right place at just the right time. we have been able to really do that with members and it's amazing that they have been able to open up to us about the problems they are going through and the things that they need. awesome. and then yesterday was AMAZING.
judith and alexa got baptized!!!!!!! it went so well. the members were so excited and all of the members that have taught with us and worked with us were so pumped to be there. church went really good and everything went so smoothly. they decorated their house in white and with doves to celebrate their baptism -- so cute. and they were SO excited. the bishop baptized them and it was wonderful. and then they had three friends that came to the baptism that are interested in the gospel and a little girl came to church with her friends that got to stay for the baptism and told us that she wanted us to teach her and her family because "she was going to get baptized soon" -- the elders sang a musical number that was incredible. it brought the spirit so strong. basically, it was awesome. and then all the missionaries (me, sis. kim and the elders) stayed to eat lunch because a member randomly just brought us food (AWESOME.... what other point in my life will i have people just bring me dinner or ask to feed me?! yeah. i love it) so by suprise we were still at the church when someone from arizona came to the church looking for missionaries to give a blessing to their non-member aunt. miracle? i believe so. it just amazes me that God cares aobut each of us so much to figure out ALL of those details perfectly. anyways, THEN we went home and were getting some things in our area book ready for my new companions to come in and lo and behold, another miracle.
remember how sister kim and i prayed for two new investigators? yeah. when we were cleaning the area book we found them. randomly we called some people to make sure information was correct and stuff and they had been wanting to come to church and read the book of mormon -- they were just waiting for the phone call basically. it was AMAZING. absolutely amazing.
well fam,
i love you! always remember that. i am so grateful for all of your support. i am the luckiest missionary ever.
love you!
sister m. smith
a really REALLY awesome week (3/7/11)
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
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
(2/28/11)
and here is a very rare opportunity/miracle! of more time in the library... the verrizano bridge me playing the piano my name in korean self-explanatory sister kim and i on an empty train car the streets of brooklyn 
I love to see the temple -- I'm going there WEDNESDAY!! (2/28/11)
Dearest Family,
As you can tell from the subject line i got some really exciting/freaky news this week and i'm pumped. on friday i got a letter from the mission and it said that i have my "anniversary temple trip" on WEDNESDAY!!!!!!! freak! i wasn't emotionally prepared to get that letter - i thought that i would be going to the temple next transfer because technically, my nine-month-mark (my grammar really is crappy by the way -- i don't know how i'm ever going to write another college paper again so please don't judge) is three days into next transfer. well, i got the letter. and i cannot even tell you all how excited i am to be able to go to the house of the Lord. however, i had a big reality check on how fast time is going and to be totally honest, i kinda freaked out. i have learned to love this work more than i ever thought i could and i realize how short 18 months really is. anyways, that's my news. so this week is going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we have pday today, we have to deep clean our apartment tomorrow, i get to go to the temple on wednesday, we have some appointments that have taken us a month to set up for thursday, there is a youth fireside that Elder Rasband is speaking at on friday and we can go if we have investigators with us and we possibly have two, and then ELDER ANDERSON is coming on saturday and on sunday too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh i think i forgot to tell you all that elder anderson wants to do not only stake conference, but he is doing a mission-wide conference on saturday. my excitement is the equivalent of a BYU professor telling you that someone did all of your homework for the entire semester, you magically have all the knowledge for the class in your head, and you got an a. lie. my excitement is if ALL of my professors were to say that to me. i have been SO blessed this week that i don't even know what to say.
a whole bunch of funny things happened this week that i will update everyone on :)
-sister kim changes her accent everytime she leaves the elders a voicemail... this week included whale language (as seen on Nemo), pirate, girly princess, irish, darth vader, and several others.
-sister kim and i prayed at the door right before we were ready to leave and she said (background quick - she always wears basketball shorts underneath her skirt -- it keeps you warmer) "i looked down to see what skirt i was wearing and i felt my shorts... then i realized i didn't have a skirt on"
-the elders visited one of their investigators and his daughter and they started freaking out because they saw three lights over the manhattan skyline.... elder kinikini said that clearly the lights were helicopters, but the daughter and the investigator kept insisting they were spaceships and the daughter started bobbing her head randomly and said "we be seeing spaceships" -- the elders reenacted it for us and sister kim and i were DYING we were laughing so hard (it may have been one of those you had to be there moments but hey. i thought it was funny :)
okay i realize that the funny section may only be funny to me but cut me some slack, we ARE missionaries. some of the miracles that happened this week...
we went over to one of our active member's home and HOLY COW! she is one of the strongest people i have ever met. she just opened up to us and told us her whole story and how much God loved her... it was awesome. she had some serious family issues that resulted in her going into a coma for over two weeks. she made it out of the coma without any brain damage or anything and she said that she then realized that she needed to leave the situation and God provided a way. she had been trying forever to find housing and then she just found something in the projects (the projects in bensonhurst are SOOOOOOOOO much nicer than the ones in midwood) and she was able to move and get a better life. that's just a tiny bit of her story, but it was incredible. most of it i really can't share - but God is real and He really does love his children individually and miracles are real and they happen all of the time. we invited her to ask someone to come to the special stake conference and she was so excited. she ADORES the people that shared the gospel with her and she can't wait to share it with someone else. she said she wanted to talk to two of her friends and we are really excited for her.
we had dinner at a family's home that the wife just barely found out that she has cancer. i could not believe how upbeat she was and how positive she was. she has just decided to leave it to God and she knows He will take care of it. she is not worried because she has faith and she is so sweet. she chastised me a little bit when i asked her what we could do for her. she said that the only thing we could do is to come and eat with her family on friday night. so we did and she was so sweet to us. and, by the way, i'm getting REALLY good at eating with chopsticks. okay that is being super prideful and pride definitely comes before the fall -- hopefully i don't spill food all over me this week :)
sister kim has been such a blessing in my life. i'm always amazed at how Heavenly Father puts people in your life specifically for different times. we have SO much fun together and i love that girl a LOT. she has helped me grow so much and she has helped me really love myself for exactly who i am. i love that Heavenly Father calls each of us for the people we are, not for the people that we compare ourselves to or wish we could be. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses and He knows where we are needed. It is amazing to me that, despite all of my imperfections and weaknesses, He still loves me. He still needs my specific talents and He still needs ME. and bless sister kim for helping me to learn that lesson. and to learn how to throw your shoe as far as you can, how to speak korean, and how to play the piano. and she is hilarious. anyways.
i LOVE you all. please know that i pray for all of you all the time and that i am overwhelmed at how blessed i am. i have an AMAZING family and wonderful friends and i really couldn't ask for more. you are the biggest blessing in my life and i truly appreciate each and every one of you. your letters always seem to come when i need them the most and they give me the boost that i need. thank you. i love you and i hope you all have a good week!
love ( <3 )
sister mich smith
As you can tell from the subject line i got some really exciting/freaky news this week and i'm pumped. on friday i got a letter from the mission and it said that i have my "anniversary temple trip" on WEDNESDAY!!!!!!! freak! i wasn't emotionally prepared to get that letter - i thought that i would be going to the temple next transfer because technically, my nine-month-mark (my grammar really is crappy by the way -- i don't know how i'm ever going to write another college paper again so please don't judge) is three days into next transfer. well, i got the letter. and i cannot even tell you all how excited i am to be able to go to the house of the Lord. however, i had a big reality check on how fast time is going and to be totally honest, i kinda freaked out. i have learned to love this work more than i ever thought i could and i realize how short 18 months really is. anyways, that's my news. so this week is going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we have pday today, we have to deep clean our apartment tomorrow, i get to go to the temple on wednesday, we have some appointments that have taken us a month to set up for thursday, there is a youth fireside that Elder Rasband is speaking at on friday and we can go if we have investigators with us and we possibly have two, and then ELDER ANDERSON is coming on saturday and on sunday too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh i think i forgot to tell you all that elder anderson wants to do not only stake conference, but he is doing a mission-wide conference on saturday. my excitement is the equivalent of a BYU professor telling you that someone did all of your homework for the entire semester, you magically have all the knowledge for the class in your head, and you got an a. lie. my excitement is if ALL of my professors were to say that to me. i have been SO blessed this week that i don't even know what to say.
a whole bunch of funny things happened this week that i will update everyone on :)
-sister kim changes her accent everytime she leaves the elders a voicemail... this week included whale language (as seen on Nemo), pirate, girly princess, irish, darth vader, and several others.
-sister kim and i prayed at the door right before we were ready to leave and she said (background quick - she always wears basketball shorts underneath her skirt -- it keeps you warmer) "i looked down to see what skirt i was wearing and i felt my shorts... then i realized i didn't have a skirt on"
-the elders visited one of their investigators and his daughter and they started freaking out because they saw three lights over the manhattan skyline.... elder kinikini said that clearly the lights were helicopters, but the daughter and the investigator kept insisting they were spaceships and the daughter started bobbing her head randomly and said "we be seeing spaceships" -- the elders reenacted it for us and sister kim and i were DYING we were laughing so hard (it may have been one of those you had to be there moments but hey. i thought it was funny :)
okay i realize that the funny section may only be funny to me but cut me some slack, we ARE missionaries. some of the miracles that happened this week...
we went over to one of our active member's home and HOLY COW! she is one of the strongest people i have ever met. she just opened up to us and told us her whole story and how much God loved her... it was awesome. she had some serious family issues that resulted in her going into a coma for over two weeks. she made it out of the coma without any brain damage or anything and she said that she then realized that she needed to leave the situation and God provided a way. she had been trying forever to find housing and then she just found something in the projects (the projects in bensonhurst are SOOOOOOOOO much nicer than the ones in midwood) and she was able to move and get a better life. that's just a tiny bit of her story, but it was incredible. most of it i really can't share - but God is real and He really does love his children individually and miracles are real and they happen all of the time. we invited her to ask someone to come to the special stake conference and she was so excited. she ADORES the people that shared the gospel with her and she can't wait to share it with someone else. she said she wanted to talk to two of her friends and we are really excited for her.
we had dinner at a family's home that the wife just barely found out that she has cancer. i could not believe how upbeat she was and how positive she was. she has just decided to leave it to God and she knows He will take care of it. she is not worried because she has faith and she is so sweet. she chastised me a little bit when i asked her what we could do for her. she said that the only thing we could do is to come and eat with her family on friday night. so we did and she was so sweet to us. and, by the way, i'm getting REALLY good at eating with chopsticks. okay that is being super prideful and pride definitely comes before the fall -- hopefully i don't spill food all over me this week :)
sister kim has been such a blessing in my life. i'm always amazed at how Heavenly Father puts people in your life specifically for different times. we have SO much fun together and i love that girl a LOT. she has helped me grow so much and she has helped me really love myself for exactly who i am. i love that Heavenly Father calls each of us for the people we are, not for the people that we compare ourselves to or wish we could be. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses and He knows where we are needed. It is amazing to me that, despite all of my imperfections and weaknesses, He still loves me. He still needs my specific talents and He still needs ME. and bless sister kim for helping me to learn that lesson. and to learn how to throw your shoe as far as you can, how to speak korean, and how to play the piano. and she is hilarious. anyways.
i LOVE you all. please know that i pray for all of you all the time and that i am overwhelmed at how blessed i am. i have an AMAZING family and wonderful friends and i really couldn't ask for more. you are the biggest blessing in my life and i truly appreciate each and every one of you. your letters always seem to come when i need them the most and they give me the boost that i need. thank you. i love you and i hope you all have a good week!
love ( <3 )
sister mich smith
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