Hello my dear family and friends,
Wow... Jared has changed so much since I saw him last. Tell him to cut his hair and shave his stache. I am happy that dad, Josh, and the Hobans had a good time hiking. I am so sorry that Sister Stott and I were not on the Skype call last night. We never got a message back so we went out and worked instead.
I have had such a busy week. We ended up going on two back to back exchanges with incredible sisters. One of the sisters has a brother who I knew from BYUI... Small world! We were able to do lots of service and help out some less active members. After the exchanges we had a lesson with Vivian about the word of wisdom. This lesson was powerful and the spirit was able to guide the entire thing. We also brought members of the congregation to help and support her. The lesson was very hard for her. She said that she would give up smoking in a heartbeat but she would not give up her 1/2 cup of coffee in the morning. It's really hard because now she wants nothing to do with us. We will continue to be persistent and not give up!
Sister Stott and I went to the mission leadership council and received more guidance of how we can better help our sisters and help us missionaries become better leaders. The one takeaway I learned from it is to train my sisters on teaching people, not lessons.
We have been working with this woman Elaine who has not been to church since she was 16 and now she is in her 40's. She is going through an awful situation and she is at a point in her life where she can be humble. Because of the situation her mom Dora (who is in her late 60s) is staying with her. We went to Elaine and Dora's home this past Saturday and we discussed Elaine's situation and she broke down in tears. She told us that whenever she is going through a hard time it is always the Mormons who are there to help. We committed her to come to church and she finally accepted. After she accepted the invitation her mom Dora told us that she was actually baptized in 1970!!!! We always thought she was Catholic. This family did come to church yesterday and we were able to put her mothers name in the record database. After church Elaine said, "this is my church. I will be here every week!" I really do love how the Lord works and how he guides us to where we need to be.
Hey dad since it's your birthday and Father's Day this week I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for you. You really have encouraged me to work hard and play hard. You really are an example to me of someone who is dedicated to living a gospel centered life. I am looking forward to our snowboarding and skiing trips when I get back home. Love you!
I love you all and I hope you have a fun week in the sun!
Love Sister Smith
Wow... Jared has changed so much since I saw him last. Tell him to cut his hair and shave his stache. I am happy that dad, Josh, and the Hobans had a good time hiking. I am so sorry that Sister Stott and I were not on the Skype call last night. We never got a message back so we went out and worked instead.
I have had such a busy week. We ended up going on two back to back exchanges with incredible sisters. One of the sisters has a brother who I knew from BYUI... Small world! We were able to do lots of service and help out some less active members. After the exchanges we had a lesson with Vivian about the word of wisdom. This lesson was powerful and the spirit was able to guide the entire thing. We also brought members of the congregation to help and support her. The lesson was very hard for her. She said that she would give up smoking in a heartbeat but she would not give up her 1/2 cup of coffee in the morning. It's really hard because now she wants nothing to do with us. We will continue to be persistent and not give up!
Sister Stott and I went to the mission leadership council and received more guidance of how we can better help our sisters and help us missionaries become better leaders. The one takeaway I learned from it is to train my sisters on teaching people, not lessons.
We have been working with this woman Elaine who has not been to church since she was 16 and now she is in her 40's. She is going through an awful situation and she is at a point in her life where she can be humble. Because of the situation her mom Dora (who is in her late 60s) is staying with her. We went to Elaine and Dora's home this past Saturday and we discussed Elaine's situation and she broke down in tears. She told us that whenever she is going through a hard time it is always the Mormons who are there to help. We committed her to come to church and she finally accepted. After she accepted the invitation her mom Dora told us that she was actually baptized in 1970!!!! We always thought she was Catholic. This family did come to church yesterday and we were able to put her mothers name in the record database. After church Elaine said, "this is my church. I will be here every week!" I really do love how the Lord works and how he guides us to where we need to be.
Hey dad since it's your birthday and Father's Day this week I wanted to let you know how grateful I am for you. You really have encouraged me to work hard and play hard. You really are an example to me of someone who is dedicated to living a gospel centered life. I am looking forward to our snowboarding and skiing trips when I get back home. Love you!
I love you all and I hope you have a fun week in the sun!
Love Sister Smith