My Twin Separated at Birth pic Sister Jones my new Companion

Sister Jones and Sister Smith in Cleveland GA

Twins Separated at Birth

So first off, Sister Jones and I are basically twins. It was actually kind of creepy the first couple days hahhaa. She likes wearing black, like me, she and I quote SNL for days. On Thursday we were talking about SNL and freaking out because none of our companions have watched SNL that much, and at the same time I said, "I love Jimmy Fallon." When she asked, "Do you like Jimmy Fallon?" We both just got big eyes and freaked out. We're already finishing each others sentences. 

We both are slightly feminist, we both have similar political views, each one of us wants to at least get a Masters, we both look at marriage and raising children the same way (which, of course, is limited since neither one of us are married or have kids). And we talk way too much and are almost having too much fun. It's unreal. We have the feeling that since it's so good she'll probably be transferred in 6 weeks :/. But that's okay. That just means I'll probably only be here for 41/2 months, which is also okay.

So, Cleveland. It's a different world up here. Total country. Everyone has issues with smoking. It's kind of nasty actually. Some people's homes are way potent and it makes me a little sick. Members even have issues with smoking. It's sad. Really, it's such a disgusting habit, it smells bad and ugh. Gross. So glad that that's not really big in California. Well, not as much as it is here. 

The ward. Small, lots of less actives. Our area covers 103 miles top to bottom. We only get 1300 miles a month. Needless to say, we basically stay in one area. We don't really have much of a map (my goal is to get a map up and running by the time I leave this place). It's going to be hard, I can already tell. But I'm willing to work as hard as I can to help the area so that the next missionaries that come in will appreciate the work we've done. It's already improved since it was white washed, but since this area is so hard I have the feeling I'm going to really have to step it up with my obedience. Which, of course, is welcome, but it will clearly be a daily effort.

It was sad to leave Roswell, but I was ready for something new. Roswell will always be in my heart, that place is wonderful. 

Sister Woodward made sure that we went and said goodbye to her. She gave me a hug when we finished visiting with her and whispered that I was her favorite. She wants to keep in touch. I love Sister Woodward, she was like my second mom in Roswell. Mindi gave me a scarf and a necklace and wants to keep in touch. 

But really, Sister Jones and I are way too alike. Also, she was raised in California, LA County, until she was 13 and then they moved to Gilbert, Arizona. Fun fact: none of the missionaries in our ward are from Utah! That's a feat. Just sayin'. So, she understands the pull to Southern California. We're already making plans on me being at her homecoming because she gets home a transfer after I do, and I want to go through the new Gilbert Temple. 

We both went to bed and just kept talking and talking and talking and talking. We could talk for days. We're both so interesting. Just kidding. But for reals though... 

I'm excited to serve with her and work in this area. It will be hard, I already sorta kinda miss the city, but that's okay. 

Love y'all the most!

Sister Smith

Its Getting Hot in GA

Everyone is right about the heat being a completely different heat. Which, living in it wouldn't really be that bad, but as missionaries, we have to tract in this muggy heat. So much fun. Hahahah. I will say, the feeling of the evenings here in Georgia feel like how summer nights should feel. It's really cool. The sound of the bugs here is really pretty and the nights just have this nice ambiance with all the green. I love it.

This week went by really fast! This might be a short email due to the fact that I had the awesome opportunity to speak to my lovely family yesterday. But TRANSFERS! I'm going to Cleveland, GA with Sister Jones. Sister Jones is really cool so I'm stoked! I can't wait to see how this next transfer pans out. 

I'm too lazy to write a ton. But it was a great week and we had this great chance to go help all the girls in the Spanish Branch get ready for Mormon Prom. So fun! Just fun to be a girl for a minute :)

I'm just going to respond to y'all emails, and maybe I'll write another one in a minute.

Love you,

Sister Smith

SUNSET, REFLECTION, SISTER ADORABLE AND SISTER FABULOUS (JOCEY)

JOCEY TRYING TO GET CREATIVE AND GET HERSELF AS A REFLECTION AND CAPTURE THE SUNSET

SOMEONE PUT THEIR FINGER OVER THE FLASH.....

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO

This week was pretty good.Tuesday was way fun because we had exchanges and we actually have awesome Sister Training Leaders. I went to the other area with Sister Chapman, she's from Arizona and she's 28 years old! But she is awesome! She used to be a P.E. teacher and she just has an awesome story about pride, being stubborn and finally going on a mission. Hahaha. We "pillow talked" until way late into the night. It was just fun because she reminds me of Sarah, Katie and Becky all rolled into one person, which I can imagine helps you see why we were talking for dayzzzzzzz! But it was really fun and nice to go somewhere new. The whole three months I was with Sister Andrus we didn't have one exchange ahhaha, it was actually kind of funny and okay with me because the STLs were really nice, but just not someone I would gel with easily you know? Not to say they were bad or anything, they were great missionaries, but not having exchanges was totally fine with me. 

On exchanges we went to go visit this elderly lady that said some of the funniest things. She was crazy, I was dying the whole time we were there. She was describing someone's sales skills and said, "He couldn't sell a fifty dollar bill for 25 cents." HA! I personally thought it was hilarious. 

While I was gone supposedly we got a billion and a half referrals and we got three return appointments from three of them, which never happens!

Thursday we had a lesson with a lady who works in downtown Atlanta and she met missionaries down there who referred her to us. So we met her and she's really awesome. She's engaged to a Jehovah's Witness, but she does not go there, and she's interested in learning more. She has always had a belief that Christ came and visited the Americas and that's why she was willing to listen to the Elders because they taught her that. The lesson had to be cut short because she had to pick up her daughter and stuff, but we just did a tour of the church building and we made a return appointment for this week. 

Then, right after Stephanie, we had a lesson with a lady named Tanisha. She's from the Caribbean Islands and has a very inquisitive daughter that asked more questions than she. The lesson was really good, and we will be seeing them again this week. 

Friday we made a goal to get caught up with all of our contacts in order to allow ourselves to go to the Sikh temple again. This time the Spanish Sisters came with us and it was really cool. They ended earlier so we could stay and eat and still get home on time. I'll bet Indians think Americans have really bland food because they use a lot of spices. But I love everything I ate. So yummy! But we wanted to go one more time and go prepared, so that was probably the last time we'll be going. I really enjoyed the overall experience, I definitely learned a lot. 

Saturday was really good. We mostly just contacted, but we went to go visit this lady, Melinda. She came into the church last Sunday after we had missionary correlation meeting and she didn't have a place to go or food etc. So our ward mission leader and another ward missionary took her to where she's saying, the Atlanta Hotel, and paid for three days. Well, they told us to go over and try and teach her, so we taught her and the lesson went really well. She came to church yesterday and really enjoyed herself. 

It was interesting to go where she lives. We live across the street from the "ghetto" which we're only there during the day really, but where she lives is where all the drugs and other bad things are happening, so it's a dump. To me is just interesting to observe and think about Mosiah 2:41, "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the chammandments of God.... They are blessed in all things both temporal and spiritual." Just to be given the chance to walk into so many different homes, apartments, hotel rooms, etc. Just shows me how that scripture is fulfilled. The best thing this gospel can do, whether in its fullness, or in parts depending on how people are raised etc. is that it can change every aspect of a person's life. It doesn't just change the Spiritual, it changes the physical as well. When we desire to become better, we increase all parts of our lives, including our health, our cleanliness, spirituality, everything. At least, that is what I have been able to observe. But yeah, happiness is found in just "trying a little harder to be a little better." (President Gordon B. Hinkley). 

Anyway, all is well. Hopefully Mindi feels prepared to be baptized next week. She's having a couple few doubts, but I won't be worried, we did everything we're supposed to and now it's in her choice and the Lord's hands.

Love always,

Sister Smith

Pics with the Spanish Sister Missionaries

Nothing's better than good food and the Spirit!

This week was a good week. 

Tuesday we had district meeting and all us sisters wanted to go down Canton street for lunch. It's in Old Roswell, it's downtown and the little shops and restaurants are so cute and we just thought we need to eat at local places that are unique. Well, since I'm a real foodie I found this little tiny place called the Artisan Bakery (those of you at home, look it up, I believe it was featured in Bon Appetite once) and we had the BEST food ever! I felt like I was home! I got this warm goat cheese salad that was to die for. I know, I'm talking about food. But seriously, it's the small things in life that spices things up. And then they had this applesauce.... It's thick, kinda like ice cream, but it has chunks of apples in it and then I'm pretty sure there's a little bit of lemon and pumpkin pie spice in it... Mmmmmm. Family, when I bring y'all to Georgia, I'm bringing you to this place. It's superb. 

Then we tracted all day before dinner and that was good. We had dinner at a fellow Canadian's home :), I love eating with them. They just bought some chicks and I got to hold them, they're still in their cute stage. And we visited this lady in the ward that has health issues so she can't always come for church for all three hours, but she loves us so we stopped by and she told us her conversion story and this lady that she's helping come into the gospel down in south Georgia. 

Wednesday we tracted, did service at this community center and then tracted some more. SO FUN. Actually, it was fun. We did run into this highschool kid that remembers a sister that was Sister Andrus's old companion and we talked to him about the Gospel and stuff. He's not entirely ready, but we're pretty sure the Lord will be preparing him. 

Thursday we had a lesson with Mindi. On  Monday after I wrote my awesome email and we were playing volley ball, she text us that she feels like she's still not sure if she's ready. I was so sad! I kicked a water bottle while we were tracting and made some classic Nalder sounds in my anger. I needed to get it out somehow! And I thought, "crap! I feel like I was sent here to meet her and see her the whole way through and now I'm totally wrong." etc. etc. Well, we had our lesson and all is well! She received multiple answers throughout the week realizing that she's still probably ready. I left that appointment calmed and satisfied. 

Then we had three lesson planned out for after dinner. We really made our schedule tight! And our first lesson was with this girl Sierra whom we just met and this would be the first time teaching her, then the Mayes family, then Juana and children. Well, Danielle Mayes text us saying that she had appointments (she's a hairdresser) and she couldn't have us over at 7 and that we could come on Sunday and her husband would make us dinner. Fine by us! Then Juana text us saying she had a lot of stuff she needed to get resolved (we even had a team up and everything!) but she couldn't meet with us. Then Sierra text us asking if we could have the lesson at 6:40 instead of 6. Well, since the Mayes cancelled we had time! Then when we were trying to think of what we should do in place of Juana, we realized that I needed to practice a song. Elder Fowers, our zone leader, asked if I would sing at their investigator's baptism on Saturday (he asked me Thursday morning mind you....) and of course I agreed. So we used the Spanish sister, Sister Garcia, for the piano and we met up after Sierra's lesson and practiced. 

But, I need to tell y'all about Sierra's awesome lesson. Her mom met us and she had to go to a church thing so she didn't have time to stay, but she was totally fine with her daughter meeting with Mormon missionaries and learning from us. We taught the lesson, everything was flowing real well and Sister Nettleton recites the First Vision. The Spirit was so strong! And I turned to Sierra and asked her what her thoughts and feelings were. She looked down for a solid two to three minutes, which is forever sometimes, and finally she looked up at us. She had tears in her eyes and said, "Sorry, I was having a moment... When you said that I had this feeling... I can't even explain what happened." We invited her to be baptized, she said she'd have to learn more but she'll seriously consider it. 

Friday was AWESOME! We went to a Sikh temple. It's a branch from Hinduism (they're not the same, but it's a middle eastern religion that branched from Hinduism in the 1700s). It was so cool! We showed up and you can't wear shoes in the temple, so we left our shoes at the door. We met this lady and she said, "Oh you need to cover your heads."  They don't have to completely cover all of their hair or anything, they all have these gorgeous scarves that they just place over their heads. We just have temporary bandanas to borrow, but we're going to go next week and come prepared :). But it was an awesome experience. Very eye opening. I do really love other fellow Christian faiths, however, the people we've interacted with that are Hindu or Sikh or whatever, actually live most of what they believe. They have this sense of calm about them and life is just good. They all seem so focused on what's really important, rather than being hung up on the smallest things. I'll tell y'all more about it because my fingers are tired and Saturday was good too. Oh, Davis and Jared, y'all should find a Sikh temple and go, it's a part of their culture to have food after all their services :) and they'll let you help make the food (that was one of my favorite parts!)

Saturday was the Zone Leaders' baptism and it was a really good service. Sierra came and really enjoyed it. I had the chance to sing and Gloria, the lady that was baptized, started crying while I sang. I actually didn't notice, but Elder Fowers said that she did, so that was cool. 

Then Sister Nettleton and I were going to go tracting and I saw a road closed down with all sorts of booths and this sign that said, "Alpharetta Fesitval of Arts." I asked Sister Nettleton how she'd feel if I wanted to go contacting there. Hahah she was nervous going to the Sikh temple and I convinced her that she would enjoy it. I was totally right. So I used that again, I said, "Come on, it's WAY more fun to contact at an art festival rather than knock on doors. Missionary work is supposed to be fun not horrific."  She also thought I might be distracted looking at the art hahahah, but I contact better when I can really connect with them.  Thank goodness, my rhetoric worked and we went.  We met this AWESOME girl that we have an appointment with tonight. Needless to say, Sister Nettleton was thankful I convinced her to let us go contact there instead. Hopefully it all goes well! Pray for us :)

Love y'all 

Sister Smith

HAPPY EASTER

First big news! Mindi's on date! :D Happiness! Hopefully it all comes together, but yesterday at church she said that she's hoping to be baptized Mother's Day weekend. So there. I'm so excited for her. From the very beginning this has been a golden experience. It's awesome to have found her in January, and now the weekend before I leave she'll be baptized. I've been there for the whole process :) For all of the baptisms that I have been a part of, I've been there from start to finish. It's been really awesome to watch people grow and know that the Spirit is teaching them and we're just relaying information. 

On Saturday Mindi was texting us all this anti stuff, "so I kept thinking man she's really doing her research!" With an inkling of fear in my thoughts, let's be honest. But then I just felt like, "No, I already know she's ready, she'll be baptized. I don't need to worry." Lo and behold, something that was hard to send over in text was that her ex was texting her all the anti stuff and she was trying to explain that to us. Supposedly she just told him that she can't deny the feelings/Spirit that she's been feeling ever since she's looked into the gospel. She says this is the closest thing to real for her and she's going to take advantage of it despite all the stuff he was sending her. Because to her, you can get all sorts of information anywhere and most of that could potentially be fake because everything she's learned feels right. We didn't have to tell her, she told him. So cool.

She's the best thing that has happened this week. 

Monday we had dinner with a family who met in Garden Grove! What what?! Their reception in the McFadden building, no joke. I've walked on those floors. When he found out I was from Huntington Beach he looked at me and said, "Harbor House?" Uh YEAH! He's going on a business trip this week and he said they were going to Harbor House when he got there. Hahaha. That place.So many good times. That was cool, because most people talk about vacationing in Huntington Beach or San Diego and it's so nice to talk to someone who understands.  Oh and the wife grew up in Utah but was working in California and she lived on Graham and Warner! Right by our house! Crazy! Anyway, okay done. 

Something that's been hard is that we picked up a lot of new investigators a couple weeks ago and now none of them are really keeping committments. One family I know will be baptized eventually, so I'm not too worried about them. But there is this couple that just needs the blessings the gospel can give. That might sound cheesy, but it's so true! There are just people where it feels like God prepared them through their life experiences, but they don't take the chance to try it out. 

We read the Book of Mormon last night with Annie, she's the recent convert from Liberia. It was really good. She's been having a hard time embracing the Book of Mormon and the lifestyle. Which makes sense, she has a hard time trusting people and letting them  into her life because of what happened in the past. And of course, this is a church where everyone tries to visit you, meet you and love you, which there is nothing wrong with that, but it kind of makes her uncomfortable. So we're working with her on just solidifying her testimony and understanding why God wanted her to be baptized into Jesus  Christ's church. Ultimately that's why she was baptized, she didn't know why, but she knew this is where God wanted her. We're just trying to help her know why and her conviction will grow. She's an awesome woman. I really look up to her, she's so humble and God-fearing. 

We had dinner with a family where we basically talked about food the whole time. Felt like home. Sister Kelly is from Mozambique and she lived in Portugal for a while, and the olive oil over there is prime. They get the BEST olive oil from a guy that goes every year and brings them back a gallon they can split. Oh my gosh. They let me try some. It's way better than anything else. The color is even a little different and it tastes so smooth and thick. It's perfect. Whenever we have dinner over there we talk about the Word of Wisdom and how the world has gone so far from just eating what God has given us on the earth and we talk about these discourses that Brigham Young has on eating healthy and how bread should properly be cooked, etc. I love having dinner with this family. They understand me! 

Anyway, it was rainy all weekend and BAM. Yesterday was lovely. I got Joseph Smith's First Prayer stuck in my head because it talks about a lovely spring morning. Spring here is phenomenal. I've seen nothing like it anywhere else. I love it. Oh and we rode our bikes to the Family History Center this morning and it was just gorgeous outside. And we're playing volleyball later in this lovely weather. So happy.

Love y'all too much I can't handle it!

Sister Jocelyn Smith :)