Monday, December 29, 2014

Obituary.....

Today we would like to commemorate the life of Sister Miranda Smith. She passes away on December 31st leaving her old life to embark on a new journey in a world that is unknown to many. 
Sister Smith lived a wonderful life full of door knocking and sharing the gospel to all that she could. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, MI to Melissa Hunt who passed on about 6 months ago. Sister Smith learned how to work and adjusted to being a missionary. She learned very much from her trainer and remembers the sweet love and kindness that was shown to her as she was still getting to know how to be a missionary. 
She was then able to spread her wings and her transfers took her to Midland 1st ward where she spent 6 months of her life. She served with Sister Whipple and endured one of the harshest winters that Michigan has seen in many years. She survived the polar vortex! Together Sister Whipple and her knocked on doors all the day long but never lost hope of finding those that would receive them. 
The time then came for Sister Whipple to move and then Sister Greene came in. Their time together was short but many laughs happened and also a lot of learning about how to work with members! 
After Sister's Smith long stay in Midland she was transferred to Williamston which is outside East Lansing. There she was in a trio and learned more about how she had that desire to bring others to Christ. While serving there she was told that she would be training! Her first daughter's name is Sister Morrison who now resides in Wyoming, MI. Their hard work and effort helped the Williamston area to take root and they saw many miracles take place! 
Her life took an unexpected turn! In July she was told that she would be having another daughter and that she would white wash the area of Bay City. Sister Jordan, her second daughter, came into the field running! Together they too witnessed many miracles in Bay City! the work was definitely hastening there, the flood gates were opening! While there they also go to participate in the River of Time which is where they lived as the Mormon Battalion for a few days. Many memories were made. Sister Jordan still resides in Bay City. 
Once again her time had come to an end and another unexpected twist happened, she would be adopting a daughter! This took Sister Smith back to some of her old roots in Midland but this time being in the 2nd ward! Together Sister Chisholm and Smith built a great relationship and they laughed and taught one another many things. They were saddened by the thought that their time together might come to an end..... but! They received the news that they would would be getting a daughter! Yeah!!! They joy that they had! 
The legend of Sister Smith will live on through her children and grandchildren. She is very pleased with them and happy to have had the opportunity to serve with all of them! 
Sister Smith in her last days has been with Sister Lau and Sister Chisholm in her home away from home, Midland. As she has reflected on her life she is go grateful for the opportunity to live as a missionary and to have served with such wonderful people. Her testimony of the gospel has grown and she wouldn't be who she is today without her mission in the Michigan Lansing Mission. She knows with all her heart that the teachings of Christ are true and that as we all follow them we will receive the greatest amounts of happiness and joy. Because of her mission her life has been forever changed and as well she has been able to see the lives of others change which she is eternally grateful for. She invites all to come unto Christ and partake of His atonement and the peace that comes with it! She loves you all and is thankful for the support and love that has been shown to her the year and a half. Until we meet again! 
Love Always, 

Sister Smith 

3 DAYS!!!!!!!

Hey Family and Friends!!!!! 
So background to the 3 days thing is that well it is 3 days til Christmas but also our mission basically has like a theme CD and basically everyone in the mission knows that songs and if you don't you will soon get to know them because that is basically what everyone in the mission listens to! It is called "Lamb of God" best thing in the world! 
Monday: We went to Santa House!!! It was totally legit because we were able to go when Santa wasn't there and it was supposed to be closed but the lady let us in! Santa House is this house in town that is all decorated and stuff like that and it has moving puppets and it snowed bubbles and crazy awesome things like that!!! It was totally wicked! Also we laughed like crazy!!! It turns out that I'm a lot more funnier then I thought or missionaries just laugh at anything.... either way it was great! 
Tuesday: We had dinner with the Duncans who are some of my favorite members. They fed us steak and sweet potatoes! It was so great! We also got to see this video with David Archuleta in the biggest live nativity ever! I recommend watching that if you haven't seen it! It is wonderful and brings the spirit very strongly! The only thing bad about this whole entire thing is that this was the last time that I would see them! They are going back home for Christmas and won't be back til I'm gone! These are the problems I deal with when I leave so close to the holiday season! It was a great night though! 
Wednesday: We had interviews!!!!!! My interview basically consisted of "why are we even having this interview" haha! Let's just say it was short! Oh, we were able to watch Meet the Mormons again though! That was totally awesome!!!! That movie is top notch for sure! Also that day I went on trade-offs to Mt. Pleasant! It is always strange to go back to where you were trained. I got to see Robert Bronson, the person I first taught! It was awesome! It was also funny to see the growth that has taken place in me and the confidence that I have built up in teaching. Experience really does add a lot! Awww I just love everything about missions! It's the greatest!!! 
Thursday: So we had dinner with a family in our ward and we were invited to play the chimes with them at our Christmas party and so we practiced with them and it was super funny! Bro. Carn is hilarious and kept making us practice over and over again. It was really funny and we had a lot of laughs just trying to practice our song. 
Friday: Oh this was really great! We were door knocking and we were able to talk to this man for a while. He works with a lot of LDS members and they have really impacted him a great way. He asked us a few questions and he told us that he had read half the Book of Mormon which surprisingly happens more then you would think. He also told us that us talking to him will probably have some sort of impact on him in his life, maybe not today or tomorrow but someday it probably will. That was pretty sweet! He really wasn't interested in learning more at this time but hey it was still great! See, members are legit! 
Saturday: Our Christmas party!!!!! It was a lot of fun! There was a TON of ham and cheesy potatoes and lots of green beans...... typical. Haha! We performed our chimes and it actually turned out pretty well! I' d say that it was a success for sure! Oh also a member went door knocking with me and she said that we had guts for doing what we do! Haha it's funny because door knocking has become second nature to me, it's basically part of my daily routine now. Oh also we met this women named Kim, at a different time then with the member, and she told us that she had prayed to have someone come and talk to her and show her what she needed to do. It was awesome! I don't think I've ever really had that on my mission so I am grateful for that! 
Sunday: It's Christmas Sunday!!!!! I learned a lot in gospel principles which was totally great! I loved it! I love being able to learn new things and always growing in the gospel. I think that shows how much Heavenly Father loves us because we can always learn and progress! We also were blessed to have a really great lesson with Penny and Don McCormick! It was on church and I am just so grateful for the spirit and how much it helps me do the things that I need to do! I also love the scriptures and I know that they are the words of Christ and they speak to the soul so much better then I ever could. I love it so much! 
Spiritual Thought: I want to share my testimony about our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives! I know that He was born for a purpose and that He came to earth to do the Father's will because He loves us. I know that His love never changes and that it is always there for us to partake of. We never have to feel alone or forgotten because the Savior has descended lower then us all and we are not greater then He. I know that it was because of our Heavenly Father's love for us that He sent His Only Begotten Son and because of Him we can be forever changed. I know that the Book of Mormon testifies of our Savior and will bring us closer to Him then any other book. Let us all remember the true spirit of Christmas which is the Spirit of Christ! In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen. 
Love Always and have a Very Merry Christmas, 
Sister Smith 


I HATE CHRISTMAS...countdowns

Howdy Everyone!!! 
 I hope that all ya'll are having a grand ole' time counting down to Christmas because let me tell ya it is no fun for me like at all! That is my little rant for the day. 
Anyways, this week we were very blessed with many things... take a glance! 
Monday: We went to the tridge! I've been in Midland 9 months and I had never gone to the tridge and we finally went!!!! Yes!!! The tridge is a 3 way bridge by the way. It was a sweet victory!
Tuesday: We were out door knocking and we met this guy named Shawn and he had the biggest smile ever and he loved that we were talking about Jesus! He loves God a lot and he wants to follow him! He has a really great conversion story about how he came to Christ. He was just so excited and he went to give us handshakes and he was like aww just give me a hug! HaHA!!!! It was super funny cause he hugged me first and I looked over at Sister Lau and Sister Chisholm.... haha! It is seriously the funniest thing when you get randomly hugged and well we're just awkward about all of it. Luckily though he became a potential investigator and gave us a referral! 
Wednesday: Um.. we had a totally awesome lesson with Jason again!!!!!! Like what??? This man needs to be baptized because that is basically the only thing he has left to do! He was talking all about D&C and what he learned! We talked about the Word of Wisdom and he took it very well actually! Keep praying for him! 
Thursday: We got to help out with decorations as a service opportunity! I love helping with those things because it reminds me of home in a good way not a distracting sort of way! Also it is a super fun way to give service! Also we heard an awesome Michigan Christmas song like it talks about Christmas in Michigan and the wind blows at the end oh man it's great!  
Friday: We have been so blessed with really great weather while walking and with finding potential investigators! People have actually been open to talking with us more and it is wonderful! We love it! It is nice to carry on conversations and AND people aren't saying come back after the holidays! What the?? This Christmas season is nothing like last Christmas!!! 
Saturday: We basically had a whole day that consisted of finding and door knocking. It went well and we were able to talk to a lot of people. I think our door approaches are getting better as well! Also we get to share He is the Gift with everyone. Sadly some people still deny the Gift but many accept it! 
Sunday: We taught Relief Society!!! The greatest thing about it was the fact that we got the lesson the night before.... Luckily the spirit totally provides help when you keep praying and praying and asking for help! It went well and luckily we had a lot of comments that were given! #blessed! 
Spiritual Thought: Today in studies I came across a scripture which is great! It is Helaman 3:35 and it talks about how when we fast and pray we will wax stronger and stronger in humility and we will be able to have a firmer faith in Christ! I love how is prayer the helps us to remain humble which ultimately strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. It also says that as we do this things we will be filled with joy and consolation which means to receive comfort. As we do these things I know that we will be able to come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ and be purified and sanctified which means we'll become consecrated to the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 
 Love Always, 

Sister Smith 

Not Eternity Week!!!!

Dearest Family and Friends! 
  How is everyone doing?? I hope all is going well wherever you may be! Can you believe that Christmas is only 17 days away! Wow how time flies!! That is seriously so crazy!! I hope that you all have had the chance to watch the He is the Gift video produced by the church! It is so wonderful and I just love it!!!! If you haven't seen it take the 3 minutes to watch it then share it with everyone else!! :D
Monday: Oh man! We have a very crazy P-Day! We were running around like mad people! We did however get to ride in the transfer van which is always the greatest! Also I saw Sister Morrison!!!!!! It was a complete gift to see her!!!! It's funny because I've just been praying to see her before I leave and I got to!!! Heavenly Father sincerely cares about the small and simple things of our lives! 
Tuesday: Alright, I was in a trio on MSU campus with Sister Tate, Sister Chisholm and I and we personal contacted on campus all day long..... lets just say it was a tiring day. Oh funny story we were door knocking apartments and we talked to this guy named Franco and he really was not interested in what we had to say so after talking to him just a bit we said bye and walked down the hall to knock on another door but we realized that they had shouted "Go Away" earlier at us so we walked back towards his apartment. As we knocked on another door we heard Franco say "THey're sisters! That's why they're so religious, they can't find a man!" Sister Tate looks at us and says "We're not nuns!" I about died from laughing! I had to actually leave the hallway so they couldn't hear us laugh! it was a great moment! Memories! 
Wednesday: We got to go to the hospital and take a break from PCing which we were really grateful for! We sang Christmas hymns to people in the hospital which was very sweet but I still find hospitals a little eerie.... that's just me though. 
Thursday: We finally got to pick up our new companion!!!!!! YEAH!!!! Her name is Sister Lau! She is from Buckeye AZ which is awesome! She was born in England which is pretty sweet and her dad is from Hong Kong! Haha her first time door knocking we knocked into this man who totally criticized the Book of Mormon and denied Sister Chisholm's testimony..... now if that doesn't break you in I don't know what will! She is great though! 
Friday: We got to walk through the Midland Nativity Exhibit with our investigator Jason! He loved it which was great! And we loved it as well! It seriously was amazing. I've already seen it and this year it was just great again! I would love to come back to Midland every year to see it! You feel the spirit of Christmas so much it is amazing! It has a special spirit. 
Saturday: I just want to say that the weather in Michigan has been amazing and I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father is giving us all a break because of last year and I am so eternally grateful for this blessing of high 30s! I mean I don't really even have to wear tights! When I come home it's shorts and a short sleeve! We also helped at the Nativity that night as well! 
Sunday: We had a wonderful fast and testimony meeting with both of our wards!!! Awww can I just tell all of you how much I love Midland. It seriously is my home away from home! I love the wards and the people and I don't want to leave it! I just love Midland Stake! I'm pretty sure I'm just going to come back and live here (sorry mom and dad) :D Also I realized that this was my last fast and testimony meeting on my mission...... what the!!! I was fighting so much about getting up but my heart was beating and I couldn't hold it back any longer! I just had to share one last time and it was with everyone that I love so it was a sweet treat that my Heavenly Father gave me. 
Spiritual Thought: I hope that you all enjoyed the Christmas Devotional last night, I know I did! It was so great! I loved the songs the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang! It brought a very sweet spirit into the chapel. I wanted to talk about a thought that came to me while watching. It was "Service heals the wounded Soul" I have learned so much about serving others while on my mission. It is one of the greatest healing balms ever. There is nothing quite like forgetting yourself and helping another one of God's children. We can be the Savior's hands while we are here in mortality. I feel like service is one of the greatest things that our Savior was an exemplar of. He served everywhere he went and as disciples of Christ we are invited to do the same. I know that our hearts will be filled and the cracks that we may feel during this season or anytime of the year can be healed and mended by our loving service towards our fellow brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 
Love Always, 

Sister Smith 

Grateful in any Circumstances!

Dear Family and Friends! 
  As you feasted this Thanksgiving I hope that we were all able to feast upon the words of Christ. There is a quote that goes "You don't have to read your scriptures everyday just only on the days that you want to eat." We always remember to feed our stomachs now we need to always remember to feed our spirits! 
This week was a little bit of a crazy one but all things are well and in working order! Take a peak into my week! 
Monday: We played volleyball as a district and that was seriously so much fun! We played for a few hours. I'm surprised it didn't get really intense because we have a lot of competitive people but we didn't keep score just like that whitehand book says and I really think that helped us out. Haha we all had the most red arms but we all were laughing! The p-days are so great! 
Tuesday: This day was a little nuts too! We had to get our oil changed and tire rotated for our car in the middle of the day so we were car less for like 4 hours, but luckily we got it back but the late afternoon which is a lot faster then we thought and we were able to continue in full force our missionary efforts in Midland! haha! 
Wednesday: We had our final district meeting of the transfer which is always sad but fun because we get to take pictures and things like that. We had one of the most amazing lessons though! It was seriously so great! It was with Jason! Every single time we teach him I'm pretty sure I get taught more then him! We had a church tour with him and he loved it! He loves the way he felt while he sat in the chapel. We talked about the sacrament and why it's important and we also talked about fasting and how he could fast about how to help his wife understand and accept him being taught by the missionaries. Sister Chisholm and I walked away from the lesson just in aww of Jason and his desire to truly come unto Christ. #soblessed! 
Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Alright we went door knocking and my experience was not like last years! We met this super nice woman named Janice, she wasn't interested but she was just so kind and it was just nice not to get yelled at. The actual feast part of Thanksgiving was wonderful! We had it with recent converts in our ward who we are love! Sister Chisholm and I helped make some of the food as well. We also watched The Restoration with them. It really was great! There was so much food! Oh and I only went to one dinner. I don't think I could handle two anyways. But this is not all to our Thanksgiving festivities..... We came home from our dinner appointment to grab bike helmets for the elders and well... we came home to a flooded kitchen and soaking wet carpet! Grateful in any circumstances for sure! Sister Chisholm and I walked through the door and just started to laugh because we didn't know what to do! After laughing and wondering what we should do we called the district leader. We had a full clean up crew! Oh man it was seriously so funny! we did not know anything. We finally called the maintenance people who came and checked it out. They called this water sucker guy and he came and sucked the water out of our carpet at 12:30 in the morning..... it was a long night to say the least and we're still expected to wake up in the morning at 6:30. Lets just say we've been praying for patience and we got it! :D
Friday: Our apartment is a huge mess and we have to weekly plan with people coming in and out of our apartment.... haha! It was kind of hard to focus and on top of it all we had transfer calls which already gets you a little uneasy. Luckily we got our phone call after an agonizing wait we found out that Sister Chisholm and I will be staying together and that we will be training together til I get transfered. We are super excited about it and look forward to the time that we have together! It's going to be great! 
Saturday: We got a new investigator!!!! Yeah!!!! We are so excited! It is a guy named Jared. He has two kids they are 6 and 3. We gave him a chruch tour which went well. He also got to meet members from the ward which was great! Unfortunately... he works on Sundays.... we're glad he has a job but we're going to have to help him find a way to get to church! :D Prayer is a powerful thing! 
Sunday: It was so great to go to church and take the sacrament. I love the testimony that I have been able to build on my mission for the sacrament it truly brings me peace into my heart as I take it and remember my covenants and Savior. We had a really good lesson with our investigator Penny! We really focused on using the scriptures and testifying to what they say and it brought great power to our lesson and it was wonderful. It reminds my of one of my favorite scriptures 2 Nephi 33:10 which talks about the Book of Mormon being the words of Christ! I know the scriptures are true! 
Spiritual Thought: In my studies I have been reading a lot about the wars in the Book of Mormon and what I have been getting from them a lot is that it is so important to be prepared for the things to come! It is so important that we prepare for what is so come. It also helps to listen to the prophet's voice who is the mouth piece of God. I know that it is so important to prepare and that by listening to the prophet we can be more prepared for the things which are to come. Follow the Prophet! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 
Love Always, 

Sister Smith 

And so it begins.....

Hey Family and Friends!!! 
And so it begins..... hats, boots, gloves, layers, Christmas carols, snow ball fights and.... come back after the holidays..... :D 
The struggle is real during the holiday season! Everyone gets really busy with all this holiday stuff when really all we want to do is share a wonderful message about Jesus Christ! Luckily we are part of this thing that they church is doing called He is the Gift! We get to pass out cards and talk about this which is wonderful because so many people here in Midland love Christ so we are going to try to help them receive the fullness of his gospel in that way!! YEAH!!!!! 
Monday: We had dinner with the Jenkins and that was super fun! They have a ton of little kids and I kind of forgot what it was like to have so many kids running around a house and being well like a family! I love the chance that I get as a missionary to be in a home with families from our ward and learn from them and see how to have a gospel centered family! Members are so wonderful. Remember how much the missionaries look up to you and all that you do! 
Tuesday: Oh man we had an amazing one-third mission event! The spirit was so strong and I just loved it so much!!! I learned a ton too! We learned to practice teach better so that we could improve our finding. We also learned how to plan lessons more effectively. We talked a lot about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and how it is important that we represent our Savior in everything that we do! I am so blessed to be surrounded by great missionaries who desire to serve the Lord and who are doing all that they can to become better people. I love getting together in large groups of missionaries. Oh also we sang the song "Because I have been Given Much" but we added a verse to it that goes....
Because of thy life's mission Lord I too will serve
I'll leave the comfort of my home to teach thy word
I'll seek thy sheep who've gone astray and those who've never known the way
I'll make thy work my work today
It brought the the spirit so strongly and I know that missionary work is part of God's plan to help all of us come unto Christ! 
Wednesday: Oh man a lot of our lessons cancelled on us and that was a bummer because it was kind of cold and snowy... We also went to check on someone in our area book and oh man they think that we are confused and that we are on the wrong path. Not gonna lie when those things happen I love the opportunity I get to testify of the truth and of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God. I know that this gospel is true, this is Christ's church on the earth today. 
Thursday: We helped one of our investigators put of their Christmas lights and boy was it cold!!! The sun was out luckily but that wind went straight to the bone for sure! We have a lot of fun setting up lights and enjoying time getting to know Sister McCormick better. She is so sweet and we just want her to be baptized! 
Friday: We walked into an interesting man.... I'm not exactly sure how to describe him.We were talking and he said that he was too busy to talk to us. I told my that busy meant B: Being U: under S: satan's Y: yield. He laughed at it and said it wasn't true but I think it totally is.  He was kind to us but just kept saying that we were wasting our time talking to him. I've decided that when you're sharing the gospel to someone who is still talking to you your time is never wasted. I just do my best to keep talking to them. People are so funny and great! 
Saturday: I GOT TO WALK IN A PARADE!!!! My mission has given my so many awesome opportunities!!! I love it!!! We got to walk in the Santa Parade and it was super kind of cold but it was so fun! We passed out flyers for the Midland Nativity Exhibit and we passed out candy! It was seriously so fun and we just smiled and waved and well spread Christmas cheer! It was so wonderful! 
Sunday: We met a former investigator and it was great! She wasn't really interested in learning more but she loves the standards that the church has set. We talked to her about the For Strength of Youth and Personal Progress and how it helps us to become better mothers and fathers and that really interested her. We're hoping that that will spike her interest again. Whatever way the gospel helps! ;D 
Spiritual Thought: In Alma 49 in verse 3 it says "Behold, I said that the city of Ammonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part rebuilt; and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey for them." This made me think about how when we make mistakes we can be rebuilt through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That damage that has been made because of our past iniquity or the past iniquity of others can and will be repaired through the Atonement. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and that we can be forgiven and healed. I know that we can be rebuilt and become a new city that is fortified against the fiery darts of the adversary. The power of the Atonement is real and it can heal even the deepest wounds. Come unto Christ and be healed through His infinite sacrifice which is there for all of us to partake of every single day of our lives. The debt has already been paid, it is our choice to accept it or not.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 
Love Always, 

Sister Smith 

Time is a tickin'

Dear Amigos!!! 
   So we have a new rule in the mission that we can only email for 90 minutes so that is why the subject is that. We also got the rule that we will not be allowed to drive cars on Saturdays... lame but blessings will come from being obedient. Sometimes we don't always understand why but we do it because we know that others know better than us. So this week we great just like every week and well I learned a lot and got spiritually fed a lot as well! 
Monday: We had a totally awesome FHE with a member. She is amazing and is really strong. She's had a lot go on in her life recently and she was just so grateful that we could come over and share that time with her. I also gained a stronger testimony of how important it is to always have FHE!!! When the family gets together after evening work is done we learn to love each other by popping corn and having fun!!! (I think that is the lyrics I could totally be wrong) 
Tuesday: We had a lesson with our potential investigator named Hunter and it was great! He listened intently and the spirit was really there. He said that he had a few questions but that though out the lesson we had answered them. The member that we took with us, Sister Savage, asked what those questions were and he said "Why would I need the Book of Mormon?" and "How could the Book of Mormon help me?" It was amazing! I love finding people who are interested in the Book of Mormon because then you know that they are prepared!!! The elect resonate with the Book of Mormon! We also had dinner with a new couple in our ward and we love them! They are awesome! They actually just moved here from Tacoma Washington and Kelly Muro served in their ward and they had a picture of him on their refrigerator! That world is so small especially if you are a mormon!  
Wednesday: We had dinner with the pierce family and I just want to comment on how polite their boys were. They are 14, 12 and 9! They responded well to questions and they didn't argue with their mom and also they took our plates away after eating. It was just great! I want my kids to be that polite that would just be marvelous. 
Thursday: Alright, this was our first full day on bikes this week and boy was it cold!!!!!! Our toes were about to fall off they were so cold. As we were door knocking we just kept thinking "oh man it is going to get colder and this is only the beginning." I honestly don't know how I made it through last winter. Whenever anyone asks I just say "by the pure grace of God," which is very true. I wouldn't have been able to if I didn't have a testimony of the gospel and angels round about me the entire time! 
Friday: We met with the Woods family and we watched some Mormon messages and holy cow they are amazing! The church is really using technology to make the world a better place and I love it! There is a new video called "You don't Know" and it really is amazing and it brings tears to my eyes just about every time I watch it! The Lord truly knows what we need to do and we are made instruments in his hands more then we think! 
Saturday: We had stake conference adult session and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong and I was spiritually fed so much! I came away with tons of notes and having a greater desire to do better. It was also great because we were able to see Pres. Jacobsen and he called all the missionaries serving in the stake to come up and sing "Called to Serve" it was really powerful and it almost, key word, almost started to cry but I didn't because we have reason to rejoice and no need for tears! 
Sunday: Cool thing. Sister Chisholm and I got to eat lunch with Tilah Parker who is the sister of Jabarie Parker an NBA player who was quoted in last April's General Conference. STAKE CONFERENCE!!!! I think there is a theme going on here or a message that must be received because 2 of the people in the stake presidency talked about following the prophet and let us not forget that 2 General Conference talks were given on the same topic. I think Heavenly Father is trying to tell us something..... FOLLOW THE PROPHET!! In all sincerity though stake conference is wonderful! I loved it and my testimony deepened about the gospel and about how important it is to take notes in a meeting and really how much you put into it is how much you get out of it. I feel like the gospel really is centered on that concept. I know that the effort that we put into listening to talks will not be wasted and that we will be able to know that the Lord wants us to hear through his servants. 
Spiritual Thought: In stake conference our stake president talked about a plane accident that happened I think in the 70s. In this incident the pilots didn't realize that the plane was descending and before they could pull up the plane crashed killing many on the flight. I thought about this and I thought about when we get preoccupied with worldly things we don't recognize that we are slowly descending by degree and when we finally realize this, we crash. I makes me think of a story in the Book of Mormon. An evil captain of the Lamanites, who is compared to Satan, slowly poisons his other captain by degree so that he doesn't even know that he is being poisoned! That is how Satan is attacking us and that is how he has always attacked us. He slowly brings us down to hell. That is a little scary, but luckily we are told that we can avoid that fiery darts of the adversary by reading our scriptures, praying and all those small and simple things that really turn out to be the great deciding factors of our futures. I know that I talk a ton about the small and simple things but I'm telling ya these things are what help us to build our foundations on Jesus Christ. I've been on the other side where Satan was slowly bringing me down, and it wasn't a joyful happy life. I'm now string everyday to do the small and simple things and I've never received  so much happiness in my life! I love every minute of everyday! This is the key to true happiness! It'll save us from slowly decreasing. I know that as we do the small and simple things that the Lord has commanded us to do we will go "onward and upward" and we will find everlasting joy! In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen.
Love Always, 

Sister Smith