August 2, 2011

August 2, 2011

It has been another amazing week in Winnipeg! I love it so much. Last Monday a girl named Kelly came to FHE. I think I’ve written about her before. She came to a fireside with a member a while back but refused to meet with us.  Long story short...she said we could invite her to things. She helped with Winnipeg Harvest and has come to FHE. She came on Monday to FHE...and loved it. We played baseball. On Tuesday we were texting her asking her how she liked it...then we just said...Kelly can we meet with you? She said, yes tomorrow at 6:30!!!! YESSSSSSSS! It was amazing. The lesson was amazing. The spirit was SO strong. She is ready. She is pretty nervous about it but she knows this is what she needs. She said she's been looking everywhere for something but hadn’t ever been sure what it was...until now. She said she needs to meet with us 2 times a week. We said we could def. make that happen. Soooo she came to church on Sunday! We met with her before and had a VERY good talk about a lot of things. The spirit again was SO strong. She then told us...I know I said 2 times a week but…I’m going to need to meet with you every other day. :) :) :) :) God works in mysterious ways. It’s amazing. Every day I am just blown away with all of the tender mercies we see. I love it so much.

On Saturday we went up north to go finding...as we were walking to an apartment we saw a girl so we stopped her and talked with her...as we were talking with her...we heard this lady across the street just yelling..Hey...come here...heeeeyyy and she was whistling...we thought she was yelling at her kids so we gave her her privacy and didn't look or talk to her...we stopped to write something down and so I kind of peeked over Sister Hopes shoulder just to see what was really going on…I guess I’m nosey like that... she saw me look and said COME HERE!! I pointed at myself and said us?!? She said yessssss. So we walked over to her and she said, are you Jehovah Witnesses? I said no...and she said. YOU'RE THE MORMONS! Do you have something for me to read?! Ha. We were like well uh...yeah...we have a book called the Book of Mormon...can we come in and tell you about it. She said yes, come in. So we went in, talked about the Book of Mormon and the restoration, we went back again Sunday night and we’ll be seeing her again today! :) God puts us into the paths of those who need us for sure. It was such a testimony to me.

THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE. There is no denying it. It is so amazing.

It’s been way hot here. It finally rained last night...but it's been humid and hot, hot. I’ve got some great little tan lines on my tootsies and from my watch. Gotta love it.

Hope you all had an amazing week!! Don’t' forget to read and pray. All the small things make a BIG difference.

Love you all. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

Sister Smith

July 21, 2011

July 25, 2011

It was finally cooler this week. The temperature dropped and we weren't drenched in sweat. Gross...I know...but really...it was great. The transfer has started off great. We’re all excited for a new transfer. The zone has gotten smaller and will continue too, but we're all still working real hard. Last Monday Sister Hope and I won a scavenger hunt and a ninja destruction tournament at FHE and won free slurpee coupon. Winnipeg is the slurpee capital...they sell the most slurpees in the world or something like that...people will walk around in December drinking a slurpee...they love them here. So we were excited to get them for freeeeeee. Always fun. It’s funny.

Samantha’s last Sunday was yesterday. My little heart! We said goodbye to her because she moved for a summer job. She’ll be gone till October. It was really hard to say goodbye. It amazes me how much love I have for her. I know that the Lord puts all of His love in us for her. She is going to do so well. She’s so excited to be able to go to church and to do church things without anyone getting mad at her. She’s excited to start her new life off right :) I love it so much. She will always...ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart. This is the best work in the world.

Sorry so short this week. Love you all so much. Don’t forget to do what you know is right, no matter what anyone else thinks about it. The church is true. We will be blessed for being obedient. The commandments set us free, they allow us to have true happiness.

Love you all. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it

Sister Smith

Baptism

SAMANTHA GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!! On Monday night, we talked with Samantha and she said she feels like she is just ready to get baptized. We talked about things that needed to happen and she said ok, I’m ready. We set up her interview for Tuesday night. She passed :) :) :) It was amazing. Then she got all ready to be baptized on Saturday night! She was so excited. She called to talk about what she should wear and what she should bring. She was glowing. The spirit was so strong. There were three people getting baptized that night so it was so special. I have never seen her smile like that before. When she came out of the water she said oh yey!!!! and did a little skip jump thing. It was the cutest thing of my life. The rest of the night she had the biggest smile on her face. There were a lot of ward members there to support her and we all just talked and had refreshments and took pictures. She brought a friend with her and he was  happy! He was excited to see her so happy. Someone asked him when he was getting baptized and he said, well I guess that's something I need to start thinking about! It was one of the most amazing nights of my life. It was such a testimony builder to see someone choose to get baptized and make that decision for themselves. The spirit was SO powerful. Heavenly Father is  mindful of each one of us. He knows exactly what we need when we need it. He wants all of us, His children, to return to live with Him again. He has prepared a way for that to happen. I am so thankful for my Savior and His sacrifice so that I can live with my family again forever, so that I can enter in through the gate to the straight and narrow!

Sunday morning Samantha was confirmed a member of the church and received the Holy Ghost. Another very powerful meeting. Her friend came to that as well. Sister Hope and I got to play our piano duet. Samantha was very emotional during church and just couldn’t stop smiling. She was so happy. I was talking to her friend afterwards and asked him if he was coming to church next week and he said...well probably. I said really? And he said, well let's just say if I come it’ll all be official...and I said oh Tyler...not if...but when and he said yeah...pretty much. He’s so interested in the church and loved sacrament meeting. He is excited to come back next week.

This church is SO true. There are no words that can describe the feelings that were felt this weekend. It was so special. The Lords hand is in this work. He has prepared the people and is making a way possible for them to enjoy the blessings of the gospel. I love it so much. I always think, oh there is no way I could be happier...then something amazing happens and I’m happier than before. Life is such a blessing. We are given so much from our Heavenly Father. I love this gospel so much. I am so thankful for all of the blessings I have received because of the gospel. It changes lives and continues to change mine.

The church is true.

I hope you had an amazing week. Love you all. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

Sister Smith

July 11, 2011

Hello! Hello! Hello! Another great week in Winnipeg Canada. I love it. We had another great week with Samantha!! She came to church on Sunday and loved it!!! She loves church so much. She went out of town for the weekend but told her friends she had to be back by Sunday so she could be at church! :) We talked about moving her baptism date forward! :) She may or may not be getting baptized THIS WEEKEND!!! :) can you imagine? Either this weekend or next weekend is the magic time. It was her idea to get baptized earlier. She is moving for a job to another city which she is excited about to get away and start her new life. She is amazing. Every time we teach her and every time she makes comments in church and things, the spirit is so strong. She understands. She gets it. It is amazing to see the spirit come into people’s lives. She has made HUGE improvements and has quit smoking and everything. THE CHRUCH IS SO TRUE. I couldn't be happier.  It is amazing how much we learn from her and how much we love her. I love her so much.

In my studies this week I came across a really neat scripture chain that has helped me understand how God helps missionary work and how if we are following the spirit the promises we make to people are from him. It starts in Heleman 13:2-5 then Matthew 10:19-20 then Doctrine and Covenants 68:4 then Doctrine and Covenants 100: 5-8. I love the scriptures. I have started to study the New Testament this week and I love reading about the miracles that Christ performed.

We found 5 new investigators this week. The promise of the temple is being fulfilled. People are being prepared. The Lords hand is truly in this work. It amazes me to watch it every day.

The weather has been hot hot hot. It is super humid here. 

Transfer calls are next week. This transfer went by SO fast, faster than any of the others for sure. It’s crazy town.

Hope you all had a great week. Love you all. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it. xo

4th of July!*

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! :) WHAT A FUN DAY! Yesterday at church, we sang O Canada and the Star Bungled Banner. It was so nice. It was very thoughtful.

This week was So good. The humidity has gone out...and it is HOT. Today it’s about 40 degrees c. hot, hot, hot, way too hot.

Samantha came to church yesterday. It was perfect. She LOVES church. She told us that she doesn’t ever want to miss a day of church. She loved fast and testimony meeting. She turned around towards the end and asked us if she could go up there herself. OF COURSE. :) It was too late...but she said that next time she is doing it for sure. She loved it. We talked about fasting in Sunday School which was perfect and she loved that idea. She is going to be fasting this weekend to have the strength to give up smoking and that will be her first day without smokes. She is so excited about it. She loves being able to sacrifice things for the Lord. She loves doing what she is asked to do. In Relief Society we talked about our divine potential as women in the church and she LOVED that as well. The teacher was going around telling everyone a compliment or something they are good at...and she interrupted her when she got to her and told her how much she appreciates the lesson and the ward and the gospel and how true happiness comes from the Book of Mormon and living the gospel and that God gives us things to help us become stronger and happier, that all the commandments are there for us. She talked about her baptism and is so excited. It was an amazing Sunday. She loves the gospel and can see all the happiness that has come into her life from living the commandments and learning about the gospel. She is so happy. It has been such a blessing. She is exactly right God gives us commandments to make us free. The commandments make us happy and allow us our freedom. They keep us clean, they keep us happy. They allow us to receive all of the promised blessings that God has for us. She is amazing and has been a huge testimony builder to me.

I hit my 7 months this weekend!!! 7 months come and gone. It has gone so fast. When we put our faith and our trust in God, He makes everything work out. He blesses us and knows exactly what we need when we need it. Blessings come after the trial of our faith. If we always got everything...we wouldn't have a testimony of faith or a testimony of blessings. I am overwhelmed with gratitude this week. I am just so thankful for all of the blessings I have in my life.

I hope you all had a great week. Hope you have a fun holiday!

Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

Love you!

June 27,2011 Best Ever!

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEK WE'VE HAD! I tell you what. It has been a great week. I got to go on exchanges with Sister Dunn. She goes home at the end of this transfer so I got to learn a lot from her. She is an amazing missionary and follows the promptings of the spirit. I gained a lot from her and hope to work on a lot of the qualities she has.  Thursday night KAMILLE CAME TO INSTITUTE!!! It was sooooooo great. The ward just ate her up. They loved it...she loved it...we loved it. She had a great time. We talked with her a bit afterward and resolved a lot of her concerns. I tell ya...every time we meet with her the spirit is just so strong. Sunday was the big day this week. Our Samantha came to church! :) It was so good. She loved church. She made comments and asked questions and everyone introduced themselves to her. The relief society lesson was a talk from conference and she asked for a copy of it. We met with her afterward and talked about the word of wisdom. The big one! We knew she struggled with coffee and smoking...so we were just going to go for it. SHE LOVED IT! She said...wow that's going to be hard...but if God wants me to do it...you know I’ll do it. I can do it. I know He will help me. IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER. The spirit was so strong and you could just feel her accepting everything. She said she knows this is the right path for her. She knows she needs to be doing all these things. She told us she wants to have a full hearted testimony and to give everything her full heart. So we talked about her baptism date and we got it all figured out. She is so excited and told us she NEEDS to meet with us more than she already is. She loved how loving everyone was at church and the boy that gave her a ride just treated her like a queen and she said she wasn't used to it...but she loved it. It was amazing.

Then after church Sister Hope and I were finding. We started talking to this lady and asked if she was interested and said well yes. I’ve been reading my Bible all day,  for some reason am really into this today. So she gave us her information and asked us to send representatives over. Then she said, you know what, you need to go meet my friend Anita...she lives just around the corner and she gave us the address. So we were like ...alright...let's go. :) So we walked to this place...a little bridal shop...and walk in and this little Asian lady pokes her head over the shelf and says pooh hoi and comes down. We tell her we just met her friend and she wraps us up in a big ole hug and tells us to come upstairs. So we go upstairs thinking...wow...this is huge...way to go Anita. So we go upstairs and there are 4 ladies just sitting there...they were having some kind of health presentation learning about some health products and they thought we were there for that. Ha. So we said oh we can't stay we just wanted to share this card with you...all the sudden this lady steps up and says..You’re on your mission!! You’re the Mormons! Hi hi hi and gives us a hug. And she said...ladies these girls are from Brett’s church!! We were like hush?!?! She said that Brett is their boss guy and he is a "real good Mormon" that she had been a several business trips with him and he taught her all about the church. She said every time they would go to a city they would walk up and down the streets looking for the elders to take them out to eat. She said she's fed so many missionaries and she's not even e member. She was so happy to see us. So excited. So she then said...ya know what sisters, I would be Mormon. And I said...well Sandi...what's holding you back?! And she said...well...to be honest....just my coffee. We looked at her and said. Oh please Sandi and she said I know, I know I just love my coffee. We talked about it for a few minutes and told her she needs to have the Elders over to her house in Alberta...she gave us Brett’s number and her number she got our number and she said. You know what, I’m giving up my coffee...I'm going to be baptized. I’ll call you this week. WHHHAAAATTT JUST HAPPENED!? It was amazing! Sister Hope and I just walked out of there with huge ole smiles on our faces. We felt so grateful and so humble. It was a roundabout way to get to Sandi...but we got to her. The Lord defiantly directs our paths!!!

Then...we had our mission fireside!!! Sue our little investigator came and so did Kamille. Kamille brought her brother!!! Which is a HUGE step. They loved it. He said he felt so welcomed and loved how everyone there wanted to be there and were participating because they wanted to participate. Kamille was glowing. She was so happy he enjoyed himself. It’s so true though...as members of the church...we are there because we want to be...we are there because we have a testimony. We do the things we do because we know they help us...we know they are blessings, we know it helps us get closer to our Heavenly Father! THIS CHURCH IS JUST SO TRUE! There is no doubt in my mind. I love it. I love the gospel with all my heart. I love the Book of Mormon. I love the power of prayer. I am so grateful this week and so humbled to be serving a mission. Life is good. Life is really good.

I hope you all had a great week. I hope you have a happy Canada day *July 1st* and Fourth of July!!! Love you all. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

June 20th 2011

Can you believe it's already the end of June? Where is the time going?! It’s been crazy! We met with Samantha this week. We set a date with her and are working toward baptism with her in July!! She is excited about learning more about the gospel. She’s got so much potential and so far is willing to do anything. Last transfer we tracted into this little Chinese lady named Annie.  She couldn't understand a word we said but her daughter translated for us and she said they weren't interested. We asked them if they were interested in learning English...she said yes so we set it up for the elders to go over there...turns out...they taught her...and she got baptized on Saturday! She was so happy. It was so neat to see her get baptized and to see her so happy.  For that baptism Sister Hope accompanied an opera singer...Dustin Hines to sing at the baptism. Of course I was the page turner...you know how important that is :) it was great. He is so talented it was fun to work with him. 

As we were finding this week we met a man named Lawrence Witlock. He came right up to us and started talking to us. He said he learned from missionaries years ago in Selkirk. He said at the time I was not ready, things were crazy...but I’m ready now. I’m ready for them to come back. :) The elders went over this weekend and said he is fantastic. He’s on the right path now.

Sister Hope and I are going to be doing a piano duet in church in 2 weeks. I am so excited. We’ve been on the hunt for some good music.

Sister Hope and I are doing great. We’re finding a lot and have seen so many blessings already from our efforts together.

The weather is getting hot! It was 31 degrees c. this week!! and HUMID! super humid. It’ll be a fun summer for sure. :)

Hope you all had a great week. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

Sister Smith

I was just sitting here thinking...

It’s neat to see the Lord work through me as I share the gospel with others. There are times when I don't even know what I’m saying...I just talk. I know that the Lord is filling my mouth and using me for an instrument in His hands. It is such a miracle and I feel so blessed to be here. There are so many things each day that I see and I feel so blessed that I have the gospel in my life or I feel so blessed to have such an amazing family or good friends. There have been so many times when I’ve been able to just think about a question that someone has or about a principle of the gospel.

This church is so true. How could it not be? We are ALL God’s children. He loves us all. No matter what or where or who, there is a plan for us...and the center of the plan in our Savior, Jesus Christ. There IS a prophet on the earth today. God has always been the same and will be...so of course he would call another prophet. I know that Thomas S. Monson is called of God. I know that I have been called by a prophet of God to invite others to come unto Christ....to know for themselves the truthfulness of the gospel. How blessed are we?

I love you!!