Thursday, April 7, 2011

(back track March 21)

Hello family and friends and everyone else who reads these letters!
Wow what a week… lots of hard work, maybe not the best results, but I feel like I’ve done my best, hope that’s okay! Wow I am so grateful for this pday because its been about a month since my last day of rest. The last two pdays we woke up at 3 and traveled all day… and didn’t get anything done. Anyway basically last night I was so tired I could hardly lift up my arm to write any of our plans. Today is a MUCH needed pday. (p.s. I could really use some prayers of strength and energy.. I’m losing both…I used to think my older comps and ex missionaries were lying when they talked about how tired they get at the end of the mission… now it makes sense)
FUNNIES:
1. Found out the other day that in spanish the word for handcuffs is also the same as wife. Hahaha. MLIAIH
2. The other day we were in a lesson with a family who lives in this very humble adobe house.. we were sitting outside and there was this tiny baby chicken running around on the porch… until the 11 month old baby stepped on it… it died. Haha. For the first time in my life I saw a baby kill a chicken. MLIAIH

LOVELIES:
So after church yesterday we walked this old lady home because she walks about .1 miles per hour and she was going on a busy street. Anyway so we took both her arms and walked about 20 minutes to her house that was 2 blocks away. Hah. But we got talking and I asked her if she liked church and what she had learned, etc. So she got talking and said, ¨Oh hermanas, I don’t learn a thing when I got to church. I barely even hear what they say… but every time I go I feel the spirit so strongly that I never want to leave. I just sit there in all the classes praying and talking with my Heavenly Father. I never want to miss a single sunday.¨ This lady is so wonderful. She walks to church alone every week because her husband is Catholic and wants nothing to do with the church. She doesn’t know how to read and she doesn’t even remember when she got baptized. (the age is getting to her…) But she’s early to church every Sunday and goes because she feels so much the spirit of the Lord. What an inspiration!
The work is rolling forward little by little. I feel so blessed to be here at this time in my life. I don’t know what else could be so worth it. I also cant think of a lot of harder things, but really nothing in life that has worth is easy, right?
I want to invite you all to read a few scriptures that have really impacted me lately. Jacob 4:3 then Mosiah 1: 1 to 7. I testify that the scriptures are true and are written for US. Think of Nephi and his brothers, then think about all Joseph Smith went through so we can have the scriptures. How are we using them? When was the last time you felt an answer to your prayers through the scriptures? I promise that we talk to God through prayer and many times he talks to us through the scriptures. Never let one day go without having a spiritual experience with the scriptures! This is my goal.
I know the Restored Gospel is on the earth, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints contains it.
Love you all so much.
Hermana

Monday, April 4, 2011

April 4, 2011

Good morning family and friends!

Wow, what a miraculous week… let me tell you all a story.

So last week we received a letter from our Mission President telling us we needed to invite everyone within the sound of our voice to General Conference, and that we had the challenge to bring 10 investigators to conference. (we usually average 4 people in sacrament meeting). We thought it would be hard because our biggest challenge is attendance at church, and conference was going to be in a city an hour and a half away. But we put our faith in President’s promise and challenge. All week we invited all the contacts to conference and in every lesson we taught about prophets. Lessons with members, old investigators, new investigators.. everyone! And during our Thursday planning session we called a few people we hadn’t taught in a while to invite them. The truth is we didn’t do mucho more than that.. it was a pretty normal week. Saturday night we were pretty happy because we were almost sure we’d have about 15 people, but taking in account the not so great dependability in the people, we didn’t get our hopes up too high. Sunday morning we did divisions to gather a few families. We arrived at the church with 11 investigators, just the two of us! Then as we sat and watched for all the other members and investigators to come, people just kept coming and coming. We did the final count during conference….. 29 investigators. Our investigators invited all their friends and they invited their friends. It was incredible. My jaw just dropped as I saw them all coming and showing up. It was funny because it wasn’t until the 2 hour conference break that we realized that a complete family of investigators that came also brought another complete family. It was so funny. Truly a MIRACLE. So much that president mentioned us in his weekly letter… that’s a huge feat! Haha.

The lesson I learned from this experience was this: all we did this week was follow our MP’s counsel to invite everyone. That was it. As we followed faithfully and SIMPLY the counsel of our leader, we saw a huge miracle and a huge increase in our faith. Now our goal can be to do the same with the inspired counsel that our prophet gave us this week in general conference. We must follow his counsel faithfully and simply… and we’ll see miracles. I challenge you and me to reread some talks from conference.. and when there is something we must do… DO IT. With faith and simplicity. I’m trying to do the same!

A funny for the week:

1. I was walking down the street the other day when a car passed by with a license plate that was not from Honduras… as I looked closer I noticed that it had a peach and said GEORGIA. My brother and I are coming together in the missions! MLIAIH

Well, that’s about it for now… sorry if I’ve bored you all. But I’m so grateful for all that happened this week… and I’m especially grateful to have a TON of investigators to visit! (oh I forgot to mention… we put 6 more baptismal dates this week… total of 8!) we are so blessed!

Love you all so much! And ¨I LOVE THIS WORK… IT IS WORK!¨

Love, Hermana Smith