Hey there Family! How is the good ol Utah weather? It does sound super cold. At least you were able to soak up some of the sun in Hawaii! That is a lot of fun! Mom you are over stressin!! Don't worry about me! haha I am great out here. I wasn't homesick at all when y'all were in Hawaii! Don't even worry. I am glad you guys made it back safe and sound. That really sounds like a fun trip. I enjoyed all the pictures you sent me. Thanks for those! And yes I got the package you sent!! It got here on Saturday and sat on our porch until Tuesday. So that was a prayer answered! haha And that sounds great about the pineapples!! I am excited to eat some of that amazing fruit again. Those chocolates and cookies and the letters were the best! They made my day. Thank you guys very much!!
That's awesome people from the ward are asking about me. We really have the best ward out there. Everyone was so loving and kind. The branch down here is good, but nothing compared to our amazing ward back home! And mom stop letting that organ stress you out, you are the best Organ player ever! I mean I think you are the only person in the world that plays and sings at the same time! That is some pretty good multitasking! haha I love you momma!
Alright now for my week... So Monday it was really cold and it was raining pretty good. We played basketball for 2 hours then volleyball for the last hour with the sisters. It was a really fun P-Day then we got the call about the upcoming storm.... They told us we were to be on Lock-down for Tuesday and Wednesday. So no driving and no biking. They told us to stay in as much as possible. So on Tuesday mid day it started to rain and icicles were forming on the trees and ice was starting to form on the roads. The whole city then was on shutdown. No one went to work. The freeways were shut down. So we decided after our studies to go to the church and play basketball. So we went over there and played for like 5 hours. We had an investigator meet us there and play with us. It was a lot of fun. Then that night and the next day we played the game Risk. It is a board game and we connected 2 of them together and all of us played! It was a lot of fun, but also very boring. All we wanted to do on Wednesday was go out. So that was pretty crazy. Oh yeah and when we were going to the church on Tuesday it started to snow and hail on us. So I have now seen snow this year!! First time in like 10 years right before Katrina. It didn't stick to the ground, but then that night it got really cold and froze the roads over. It is just funny how if this were to happen in Utah it would be no big deal, but down here they shut down school and everything.
Then on Thursday we were able to go out and see people again. We also did our weekly planning. We had received 3 referrals so we tried to contact them this week, but no answer. That was a day where everything we tried fell through... Even our back up plans fell through. So that night when we were done we were out by Algiers point so I took Elder J. out to the Point to get some awesome pictures, but on our way there something really weird happened.. We pulled up to a stop light and there was a lady walking on the sidewalk so I said hello. I saw in her hand some beer. Then she said hi. And I was about to say something else and she cut me off and said "I'm going to... so y'all ride along now."....... And then sure enough she went potty right there on the side of the road!... Luckily we were riding away at that point, but it was just so random.. Lets just face it... Louisiana is a very weird place!! haha
Alright so this week I had been really praying for Sister M. and something I could do to help her out and be able to get into her home and teach her. Then I thought.. she has 3 dogs.... We could go and walk them! So I called her and we walked her dogs on Friday and afterwards we were able to sit down with her and have a lesson. We decided we are not going to give her little spiritual thoughts anymore, but we are going to start all the lessons. We had the Restoration lesson and it was the most amazing lesson ever!! We were able to help her understand more and help answer her questions. It was so amazing and I know she felt the Spirit. We left her with a challenge to Pray and read alma 32. It is a chapter all about Faith. Then that night we went over to Brother N. and he fed us and we talked and just had a great night. It was a great day!! We were able to give out so many pass along cards. We were planting seeds all day!!
Then on Saturday we went to the Temple.. I have never felt the Spirit so strongly in my life.. Right when I walked in the front door it was like all my worries were taken off of me.. The session was amazing. Hey Elder J. said there is a new Temple movie? Is that true? He said there are 2? You will have to check that out. Then after we came home and called sister M. and asked if we could come walk her dogs again. She said yes and we went over and walked her dogs with her and just chatted. Then after we taught her another lesson and answered more of her questions. That day I decided we should share a Scripture about Charity because she is one of the most charitable people I know. It really brought the Spirit and we were able to resolve some concerns. She doesn't know when she will be ready to come back, but I know she will. So those were 2 really good days with Sister M. Then that night we went and helped move in a Spanish member. It was a good day.
Then Sunday we taught the 12-14 year old class. It was fun! Then Sister W. fed us Jumbo that night and it was a great night. So our week started out slow, but finished soo strong! I loved it. Now today we are super busy again. We are going over to Brother N. tonight again to help him so we are having a shorter P-Day. That is okay though. We pretty much had 3 this past week.
Mom and dad Thank you for the advice you always give me. It really helps me out. I am trying my best to be the best missionary, best trainer, and best kid I can be. I have seen the blessings already so much from serving a mission. My testimony is so much stronger and my knowledge is increasing so much. I think it is probably the best feeling in the world when you can feel The Lord working through you. Half the time after lessons I don't remember what I am saying. I love having the Spirit with me. It has taken me a while to completely understand what the Spirit feels like, but I know when I am doing my best, that is when I feel it the most. I love this work and I love my calling!! I love y'all so much and I pray and think about you guys everyday. I put all your names in the Temple. Mom I love you! Dad I love you! Family I love you! Have an amazing week and I am already excited to hear from y'all next week!! Peace Out!! :)
Love Elder Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment