Mission Life All the Way!!!!

Greetings from Michigan!

   This week has been another wonderful week in the lovely Bay City area! We are super excited about life and about sharing the gospel! Today in companionship study we got a little crazy and well lets just say the gospel truly is an exciting thing to talk about especially when your companion loves it as well!!! We've had a lot of laughs this week and we are looking forward to more! 

Monday: It was a holiday! I wrote a ton of letters. I'm sorry if you are reading this and did not receive a letter. I promise that if you write me a letter that I will write you back in a timely manner and I will put colorful decorative stickers on it as well! Who doesn't want a sweet sticker covered letter from their Michiganary. Haha! :D

Tuesday: The highlights of the day are as follows: We weeded an investigators garden which is great except for the fact that I got hives all on my arm.... the elements are out to get me this transfer! First I passed out, then mangos try to kill me, oh wait you didn't hear that story..... haha! Anyways they went away by the end of the night. We also had a lesson with our investigator Patty! She is the one that we met that the members moving sale! She is so sweet and what was great is that we brought members to her lesson and they got along great! It was wonderful! Members truly are everything in missionary work, I love it!

Wednesday: We had a lesson with the Guiths and they are great! We watched the restoration video and they liked it! We really hope that they will soon more progress towards baptism. If you could keep them in your prayers that would be great!

Thursday: We did a service activity for the city called Food of Faith and it is where you make food and serve it to those in need. It went really well and the Guiths came too! Misty brought like 200 muffins and the crazy part is that the members of the ward thought we weren't going to have enough. Two of the members said a prayer and in walks Misty with like 200 muffins! It was awesome!!!! We have seen so many miracles this last transfer in Bay City it is amazing!

Friday: We had transfer calls and it was so funny because I completely forgot that it was that day. We had moved weekly planning to Friday but I really forgot! The phone started to right and I thought who is calling so early and then I saw that it was the Zone Leaders and I was like "Oh yeah, I totally forgot it is transfer call day!!" My mind has been so busy with the work here in Bay City I have no time to think about anything else which is great! Oh yeah so I'm staying in Bay City with Sister Jordan to finish out here training! We are excited to see more miracles take place in Bay City. The spiritual flood gates are going to be opened here pretty soon!!!

Saturday: We had a baptism in Bay City! It was for the elder's investigator Nicole. It was a great baptism. After the baptism the missionaries were talking with Bishop Peless and Bro. Cobb our ward mission leader and they were telling us about this event that we're having at the end of this month called the River of Time. They have reenactments of wars throughout history and the Mormon Battalion will be in it and as missionaries we get to take part in it and we get to dress up and tell people about it!!! How totally wicked is that!!! Bay City is awesome they have so many neat little well actually big festivals and it is a great way to share the gospel!! We're all pretty excited about it, because people come from all over the state to see it!!!

Sunday: Basically everything was on missionary work! It was great! A lot of the testimonies born were on missionary work, in gospel principles the lesson was on missionary work and in relief society it was on member missionary work! Can you say Boo-ya!!!! Missionary work is only one of the best topics to talk about!!! Members truly are so amazing and we need them so much to help the work move forward. Members are everything!

Spiritual Thought: I want to bare my testimony on how much this gospel can bring joy into your life. "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy." ~Alma 36:21~ Alma because of his wickedness was in the most bitterness of pain but because he called upon his Savior Jesus Christ and his atonement Alma was able to be released from those pains and feel the joy that comes from the redeeming power of the atonement. I have felt the bitterness of not following the commandments of God and I have felt the atonement of my Savior work within me so that I can feel the joy that comes from the gospel. There is nothing in this life that has ever brought me so much joy as the gospel has. The world we live in makes it hard for us to realize where true, eternal joy comes from, they make us think that it is found in money or other worldly possessions that we have. I know with all my heart that those worldly things are not where true happiness lays, but that it is in living the gospel of Jesus Christ every single day of our lives. It is found in using the Atonement of Jesus Christ everyday to become a better servant of the Lord. It is found in serving our fellowman, attending the temple regularly, reading the scriptures and praying daily and sharing the gospel with our brothers and sisters. This is where true joy lies! I invite you all to come unto Christ and partake of this eternal joy for there is "nothing so exquisite and sweet" as this joy! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week and that you may feel that joy of living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love Always,

Sister Smith

Albert's Baptism!

Another Transfer almost over!!!!

Hey Family and Friends,

    I hope that you all had and enjoyable week and enjoyed the holiday weekend! I'm not breaking any rules, the library was just closed yesterday so we were allowed to have emailing time today! This week was great! We saw more miracles and we have had an fun time!

Monday: Well we had a lesson with Patty! We had met her while doing service for a member and she is great! We also have a lesson with her tonight which we are looking forward too! We are hoping that she'll come to church this Sunday!

Tuesday: We were on companion exchanges! We did service for some members who were moving which was nice. We also had a lesson with Albert! He was having like his last lesson  before he is baptized!!!

Wednesday: Zone Conference!!!! I love meeting with missionaries! It is so great and I learn a ton! We talked about planning and study which is actually a topic that is talked about a lot in training's! Oh and we sat by Sister Jacobsen and she asked about our area and told her about the miracles that we have seen and she said that our table should have balloons, it was pretty funny! Also I had a few people who work in the office who made the connection that I was the missionary that passed out.... haha! It was pretty funny actually! Seriously though training's are so uplifting and it gives you the drive to go and and be better!

Thursday: Oh man! We met 4 teenagers/ kids while door knocking this evening! Tyler (17), Nathan (16), Logan (14) and Caleb (8). It was an interesting door contact but man they really listened! The two older ones are friends that live across the street from each other and they don't believe that there is a God. They younger two believe that God exists and they was to know Him better. We talked to them at their door step for about an hour and by the end Tyler said, "To be completely honest you two are the only people who have ever got me to think that there could actually be a God." Well it wasn't us, but it was the scriptures and the spirit that helped more than anything!

Friday: We met with the Guiths again. Misty wasn't there but Carl and Donivan were! Donivan really liked learning about everything and he was excited! He kept saying that he wanted to be baptized. He doesn't fully understand yet the commitment that is but we're working towards it! He's a great kid though and we love to teach their family.

Saturday: We met with Nathan and Tyler again. We talked all about faith and repentance. It was actually pretty great! We talked a lot about Alma the Younger and his conversion story and how through Christ we can be cleansed and have our burdens lifted! It is crazy how much I was to help these guys out! I want them to believe in God and know that he is there for them! Tyler said a great prayer and the end of the lesson saying that he really does believe in God! Like what the??? That's awesome!!

   We also had Albert's baptism!!!!! It went great! Albert was happy and we were happy! The spirit was there and I could stop smiling. I actually tried to stop because my cheeks hurt but I could keep it away for more than a minute at most! It was great! So Great!!!

Sunday: It was a little crazy. Donivan and Misty came to church which was great!!!! But sometimes is gets a little complicated with investigators at church. I'm always a lot more on my toes especially when it is their first time coming. I'm not sure if I could handle having a lot of investigators at church! Haha But I still want them to come we just need to get more fellow shippers!

Spiritual Thought: I studied a lot yesterday on sacrifices. There are so many people who made sacrifices to follow Jesus Christ, some of the biggest sacrifices we made by the apostles who dropped all that they knew to follow Christ and be part of his earthly ministry. I made me think about the small and simple scarifies that I have to make in my day to day to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and then I thought about some of the big sacrifices that I make in my life to follow Jesus Christ. It is hard to make sacrifices, but I know that it is so much better to follow Jesus Christ then to follow anyone else. Life is is happier and it has a lot less sorrow when you follow Christ. I know that when we do heed his call to "Come, Follow Me" we will be greatly blessed and be welcome into the Kingdom of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith  

p.s I'm probably allergic to mango's. 

Miracles in Bay City, baby!!!

Hey there!!!

  Okay so this week was just amazing and left me aw-struck! I love being a missionary and I love the gospel!! There is no where I'd rather be then here in the Michigan Lansing Mission in the Bay City area!!! (sorry family) Bay City is so prepared it is just going to explode with missionary work!!! Also Sister Morrison said told me that people from my last area are going to be baptized! Like What!!?

Monday: We had dinner at the river walk with a member of the ward! Bay City is a neat little city thing and I love it! One day I will ride a bike down the river walk and it will be a lot of fun!

Tuesday: Miracle #1- We door knocked into a woman named Amy a few weeks ago and she said that if we were in the area we could stop by. A few nights later in my evening prayers I asked to know who the prepared people are in this area and Amy's name came straight to my mind, so the next night in planning I said that we should go and visit her so we did! She talked with us for a bit and really opened up to us about her life and how much she needs help and help for her family. Well we testified to her that this would help her. We are going to be meeting with her tomorrow! Miracle #2- We were coming home from a dinner appointment with a member and stopped to talk with a man working in his yard. He wasn't too interested and we talked a bit more and by the end we had a return appointment. We have been striving to listen to people a lot lately especially with love and it was been great! They opened up to us and we were able to teach them about prayer and invite them to church. At the end their son Donivan, who is 10, said he'd say the prayer. It was the sweetest, most heartfelt prayer ever!!! We are going to see them on Wednesday this week! Miracles #3- While we were out heading into an apartment complex we saw a young man sitting there and he looked a little upset and I had the thought to talk with him, so we did. After talking it turns out that he was stuck on that end of town and didn't have a way back. We asked if we could help and we let his use our phone to call a friend. We started talking to him about his life and what he hopes for and we tied Christ into that and how He helps us reach our goals. We gave him a Book of Mormon and we got a return appointment with him for that Thursday.

Wednesday: Miracles #4- We have previously received a referral from Mormon.org and we set up a time to meet with David. He is seriously so prepared to accept the gospel. He soaked it all in and he was just sitting there listening! It was crazy!!! We invited him to be baptized and he said yes!!! We just have to put him on date now. Miracle #5- We set up a time to meet with a family called the Martinez family and well it was a miracle to meet with them. We talked about how the gospel blesses families and how family prayer can help us build strong relationships with one another. There spirit was definitely there!

Thursday: We had our return appointment with  Zack, the guy that got stuck on the other side of town. It went pretty well. He had read the intro to the Book of Mormon and said that he felt the spirit when he was reading it! It was the BEST!! The only thing is that he doesn't have a cell phone that works and he works a lot so it is kind of hard to get a hold of him so hopefully we'll get to see him again soon!

Friday: We helped out a member of the ward move, which is actually quite sad because they have done a lot for the ward in Bay City and they are going to be greatly missed.

Saturday: We got to work at a Family History Booth which was actually quite great! I have grown a love for family history while on my mission! It is so fun to help others find their ancestors and feel connected to them. There was a few people who just loved finding their ancestors and it was great!!! It was also a creative way to find people to teach!

Sunday: We had 4 investigators at church this Sunday! It was awesome!! We also had a linger longer which was great! There was some pretty great food as well! Oh I was also able to see some people from my past areas who came up to hear the family speak who is moving! It was just wonderful, so wonderful!

Spiritual Thought: I really am not sure what to talk about today.... Got It!

1 Nephi 15: 24 "And I said unto then that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction."

It is so important that we hold to the scriptures and that we study from them everyday! They are the words of eternal life! As we apply what the scriptures teach us we will be able to avoid the fiery darts of the adversary and it seems like now-a-days that we need that protection more then ever before. We need to cling to the iron rod and look forward to the tree of life and the gift of eternal life which is the greatest of all gifts from our Heavenly Father(1 Ne 15:36). I know with all my heart that the scriptures are true and that when we hold fast to them that we shall not worry because we will have our foundations build upon our Savior, Jesus Christ (Hel 5:12). I would invite you all to cling to the word of God which will tell you all things what ye should do(2 Ne 32:3)! I know that if you read the words of God everyday that you will truly see a difference in your life and you will start to see how God is truly in control of our lives and how much He loves us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all so much!!

Love Always,

Sister Smith

P.S sorry for the long letter...

Foot Tan Baby!

My Poor Shoes and Feet!

It's a Struggle!

Hey, Hey, Hey!!!

   Let me explain my title. This week has been great, but a lot of things have just not gone as planned so whenever that happens I have taken on the habit to say, "It's a struggle." Don't worry it really isn't because that is just how missionary life is, you can ask any RM and they'll tell you that the day never goes as planned, but it usually almost always ends up better then you planned it! This week has been fun so here it is!

Monday: It rained buckets!!!!!! We couldn't really keep moving to our new apartment so we decided that we would go door knocking instead. We met a man named Jason who is very kind, but didn't really want to learn. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and asked if he'd like to read it and he said sure! He reads a 1000 page book in like 3 days so the Book of Mormon shouldn't be too hard. We're following up with him this week!

Tuesday: We had interviews with President Jacobsen! He's great! It wasn't very long though.... he told me that I had to finish the race strong and that I was on my final lap in a 1600 meter race. It really hope that I can continue to finish strong! With the Lord all things are possible!

Wednesday: Oh man! We moved a ton this day! We had to get moved out so we moved and then cleaned. It was a busy day. We did however have a lesson with a woman named Carol. She talked about the differences between our faiths and she asked us a lot of questions which was great! We were able to testify of the Book of Mormon and by the end the spirit had touched her heart and she was willing to read the Book of Mormon! It was wonderful!

Thursday: We biked...... I don't like bikes... haha! I think I'd like them more if I was more fit to ride a bike oh and my skirt kept getting caught in my tire that made it a little bit more difficult to continue riding sometimes... Lets just say that the next day.... we walked.

Friday: We enjoyed a really nice dinner get together with some members of the ward! It was a really great opportunity to get to know multiple members but still be able to spend more time with them. We had this dinner at a home like 30 minutes away and the members that we rode with are great! They have 3 little girls and we sang primary songs together! I love primary songs! They are so powerful and they teach the gospel so simply it is amazing!

Saturday: We had a great opportunity to go to a birthday party for dinner and there was a lot of people there who were less-active and non-members! It was good to be able to talk with people and to get to know them and what we could to do help them out! I didn't know that birthday parties were great finding opportunities! Invite the missionaries to your birthday parties!

Sunday: I can't get enough of church!!! I love it, I love it, I love it!!!! I'm telling ya, if you want true happiness attending church and following the commandments is where you'll find it! We also had a lesson with Albert at the Cobb's home which was great! Having members at lessons as well as in their homes is truly the way missionary work should be done. Having investigators make friends is amazing! Ward members are crucial to missionary work!

Spiritual Thought: This morning in companionship study Sister Jordan asked me the question, "How have you seen people's hearts change over your mission?" That was a great question and I had to think about it for a moment. I have been able to see many hearts change over my mission, but after pondering for a minute I realized that the heart that has been softened and changed the most was my own. It made me realize how much the Lord has been working on my heart as I have been serving His children. It is true when it says "when you lose yourself in the work of the Lord you will find yourself." I know that is true with all my heart. As we put the Lord and His children first we too will be rewarded by being shaped and molded into the people that God wants us to become. I have been able to see my desires change as well as my actions and thoughts. I have become more like my Savior. I still have a long way to go, but I am grateful to have had chance to lose myself in His work and I desire to continue His work. I know that whatever part of the Lord's work that we are doing, as we lose ourselves is service to our fellowmen that we will be blessed more then we can imagine and through the Lord's atonement we can be shaped and molded into the children of God that we are and we will be able to see more clearly our potential and the potential of our brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith

Bay City District

Elder Aiken being Funny

I Love Being a Missionary!

Moving is just not my Thing... Let's go teach!

Rainy Day in our New Apartment