Everyday I'm Snufflin'

HeY HEY hEY!!!!!! 

   I hope that everyone is doing well and that they are prepping for the holiday season! The winter wonderland has commenced which is pretty exciting and not all at the same time... haha! We are in for a long winter here in Michigan I'm pretty sure but that's okay because well the work of the Lord still moves forward which is always great! So the reason my title is everyday I'm snifflin' is because I've been sick these last few days.... which I've decided is the worst thing that is possible as a missionary because all you want to do it work and when you're sick you're either inside or you are half dying while you are out working... so that's what half of my week has been like. 

Monday: So in the mission we have a new guideline saying that we can only email for 90 minutes which is pretty nice actually. What else is cool is that we can also be with our districts on P-Day as well. We can like go out bowling or do other things as a district which is pretty awesome! We took advantage of that rule and played pool, ping-pong and catch phrase with our district! It was pretty fun! 

Tuesday: I was on trade offs with Sister Mortensen in Midland. It was fun to be with her again. She is so great and it is so cool how we are going to go home together! We taught a less-active member and what was so great is that we planned something completely different then what we actually taught. I love how the spirit can work through both you and your companion to really teach to the needs of those whom you are talking to. 

Wednesday: We had a super great district meeting all about the Book of Mormon and how we could use it to teach with greater power and authority. I absolutely love the Book of Mormon. I never thought that I'd be able to learn so much from one book. It truly is the word of God and brings you closer to Jesus Christ as you read it! We also had a really great dinner with a family in the ward. I learned a lot about how Heavenly Father loves every single one of his children and that he can take our experiences to help other people with theirs. We also had a great lesson with our investigator Jason. Jason is kind of hard to describe because he is so great! His wife is Catholic and he has been talking to her about being more open to exploring different religions. He has a strong testimony of the gospel and I know that he will be baptized, he's still praying on a date. 

Thursday: We weekly planned again!!!! Yeah!! We tried it a different way and Sister Chisholm really liked it which is awesome so we are going to keep it that way. We just changed up how we are using the white boards to plan. We also had a lesson with Valerie going over the baptismal interview questions because her interview was going to be latter that day. Her interview went well and she was set to be baptized!!! Yeah!!! 

Friday: We taught seminary!!!!!!!! We had to wake up at like 5:30 but it was so great! I totally forgot what seminary was like and kind of what high school students are like. You have some who answer every question and then you have some who never really answer. All those who read this and attend seminary pay attention while you are there! You can learn and grow so much in that 50 minutes that you are there and it will bless you for the rest of your life! We also met with a family in the ward and there are amazing! I just love working with the members and being strengthened with them. Members need strength just as much as our investigators and I think I learned that a lot this week. 

Saturday: Valerie was baptized!!! YEAH!!! It was a great service! She was so happy and there were so many people who came to support her. She and a young man from the ward sang "A Child's Prayer" and that was wonderful! That song really touches the heart and helps you to realize that Heavenly Father really is there and is waiting for us to call upon him and ask him our questions! 

Sunday: This was a bit of a struggle because I felt pretty sick, but I went to church and then I went home and took a nap during lunch. After my nap we had studies and then we went out to contact some potential investigators and no one of biting for the gospel so we went door knocking. We met some people... they weren't super interested but that's okay! We invited them to the Midland Nativity Exhibit which they were much more open about! I love the Nativity Exhibit! It opens a lot of doors! 

Spiritual Thought: In Gospel Principles we had a wonderful lesson on prayer! It was a great reminder about how important it is to commune with our Father in Heaven. There are so many different reasons why we pray like to invite the spirit, for forgiveness, to have strength to resist temptation, gratitude, charity, strength to live the gospel and the list can go on and on. Something else that we touched on was the fact that prayer is an opportunity to build a relationship with God. Prayer is designed for us. I love the opportunity to have to kneel down every morning and evening and say a prayer. I've learned that it is important to tell Heavenly Father everything. He wants to listen and help us with the things we are going through. I love that opportunity to pour my soul out to my Father and in return He brings me feelings of peace and of comfort. Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that we have been given. On my mission I've had the chance to really gain a testimony that Heavenly Father truly is our Father. We can go to him for anything and everything. He is just waiting for us to make that connection with him. I know that as we pray sincerely that we will gain a testimony that  our Father in Heaven loves us. We will know that he is aware of us and our situations and I know that he is. In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen. 

Love Always, 

Sister Smith