June 18, 2012

Craig and I would like to thank each of you for your support of Sis. Smith over the last 18 months.  We have felt of your prayers and faith and we know that Jessica has as well.  Love to all!  Craig and Bev.

June 18, 2012

 MIRACLES HAPPEN ONCE IN A WHIIIIILLLEEE. Still miracles are happening every day in good ole Brandon Manitoba. Each day has been fantastic!! First...Don came to church. Yes. Yes he did. He had a nice tailored suit and got there half hour early and was smiling from ear to ear. The whole ward basically knows him already so everyone was SO excited to see him. Everyone that walked in...DON IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOUUU!!! He was so happy. We taught him a couple times this week and he is doing great. He is getting pretty excited for his baptism.

Bonnie is right on track doing really well and enjoying every minute of it. The Romero’s are doing great. They are going to the temple this weekend for baptisms!!! Glenda was so happy to be holding her recommend. It was very special.

We had a ward picnic this weekend...Ben and Cherry, Bonnie, Juanita, the Romero’s...they all came!! Some of the ward members even had friends that came with them. It poured on us...but it made for good memories. :)

Sister Shoell and I had some really great opportunities this week in our finding. We had a lot of people who don't believe in God or who have been turned off of religion because of various reasons. A lot of them sat and talked to us about it. One lady in particular...was very very shut off to what we had to say...but she came out to talk to us. She had lost her baby when he was 2 to cancer...and she just couldn't see how that could come from a loving Heavenly Father. As we testified of the love of God and the plan of salvation...you could see in her eyes that she wanted it...that she needed it...but she wouldn't let it in. it was hard to see her in so much pain. But it made me very t thankful for my knowledge of the plan that Heavenly Father has for me and for each of us. We know that we can be with our loved ones again. We know that this is the Lords will. And even in hard times...we can choose to draw closer to Him for His help and guidance. We don't have to go through trials alone. We can have the peace and the comfort of the atonement in our lives. I am so thankful for that.

I am so thankful for the amazing opportunity I have been given to be able to be a Representative of My Savior Jesus Christ. It is an honor to wear His name over my heart every single day. I am so humbled to know that I am doing His work here in Canada. That Heavenly Father has trusted me to help His children in this very very special way. It has been the most important 18 months of my life. It has changed me and shaped me and refined me. I have learned so much and have gained so much. My Savior has become my very best friend. This work is real. It is powerful. This gospel is what will change the world...one person at a time as they each come to know their relationship to their Heavenly Father and choose to follow His son, Jesus Christ. I am continually humbled to be put in the path of those who are ready to hear the message of the restored gospel. I am continually humbled to be a part of such an amazing work...the best work. No words can explain the feelings and the thoughts in my heart. No words can explain how I truly feel about my Savior, about this gospel, about my Heavenly Father. IT has been a very, very special 18 months, 18 months that I will never regret, nor forget. It has meant the world to me. It is hard to say goodbye...hard to stop...but i know that as I continue to do the Lords will, He can continue to use me as an instrument in helping other of His children, wherever and however that may be after i take off my name tag. The Lords timing is perfect. I know this is where I was supposed to be these past 18 months, I know that He will direct me with my decisions that I will be making in the next few months...years...and so on. The gospel is true. I know that my Savior lives.

I love you. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it and love it.

June 11, 2012

June 11, 2012

Oooooh Brandon is full of miracles, love love love it. We had a neat experience with Don at the beginning of this week as he received a blessing. Very strong, powerful experience for all those that were there for that. He hasn't had a drink of coffee since last week and is super excited about it. He has been reading every day...he is in 1 Nephi 20!! :) Roger passed the sacrament on Sunday!! What a moment!!! He was soooo humbled to be able to do so.  It was ward conference this week. The intermediate hymn was Choose The Right...and their youngest; Yensi just sang it loud and proud!!! The only words s he knew were choose the right and so she just repeated it over and over and over again as loud as she could. It was fantastic!! Sister Olsen and I played a piano duet. It was fun to play with her again!! On Thursdays we give service at the soup kitchen. There is a man that goes there from Africa who is one of my favorite people!! Every week he says OOOH THE MISSIONARIES!!! HIIIIII and gets so excited. He is always asking me questions about the church and what we do here in Brandon. This week he told me he was going to come to church! I made him promise....and lo and behold...right as the opening hymn was being sung...in he walked!!! He was so excited! After sacrament meeting he was EXTATIC and came up and said. Sister Smith...I'm getting baptized!!!! This is the church. Did you hear what they said? No other church talks about that. This is the church. When am I getting baptized?!?!?! Hahaha. Remarkable. So the elders got his info and are now teaching my friend! So exciting! :) Miracles happen every day! I love it.

We have a busy week coming up! Lots of good things happening. Couldn’t be better. This is the Lords work. This is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that as we prioritize our lives and do the important things...the things of the Lord first, and everything will always...ALWAYS work out. He always keeps His promises.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Love you. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.

June 4, 2012

June 4, 2012

A week of miracles!! I tell you what. First of all, Roger’s baptism was fantastic. I love that little boy so much. His smile was precious the whole time. It was truly a miracle to watch Roger Sr. use his priesthood to baptize his son. What a remarkable thing that Heavenly Father has given us to be able to use His power. The priesthood power is on the earth today. It is real. As I was studying about it this week I have come to realize that the same priesthood that my dad holds or my brothers is the same priesthood that the prophet holds or the apostles. Our faith is in the power, not the man. It was so special to be a part of this special baptism. Don is doing wonderful. I truly love this man. He is a very very special person. We taught him on Tuesday before we went to Winnipeg for the week. We talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and invited him to be baptized again. He said, I already told you...I will. We said what? Don you said you would think about it. He said...well...I will. I will be baptized on June 30th!! Then he just leaned back in his comfy recliner and smiled. He was so happy. He talked about how he feels to know that he has found the Church of Christ. That this is Christ’s church. When we got back into Brandon and went and taught him again on Friday...we taught the word of wisdom. Don said that 5 weeks ago he quit smoking (5 weeks ago is the time we knocked on his door). He did say how much he loves his coffee and then we asked him if would live the word of wisdom he said yes. I said what about your coffee. He said. Well by the sounds of it I drank my last cup an hour ago. He hasn't had a cup since. :) Don is amazing. We had some very neat experiences in his home this week as he testified to us of the truth and how he feels about the things we have taught him. He keeps asking us what persuaded us to ring his bell and he knows that it has been a sign from God. He calls us his two little angels that Heavenly Father has sent for him. He didn't show up to church on Sunday so we went to his home to see if he was ok. He has told us before that he is sick...but we now know he has been down playing it. When we went to his house he told us he has cancer. He stood there in the doorway telling us about what is going on and tried to be so tough. I wish I could explain the feelings in my heart and the spirit that has been felt as we have been with don. He is a wonderful wonderful man. And I feel honored to be able to be an instrument for my Heavenly Father in meeting with don.

On Friday night we got a phone call from a lady who has investigated a while ago here in Brandon. We answered the phone and she said. Hello. This is Bonnie. I am ready to be baptized. uhhhhhhhh. :) ok. We went over to meet with her. She is planning on getting baptized on July 7th!! She came to church on Sunday and bore her testimony of how she knows this is the true church.

Remarkable. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much this week!! We have seen miracles and have been a part of some very very special moments this week. There is nothing like being an instrument for the Lord and doing His will with His children.

We went to Winnipeg the middle of the week for specialized training!! It was fun to be with everyone. We are now being allowed to create our own mormon.org profile!! Missionary work takes all forms. It is very exciting. There were some neat stories shared about the effects of the profiles being made in other missions and so we are all thrilled to get to do it as well.

Well. Another good week. The work must go on. This is the Lords church. The gospel is true. The priesthood power is on the earth today.

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

May 28, 2012

May 28, 2012

Hello hello hello.

What a wonderful week we have had in good ole rainy Brandon Manitoba!! :) Things are wonderful. Little Roger passed his interview on Saturday and is so excited to be baptized this coming Saturday!! He was so sad to think it was a week away!! Roger sr. is going to be baptizing him. Very very special day it will be. The ward is excited, the family is excited...it will be so wonderful.

Don is the older gentleman that we are teaching. We had some very neat experiences with him this week. when we were asking him about the Book of Mormon and how he felt about it, he told us that we needed to understand that this book is very powerful and that you have to sit down and take it into your heart...and it has to be a little at a time because it is so extremely powerful. When we talked about baptism he said that he had been thinking about baptism since the day we walked into his house and that he can't sleep at night because it is weighing heavily on his mind. He is a very special person and it is an honor to be in his home and teach him.

We had a stake conference this weekend...broadcasted from SLC, Canada wide. The first talk was all about the temples and the Romero’s were soaking it in. they talked a lot about the responsibility of being members and how we need to continually work on it. Elder Packer said that the people in Canada are the most spiritual and that years ago the weaklings moved back to Idaho and Utah. Mean while, Sister Shoell and I were sitting in the back of the chapel...the whole congregation turned and looked at us. Ha-ha. It was a classic moment. We got lots of comments about it afterwards. It was funny.

We have been focusing a lot on teaching during finding and have had some really great experiences. It isn't just an approach and stating who we are...we talk to them...ask them questions...teach them right there and then. It is amazing to see how the spirit works during finding and how much we are able to share with those that we meet.

We are going to Winnipeg this week for specialized training. Lots of good things to apply and to learn.

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

May 22, 2012

What a blissful week!! Sister Shoell and I are doing great, great,
great. We are teaching this older man named Don. He is in his 70's and
is hilarious. When he feels the spirit he reverts back to talking
about Germany. His hearing is going fast so we have to talk real loud
and slow. But it is great fun.  Our last appointment with him, he was
talking about something random after we had just bore our souls to him
and then he said well ya know I know this is a big deal. And we said
why don? And he said, well...you have come back more than once and it
is something you can feel in your heart when you speak.  I may have
been reading from that book you left me...But you know I can't read
it...its too small...and then he went off on another topic. So we had
a glimpse of the spiritual side of Don. He’s been listening. He is a
wonderful man.
Little Roger is doing great!! He has his interview this week!! Super
exciting. We taught tithing this week and we asked Roger Sr. to
explain and share his testimony with Roger about tithing and it was
POWERFUL. He just kept saying how they have just received so many
blessings since they have paid tithing. It was so wonderful. On
Sunday...Roger received the priesthood. :) :) :) :) I have never seen
him glow like that. He was radiating. Glenda was ecstatic!!! She just
kept smiling and saying Woo. Woo. It was wonderful.  When I asked Roger
how he felt he said "moi feliz" over and over again. This family is
remarkable. They are going to do amazing things. The gospel has
literally...LITERALLY changed their life. I love them.
Sister Shoell has really taught me a lot about teaching the love of
God. A couple lessons we've had this week we just focused on that
principle and it is amazing to see how strongly the spirit comes in
and how it softens the hearts of the people we are teaching. We have
been focusing on asking inspired questions during our finding
approaches and it is neat to see the difference and the responses we
get instead of just an approach.
Lots of amazing things happening still in good ole Brandon Manitoba!!
Another great week to come.
I love you all so very much. Have a wonderful week. Be good. Remember
who you are. Live it. Love it.
 

mothres day

Hello hello hello! The sun is shining and life is so great!!!!
Couldn’t be better!   This week we went into Winnipeg and dropped off
Sister Roper. It was so fun to ride with her to Winnipeg, just got all
caught up.  She is doing so well!! She is so happy, it was great.
We got to transfer meeting where she teamed up with Sister Wennerlind
and I got my dear Sister Shoell! She is an angel!!! It has been a
wonderful 3 days. I really really appreciate the spirit that she
carries and how she teaches. She just speaks from her soul and tells
them exactly how God loves them and wants them to be happy. It is very
powerful.  It feels like we've been together forever!! We taught Roger
Jr. this weekend. He is so excited about baptism. We taught him about
the plan of happiness using soccer as a metaphor. He LOVED it. God is
the coach. Our family is our team. Life is the game. Eternal life is
the goal. And there are things we do during practice...such as read and
pray and go to church and be baptized. Wonderful! :) He told the whole
primary yesterday that he was getting baptized! :) The Romero’s kids
participated in the primary singing during sacrament meeting. So so
tender. We have a lot of wonderful goals for the next 6 weeks and are
excited to see how it all unfolds with the help of the Lord. Miracles
happen.
I love you all. Be good. Remember who you are. Live it. Love it. xoxo

May 7, 2012

May 7, 2012

WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Romero’s are baptized!!! On
Monday we took them an envelope of a scripture a day that delt with
baptism and confirmation so they could read one until Saturday!! They
were so excited about it. We saw them every day of the week. On
Tuesday we went over to go over the program and what they wanted to
happen. It was so wonderful to watch them take things so seriously as
they contemplated what hymns they wanted sung and who they would like
to participate.  It was so special the spirit was so strong as they
decided what they wanted to do. Saturday FINALLY came!!!!!!!!! They
came dressed in their Sunday best and were beaaaaaaaaaaaaaming. They
looked beautiful in white!!! Sister Olsen and I surprised them and
played a piano duet during the program. It was wonderful. It was a
very special weekend...one that I will never forget. Their son set a
baptism date for June on Sunday after sacrament meeting :) their
family will be changed forever...all because of the gospel. All
because of Jesus Christ. Isn’t it just amazing!! There are just no
words that give any of the feelings and things that have happened
justice. I love them so very much. Now they are working on getting to
the temple :) miracles.
We got our transfer calls. I will be staying here in Brandon and
Sis. .Shoell will be coming to be with me!! It will be wonderful.
Sister Kunzler gets to go to beautiful Saskatoon to be with Sister
Carmichael. She is excited to go and have a new adventure. So this
week will be busy with teachings/good- byes and pickups in Winnipeg.
Lots to do lots to do.
Hope you all had a wonderful week!!! Love you so very much. Be good.
Remember who you are. Live it. Love it.
xoxoxo