BLACK OUT!!!!!

Hey Ya'll!!!

  This week has been another good one! We're being blessed and seeing a lot of people open up and have a desire to at least invite us back to hear more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! Bay City is ready to explode, hopefully everyone is ready for it!

Monday: I can't really remember exactly what I did this day..... Oh no! I'm getting old! Ahhh! We had dinner with a less active member which is always a great opportunity. She's great and has a few hurdles to overcome but don't we all on this path to eternity.

Tuesday: TRANSFER CALLS!!!! Normally they are on Fridays but Pres. Jacobsen had somewhere to be so we did it on a Tuesday. It kind of threw off the week but that's okay. So the verdict is in that I'm being transferred... hopefully for the last time! I'll be heading over just a 30 minute drive away to Midland!!!!!!! HaHa! Ain't that great! I'll be serving in Midland 2nd ward and I'll be finishing off Sister Chisholm's training!!! It'll be a blast! I get to see everyone from Midland 1st ward! I will have now served in all the sister areas in the Midland Zone so now I have ZONE BLACK OUT!!!!!!!! Let's just say that traveling around to tour my mission shouldn't be to hard because I've spent 14 months in the same zone! Crazy!

Wednesday: This was my last district meeting in the Bay City District which is basically full of elders! Crazy ones at that! They're super funny though and watch out for Sister Jordan and I. We had a great meeting though on Christlike attributes with emphasis on patience. I'm so grateful for Christ and His perfect example.

Thursday: Man, we had like a full day planned with lessons and all but one cancelled. That my friends is why we have back up plans because no matter how much you pray and have faith these people will show you are still dealing with other people's agency. The church is so organized it is amazing!!!! It is only possible through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The organization, I think, shows how true the church really is!  We also had an awesome lesson with Erin and Richard and their family! It was amazing! A member talked about how a temple is built on a landfill then she talked about how Heavenly Father doesn't care about our past but that we wants us to look forward to the future and build upward. Onward and Upward is what Elder Holland said to us!

Friday: We rode our bikes again.... this time luckily my skirt didn't get caught and my handle bars didn't fall off so all in all I'd say that it was a successful biking experience. Well, actually our tires were flat and that makes for a lot more effort to ride a bike. Heavenly Father is just trying to help me work out more! HaHa! Oh man though there is a story for this day! Sister Jordan and I were door knocking on May street and a woman answered the door. She told us that we were wrong and didn't were lost. She kept saying that the Bible was the only word of God and that we should read it for ourselves. Sister Jordan and I stood there letting her speak and then we just testified about the Book of Mormon and how we know it is the word of God. I bore my testimony and I almost started to cry! I told her that I wouldn't be at her door step if I didn't know for a surety that it is true! I felt the spirit very strongly but it just seemed like the spirit stopped at the door.... she wouldn't let it into her heart. We asked if she had ever read the Book of Mormon and she said no but that she had read a book about it. We invited her to read it and pray for herself, but she wasn't open to it. It's always sad when you bear our testimony and people don't accept it, but I am so grateful for opportunities like that that build my faith and strengthen me. I am blessed!

Saturday: I'm grateful for meals with members! I feel like I learn so much from the members when I eat with them and have a lesson with them. We talked about the Restoration and it is amazing the insights that others have on this significant event! It is amazing and I love it! Members are everything to this work and we would be nothing without them!

Sunday: TRACY CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!! It is a miracle!!!! She was in the hospital the night before and she still came to church!!! I have a huge testimony in the power of prayer and as well in the power of the Book of Mormon. She has been reading it and I know that it is giving her the strength to do what she needs to do! I love love love love it!!!!!!!

Spiritual Thought: While in my scripture reading this morning I learned a lot about the people of Ammon! Let me tell you how much I love those people and their example to me! The people of Ammon were once the Lamanites who killed many people and sought to do evil always. Their fathers had turned away from the Lord. Ammon, a missionary, who had been changed by the atonement wanted to share the gospel with them. He taught the people and they were converted. They were so converted to the Lord that they buried their weapons of war in the ground so that they would never take a life again. They made this covenant with God! They would rather die a most painful death then take a life. They were truly converted to the Lord. I think about how converted I am to the gospel and how much I need to be better at keeping my covenants I've made with the Lord. Are we truly converted to the gospel to stand up for the right in any situation? I want to be like the people of Ammon. They were a zealous people and highly favored of the Lord. "And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end." Alma 27: 27 They were faithful til the end! I have a quote that says "Conversion is not a one time event, but it is a life long journey to become more like the Savior." I know that when we keep our covenants that the Lord will bless us and we will find great happiness in this life and in the life to come!  I love the scriptures and what I am able to learn from them. They truly are the words of Christ! Every time I read them I am filled with the spirit and have a desire to do good and to be good. The best is that you learn something new even when you've heard the story many times! I love being a missionary and serving the Lord! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith

Missionary work.... stalking 101

Family and Friends and everyone else not sitting on cushions!

   Let's see.... what cleaver thing do I have for you this lovely Monday morning? You know something that Sister Jordan and I realized the other day. She's been on her mission as long and I have left. That was a scary moment for me!!! Also you know you've lived in Michigan for a year when 53 degrees is nice and you're wearing a long sleeve shirt and no tights! That's right! I'm adjusting to the weather except when it's windy.... the wind is terrible. They call it the lazy wind because it just goes right through you. Haha! Anyways... here's a bit of my week!

Monday: Sister Jordan and I finally were able to carve pumpkins!!! They actually turned out a lot better then I expected and I'm pretty excited about that!

Tuesday: We actually had a lesson with our neighbor across the hall. She is this older woman who grew up Lutheran. She is looking for more happiness in her life! Haha well do we have the recipe for happiness for you!!!

Wednesday: Totally awesome amazingness!!!! We were blessed with the opportunity to watch Meet the Mormons! I must say that is was a great movie! The spirit was really there and it was uplifting and inspiring. I would recommend seeing it because it will brighten your day and give you a sense of  gratitude of having the knowledge that we have as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Go see it, you'll love it! Bring tissues especially if you have a missionary out! ;)

Thursday: We had a lesson with our investigator Sister Rogers! She is really making steps forward. She is doing so much better with not smoking and she is really everyday which is wonderful! We are so excited for her and hope that she will be able to continue to move forward and make it to the waters of baptism!

Friday: We went finding more today then usual and I have got to tell you sometimes I miss door knocking. I think it is great to bear your testimony to your brothers and sisters and I think it is a great challenge! I love it! I also have so many fond memories while door knocking so I just love it!

Saturday: Alright this ties in with the title of the message. Sister Jordan and I were out by the bay and it was dark and we were trying to find less active members but unfortunately it was too dark to see the house numbers which also caused us to drive a lot slower then usual. We then decided that  it would been a good idea to get out and try to find them and that still didn't work out either. I'm just saying that on my mission I've felt more like a stalker then ever. I'm pretty sure I'm going to join the FBI when I get home! :D

Sunday: I say this every week but I can't get enough of church!!! I love it with all my heart! I was so grateful to take the sacrament and to be able to renew my covenants! I'm so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and how much that has helped me in my life and how wonderful and amazing that gift truly is! Through Christ we have the power to do all things that are align in his will.

Spiritual Thought: I love the scriptures and this is a verse I came across while reading this week. "Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—" Alma 19:6 I feel like this is what has happened to me as I have embraced the gospel more fully in my life. The darkness has been cast away and it has been replaced with light and consumes me! I love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! I have been infused with joy and have been carried away in God! I know with all my heart that this is Christ's church. Our Savior lives! We are children of our Heavenly Father who have been divinely designed by our Creator! We have been blessed with the gospel and a rich knowledge. I am grateful for my mission which has strengthened my love for the gospel and my Savior. This really is a gospel of joy and I love, love, love it!!!! I know that as we are
"anxiously engaged in a good cause" (D&C 58:27) we will be "filled with his love, even unto the consuming of [our] flesh." (2 Nephi 4:21) The light of the gospel will come into our lives and the darkness will no longer occupy that space. The power of the atonement is real and it can and will change us as we open our hearts to it and let the light in! In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith 

The Church is TRUE!!!!

What's Crack-a-lackin'!!!!

   I hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas and that you took delight in the spiritual feast that was given to us this conference weekend! We are so blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father who has given us a prophet on the earth today to lead and guide us back into His loving arms! SO BLESSED!!!!

Monday: Down by the bay where the watermelons grow back to my home I dare not go for if I do my mother would say...... That's right my friends, I finally got to see one of the great lakes of Michigan and let me tell you my friends was it great! It's like an ocean but not!!! I highly recommend coming to see one of these wonderful creations because it is LEGIT!

Tuesday: I am grateful for the gospel in my life because without it I don't know that I would do with my life! I can't even express how grateful I am that I was so blessed to grow up in a home where the gospel was taught and that I was able to learn about my Savior from such a young age!

Wednesday: Oh man! One of the struggles of a mission is not having a car. My heart goes out to all of the missionaries who had to walk their entire mission, you my friends are champions! Whenever I walk it always seems like all our lessons fall through and things just don't go as planned. We missed our bus and didn't have a way to get to our appointment so we had to cancel, but we decided to door knock a street and we happened to meet two sweet potentials! If your plans don't go the way you planned remember that the Lord is watching over you and His plans are always better then our plans!

Thursday: Today was a bit of a bummer. We had like 4 lessons planned and 3 canceled on us! They were pretty good reasons to cancel but hey the gospel is wonderful and all I want to do is share the good news with you! We did however have a good lesson with a less active member that we are working with! She has somethings that she is working through but she really wants to do better and improve!

Friday: We had a lesson will the Guiths..... well Misty actually. She is great and she was taking notes and wanting to know all these different things it was great! We are hoping that they're family will start progressing more and getting closer to baptism. We are still taking some baby steps, but baby steps are better then no steps, right!

Saturday: It's the most wonderful time of the year! That's right General Conference baby!!! I'd have to say that all the talks that were given were just wonderful! Nothing I can say can describe how great all of them were! If you weren't able to watch it, I invite you to watch it and then watch it again because you won't be able to get enough of it!

Sunday: Alright, was it just me or were you thinking that President Monson was going to announce something crazy because of all the follow the prophet talks. I was getting myself ready for whatever was to come our way, but then nothing crazy happened. Oh well, the messages about following the prophet were still wonderful and I have a huge testimony of how following the prophet can bring you so much peace and happiness! They really do know the way and are servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Thought: Alright, now that we have been blessed with so great a feast "shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren (and sisters); and on, on to the victory" D&C 128:22 The next part of General Conference is applying what we learned into our daily lives. If we don't apply it's like buying a ticket to a movie but then never going to see the movie. I know that this can be hard but we learned that through Christ we can do hard things and that we must make sacrifices to follow our Lord. So, how can we apply what we learned in Conference? We can make a list of things we want to improve on then pick one or two things to start working on in our lives. Don't pick so many things to work on at once because we don't want to get overwhelmed. We can pray about ours lists and I know Heavenly Father will tell us what we can work on to reach our potential. Something that just came to my mind was to read the talks and look at the blessings that are given and if you feel that you need that blessing in your life, do what the speaker invited us to do. There are many ways to apply Conference in our lives and I know that when we do we will see the promised blessings from the Lord and our lives will feel enriched and full. In the name of Jesus the Christ, amen. 

Love Always,

Sister Smith

The Beauty of  Michigan!

Blister on My Toe!

Where Does the Time Go?

Dearest Family and Friends!

   This week has been quite the adventure! I think all my weeks have been adventures just for different reasons though. This week was hot and I have so much more appreciation for the pioneers and the Mormon Battalion then ever before even after the trek/ exodus! Here is a little glimpse into this past week!

Monday: Haha! We had dinner that the Bishop's home and it was great! We love the Peless family and I think they like us as well! Their kids are so funny! I love being a missionary and learning from so many different people all different kinds of things! Being a missionary and eating in member's homes is the best!

Tuesday: We actually were able to pick up a new investigator which was great! We have been so blessed in Bay City! Her name is Sandra and her cousin is a member of the church and they had us all over for dinner. They lesson went pretty well and we have another one scheduled for this Thursday and we are looking forward to it!

Wednesday: We lost the car this day.... always a bummer, but on the bright side we are blessed with some really great weather to be walking in! I mean it could totally be snowing and it's not so I have nothing to complain about! We were able to have a lesson with the Guiths! They are doing pretty good! Misty said that she would be baptized when she receives an answer that these things are true which is great! There are a few hurdles that would need to be overcome but all things are possible through Jesus Christ!

Thursday: We had the opportunity to have a lesson with Tracy! She is such a sweetheart and I just love her and want her to be happy and have the gospel in here life! She would be just so much happier if she were able to come in full fellowship! We need her as well because she has the most tender heart and so much charity for all of God's children! She really is an amazing lady and I just want her to have this gospel!

Friday: Day number 1 and the River of Time! This day is open to all the schools so we got to play games and stuff with them! I braided a lot of pieces of fabric together and we also played 3-way tug of war! It was legit! Sister Jordan and I played against the Elders and we got creamed...... I also got creamed on all the other games I played against them.... lame. Haha! We play a game called Hunker Down and Haul on the Hauser! You balance on a piece of wood and then hold on to a rope and try to pull the other person off, it is a game of balance and strategy! We also played stick pull which was great! It just reminds me of the Restoration movie and how Joseph Smith always played and that he was pretty much the best at it! I love it! We were so tired by the end of the day! We had been in the sun all day and had been out and about doing all those activities it was insane but so much fun and I have that much more respect for the pioneers and what they did and I didn't even have to walk that much that day!

Saturday: We worked a family history booth at the River of Time and it was quite successful! We had a lot of people come and take a look at it which was wonderful! We had by the end like 140 people stop by and either take a flyer or I think about 60 people sat down with us and looked for ancestors with us! It was great! The spirit of Elijah is really here! It was great even trying to find other people's ancestors! We also worked a little at our Mormon Battalion sight which was fun! We had homemade apple pie that was cooked in a dutch oven! Did you know that the Mormon Battalion was the longest infantry march ever!!!! And they were the ones who found the gold which started the gold rush, but they left it all to return to their families in Utah! What amazing men of God!

We also went to the Women's Conference which was absolutely wonderful! It really is the most wonderful time of the year that we get to hear from the leaders of the church then we get to go and apply it into our lives and become better servants of the Lord! We have a prophet on the earth today how amazing and wonderful is that! 

Sunday: We had a really good Gospel Principles class about families and it taught me a lot about how we can create a home that has peace, love and harmony in it! I love how the gospel can truly answer all the questions that we have! It really is amazing how Heavenly Father has created such a divine plan for all of us and that we are able to grow into the children that God knows we can become!

Spiritual Thought: This morning while in my studies I was in my readings in Alma 5 which is the great question chapter of the Book of Mormon. Lately I have been pondering a lot about pride and one of the questions is "are ye stripped of pride?" and I thought about it and I came to the conclusion that I am still very much a prideful person. Upon this realization I thought more about how we can rid ourselves of that pride and become humble and submissive. The first thing that came to my mind was gratitude! What better way to realized how much the Lord has done for you then counting your blessings. I love the scripture in Alma 26:12 which talks about how we are nothing and that we can boast of our God! I love it! There are also other ways that the scriptures teach us about how we can develop the attribute of humility. In Helaman 3:35 it says "Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility and firmer and firmer in their faith of Christ...". We can fast and pray to receive divine help to strip ourselves of our pride! It's great how we have a Heavenly Father who sent His Son to help us in our weaknesses which also helps us to call upon the Lord for help and strength! Blessings of being humble are found all over in the scriptures, but one that I liked was D&C 112:10 which talks about receiving answers to our prayers! I know that it is hard to acknowledge our weaknesses and sometimes it's even harder to call upon the Lord for help, but I know that when we do we will become humble and we will be able to strip ourselves of pride that we may be able to stand before God and be clean so we can inherit the kingdom of God which is the greatest of all gifts! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith

Sister Miranda Smith on her way to  "RIVER OF TIME" IN BAY CITY, MICHIGAN 

Sister Jordan and Sister Smith at "River of Time"

runnin' runnin' and runnin' runnin'

Howdy Partners!

   As you can see from my title, this week we have been running around like mad sister missionaries! Actually I feel like that has been what all my time in Bay City has been. We don't have enough time in the day to all that we need to do! There's an elder in our mission who skips his lunch hour because he feels like it is a waste of time and takes his lunch with him. We may have to result in doing that... except I really like my lunch time because well I get to read the Book of Mormon and the Ensigns and be spiritually strengthened for the rest of the day, but we do need to find more hours in the day. haha #missionlife! (That's right, I hash tagged!)

Monday: It rained.... a lot! This is the day that our running around began. Who knew that it would just lead into a crazy week like the one we went through!

Tuesday: Oh man I was in Mt. Pleasant baby!!! That's where I was born and I was with my MTC companion Sister Mortensen! It is crazy how much I actually remember from Mt. P even being gone for so long! It is crazy! I also got to see Robert Bronson! He's almost been baptized a year now which is crazy awesome! I still love working on campus! We did this finding activity where you ask people what makes them happy and have them write it on a white board and then you take a picture of them then you explain that you're talking to people about what makes you happy which is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Isn't that great! Campus all the way!

Wednesday: We had a lot of lessons planned and they all fell through which is always a huge bummer but that is why back up plans are so important! I'm going to have back up plans the rest of my life! They really keep you organized and time efficient!

Thursday: Oh man! We had dinner with a less active woman who is so sweet and who is slowly on here way to reactivation which is great! She's great! The reason I'm telling you this is because for desert we had... wait for it...... desert nachos!!!!!!! Haha! Isn't that awesome!!!! We had like ice cream and caramel on them! The sweet little joys of mission life I just love them!

Friday: Awesome day! While door knocking Sister Jordan and I were coming up with awesome pumpkin carving ideas like the Plan of Salvation, CTR, mormon.org and a michigan hand with M.L.M  we are pretty excited about it actually! What a great missionary tool (wink, wink) haha! That evening we also had dinner at an a member's home with an investigator and it went really well!! Like I say almost every other week, members are everything!! They are the most important part to the work! I absolutely love when members are so willing to help out and be a friend to our investigators! The members also invited them to an activity the next day! It was awesome!!!!!!!!!!! Have the missionaries investigators over for dinner or family home evening, they need you!

Saturday: I had the opportunity to attend a wedding! It was pretty great actually. They were married then the groom was baptized. Also I believe I have found my calling in life and that is decorating cupcakes! I had a blast decorating them and they turned out pretty good too! Maybe I'll have that as a side job! We also had the Fall Frolic! Yup, Michigan rules!

Sunday: One the the counselors in  the bishopric is moving to Idaho Falls and he gave a powerful testimony to the ward! It was amazing! It sounded like an apostle! It was legit! He's really great guy and we are sad to see him leave!

Spiritual Thought: I've been thinking about what to talk about this week and I feel like temple attendance is something that would bring the spirit. I know that the temple is the House of the Lord. It is so important that we go to the temple as often as we can. I know that we don't always get the opportunity because we are busy and we have much to do, but as we take that time for the Lord he will truly bless us and our families. (3 Nephi 13:33) I know that not everyone who reads this is a member of the church or has a temple recommend, I'd invite you to walk on the grounds of the temple and feel of the special spirit that is there. There is a peace that  comes from the temple that you can't find anywhere else. I haven't been able to go back in almost 18 months and I miss it, I miss it more than anything. There is a power that comes from attending the temple regularly that can't be found anywhere else. The temple is real life, when we go we get away from the temptations, and craziness of the world and we get to go where we can feel the Lord's spirit abundantly. I love to see the temple and I'm going back some day! There is not place like the Lord's House. I know with all my heart that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's restored church on the earth today and that this is where the Lord wants all of his children to be. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith

 

Sister Smith and Sister Jordan

Living the Dream!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

    The time has come for the weather to start to change and for the long sleeves to come out from hiding, for the leaves to start to change, and to look like a dragon breathing smoke because of the brisk fall air. Yup, that's right my friends fall is in the air and Sister Smith refuses to put on warmer clothing to admit to the fact that winter is just around the corner. If only my memory could be blocked of that cold, dark winter we had last year. I'm soooo grateful that as a missionary we receive strength beyond our own!

Monday: Oh man we had a good ole' time playing at the park with some members!! It was so much fun to play games with the members! No worries we did it on our own p-day time not after P-day was over! One of the best p-days ever for sure!

Tuesday: We had a lesson with Albert our recent convert and he is doing so great! We  just love him so much! He is reading in 3 Nephi and he is so excited to get to the part where Christ comes to the people in the Americas.

Wednesday: We got to see the Martinez family which was great! They are really great to teach and we had a member there is it was wonderful! Members are so important they really help everything so much! I love it!

Thursday: Sister Jordan and I went to see a less-active member and she was feeding us lunch. She had to leave while we were having lunch to visit a neighbor who had a family member pass away that morning. It was kind of funny cause Sister Jordan and I sat there for a moment and we started to laugh because we were in this woman's home and she had left us while eating lunch and it was just another awkward moment in the life of a missionary. Well it sounds like it is a you had to be there moment.... I feel like a lot of the stories I tell are those, but I hope you still enjoy them anyways.

Friday: Oh my soul! Sister Jordan and I had all these people just pour their souls out to us and it is crazy! I have no idea why people feel like they can just tell us everything that is going on in their life. I think it's because they trust us. I feel very privileged that people do trust us that much. Being a representative of Jesus Christ is a wonderful opportunity and I feel very blessed to be able to be here for Heavenly Father's children to help them out.

Saturday: We had a lesson with our investigator Tracy. She really is so sweet and we love her to death! She has been investigating the church for about 10 years now. It seems likes everything is against her when it comes to coming to church. People in the church she attends to now aren't kind when she talks about the church. She is so funny though because she takes a copy of the Book of Mormon to church with her and she says everyone just stares at her. She is so close to coming to church and she has come before she just needs to do it again. Oh Tracy! Sometimes loving people is really hard. Parents you probably understand better than I do but you know how if feels when you want your kids so badly to do what is right, but the opposition comes and your kids may not make the right choice well that's how I feel when our investigators don't keep their commitments. You know with all your heart that it will bless them but they don't do it. It is so sad! Charity is rough stuff!

Sunday: We finally got in contact with our investigator David Mook!!!! He has been super busy with a bunch of stuff (which seems to happen when you meet people who are prepared!) We have an appointment set up with him for tomorrow and we are pumped!!! Yeah for teaching people about the gospel!!!!

Spiritual Thought: I have been thinking a lot this week about how important it is to live the gospel everyday of our lives! We can't just be complacent in the gospel we have to be working towards becoming better everyday and we can only do that by living it everyday. When we pray, read the scriptures and attend church and do the small and simple things we are going to be blessed greatly. 2 Nephi 31: 19-20 Talks about how after we are baptized all is not done but that we must press forward and endure to the end and "behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." I know that when we follow the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can prevent hardships and trials that come our way and when they do, cause they will at some point, we'll be able to get through them and grow and learn from our trials. I love you all and hope that together we can all endure to the end so that we'll be able to see each other in the Kingdom of Heaven! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love Always,

Sister Smith 

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!